Julius Caesar Study Guide
Julius Caesar Study Guide Act I
1a. Marullus shows the fickleness of the crowd by pointing out their former devotion to Pompey, before they gave their allegiance to Caesar and supported his defeat of Pompey. Marullus says,
“Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The livelong day, with patient expectation,
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome” (Line 38)
1b. The First Act shows the influence of leaders, both in the fickleness of the commoners (as covered in 1a) and in the intimidation Marullus and Flavius are able to use in order to drive the crowd away.
“Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault,
Assemble all the poor men of your sort;
Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears
Into the channel, till the lowest stream
Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.”
Exeunt all the Commoners (Line 56)
2. Line 46 of Scene Two, Brutus goes through the challenge of overcoming his love for his best friend Caesar, while still wary of his fellow conspirators such as Cassius.
3. Rather than asking Brutus directly, Cassius uses multiple methods to convince, by emphasizing the wishes of their ancestors, who founded the Republic, and by stressing the human side of Caesar.
“O, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.” (Line 250)
“The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'” (Line 197)
4. Brutus is eager to hear Cassius’s opinion on the matter, but seeks time to think. By the end of Scene Two, though Brutus already requests to further discuss the topic the next day.
“And so it is. For this time I will leave you:
1a. Marullus shows the fickleness of the crowd by pointing out their former devotion to Pompey, before they gave their allegiance to Caesar and supported his defeat of Pompey. Marullus says,
“Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The livelong day, with patient expectation,
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome” (Line 38)
1b. The First Act shows the influence of leaders, both in the fickleness of the commoners (as covered in 1a) and in the intimidation Marullus and Flavius are able to use in order to drive the crowd away.
“Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault,
Assemble all the poor men of your sort;
Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears
Into the channel, till the lowest stream
Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.”
Exeunt all the Commoners (Line 56)
2. Line 46 of Scene Two, Brutus goes through the challenge of overcoming his love for his best friend Caesar, while still wary of his fellow conspirators such as Cassius.
3. Rather than asking Brutus directly, Cassius uses multiple methods to convince, by emphasizing the wishes of their ancestors, who founded the Republic, and by stressing the human side of Caesar.
“O, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
As easily as a king.” (Line 250)
“The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'” (Line 197)
4. Brutus is eager to hear Cassius’s opinion on the matter, but seeks time to think. By the end of Scene Two, though Brutus already requests to further discuss the topic the next day.
“And so it is. For this time I will leave you: