Name:
Julius Caesar
Study Guide
Act I
As always, answer all questions in complete sentences!
Scene 1
1. What is the setting? What holiday is being celebrated?
2. Who are Marullus and Flavius?
3. Why do they want to drive the commoners from the street? What are the commoners
doing? Why do the tribunes remove the garlands from Caesar’s statue?
Scene 2
4. Why does Caesar tell Calpurnia to stand close to Antony?
5. How does Antony respond?
6. What is a soothsayer? What does he warn Caesar to beware of? What is Caesar’s
reaction to the soothsayer’s warning?
7. What does ides mean?
8. Does Brutus like Caesar? How does Cassius feel about Caesar? How does Caesar
feel about Cassius?
9. What story does Cassius tell about Caesar? Why do you think he tells it?
10. What physical sickness does Caesar have? How do the people react to his fit?
11. How many times was Caesar offered a coronet?
12. What happens to Marullus and Flavius?
13. What plans does Cassius make to sway Brutus to his cause?
Scene 3
14. What unusual events occur during the storm?
15. What reasons does Cassius give for the storm?
16. What does Casca say about the Senate’s plans for Caesar on the following day?
17. Who is definitely part of the conspiracy?
1.
4.
2.
5.
3.
6.
Act I Thinking Critically Questions: (separate sheet of paper)(each at least 4 sentences)
1. The exposition of Act I introduces the characters and conflict. How would you
describe the tragedy’s conflict as it is established in Act I?
2. Do you have conflicting feelings about Caesar in this act? Explain. Describe your
impressions of his character based on your responses to his speeches and actions and
on what other characters say about him.
Name:
Julius Caesar
Study Guide
Act II
As always, answer all questions in complete sentences!
Scene 1
1. According to Brutus, why is it is necessary that Caesar be killed?
2. Why does Brutus make Lucius look at a calendar? What does Lucius find and why is
it significant?
3. What is Brutus’s internal conflict?
4. Why do the conspirators decide not to ask Cicero to join them?
5. Why doesn’t Brutus want Marc Antony killed?
6. What reason does Cassius give for why Caesar might not come out of his house
today?
7. By what method does Decius say he will use to get Caesar out of the house?
8. How does Portia show Brutus she is worthy of knowing his secrets?
Scene 2
1. Why does Calpurnia want Caesar to stay home?
2. Describe Calpurnia’s dream.
3. How does Decius interpret Calpurnia’s dream?
4. What arguments does Decius use to change Caesar’s mind about going to the
Capitol?
Scene 3:
1. What does Artemidorus plan to do?
Scene 4:
1. Why is Portia so nervous?
2. What does Portia want Lucius to do?
3. What does the soothsayer tell Portia?
Act II Thinking Critically Questions:
1. In the rising action of Act II, describe how Shakespeare creates and builds suspense.
What questions are you left with s the second act of this tragedy ends?
Name:
Julius Caesar
Study Guide
Act III
As always, answer all questions in complete sentences!
Scene 1
1. What two warnings does Caesar ignore?
2. What roles do the following characters play in the conspiracy?
Trebonius:
Metellus Cimber:
Casca:
3. How does Caesar respond to Metellus Cimber’s petition?
4. What is Caesar’s opinion of himself?
5. What does “Et tu, Brute?” mean? How do these words relate to the theme of
friendship in the play?
6. Where does Caesar’s dead body lie? How is this ironic?
7. What happens immediately after Caesar is killed?
8. What promise does Brutus tell the servant to relay to Antony?
9. What does Antony say about the possibility of being killed by the conspirators?
10. After being assured he is in no danger, what favor does Antony ask of the
conspirators?
11. Summarize Antony’s main points in his speech to Caesar’s body?
12. Is Antony honest? How do you know?
13. Who is coming to Rome to meet with Antony?
Scene 2:
1. According to Brutus’s speech to the commoners, what reasons does he give for
Caesar’s death? How does the crowd react? What does Brutus offer at the end of his
speech?
2. What mistake does Brutus make in letting Antony speak? What words does Antony
emphasize in his speech?
3. Why does Antony read Caesar’s will to the crowd?
4. What has Caesar bequeathed the Romans in his will?
5. List three points of Antony’s speech that work to persuade the crowd to turn on the
conspirators.
6. At the end of the scene what are the fates of Cassius and Brutus?
Scene 3
1. What happens to Cinna the Poet? Why?
2. What is the purpose of this scene?
Act III Thinking Critically Questions: (separate sheet of paper)(each at least 4 sentences)
1. The third act of a Shakespearean tragedy usually contains the turning point, the
moment when all the action of the play begins to spiral toward the tragic ending.
Which of the following events do you think is the turning point in this tragedy?
Why?
a. The assassination of Caesar
b. Brutus’s decision to allow Antony to address the crowd
Name:
Julius Caesar
Study Guide
Act IV
As always, answer all questions in complete sentences!
Scene 1
1. Who are the three members of the second triumvirate?
2. What kind of list are the three making at the beginning of the scene?
3. What does Antony say they will do to Caesar’s will?
4. What is Antony’s opinion of Lepidus?
Scene 2
1. Why does Brutus suggest that he and Cassius talk inside the tent?
2. What is going on between Brutus and Cassius?
Scene 3
1. Why is Cassius mad at Brutus?
2. What does Brutus accuse Cassius of? For what has Brutus asked Cassius that he did
not receive? How does their quarrel end?
3. How does Rome react to the triumvirate?
4. How does Portia die?
5. Explain the disagreement that Brutus and Cassius have about the battle strategy and
going to Philippi?
6. Who wins the argument?
7. Why does Brutus have Varro and Claudius sleep in his tent? What premonition does
Brutus have of his death? What unexpected visitor does Brutus see when everyone
else is asleep?
Act IV Thinking Critically Questions:
1. Which character do you sympathize with most by the end of Act IV? Why?
2. In Act IV of this tragedy, what consequences of the turning point in Act III do we
see? How does Brutus’s situation worsen?
Name:
Julius Caesar
Study Guide
Act V
As always, answer all questions in complete sentences!
Scene 1
1. About what do Octavius and Antony argue?
2. What ominous sign has Cassius seen that causes him to feel the coming battle?
3. What are two things Brutus says he will never do, even if he loses the war?
Scene 2
1. How does Brutus feel about the battle at this point? What does he send the troops?
Scene 3
1. Who wins the first battle?
2. What horrible mistake does Cassius make? What is the outcome?
3. How does Cassius’s death help Pindarus?
4. What does Titinius do when Messala goes to inform Brutus of Cassius’s death?
Scene 4
1. What happens to Cato?
2. Who does Lucilius pretend to be? What happens to Lucilius?
Scene 5
1. What does Brutus ask Clitus, Dardanius, and Volomnius to do?
2. How does Brutus die?
3. According to Marc Antony, why is Brutus better than the other conspirators?
4. How do Antony and Octavius honor Brutus?
Act V Thinking Critically Questions:
1. In the resolution, the last scene, why is it significant that Octavius delivers the play’s
final speech?
2. Look at Scenes 3 and 5 and the dying words of Cassius and Brutus. How does each
man view Caesar’s murder? Do you think each man had a choice other than suicide?
Explain.
3. Describe your final view of Brutus and the choices he made. Did he misread the
evidence that Caesar might become king? Should he have betrayed a friend for the
public good? Was he wrong to kill the only man who could bring order out of chaos?
Support your responses with evidence from the play.