Question

Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 5, Scene 1, given below and answer the questions that follow:

Cassius:	Then, if we lose this battle, You are contented to be led in triumph Through the streets of Rome?
Brutus:	No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome; He bears too great a mind. But this same day Must end that work the ides of March begun; And whether we shall meet again I know not. Therefore our everlasting farewell take: Forever, andforever, farewell, Cassius. Ifwe do meet again, why, we shall smile; If not, why then, this parting was well made.

1. Why does Brutus say, ‘No, Cassius, no’?
   What conditions may force Brutus to go bound to Rome?
   Brutus says, ‘And whether we shall meet again I know not.’ What do these words imply?     [3]
2. To what does Brutus refer when he says, ‘the work which the ides of March begun’?
   How was ‘that work’ begun?
   What political change would take place in Rome if Brutus and Cassius lose this battle?     [3]
3. Earlier in this scene, Cassius had confided to Messala a strange occurrence that he had observed when his army was on its way from Sardis to Philippі. Describe this strange occurrence.     [3]
4. How does Brutus die?
   How does his manner of dying contradict the philosophy by which he had lived his life?     [3]
5. At the end of the play, Antony calls Brutus, ‘the noblest Roman of them all’. Why does he say this?
   What does this reveal of Antony’s character?     [4]

Answer 1

1. Cassius asks Brutus if he would be willing to be led in glory as a prisoner through the streets of Rome. Brutus says ‘No.’ Brutus strongly answers that he will never be captured as a prisoner of war and made to walk back to Rome like a slave.
   If Brutus and his army are defeated, the enemies may bind them and take them in triumph as prisoners of war.
   Brutus’s parting words foreshadow his defeat and death. They also reveal that he has lost all hope of winning the war.
2. Caesar gave his life so that he could become king of Rome, which is what Brutus means by ‘the ides of March.’ The struggle that started on that day will finally be over when the war is over. That is, the events that began with the killing of Caesar will come to a head on this important day.
   This kind of rule would not work in Rome. People who don’t believe in autocracy will once again gain power. It will once again be an Empire run by a trio.
3. Cassius remembers that two eagles were sitting on their flags, which he thought was a good sign. When they got to Sardis, though, they took off, and ravens, kites, and crows flew in their place. The eagles stood for success, but the carrion birds meant that the army would lose and be eaten by the other birds.
4. Brutus dies on his own sword. He asks Strato to hold his sword, pointing at him, and runs towards it and thus kills himself.
   Stoic philosophy, which held that people should accept their fate calmly and not let their feelings control their actions, was a belief Brutus held. Stoicism thought that suicide was a selfish thing to do because it meant running away from one's duties and obligations. On the other hand, the fact that his enemies would make him look bad made him do something about it.
5. Antony calls Brutus the most honorable Roman because he was the only one who killed Caesar for what he thought was best for the city. Others wanted to kill Caesar because they were jealous, had personal grudges, or had other selfish reasons. For the sake of a bigger goal freedom from dictatorship and the creation of democracy in Rome Brutus was kind enough to give up his friendship.
   It’s clear from this tribute that Antony is a fair character judge. He sees good in others and is kind enough to praise them, even when they are competitors.