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(a) Calpurnia and Caesar.

(b) One of Caesar’s most loyal friend.

(c) To inform that Caesar would not go to the Senate. 

(d) Calpurnia

(a) Calpurnia to Caesar.

(b) ‘Your’ refers to Julius Caesar.

(c) The speaker’s fear is that Caesar would be murdered.

(d) Caesar is over-confident therefore his wisdom is destroyed.

(a) Caesar may be killed if he goes out.

(b) he is not afraid of death as it comes only once.

(c) a devoted wife.

(d) Go out.

(a) Calpurnia speaks these lines to her husband Julius Caesar. She is describing him the horrible dream that she saw the previous night. 

(b) The graves opened up and the dead were exposed. 

(c) yawned

(a) The Calpurnia’s fear was that Caesar might be killed. 

(b) The cause of her fear were her dreams and the supernatural omens and events.

(c) The phrase ‘go forth’ means ‘go out’ or ‘go to the Senate or go ahead’

(d) Let me make request.

(a) Mark Antony is pouring out his grief at the fate of Caesar lying dead on the ground. 

(b) The mighty Caesar is lying dead on the bare grounds. 

(c) mighty

(a) Julius Caesar is talking to Decius Brutus in these lines. 

(b) Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife saw that horrible dream the previous night. 

(c) imminent

(a) Caesar’s wisdom is ‘consumed in confidence’. He is so overconfident of his power and strength that he is ignoring all those ill omens and horrible portents. 

(b) She knows that Caesar will never accept that he fears any dangers, omens or portents. She doesn’t want to hurt his ego and owns that her own fear stops him at home that day. 

(c) Mark Antony will inform the Senators that Caesar is ill and can’t come to the Senate house.

(a) Decius Brutus.

(b) Calpurnia’s fear was that Caesar’s life was in danger.

(c) The vision was fortunate Caesar will be a source of inspiration for the Roman.

(d) Julius Caesar’s statue seen by Calpurnia in her dream.

(a) Decius Brutus says that Calpurnia’s dream has been misinterpreted. 

(b) Decius interprets that Caesar’s blood will revive the fortunes of Rome. Romans will worship Caesar as a martayr and keep his stained clothes as holy relics to perpetuate his memory. 

(c) fortunate

(a) Caesar is trying to say that he could be moved by Cimber’s crouchings and lowly courtesies’ if he were Cimber. 

(b) Caesar compares himself to the Pole Star for his unwavering attitude and resolution. He is always constant and unmoved like the Pole Star. 

(c) constant

Antony’s speech is more effective than Brutus’ speech. Antony knows how to feel the pulse of the mob. He knows that the common people are swayed not by the cold logic or reasoning but by basic sentiments. He knows how to turn the tide against his enemies. Being a wonderful orator, he arouses sympathy for Caesar, his conquests, his love for the common men. He deliberately reads Caesar’s will and makes the people feel them as the ‘heirs’ of Caesar.

Brutus’ speech is abstract and philosophical whereas, Antony’s speech is more effective as he appeals to the basic instincts of the common men. These people have assembled in the form of a mob. As Antony is a good speaker, he very cleverly directs his speech towards Caesar’s greatness as a human being using verses and employing all the tricks of rhetoric. He moves, step by step, wins the sympathy of the audience. He comes down the pulpit and stands among the common people, bares Caesar’s wounds and makes them speak for him. Hence, he is able to arouse their basic instinct of revenge against the conspirators by telling them about Caesar’s will, that Caesar has left his everything to them. And the conspirators call him ambitious.

(a) Metellus Cimber.

(b) Because he was pleading for his banished brother.

(c) Simile.

(d) Your.

(a) Cimber is indulging in ‘‘crouchings and low courtesies’’ to move Caesar’s heart to call back his exiled brother.

(b) Such beggings and ‘low courtesies may move the hearts of common mortals but can’t move Caesar’s mighty heart. 

(c) ordinary

Following the tradition of his age, Shakespeare presents the supernatural in Julius Caesar also. The watchman was a witness to the most unnatural and horrid sights and events. He saw a lioness giving birth to her cubs in the streets. The graves opened and the dead came out begging for reburial. Fiery warriors fought upon the clouds. Ghosts shrieked and squealed. Dying men groaned and cried. All these things were a prelude to the most terrible and tragic happenings in near future.

The purpose of Antony’s speech is to rouse the sentiments of the fickle-minded people to take revenge by fighting the conspirators. He achieves success as the crowd gets ready for mutiny and rises in revolt to burn the traitors houses.

 Mark Antony is overcome with grief when he sees the dead body of Caesar. He considers it an irony of fate that the mightiest and the most powerful man of the world is lying so low on the ground. All his “conquests, glories, triumphs and spoils” have shrunk to a little space. Once his words were the law for the world. Now he is lying dead not mourned even by the poorest of the people. Antony pays a tribute by calling Caesar, “the noblest man” and “the choice and master’ spirits of this age”. 

(a) These butchers are Brutus, Cassius and other conspirators who murdered Caesar. 

(b) The speaker finds himself helpless to deal with the conspirators. He has no option but remain meek and gentle to them. 

(c) gentle

(a) Mark Antony.

(b) The testament being referred to is ‘Caesar’s will’.

(c) He said so to provoke the curiosity of his audience.

(d) Caesar had left his legacy to the people of Rome.

(a) Mark Antony.

(b) The testament being referred to is ‘Caesar’s will’.

(c) He said so to provoke the curiosity of his audience.

(d) Caesar had left his legacy to the people of Rome. 

Metellus Cimber throws himself before Caesar and pleads in most humble terms.He requests Caesar to revoke the orders of his brother’s exile. Caesar reacts furiously and asks Cimber to stop all his ‘crouchings’ and ‘lowly courtesies’. All such tactics might influence and feed the pride of lesser mortals but not of Caesar. He calls himself the pole-star. He is constant and fixed in his decisions like the polestar Cimber’s brother was exiled by his orders and he will remain so by the same orders.

Antony uses emotional blackmail to provoke the Romans against the conspirators. He exploits their sentiments by saying that Caesar was not money-minded and he has left all his riches for the Romans in his will. He elaborates that Caesar had left all his walks, gardens, private harbours and newly planted orchards on the bank of Tiber for them. This revelation makes the Romans very emotional.

Value Points :

Brutus’ love for Rome was greater than his love for Caesar - he believed that Caesar was ambitious.

Detailed Answer :

Brutus was Caesar’s friend. He had a great Republican zeal, noble idealism and he was a great moralist. He was the champion of public liberty and freedom. But he was not a good judge of psychology. He got misled by the conniving nature of the conspirators and joined them to kill Caesar because of his love for the liberty and bright future of the Rome. He believed that Caesar was ambitious and that he would make the Romans slaves if he was allowed to live. Thus he killed him.

Antony is his speech, highlights the positive qualities of Julius Caesar. Caesar was a great warrior, a formidable General who brought captives to Rome and filled its coffers. He was valiant and fearless. Moreover, he was not ambitious, as projected by the conspirators. He had thrice refused the crown when he was offered. Caesar’s heart bled for the welfare of Rome and he had Roman interests on top of any other consideration. He had also bequeathed all his property, money, walks, chambers and orchards for the people of Rome. He was a champion of Roman liberty and wanted to make Rome a very powerful nation. Hearing all this, mob feel emotionally supportive of Antony and he was able to provoke them to rise against Brutus and the others.

(a) Mark Antony.

(b) fears that he may also be killed by the conspirators / tries to win their trust for the moment.

(c) harsh / rude / rough / cruel / unkind.

(d) dead body of Caesar.

Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends, a very warm good morning to all. 

Today, I am going to speak a few words on ‘ends do not justify the means’. We all are so engrossed in achieving our goals that we hardly stop to think about the means that we use for achieving them. Until and unless the road to success is a fair and proper one, the end is not proper either. Students often resort to unfair means during the exams to score good marks but don’t you think an honest zero is better than a dishonest A+. If we all stop thinking that in order to achieve our goals, we must adopt unfair means, then this world would be a much better place to live in. I would like to end my speech by reminding all my friends to be careful of the means that will take you towards your goal. 

Thank you

The main charge of Brutus in his speech was that Caesar was over-ambitious. Antony proves step by step that Caesar was not ambitious. Caesar was offered the crown thrice but everytime he refused to accept it. Then he reads out the will of Caesar. In the will Caesar throws open his personal orchards and parks for the people of Rome. He left seventy-five drachmas for every Roman. Thus, Antony succeeds in proving that Caesar was not at all ambitious.

