Guided reading questions for Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Act I, sc i
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What about the carpenter upsets Marullus?
3. From the speech he makes, who has Marullus‟s support: Pompey or Caesar?
4. What illegal thing will Marullus and Flavius do together?
Act I, sc ii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Marc Antony will run in a sacred race this day. Why does Caesar want Antony to be sure to “touch”
Calpurnia?
3. Who tells Caesar to “beware the ides of March”?
4. (ln 79-80) What does Brutus fear?
5. In his long speech (ln 90-130), what weaknesses does Cassius reveal about Caesar?
6. Explain how Cassius‟s argument is designed to turn Brutus against Caesar.
7. Caesar: “Yond ______________ has a ________ and _____________ look./He ___________
too much. Such men are _____________________.” What other things does Caesar not trust about this
man?
8. What physical defect does Caesar reveal to Antony?
9. What happened to Caesar in the market place?
10. How have Flavius and Marullus been dealt with?
11. In his soliloquy, what reason does Cassius reveal for wanting Brutus on his side? Write the line.
12. What will Cassius do this evening to further entice Brutus into his plot?
Act I, sc iii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Writers often herald bad events with bad weather. According to Casca, there is a “tempest
____________ _______./ Either there is a __________ _________ in ____________, /Or else the world,
too ____________ with the _________,/Incenses them to send ______________.”
3. How does Cassius use sexism to bait Casca to join his side?
4. Casca has heard that the senators plan to declare Caesar king tomorrow. Cassius says that would not
happen if Caesar were not a __________ and the Romans not ____________.
5. Who will deliver the letters to Brutus?
6. By having Brutus on their side, Casca says their “offence” will be turned to ________ and
__________________.
Act II, sc I
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What does Brutus worry about if Caesar becomes king?
3. It is Lucius who brings one of the letter to Brutus. Who is Lucius?
4. What has Brutus not been able to do since Cassius mentioned the conspiracy?
5. What does Cassius propose to signify their unity but to which Brutus objects? Why would he object?
6. Why do the men want Cicero on their side?
7. Cassius thinks they should kill _________________ too.
8. Brutus: “Let‟s be _________________, but not _______________, Caius./ We all stand up against the
_________ of ____________,/And in the __________ of men there is no ________./ O that we then could
come by _____________ ____________/And not ___________________ __________! But, alas,/
____________ must _________ for it! And gentle friends,/Let‟s ________ him _________, but not
_________________;/Let‟s __________ him as a _______ fit for the _________,/Not _____ him as a
__________ fit for ____________. . .We shall be called
______________, not ________________.”
9. According to Brutus, why will Antony not be a threat?
10. How good are you? What historical inaccuracy is found around line 190?
11. Why may Caesar not come out of his house today?
12. At what time will they assemble again?
13. What prompts Portia to speak to Brutus?
14. If Brutus will not tell his innermost secrets to Portia, what does that make Portia?
15. What has Portia done recently to show how strong she is?
Act II, sc ii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Fill in the details of Calpurnia‟s dream: “A _______________ has ___________ in the streets,/And
____________ have ___________ and ____________ up their __________./Fierce fiery ___________ fought
upon the clouds. . .Which _____________ ___________ upon the Capitol. . .__________ did neigh, and
____________ men did _________,/And ___________ did _________ and ___________ about the streets.”
3. Caesar: “______________ did many times before their ___________;/The _____________ never taste of
__________ but once./Of all the ___________ that I yet have heard,/It seems to me most ____________
that mean should ________, /Seeing that ________, a _______________ _____,/Will come when it will
come.” What does Caesar mean by this?
4. What event caused Caesar‟s priests to warn him?
5. What is Caesar more dangerous than?
6. Why does Caesar decide to stay home?
7. Decius knows he must get Caesar to the Capitol. How does he do it? (2 things)
8. What dangerous request does Caesar unwittingly make of Trebonius?
Act II, sc iii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What happens in this very short scene?
Act II, sc iv
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Portia says, “How hard it is for a woman to keep counsel!” What does she mean by this?
3. What information does Portia want?
4. Portia: “Ay me, how weak a thing/The ________ of _________ is!”
Act III, sc I
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Why is the opening exchange between Caesar and the soothsayer so important?
3. What will happen to Cassius if the plot to kill Caesar fails?
4. What request does Metellus make of Caesar? Why does Caesar not grant the request?
5. Who stabs Caesar first? ___________ Last? ____________
6. Caesar: “Et tu, _________?------Then ________ _________.”
7. What happened to Antony?
8. According to Brutus who speaks to the horrified crowd of Romans, what favor did the conspirators
do for Caesar? (One would expect this sort of “logic” to come out of the mouths of the judges in The
Crucible!)
