Question

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

MARULLUS - And when you saw his chariot but appear, Have you not made an universal shout, That Tiber trembled underneath her banks, To hear the replication of your sounds Made in her concave shores?

1. The figure of speech used in this passage is hyperbole. Explain. (Application)

2. What do ‘replication’ and ‘concave shore’ mean? Explain the last two lines of the extract. (Understanding & Analysis)

3. What makes Marullus conclude that the citizens are ungrateful and fickle minded? (Understanding & Analysis)

4. How does Marullus make the citizens feel guilty? What does it reveal about his attitude towards Caesar? (Analysis)

5. Flavius and Marullus’s words have an immediate impact on the citizens. Explain. (Evaluation)

Answer 1

1. The figure of speech is hyperbole because Marullus exaggerates the citizens’ shouting by saying that even the river Tiber ‘trembled’ beneath its banks. This overstatement shows how loudly and enthusiastically they had once cheered for Pompey.

2. ‘Replication’ means repetition or echo of sounds. ‘Concave shore’ refers to the curved banks of the river. The last two lines mean that the citizens’ loud cheers echoed so strongly off the riverbanks that the sound seemed to repeat again and again.

3. Marullus calls the citizens ungrateful and fickle-minded because they had once welcomed Pompey with the same enthusiasm, but now they have forgotten him and are celebrating Caesar, who defeated Pompey’s sons.

4. Marullus reminds the citizens of how strongly they had once supported Pompey. By comparing their past loyalty with their present celebration of Caesar, he makes them feel ashamed of their changeable behaviour. This shows that Marullus is against Caesar’s growing popularity and power.

5. The words of Flavius and Marullus immediately affect the citizens. They become ashamed, stop celebrating and leave the streets silently. This shows that the tribunes’ rebuke successfully makes them realise their inconsistency.