Analysis of Act 1, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
Act I Scene (i)
A. 1.
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
Hence! Home, you idle creatures, get you home! Is this a holiday? What, know you not, Being mechanical, you ought not walk Upon a labouring day without the sign Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?
Why, sir, a carpenter.
Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?
What dost thou with thy best apparel on?
You, sir, what trade are you?
Meanings:
- Mechanical – artisans or professionals.
- Labouring – working day.
- Sign – badge of one’s occupation.
- Trade – profession or occupation.
Q. I. Describe the circumstances in which the above conversation takes place. Where does this scene take place? Name the persons who enter this scene.
Ans. The above conversation takes place on the day of the celebration of Julius Caesar’s triumph over Pompey’s sons. The victory also marked an end to the bloody civil wars that had split the Roman Empire. This scene takes place in a street in Rome. Flavius, Marullus, and two citizens enter the scene.
Q. II. Explain the term”Tribune” Who does it refer to here?
Ans. The term”Tribun” refers to government officials who had been vested with immense legal authority as they were appointed to protect the rights of the common people.
Q. III. Who are the idle ‘Creatures’? Who addresses them as such? Why? What does the speaker want them to do?
Ans. The two humble artisans are addressed as ‘idle creatures’ by Flavius because these commoners have taken a holiday from their respective occupations to watch the procession of Caesar’s triumph. Flavius wants them to disperse and go home as he was not in sympathy with Caesar.
Q. IV. What makes the speaker ask if it is a holiday? Explain the phrases (a)”being mechanica” (b)”sign of your professio” (c)”a labouring da”. (d) Pick out from the extract above, an example of a”sig” of a profession.
Ans. Flavius’ query about it being a holiday is in fact a rebuke to the commoners for rejoicing in the street when it was not a declared holiday.
(a) The phrase”being mechanica” was used to refer to laborers or artisans of that era.
(b)”Sign of your professio” has been used to denote the law of that period according to which every laborer was supposed to carry the signs or badges of his occupation upon him on ordinary working days.
(c) A labouring day is a phrase used to mean an ordinary working day.
(d) A leather apron and a rule were the badges or signs of a carpenter.
Q. V. Who does Marullus address in the last line of this extract? What answer does he get? How does he react to this?
Ans. In the last line of this extract, Marullus addresses the second citizen, who is a shoemaker by profession. He receives a flippant reply whereby the shoemaker tells him that he mends the soles of shoes with a clear conscience. Marullus loses his temper when the commoner offers to mend his temper, meaning to repair his shoes if they were worn out.
Q. VI. What is the dramatic significance of this dialogue?
Ans. Shakespeare, with the help of this dialogue, manages to capture the interest and attention of his readers and audience in the very first scene. Secondly, this interchange also introduces us to the situation or theme of discontent of the officials against Caesar. Thus, Shakespeare manages to effectively introduce us to the atmosphere of strife and conflict present in the Roman Empire which led to the conspiracy against Caesar. Shakespeare’s dexterity at playing with words, i.e., temper and soles, is also amply evident.
A. 2.
Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl. I meddle with no tradesman’s matters, nor women’s matters, but withal. I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes when they are in great danger. I recover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neat’s leather have gone upon my handiwork.
Meanings:
- Awl – the tool used by a shoemaker while mending shoes.
- Meddle – interfere.
- Withal – actually.
- Surgeon – a doctor who operates on people to cure them.
- Re-cover – mend, repair.
- Proper – handsome, fine.
- Neat’s – an old English word used for the skin of an ox or cow.
Q. I. Who speaks the above lines? Who does he address? What does the use of ‘sir’ convey?
Ans. These lines are spoken by the second citizen, who is a shoemaker by profession. He addresses Marullus, the Roman Tribune. The use of the word ‘sir’ conveys the sense of awe and respect which the commoners exhibited towards the Tribunes who symbolized the power and authority of the Roman officials.
Q. II. To what question is this a reply? How many times was he asked the question? What made his replies confusing each time?
Ans. The question asked by Marullus was,”What is your trade” He was asked this question four times. His replies were confusing because of the pun on the use of words like ‘soles,’ which is associated with souls, and”aw” suggests”withal” The play on the various meanings of”men” and”out of tempe” gets the better of the officials, his social superiors. They cannot understand whether his flippancy is veiled sarcasm or just his way of simply answering their questions.
Q. III. What does”with the aw” mean? Explain the pun intended through the speaker’s use of”witha”?
Ans. The awl is a pointed instrument used by a shoemaker to make holes in leather. Shakespeare has made fun or a play on the similar sounds of the words, with awl and withal.
Q. IV. Why does the speaker refer to himself as a surgeon? Explain the implied comparison. What does”I recover the” mean here?
Ans. The speaker refers to himself as a surgeon to convey the degree of precision with which he repairs old shoes to make them look as good as new. He uses his tools to repair shoes as efficiently and precisely as a surgeon uses his to operate. He is proud of his efficiency at his work. There is again a play upon the various meanings of ‘recover.’ Literally, the shoemaker uses the word ‘recover’ to mean the repair of old shoes to give them a new cover by resoling them.
Q. V. Explain,”As proper men as ever trod upon neat’s leather have gone upon my handiwor”.
Ans. The shoemaker boasts that the finest and handsomest men have worn shoes made by him, of leather made from the skin of oxen. ‘Neat’ was an old English word meaning the skin of an ox or cow.
A. 3.
Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?
What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?
Meanings:
- Rejoice – celebrate.
- Tributaries – conquered chieftains who pay tribute or tax to the victor.
- Captive bonds – prisoners of war.
Q. I. Who speaks these lines? What does he want his listeners to realize through these questions?
Ans. These lines are spoken by Marullus. He wants his listeners to realize that Caesar had not defeated foreigners or conquered chiefs who would enrich the Roman Empire by paying rich tributes or taxes in the future. Nor had he brought back any prisoners of war to walk on foot through the city beside the chariot of the victorious conqueror. Rather, he had triumphed over men who were Romans like themselves, so there was nothing to feel jubilant and celebrate. In fact, the two tribunes were angry and expressed their hostility towards Caesar in these lines.
Q. II. Who does ‘he’ refer to? Whom had he triumphed over? Why has he not brought any territory to Rome by his conquest?
Ans. Caesar is referred to here by the pronoun ‘he.’ He had defeated Pompey’s sons after the death of Pompey. He had not added any territory to the Roman Empire by his conquest because it was not a victory over foreigners. He had triumphed over men who were also Romans.
Q. III. Explain,”What tributaries follow…… chariot wheels”
Ans. Marullus expresses his bitterness at Caesar’s victory over men who were Romans like themselves. He feels that there is no reason to celebrate as Caesar’s triumph was not over chiefs who would pay him tributes and taxes that would add to the wealth of the Roman Empire. Nor had Caesar’s conquest brought back prisoners of war who would accompany, on foot, the public procession of the victor, through the city as was the Roman custom of that era.
Q. IV. What names does the speaker hurl at the commoners? Why?
Ans. The speaker, Marullus, is derogatory towards the commoners. He calls them”You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things” His language shows the authority that these officials enjoyed as regards to the commoners who were treated with disdain. He is angry with them because they were rejoicing the triumph of Caesar over men who were Romans and not foreigners.
Q. V. What else does the speaker remind them of? What actions in their past does he refer to?
Ans. He reminds them of how in the near past they had similarly cheered Pompey as a hero, returning victorious after his conquests, at the head of his triumphal procession. How these very same commoners had climbed their rooftops and chimneys to catch a glimpse of the victorious Pompey. How the streets had resounded with their deafening cheers of jubilation. But Marullus rebukes them now for their fickle memories.
Q. VI. What does he tell them would happen as a result of this”ingratitud”? How, according to him, might they prevent this?
Ans. He tells them that as a punishment for their thankless and ungrateful behavior they would be inflicted by the deadly disease of plague. They had shown their ingratitude by rejoicing the victory of a man who had killed the sons of Pompey. They were doomed. Only extreme repentance could save them. They must bend down on their knees and beseech and beg the gods to save them from the plague.
