Answer on your own paper using complete sentences.
1. As Act IV begins, what does Antony want to do about Caesar’s
will? He wants to reduce the grants that Caesar made.
2. What difference in opinion develops between Antony and
Octavius over Lepidus? Antony says Lepidus is incompetent;
Octavius thinks that he should be retained because he has proven
himself to be a valiant soldier.
3. Why does Antony say he is a better judge than Octavius? He is
older and more experienced.
4. Why is Cassius angry with Brutus in Scene ii? He thinks
Brutus has wronged him.
5. In Scene iii, what specific charges does Brutus say have been
raised against Cassius? Cassius is accused of taking bribes for
offices.
6. What does Cassius say in his own defense? He denies the
charge and insists that he knows military custom better than Brutus
does.
7. According to Cassius, why is he better suited than Brutus to
govern the conduct of his men? He has been a soldier longer.
8. What grievance does Brutus bring up in Scene iii, lines 69-83?
What is Cassius’s answer? He asked Cassius for gold to pay his
troops, and Cassius refused him.
9. What news has Brutus received about Portia? How does
Cassius respond to this information? Portia has committed suicide.
Cassius seems more upset than Brutus and reacts emotionally.
10. What contrast does Cassius draw between himself and Brutus
regarding Stoicism? He notes that Brutus is able to practice
Stoicism (hiding one’s emotions at all times) in his life while he,
Cassius, would not be able to do so. He says this in response to
Brutus’s lack of emotion when he hears of Portia’s death.
11. Explain the differing strategies of Brutus and Cassius for the
coming battle against Octavius and Antony? Cassius wants to wait
for the enemy to come to them so that Antony and Octavius will
deplete their energy and supplies. Brutus wants to march on the
enemy at Philippi because he fears that the inhabitants of the area
would support the enemy and give them supplies. What do they
decide to do? They decide to march on Philippi.
12. What does Caesar’s ghost tell Brutus? He will see Brutus at
Philippi.
13. Describe Brutus’s reaction to the ghost. Brutus seems startled
but not terrified.
14. What new qualities does Antony reveal in Scene i? Antony
seems infatuated with his own power and is beginning to abuse it
as the conspirators predicted Caesar would.
15. In what ways do Antony and Octavius differ as persons?
Antony seems in his attitude toward Lepidus to be someone who
uses people and then discards them. Octavius seems more decent
and believes that they owe Lepidus something more for his skill as
a soldier. Antony also seems more impulsive than Octavius.
Which dominates the triumvirate? Which seems to be the abler
leader? Antony shows himself as an abuser of power, while
Octavius seems to have a sense of the limits of their authority and
the dangers that surround them. Therefore, Octavius might make a
better leader.
16. What does the appearance of Caesar’s ghost add to the mood of
Scene iii? An eerie quality and a sense of doom
17. In Act IV Shakespeare presents two parallel meetings, one
among the triumvirs and the other between Brutus and Cassius.
What similarities and differences can you find between these two
meetings? Similarities: Both groups discuss strategy. The
participants of each group argue with each other. There is
evidence of corruption on both sides. Both Antony and Cassius
refer to their greater experience when they argue with their
partners. They pave over these disagreements to form a united
front. Differences: The triumvirs are making up a list of people to
be killed while Brutus and Cassius are engaged in the less
reprehensible act of making decisions about their officers and
battle plans. The quarrel among the triumvirs focuses on who
should enjoy the benefits of power; the quarrel between Brutus and
Cassius focuses on a principle. Which group seems more fit to rule
Rome? Explain your answer. Neither group seems more fit to rule
than Caesar was. Each is divided in a way that will impair its
ability to govern well.
18. What do the activities of the triumvirs show about the negative
consequences of removing a strong leader like Caesar? When a
strong leader is removed, the state becomes unstable and its leaders
may become tyrannical in their attempt to keep control.
19. In the portrayal of Mark Antony in Act IV, Scene i, what point
does Shakespeare make about the effect of political power on those
who hold it? We see Antony change from a man who truly loved
Caesar and mourned his murder to someone who is willing to have
his own nephew assassinated. Antony also wants to eliminate one
of the members of the triumvirate and alter Caesar’s will. Through
the changes in Antony’s character, Shakespeare seems to be saying
that power corrupts those who hold it. “Absolute power corrupts
absolutely.”