Question

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

PORTIA - Thou hast some suit to Caesar, hast thou not? Soothsayer - That I have, lady

1. Where does Portia meet the soothsayer? What are Portia’s fears regarding the soothsayer? (Recalling)
2. What is the importance of the soothsayer? Why is this day significant? (Analysis)
3. What does the soothsayer want to tell Caesar? Why does he wish to get for himself a ‘place more void’? (Understanding)
4. What is meant by the ‘throng’? What are the ‘throng’ about to witness? How is Portia’s character portrayed in the scene? (Understanding & Analysis)
5. What instructions does Portia give to Lucius? (Recalling)

Answer 1

1. Portia meets the soothsayer in the street in front of Brutus’s house. She fears that he may know about the conspiracy or may say something that could reveal the secret to Lucius.
2. The soothsayer is important because he has already warned Caesar to “Beware the Ides of March.” The day is significant because it is the Ides of March, the day on which Caesar is to be assassinated.
3. The soothsayer wants to warn Caesar about the danger to his life and advise him to beware of the Ides of March. He wants a “place more void” so that he can speak to Caesar privately, away from the crowd.
4. The “throng” means the large crowd gathered around Caesar. They are about to witness Caesar’s procession to the Capitol and the events connected with his assassination. Portia is portrayed as loving and loyal to Brutus, but nervous and emotionally disturbed because she is unable to bear the suspense of the conspiracy.
5. Portia instructs Lucius to go to Brutus, give him her best wishes, and then return to her. She also tells him to observe Caesar and the people around him at the Capitol.