A. 4.
See whether their basest mettle be not mov’d;
They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.
Meanings:
- Basest – lowest.
- Mettle – nature, temperament.
- Mov’d – changed, stirred.
- Tongue-tied – speechless.
Q. I. What does Flavius tell the commoners to do? In what state do they leave the scene? Why?
Ans. Flavius tells the commoners to collect all the people of their class and cry tears of repentance and guilt on the banks of the river, Tiber. They should continue crying till so much water is accumulated that even the deepest part is flooded up to the banks. The commoners are easily swayed and go away feeling extremely guilty for their lowly behavior. They are fickle, and their loyalties are easily swayed this way or that. They now feel repentant for rejoicing in the victory of Caesar.
Q. II. What does Flavius tell Marullus to do next?
Ans. Flavius tells Marullus to go towards the Capitol and remove all the colorful scarves and ceremonial decorations that have been used to adorn the statues.
Q. III. Why does Marullus hesitate at first?
Ans. Marullus hesitates at first because the men were celebrating the festival of Lupercal, considered to be a ceremony of purification. It was also a feast day in honor of Lupercus, protector of herds and flocks, to ensure the animals’ fertility in spring. The men who celebrated it ran around the city wall, carrying thongs and whips made from the skin of sacrificed animals.
Q. IV. What does Flavius say to overcome this hesitation?
Ans. Flavius urges Marullus not to worry about the festival and to go ahead and remove the decorations from the statues. He wants him to remove all signs of Caesar’s triumphal celebrations and disperse the common people from the streets so that some attempt is made to restrict the growth of Caesar’s absolute authority.
Q. V. What does Flavius himself intend to do?
Ans. Flavius himself intends to go and disperse the crowds who are celebrating Caesar’s triumph.
B.
Read Act I scene (1) carefully and answer the questions given below precisely:
Q. 1. Where does this scene take place? Who all are present at the beginning of the scene?
Ans. This scene takes place in a street in Rome. Flavius, Marullus, and some citizens are present at the beginning of the scene.
Q. 2. Which festival is to be celebrated soon? What preparations have been made for this?
Ans. The festival of Lupercal is to be celebrated. Colorful scarves have been used to adorn and decorate stone images.
Q. 3. Why were the common people out in the streets dressed in their best attire? What were they waiting for?
Ans. The common people were out in the streets to participate in the celebrations of Caesar’s triumphal procession. They were waiting to scatter flowers in Caesar’s path so as to welcome and rejoice in his victory.
Q. 4. Who are Flavius and Marullus? Why do they scold the common people and drive them off the streets?
Ans. Flavius and Marullus are two tribunes. They are Roman magistrates vested with considerable powers and were supposed to protect the rights of the common people. They sternly rebuke the commoners for taking a holiday from their work to watch the procession of Caesar’s triumph. The tribunes are not sympathetic to Caesar.
Q. 5. Explain why they think that Caesar’s triumph should not be celebrated? What do you understand by”Pompey’s bloo”?
Ans. They do not want to celebrate Caesar’s triumph because he had not defeated any foreigners. Rather, it was a victory over men who were Roman like themselves. Caesar’s triumph had not added any riches to the empire, nor had he conquered any prisoner of war.”Pompey’s bloo” refers to the defeat of the two sons of Pompey, namely Cnaeus and Sextus, by Caesar, the former of them having been killed.
Q. 6. What does Marullus remind the commoners about? What does this tell us about the nature of the mob?
Ans. Marullus reminds the commoners of how they had rejoiced and cheered the victories of Pompey and waited patiently on rooftops to catch a glimpse of Pompey at the head of the triumphal procession. He rebukes them for changing their loyalties so soon. The fickle nature of the mob is revealed and how easily they are swayed from one side to the other.
Q. 7. Explain the following words and phrases: (i) cull out a holiday, (ii) basest mettle, (iii) images, (iv) ceremonies (v) Caesar’s trophies, (vi) vulgar.
Ans. (i)”Cull out a holida” refers to the choice or selection of a day taken as a holiday from work.
(ii) The phrase”basest mettl” is used to denote the low and mean mentality of the commoners.
