Show:
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Act V
100
The play opens with Flavius and Marullus comically exchanging insults with the commoners, or working people. One man says he is "a mender of soles." What is his profession (technical name)? Hint " _____ _____ mend my shoes..."
What is a cobbler
100
Setting-- Where does Brutus decide to join the conspirators. II.i opens here (hint: a place at his home/estate), with Brutus debating whether or not to join the conspirators. Tree fruit anyone?
What is his orchard
100
Caesar's murder is ironic because...
a) The murderers begged mercy while not showing any b) Caesar just declared himself as constant as the Northern Star and steady as Mount Olympus c) He puts the affairs of Rome before his own because he is a good leader d) All of the above
100
What do Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus gather to discuss?
What is who should be killed (senators, family members, conspirator loyalists, etc.)
100
Setting-- Where does Act V take place?
What is during battle; battlefield, etc.
200
What is the setting of I.i (Act 1, scene 1)?
What is the streets of Rome
200
What does Lucius give Brutus in II.ii? 1 Bonus Point if you can name the significance of it...
What is a forged note This is the final push to get Brutus to join the conspirators
200
Who stabs Caesar first?
Who is Casca
200
What reason does Antony give Octavius for not liking Lepidus? Or, what does he compare Lepidus to?
What is a horse; easily trained/swayed (he might become a conspirator himself if given reason...)
200
How does Cassius die?
What is he commits suicide; has his slave kill him
300
A very ominous warning is presented to Caesar in I.ii (1.2). What is it?
What is Beware the Ides of March
300
Conspirators want Cicero to join the conspiracy because of "his silver hairs." What does this suggest about Cicero's age and/or role in the senate?
Open-ended; he's older, more experienced, etc. He may be more respected by others because he's been through many ruler-ships, etc.
300
2 parts: _________ is against killing Antony speaking at Caesar's funeral, but ______ is for it if Antony only praise Caesar.
Who are Cassius and Brutus
300
What does Brutus accuse Cassius of in their argument?
What is corruption; taking bribes, etc.
300
What omen does Cassius see before battle? (He is telling Messala that today is his birthday)
What are crows, ravens, and/or hawks (kites); birds that represent death
400
I.iii (1.3) opens with what significant event foreshadowing events to come.
What is a thunderstorm
400
"Render me worthy of this noble wife" says Brutus after his wife (Portia) does this to show him she can handle suffering
What is cut open her leg
400
How does Antony persuade the crowd? What literary device does he use?
rhetorical devices; better speaker than Brutus, irony, "honorable men"
400
Why is Cassius surprised that Brutus didn't kill him on the spot during their argument? (What does Cassius learn about recent events from Metellus's news?)
What is that Portia killed herself, and that he is surprised about the fact that Brutus is so well-composed, while he cannot help but succumb to his own emotions.
400
Who holds the sword for Brutus to run upon at the end of scene V?
Who is Strato
500
After being offered the crown, Caesar fainted due to the "heat" and "diseased breath" of the commoners. What is the scientific reason for Caesar's fainting (or the "falling sickness")?
What is epilepsy
500
Deeper meaning-- Calpurnia warns Caesar not to attend the senate in II.iii. Decius reinterprets Calpurnia's dream, in which he invalidates her argument. Brutus does not trust the woman he married with a secret. The role of women in this play of Shakespeare's is not a dynamic one, as in Hamlet or King Lear. How does Cassius demonstrate this statement/quality in Act IV (when he argues with Brutus)?
What is comparing his temper to his mother's, etc.
500
Open-ended: Why does Brutus and/or Antony even bother with speaking to the common people? What does the easy persuasiveness suggest about the importance of their role in the play?
What is power in numbers; common folk are those who truly control politics? good answer accepted
500
Caesar's ghost appears to Brutus when Lucius "lutes" the others to sleep. "Thy evil spirit" is echoed in Caesar's words. What does this mean? Or, how do you interpret Caesar appearing at this time, as well as the meaning of "evil" spirit?
a--What is Brutus' evil spirit; I am an evil spirit; I am your guilt; While the others are easily rendered asleep, Brutus is still contemplating his choice of killing Caesar. Throughout the play, sleep is a constant reminder of innocence and/or guilt. Lucius, the slave, can sleep easily in Act 2, while Brutus cannot, as he contemplates what will happen to Rome if Caesar is dead/alive. He joins the conspirators and never sleeps easily again (if you've noticed). Right before Brutus commits suicide, he addresses Strato, who has been sleeping up until now. "Well, good-bye to you too" (to Strato)--good-bye to my innocence? what I once felt looking upon Caesar? b--Caesar will get his revenge
500
Antony says "This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators save only he/Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;/He, only in a general honest thought/And common good to all, made one of them," (V.v.68-72). Who is he talking about? Why is the "noblest"?
Who is Brutus. He was the only one who thought he was doing a service to Rome by killing Caesar (he didn't kill Caesar out of envy).