Question

Read the following extract from Julius Caesar [Act III Scene 1] and answer the questions that follow:

ANTONY – O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever lived in tide of times.

1. Explain the figure of speech used in the extract. (Application)
2. When, why and how had Antony been meek and gentle with these butchers? What trait of Antony's character do you assess by this action? (Recalling & Analysis)
3. What does Antony prophesize on seeing the wounds of Caesar? Who will roam about to take revenge? Does Antony's prophecy come true? How? (Recalling & Analysis)
4. Who enters after Antony's soliloquy? What news does the person bring? (Recalling)
5. What does Antony tell the person to convey to the person who has sent him? What two things does Antony request the person to do at the end of the scene? (Recalling)

Answer 1

1. The expression ‘bleeding piece of earth’ is a metaphor. Antony compares Caesar’s dead body to a blood-soaked piece of earth. ‘The ruins of the noblest man’ is also a metaphor, showing that Caesar’s once-great body has been destroyed by the conspirators.
2. Antony had behaved meekly and gently with the conspirators after Caesar’s murder by speaking respectfully to them and shaking hands with them. He did so to gain their trust and protect himself until he could take revenge. This shows that Antony is clever, self-controlled and politically shrewd.
3. Antony predicts that civil war, bloodshed and destruction will spread across Italy. He says that Caesar’s spirit, accompanied by Ate, the goddess of revenge, will roam about seeking vengeance. His prophecy comes true when Rome is plunged into civil war and the conspirators are defeated.
4. After Antony’s soliloquy, Octavius Caesar’s servant enters. He brings the news that Octavius is already on his way to Rome and is only a short distance away.
5. Antony tells the servant to inform Octavius that Rome is mourning and dangerous and that it is not yet safe for him to enter. At the end of the scene, Antony asks the servant to help him carry Caesar’s body to the marketplace and to wait until Antony has spoken to the people before returning to Octavius.