(iii) The term”image” refers to the stone statues.
(iv) The word”ceremonie” means the decorations on the statues.
(v)”Caesar’s trophie” also refers to the triumphal decorations that marked Caesar’s victory.
(vi) The common people have been referred to by the word ‘vulgar.’
Q. 8. Why do Flavius and Marullus feel Caesar should be checked? What are they afraid of?
Ans. Flavius and Marullus feel Caesar should be checked because he was gaining absolute power by becoming king. They favored the Republican government by the people rather than that of a despot. They opposed the imperialistic designs of Caesar. They feared that he would rule like a dictator and expect them to become his servile followers.
Q. 9. Explain”These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesar’s wing” and”ordinary pitc”.
Ans. This metaphor has been borrowed from the sport of falconry, or the hunting of game with the aid of trained hawks. Flavius means that if the common people are swayed against Caesar, it will help to check his imperialistic flight of establishing a despotic rule. If the wings of a hawk are clipped, it cannot fly high.”Pitc” was a term used to denote the height to which a hawk flew. A hawk with clipped wings could only fly low.
Q. 10. What does this scene tell us about the Roman people and Caesar?
Ans. This scene gives us sufficient insight into the character of the common people of Rome. They were fickle in their loyalties and were swayed easily to support any ruler. They did not know the meaning of freedom and bowed obediently to authority. They looked for idols to worship, in their rulers.
Caesar appeared to be a despot who was not very popular amongst the officials due to his autocratic behavior. However, the Roman state had no option but to accept his imperialism, as republicanism lacked a solid base. Neither the commoners nor their representatives were clear about the idea of liberty.
C.
A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.
Meanings: (i) Trade – Profession (ii) Soles – soles of shoes (iii) Mender – repairer.
Q. 1. Who is being addressed by the speaker?
Ans. The Second citizen is a shoemaker by profession. He is answering Marullus, who has questioned him about the nature of his occupation.
Q. 2. Explain,”a mender of sole”?
Ans. The second citizen says that he repairs the soles of people’s shoes. There is a pun on the word ‘soles.’ As while speaking, it sounds the same as ‘souls’ or the inner verse. The shoemaker is being witty by using a phrase with double meaning so as to confuse Marullus.
Q. 3. Who is Marullus? Why is he scolding the shoemaker?
Ans. Marullus is a Roman Tribune. They were officers appointed to protect the rights of the common people. He is angry with the people like the shoemaker who have taken a day off from their work to celebrate the triumph of Caesar over the sons of Pompey. Marullus is rebuking them for being fickle because they had earlier rejoiced in the victories of Pompey. Moreover, Caesar had not defeated any foreigner, rather men, who were Romans like them.
D.
And do you now cull out a holiday?
And do you now strew flowers in his way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood?
Be gone!
Run to your houses, fall upon your knees,
Pray to the gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this ingratitude.
Meanings: (i) Cull out a holiday – choose, select. (ii) Pompey’s blood – the sons of Pompey. (iii) Intermit – cease, put a stop. (iv) Plague – deadly disease, epidemic, (v) Light – befall.
Q. 1. Who speaks these lines? What is the offense committed by the common people?
Ans. Marullus, a Roman tribune, speaks these lines. He rebukes the common people for having taken a day off from their work even though it was not a holiday. He is angry that they have so easily forgotten their hero Pompey and have readily come to celebrate Caesar’s victory over the sons of Pompey. Their fickle loyalties anger him as they are celebrating the victory of Caesar over other Romans like themselves.
Q. 2. Whose ‘Triumph’ is he talking about? What idea do you get about his attitude towards the victor of the war?
Ans. He is talking about Caesar, who had defeated the sons of Pompey in battle. Marullus is not in favor of the imperial aspirations of Caesar, who wants to be the king of Rome. Marullus and others like him represent the republican segment of society and are resentful of Caesar’s ambitions. They do not want Rome to be under the rule of a single authority.