When Mark Antony saw Caesar’s dead body he stood by it and said that a man who stood like a tower a little while ago was lying dead. Antony at that point of time did not go against Brutus because Brutus made it very clear to Antony that if he revealed the truth about Caesar’s death to the Roman public, he too would be killed. When Brutus asked him to speak to the public of Rome, he with his excellent oratory skills exposed the plot to kill Caesar. He told the public that Caesar always worked for the people. He had even refused the crown and had bequeathed his legacy to the people of Rome. He did all this in order to bring out the goodness of Caesar and also to let the people know that his killing by Brutus and Cassius was not for the common good but out of jealousy. 

Caesar’s will infuriated the Romans because the man who had been branded by the conspirators as a tyrannical despot who lusted for power, was revealed as a person who had made all of the Rome, the heirs to his property after his death.

Value Points :

• did not pocket/amass ransom money but gave it away to the state

• sympathized with the poor

• refused the crown thrice

• made a will in favour of the Roman citizens

Detailed Answer :

Antony puts forward the arguments to refute the charge that Caesar was an ambitious man as he always worked for the people. He did not pocket the money but gave it away to the state and sympathized with the poor and refused the crown thrice. He also made a will in favour of the Roman citizens.

He said he was firm and did not go back on his words / firm as the North Star and would not be influenced by flattery.

Antony rightly pays a tribute to Brutus by calling him: “the noblest of them all.” Brutus was the only conspirator who had no personal grudge, ill-will or jealousy against Caesar. Cassius suffered from personal jealousy and Cimber had a personal grudge against Caesar. The idealist Brutus killed Caesar not because he loved Caesar less but because he loved Rome and the Romans more than Caesar. Certainly, he was the noblest of them all”.

(i) In order to turn the crowd to his side; Antony uses rhetorical questions, appeals, and irony in his speech to the people. Without breaking his word, not to wrong the conspirators.

(ii) Antony indirectly persuades the crowd that the conspirators were wrong in killing Caesar and that Caesar’s death should be avenged.

(iii) The use of rhetorical questions in Antony’s speech causes the crowd to question whether or not what the conspirators claimed to be true. For example, when Antony asked the crowd, “I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition ?” This reminds the crowd that Brutus said that Caesar was ambitious. In fact, they wonder if Brutus was actually right or not.

(iv) He also asked, “You loved him once, not without cause; what cause withholds you then to mourn for him ?” This question reminds the crowd of how their lives were before Caesar was killed. Then, the crowd questions Brutus tricked them.

Value Points : 

filled the coffers of Rome with the ransom from the captives/read out the contents of the will in detail which were – seventy five drachmas, his walks, private arbours, newly planted orchards/refused the kingly crown thrice and wept when the poor cried/all the details of the will

Detailed Answer : 

Antony reminded the crowd that Caesar had refused the crown thrice when offered in public and left all his property and estate to the people of Rome in his will. 

Value Points :

75 drachmas to every Roman, opened to the public his private gardens and orchards on the banks of the River Tiber for rest and recreation - not only for themselves but also for their heirs.

Detailed Answer :

Caesar’s will was read by Antony. He told the mob that Caesar had left 75 drachmas to every Roman. He also read that the private gardens and orchards on the banks of the river Tiber were open to the public for rest and recreation. This was open not only for the mob but also for their heirs / future generation also.

Antony is his speech, highlights the positive qualities of Julius Caesar. Caesar was a great warrior, a formidable General who brought captives to Rome and filled its coffers. He was valiant and fearless. Moreover, he was not ambitious, as projected by the conspirators. He had thrice refused the crown when he was offered. Caesar’s heart bled for the welfare of Rome and he had Roman interests on top of any other consideration. He had also bequeathed all his property, money, walks, chambers and orchards for the people of Rome. He was a champion of Roman liberty and wanted to make Rome a very powerful nation. Hearing all this, mob feel emotionally supportive of Antony and he was able to provoke them to rise against Brutus and the others.

The most unkindest cut was the cut made by Brutus, his most trustworthy friend / close friend /faithful friend of Caesar / betrayal by his friend.

Brutus is a powerful public figure, a dignified military leader and a loving friend. The conflicting value systems that battle with each other, in the play, are enacted on a micro level in Brutus’ mind. Even after the murder of Caesar has been committed, questions remain whether it was a noble, selfless act or failure of a great nobleman and friend. Brutus’ rigid idealism is both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw. He lives up to Antony’s elegiac description as ‘the noblest of Romans.’ His commitment to principles leads him to miscalculations: wanting to curtail violence, he ignores Cassius’ advice and does not kill Antony as well. In another moment of naive idealism, he allows Antony to give his funeral oration over Caesar’s body. So he forfeits the authority of having the last word on the murder and allows Antony to incite the plebeians to riot against him. He later endangers his good relationship with Cassius by self-righteously condemning the fund raising tactics. So Brutus acts out of a desire to limit the self serving aspects of his actions, ironically in each incident he dooms the very cause, he seeks to promote, thus serving no one.

