Julius Caesar

Drama | William Shakespeare
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Brief Questions in Julius Caesar

Brief Questions in Julius Caesar

  • What kind of play is Julius Caesar?
Ans: Julius Caesar is a Roman tragedy based on ancient Roman history.
  • What is the major source of Julius Caesar?
Ans: The source is Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, translated by Sir Thomas North.
  • How did Pompey die?
Ans: Pompey was murdered by his own friends.
  • What do you mean by “Tribunes”?
Ans: Tribunes were Roman officials who looked after the welfare of the people.
  • What is the feast of Lupercal?
Ans: The feast of Lupercal was a Roman festival honoring the god of fertility and plenty.
  • What does “The Ides of March” refer to?
Ans: It refers to the 15th day of March, believed to be unlucky.
  • What is the cause of Brutus’s mental conflict?
Ans: Brutus is torn between love for Caesar and duty to Rome.
  • What supernatural signs are seen by Casca?
Ans: Casca sees fire raining, lions roaming, ghosts walking, and owls hooting at noon.
  • What mistake does Brutus make about the oath?
Ans: He refuses an oath, which weakens unity among the conspirators.
  • How does Portia prove her self-control?
Ans: She shows Brutus a wound she made on her thigh to prove her strength.
  1. Why did Calpurnia cry in her sleep?
Ans: Calpurnia cried because she dreamed of Caesar’s murder.
  • What is Caesar’s attitude to death?
Ans: Caesar says death is inevitable and brave men do not fear it.
  • When does Caesar decide to go to the Senate?
Ans: Caesar decides to go when Decius tells him the Senate will crown him.
  • Who is Artemidorus?
Ans: Artemidorus is a teacher of rhetoric and a well-wisher of Caesar.
  • Who persuades Caesar to go to the Capitol?
Ans: Decius persuades Caesar to go to the Capitol.
  • Who are called traitors by Artemidorus?
Ans: The conspirators are called traitors by Artemidorus.
  • How does Antony describe the assassins?
Ans: Antony calls them “honorable men” with bitter irony.
  • Who form the triumvirate after Caesar’s death?
Ans: Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus form the triumvirate.
  • Which forces are led by Brutus and Cassius?
Ans: Brutus and Cassius lead the armies raised in Asia Minor.
  • What is Brutus’s last great mistake?
Ans: He decides to march to Philippi against Cassius’s advice.
  • When does Caesar’s ghost appear?
Ans: Caesar’s ghost appears to Brutus at night after his quarrel with Cassius.
  • What is the meaning of Caesar’s ghost’s appearance?
Ans: It shows that fate still haunts Brutus and predicts his defeat.
  • Why does Cassius commit suicide?
Ans: Cassius loses hope after wrongly thinking his friend Titinius is captured.
  • How does Cassius commit suicide?
Ans: Cassius asks Pindarus to stab him with his own sword.
  • How is Nemesis fulfilled in Julius Caesar?
Ans: It is fulfilled when Brutus, the last conspirator, dies.
  • Why is young Cato introduced in the play?
Ans: He represents the brave old Roman spirit that is dying out.
  • What was Caesar’s ambition?
Ans: Caesar wanted to be an absolute ruler of Rome.
  • What is Brutus’s second mistake?
Ans: He refuses to include Cicero in the conspiracy.
  • What holiday are the people celebrating at Caesar’s return?
Ans: They are celebrating the feast of Lupercal on 15 February.
  • What is Brutus’s biggest mistake as a leader?
Ans: He lets Antony speak at Caesar’s funeral.
  • What does Caesar say when he is stabbed?
Ans: Caesar says, “Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar!”
  • Why and how does Brutus commit suicide?
Ans: Brutus kills himself by running on his sword held by Strato.
  • How did Caesar become the ruler of Rome?
Ans: He defeated Pompey’s sons and became Rome’s ruler in 45 B.C.
  • What is the main theme of Julius Caesar?
Ans: The main theme is ambition, betrayal, and the struggle for power.
  • How does Antony describe Brutus after his death?
Ans: Antony calls Brutus “the noblest Roman of them all.” 

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