Q. 3. Explain,”light on this ingratitude”
Ans. Marullus rebukes the commoners for being so fickle and shifting loyalties easily. At one time, they had followed Pompey and welcomed him after his victories. He had been their hero, and they had worshipped him. But now they had changed the god on their pedestals. They now rejoiced and celebrated the victory of Caesar over the sons of Pompey. This ungrateful behavior would be punished by the gods by inflicting them with the deadly disease of plague. Only their heartfelt repentance and prayers could save them from the punishment for their thankless behavior.
E.
I’ll about
And drive away the vulgar from the streets;
So do you too, where you perceive them thick.
Meanings: (i) Drive away – send, disperse. (ii) Vulgar – common people (iii) Thick – crowded, in large numbers.
Q. 1. Who has spoken these lines? What instructions is he giving and to whom?
Ans. Flavius, the second tribune, has spoken these lines. He is telling Marullus to go towards the Capitol and disperse the mob if he sees them gathering. He also instructs him to remove all the decorations from the stone images which had been hung to celebrate Caesar’s triumph.
Q. 2. What is the meaning of the term”vulga” and”perceive them thick”
Ans. The literal meaning of vulgar nowadays is something obscene. But in these lines, Shakespeare has used this term to refer to the common people of Rome who were held in low esteem. The phrase”perceive them thic” means the large number of common people who have crowded the streets of Rome to celebrate Caesar’s triumph.
Passage 1
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Among other buildings in a town in England, there was a house for poor people who had no money and nowhere to live. This was called the workhouse. Oliver Twist was born in the workhouse. His mother, a young woman, lay ill in bed. A doctor and an old woman stood by her side. She lifted her head from the pillow. ‘Let me see the child and die,’ she said.
1. Who lived in the workhouse? (Evergreen)
Ans. Poor, destitute people who had no money and nowhere to live were provided a place to live in the workhouse. Oliver’s mother, a young sick woman, also lived in the workhouse.
2. How were the babies born in a workhouse named? (Evergreen)
Ans. The new babies in the workhouse were named in order from A to Z. If the last one was named Swubble, then the next would be Twist and next Unwin.
3. Who were present in the room where Oliver was born? (Evergreen)
Ans. A doctor and an old woman were present in the room where Oliver was born.
4. The baby’s mother wished for two things. What were they?
Ans. The mother wanted to see her baby and hold him and then die peacefully.
5. How did the doctor react to one of the wishes?
Ans. The doctor told her not to talk about dying.
Passage 2 (Evergreen)
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The doctor put the child in her arms. She pressed her cold white lips to its face, and then fell back. ‘She is dead,’ said the doctor.
‘Yes, poor dear,’ said the old woman, as she took the child away from its dead mother. ‘Poor dear, she was a good-looking girl,’ said the doctor, as he put on his hat and gloves. ‘Where did she come from?’
‘She was brought here last night,’ said the old woman. ‘She was lying in the street. She had walked a long way, and her shoes had holes in them. Nobody knows where she came from, or where she was going to.
1. Who is ‘she’ referred to in the first line? What wish had she expressed earlier? (Evergreen)
Ans. The ‘she’ referred to in the first line was a poor, ill woman who gave birth to a child and died. She was Oliver’s mother. She expressed the wish to see and hold her child and then die.
2. After kissing the baby, the woman fell back. What happened to her? What do the words, ‘poor dear’ indicate? (Evergreen)
Ans. After kissing the baby, the woman died as she had been very ill and weak. The words, ‘poor dear’ indicate that the old woman felt sorry for the sad fate of the young woman who died and the baby she left behind.
3. What was the doctor told about the baby’s mother? (Evergreen)
Ans. The old woman told the doctor that the girl had been brought there the previous night. She had been found lying in the street and seemed to have walked a long way, and her shoes had holes in them. Nobody knew where she came from, or where she was going.
4. Looking at the woman’s ring-less hand, what did the doctor conclude? (Evergreen)
Ans: Looking at the woman’s ring-less hand, the doctor concluded that she was unmarried.
5. What did the old woman do when the doctor had gone home for dinner?
Ans. After the doctor left for dinner, the old woman sat down on a chair in front of the fire and dressed the baby in very old clothes that were used for babies who were born in the workhouse.
orn in the workhouse.