The funeral speech of Antony is a masterpiece of oration and is very persuasive. Antony gained his objective as he convinced every member of the mob of Caesar’s innocence and the brutality of the conspirators. He entered with Caesar’s body to win sympathies of the crowd and addressed them as ‘Friends’. He repeatedly called Brutus noble and honourable to convey a sense of sarcasm. Antony praised Caesar in his speech and highlighted his refusal to accept the crown. (Shows and tells that he was not greedy/ambitious) He referred to Caesar’s will and told them Caesar had left money to each one of them. He made the crowd believe that Brutus was telling lies and whatever he had said might be questionable. Brutus convinces the people that Caesar was killed/assassinated in the interest of the Romans but Antony played upon the emotions of the crowd who rose in revolt against Brutus, Cassius and others. The mob got very angry. Their anger caused widespread death and destruction. Antony was an emotional and sincere speaker who avenged Caesar’s death through his skill of oratory.

Value Points :

Got provoked / realized their mistake / decided to avenge Caesar’s murder / death / assassination / ready to give proper burial to Caesar / turned against the conspirators.

Detailed Answer :

The Roman mob got provoked and realized their mistake. They decided to avenge Caesar’s murder and turned against the conspirators for assassinating Caesar. They were also ready to give proper burial to Caesar.

Unlike other conspirators, Brutus had no personal grudge or enmity against Caesar. Brutus was Caesar’s ‘angel’ and he loved Caesar not less than anyone else. However, the idealist Brutus, killed Caesar for freedom, peace and republicanism. He was systematically poisoned by Cassius to believe that Caesar was over-ambitious. His growing power could make him a tyrant and despot and a danger for republicanism.

Cassius had a deep-rooted personal jealousy and hatred against Caesar. He always tried to paint Caesar inferior to him in power and endurance. The examples of the swimming competition and Caesar’s illness in Spain, show Cassius’s desire to equal Caesar. He was jealous of his growing power and authority. He had no ideological pretensions to murder Caesar.

 (d) mocking.

The conspirators desired that Caesar’s orders banishing Publius Cimber should be revoked and that he be granted freedom of reappeal/enfranchisement. 

Julius Caesar had banished Publius Cimber. Metellus Cimber pleaded humbly to repeal his brother’s banishment. Caesar didn’t like it and spurned him like a dog out of his way. He declared himself ‘Constant as the North Star’ clearly telling him that he would not change his decision. Hearing this, Casca stabbed Caesar followed by other conspirators and Brutus. 

Cassius was not at all in favour of allowing Antony to make a speech before the Roman mob. But Brutus allowed Antony only after imposing certain conditions. First, Antony would speak after Brutus had justified his stand to the mob. Second, Antony could praise Caesar as much as he liked but would not speak against the conspirators. Brutus took Antony to his words and felt secure that Antony would observe those restrictions imposed on him.

Mark Antony was a shrewd manipulator. Moreover, he was a wonderful orator. He was also a great judge of men and situations. He knew that the Roman mob would not be moved by the cold logic and idealism of Brutus. The mob was swayed and aroused by arousing their basic passions. Therefore, first he created pity and sympathy for Caesar in the minds of the people. He systematically proved that Caesar was not ambitious as painted by Brutus and other conspirators. He thought of the general welfare. He rejected the offer of the crown thrice. His will showed his love for the Romans. Once establishing Caesar’s virtues, he turned the tide against the conspirators. Caesar opened all his parks and orchards for public use. He succeeded in proving that Brutus, Cassius and others were liars and murderers. Then he directed the anger, hatred and fury of the mob against the conspirators.

(a) has not understood Brutus’ reason for killing Caesar

Brutus was really an ‘honourable man’. He tries to justify why Caesar was murdered. He tries to convince the Roman mob that he had no personal grudge or enmity against Caesar. He murdered Caesar not because he loved him less but he loved Rome more than Caesar. Brutus tries to convince the people that Caesar was growing very powerful and over-ambitious. He could become a tyrant and a threat to freedom and republicanism.

Brutus’s arguments and cold logic did convince the people but only for a short time. Only in the end, Antony turned the table against him.