Act I, Scene I
1. Why are the people of Rome
celebrating in the streets?
 They are honoring Caesar on the
Feast of Lupercal. He defeated
Pompey.
2. Why is Marullus upset that the
people of Rome are celebrating?
 He thinks people forgot their
loyalty to Pompey. He is angry
because he thinks they should only
honor Pompey and not Caesar.
3. What do Marullus and Flavius plan
to do as they walk to the capitol?
 They will tear down and destroy
any decorations that honor Caesar.
4. What can you infer are Marullus’s
and Flavius’s feelings toward
Caesar? Why might they feel this
way?
 They are angry at him and dislike
him because he drove out Pompey.
They are loyal to Pompey.
Act I, Scene II
1. Why does Caesar want Antonius
to touch Calpurnia as he runs by?
 He wants her to become pregnant
and superstition has it that when
runners touch women on the Feast
of Lupercal, they become fertile.
2. What does the soothsayer tell
Caesar?
 Beware the Ides of March.
3. What is Caesar’s reaction to the
soothsayer?
 He ignores him and doesn’t care
what he says.
4. What does Cassius mean when he
asks if Brutus can see his own face?
 Cassius is asking Brutus is Brutus is
aware of his own strengths and how
much the people of Rome like him.
5. What does Cassius say he will do
for Brutus?
 He will show Brutus his own
strengths and how much the people
of Rome love him.
6. Cassius launches into a long
speech. In the middle, he says, “I
was born free as Caesar; so were
you.” What does he mean by this?
 Caesar is not god; he is human.
Caesar is no better than Cassius or
Brutus.
7. Name two other instances that
show Caesar to be weak.
 Cassius had to save Caesar from
drowning.
 Caesar was sick and cried out like a
little girl.
8. What does Cassius mean by the following
line: “Men at some time are masters of their
fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our
stars, But in ourselves, that we are
underlings.”
 Men must take control of their destiny. If
they want to make something happen, they
should not look to fate but should take
action.
9. What does Brutus say he will do
with Cassius’s words?
 He will think about them.
10. What does Brutus mean by the
following lines: “Brutus had rather
be a villager Than to repute himself
a son of Rome Under these hard
conditions at this time”?
 Brutus would rather live outside of
the Rome that he loves than live in
Rome under the tyranny of Caesar.
11. What does Caesar mean by this line?
What might this be an example of?
“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry
look; He thinks too much: such men
are dangerous.”
 Cassius does not look satisfied; he
looks like he wants something. Caesar
is suspicious of him.
 This is foreshadowing.
12. What was offered to Caesar by
Antony? Why do you think Caesar
initially refused to take it? Who
seemed to want Caesar to take it?
 Caesar was offered the crown.
 The crowd wanted Caesar to take
it.
13. What happened to Caesar in the
marketplace? What disease does he
have?
 Caesar swooned and fainted.
 He has the falling sickness, which is
epilepsy.
14. Why does Cassius say that he and
Brutus have the falling sickness?
 Cassius and Brutus are too weak
and afraid to “stand up” to Caesar.
They bow down to him like
everyone else.
15. How does Cassius plan to
convince Brutus that the Romans
support Brutus for king?
 He will plant fake letters from
Roman citizens that show support
for Brutus.
Act I, Scene iii
1. What crazy things did Casca see in
the streets of Rome?
 A lion near the Capitol
 A man on fire who wasn’t burned
 A terrible storm
 An owl in the market during the
day
2. What might those crazy things
foreshadow?
 Something bad is going to happen
to Caesar.
3. What does Cassius think the storm
and crazy events foreshadow?
 Caesar is going to become a
dictator and make Rome a terrible
place to live.
4. What does Cassius have Cinna do?
 Cinna will plant the fake letters for
Brutus to see.