Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

CAESAR – Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music, Cry ‘Caesar!’ Speak; Caesar is turn’d to hear.

1. What is the figure of speech used in the line, ‘I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,’? Explain. (Application)
2. Who called out to Caesar? What did he warn Caesar of? (Recalling)
3. Why is Caesar ‘turn’d to hear’? How does Caesar challenge the speaker? (Understanding)
4. How does Caesar react to the warning of the speaker? (Recalling & Understanding)
5. Who else tries to warn Caesar about the danger which is in store for him later in the play? What aspects of Caesar’s character are shown here? (Recalling & Analysis)

Answer 1

1. The figure of speech is hyperbole. Caesar says that the voice is ‘shriller than all the music’, exaggerating how sharply and clearly it stands out above the surrounding sounds.
2. The soothsayer called out to Caesar. He warned him to ‘beware the Ides of March’, meaning that Caesar should be cautious about 15 March.
3. Caesar turns to hear because the voice is unusually sharp and calls his name directly. He challenges the speaker by asking him to come forward and repeat what he has said.
4. Caesar does not take the warning seriously. He dismisses the soothsayer as a ‘dreamer’ and continues with the procession.
5. Later, Calpurnia also warns Caesar after having frightening dreams and seeing bad omens. These incidents show Caesar’s overconfidence, pride and tendency to ignore warnings when they go against his own judgement.