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04 20:23
JULIUS CAESAR ACT 1SCENE 1

Answer the following questions:

Q1. What does the term tribune mean and who are the tribunes referred to
in this scene?
Ans) 'Tribune refers to government officials who are appointed to
safeguard the rights of the common people and possess significant leagal
authority. The tribunes referred to in this scene are Flavius and
Marullus.

Q2. Whom does the tribune Flavius refer to as "idle creatures" and why?
Ans) The tribune Flavius refers to the two humble artisans as "idle
creatures" because they have taken a day off to watch the procession of
Caesar's triumph.

Q3. Define the phrases, "being mechanical" , "sign of your profession" and
"a labouring day"
Ans) 'Being mechanical' means 'being manual workers', 'sign of profession
means the tools or working clothes, etc that a labourer had to have on a
working day as the outward sign of his trade and 'a labouring day' means
'a regular working day'.

Q4. "Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?" - Who is 'he'

referred to here and what does he want to convey?
Ans) 'Marullus' is referred to as 'he' here. He wants to convey to the
public that Caesar's conquest is not worth rejoicing about as it does not
bring any territories or tributaries to Rome.

Q5. What does Marullus call the commoners to show his anger towards them?
Ans) Marullus shows his angers towards the commoners by calling them,
"stones", "blocks", "worse than senseless things" and "hard hearts". He
also calls them "cruel men of Rome" to show his disappointment towards
their behaviour.

Q6. Explain the pun in the Second Citizen's use of the phrase 'be out'.
What reason does he give for leading the others in the street?
Ans) When the Second Citizen uses 'be out' at first he means "do not be
angry with me. But what he means in the second used is "if your shoes are
worn out"

Q7. What is Marullus accusing the people of Rome in this scene?

Ans) Marullus is accusing the people of Rome of being ungrateful and
lacking in loyalty to Pompey, who was a great leader and hero of Rome. He
is frustrated that the people are celebrating Caesar's victory and
showering him with praise when they should be mourning the death of
Pompey. He feels that the people are being disrespectful and dishonoring
the memory of Pompey by ignoring his sacrifices for the city.

Q8. According to Marullus, what did the commoners do to show their

dedication to Pompey?
Ans) According to Marullus the commoners used to climb up the walls and
battlements, towers and windows and chimney tops with infants in their
arms and there have sat there throughout the day, patiently expecting to
see the great Pompey pass the street of Rome.

Q9. What instructions does Flavius give to the commoners?

Ans) Flavius instructs the commoners to gather all people of their class
and weep tears of repentance and guilt on the banks of the river, Tiber
until the water floods up to the banks.

Q10. What does Flavius order Marullus to do next? What does he plan to do
himself?
Ans) Flavius orders Marullus to proceed towards the Capitol and remove all
the colourful scarves and ceremonial decorations from the statues. As for
himself, he plans to disperse the crowd who are celebrating Caesar's
triumph.

Q11. Why is Marullus initially hesitant to follow Flavius' orders?

Ans) Marullus is initially hesitant to follow Flavius's order because the
men were celebrating the festival of Lupercal which is considered a
ceremony of purification and a feast day in the honour of Lupercus,
protector of herds and flocks.

Q12 What does the image of plucking feathers from Caesar's wing symbolise?

Ans) The image of plucking feathers from Caesar's wing is a metaphor for
removing or diminishing the sources of Caesar's power. The feathers
symbolise the support and strength that Caesar derives from his followers
and by removing them Marullus and Flavius hope to reduce Caesar's
influence and power. The image is symbolic of their desire to undermine
Caesar's position and to return to Roman Republic it's traditional values.