9. What stomach-turning thing do the conspirators do?
10. A servant brings a message from Antony. What does he want?
11. Antony makes a request of the conspirators. What is it? (ln 160)
12. Antony asks to speak at Caesar‟s funeral. Cassius thinks this is a bad idea. He worries that Antony
will stir the crowd up. How will Brutus prevent that from happening?
13. What does Antony call Caesar‟s remains?
14. Who is on his way to Rome?
15. What two words does Antony use to describe Rome?
Act III, sc ii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. According to what Brutus tells the assembled Romans, why did he kill Caesar? (2 reasons)
3. Brutus: “. . .as I _______ my best _________ for the good of ________, I have the same
__________ for _________ when it shall __________ my ___________ to need my __________.”
4. Just as easily as the general population seemed to turn in favor of ____________ against
___________ in Act I, they have turned against ___________ in favor of ____________ here.
5. Antony is a very skilled orator. He is a man with a plan. He, personally, finds it very hard to accept
that Caesar‟s death was necessary, and the only reason he does accept it is because
____________ assures him it was necessary, and ____________ is an _____________ _________!
6. What has Antony “found?”
7. What ghastly thing does Antony do when he comes down from the podium?
8. What was “the most unkindest cut of all”?
9. What evidence is there that Antony has turned the crowd against Brutus and his pals?
10. What had Caesar left to the people of Rome?
11. Who has arrived in town?
Act III, sc iii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Cinna, the poet, is mistaken for Cinna, a conspirator who killed Caesar. Why do you think
Shakespeare wrote this brief scene?
Act IV, sc i
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What is being “pricked”?
3. Cite some proof as to how Antony feels about Lepidus.
Act IV, sc ii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. With word brought by Lucilius, Brutus perceives Cassius to be “a ________ friend _________.”
3. Why does Brutus want Cassius to come into his tent?
Act IV, sc iii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Brutus accuses Cassius of having an “itching palm” (ln.10). What does he mean?
3. Look at lines 35, 55, and 65. What is Cassius‟s message to Brutus?
4. What request had Cassius denied Brutus?
5. It is obvious that Cassius is tired of all the battles, with the enemy as well as with Brutus. What end
does he offer?
6. At last, Brutus discloses to Cassius why he has been so temperamental. What has happened?
7. Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus have formed an alliance, the triumvirate. To demonstrate their
power, what have they done?
8. Who else is dead?
9. Brutus wants to march to Philippi to attack Antony and Octavius while they are en route. Why does
Cassius think that is not the right thing to do?
10. Who wins the dispute? What do you think is the reason he wins?
11. Who is in the room when the ghost of Caesar appears?
12. What is the ghost‟s message verbatim?
Act V, sc i
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What does Cassius mean when he says to Brutus (ln 45-8): “Now, Brutus, thank yourself?/This
tongue had not offended so to-day/If Cassius might have ruled”?
3. What a blood bath! Julius Caesar was stabbed _____ times!
4. The battle will proceed. Whose birthday is it?
5. What event does Cassius interpret as a bad sign for his side in battle?
6. What tender event ends this scene?
Act V, sc ii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Brutus fights against ______________, and Cassius fights against __________________.
Act V, sc iii
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Brutus won his battle. Why did he not come to fight with Cassius and his men?
3. How does Cassius die? What provokes his death? What is special about the sword?
4. How does Cassius reward Pindarus?
5. Titinius was coming to Cassius to give him what?
6. How does Titinius die?
7. To Brutus‟s way of thinking, who slew Cassius and Titinius?
8. Why will Brutus not hold Cassius‟s funeral service at the battleground?
Act V, sc iv
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. What do you think is the purpose of this brief battle scene?
Act V, sc v
1. Where does this scene take place?
2. Speaking to Volumnius, what does Brutus “know?”
3. With the final words, “Farewell, good __________. __________ , now be ___________”, how does
Brutus die?
4. How tragic! Strato: “The ______________ can but make a _________ of him;/For Brutus only
______________ himself,/And no man else hast ____________ ___ _____ ___________.”
5. What will Octavius do with Strato?
6. Antony says of Brutus: “This was the _________ Roman of them all./All the _________________ save
only he/Did what they did in _______ of great ____________;/He only, in a _____________ __________
thought/And ___________ _______ to all, made one of them./His _________ was ______________, and
the elements/So mixed in him that ____________ might stand up/And say to all the ____________, „This
was a _______.‟”