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Question
Read the extract given below and answer briefly the questions that follow:
"The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it."
(a) Who is the speaker? Who are 'you'?
(b) How did Caesar pay for being ambitious?
(c) What argument did the speaker give to show that Brutus was wrong in his judgement of Caesar?
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Solution
(a) The speaker is Antony. ‘you’ denotes the citizens of Rome.
(b) Caesar was assassinated by the conspirators for being ambitious.
(c) To argue that Brutus was wrong in his judgement of Caesar, Antony reminds the Roman citizens how Caesar brought many captives to Rome so that ransom could be earned to control the financial situation of the people. He reminds them how Caesar had wept when the poor have cried. Antony also tells them that he himself presented the crown to Caesar thrice, but Caesar refused. He then shows the crowd Caesar's will, in which he had granted every Roman citizen seventy-five drachmas and land.
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|
Julius Caesar
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1. the things that threaten'd me Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see The face of Caesar, they are vanished. |
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| 2. | ||
| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. | ||
| 6. | ||
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| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. | ||
Antony employs a number of devices to produce the desired effect on the mob. These devices maybe described as rhetorical devices. He first speaks in such a manner that it seems to the mob that he is in full agreement with Brutus about Caesar. Then step by step he moves away from Brutus' position, depicting Brutus as a villain and Caesar as a wronged man. Copy and complete the following table by showing how Antony builds the argument in Caesar's favour.
| Antony's words | Argument |
| 1. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. | Does not wish to eulogise Caesar |
| 2. The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it. | Seemingly agrees with Brutus |
| 3. | |
| 4. | |
| 5. | |
| 6. |
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will:
Let but the commons hear this testament--
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read--
And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds
a) Who speaks these words? Where is the speaker at this moment?
b) What are the contents of Caesar's will that he is referring to?
c) Why does the speaker read Caesar's will to the citizens?
d) What is the reaction of the listeners to the reading of the will?
Given below are some questions based on reading of the play 'Julius Caesar'. These
questions are not for testing in the Exam. These are for a deeper understanding of the
play and the characters.
a) Why was the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar hatched?
b) Was Caesar really ambitious? Find evidence from the play to support your answer.
c) What was Cassius' motive for murdering Julius Caesar?
d) Why was it essential for the conspirators to include Brutus in the conspiracy?
e) What were the mistakes made by Brutus that led to the failure of the conspiracy?
f) Comment on Caesar's friendship with Antony.
g) Write a brief character sketch of Antony.
h) What is the role of Julius Caesar's ghost in the play, Julius Caesar?
i) Why does Antony call Brutus 'the noblest Roman of them all'?
j) How do Brutus and Cassius meet their end?
