Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar , act 1, scene 2. CASSIUS: 'Tis just; And it is very much lamented, Brutus, (60) That you have no such mirrors as will turn Your hidden worthiness into your eye, That you might see your shadow.I have heard Where many of the best respect in Rome— Except immortal Caesar—speaking of Brutus, (65) And groaning underneath this age’s yoke, Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. Which summary of the passage is the most accurate?
Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar , act 1, scene 2. [CASSIUS:] For once, upon a raw and gusty day, The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, Said Caesar to me "Darest thou, Cassius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, (110) And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word, Accoutred as I was, I plungèd in And bade him follow. So indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it With lusty sinews, throwing it aside, (115) And stemming it with hearts of controversy. But ere we could arrive the point proposed, Caesar cried ‘Help me, Cassius, or I sink!’ Which details should be included in a paraphrase of the passage? Choose three correct answers.
Read the two excerpts from act 2, scene 1, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar . Excerpt 1: [BRUTUS.] Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar I have not slept. Between the acting of a dreadful thing And the first motion, all the interim is Like a phantasma or a hideous dream. The genius and the mortal instruments Are then in council, and the state of man, Like to a little kingdom, suffers then The nature of an insurrection. Excerpt 2: BRUTUS: Kneel not, gentle Portia. . . . You are my true and honourable wife, As dear to me as are the ruddy drops That visit my sad heart. PORTIA: If this were true, then should I know this secret. . . . Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose 'em. I have made strong proof of my constancy, Giving myself a voluntary wound Here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience, And not my husband's secrets? How do Brutus’s moral dilemmas in each excerpt compare?
Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar . BRUTUS: It must be by his death: and for my part I know no personal cause to spurn at him But for the general. He would be crowned: How that might change his nature, there's the question. It is the bright day that brings forth the adder, And that craves wary walking. Crown him that, And then I grant we put a sting in him That at his will he may do danger with. Th' abuse of greatness is when it disjoins Remorse from power. And to speak truth of Caesar, I have not known when his affections swayed More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, Whereto the climber-upward turns his face; But when he once attains the upmost round, He then unto the ladder turns his back, Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees By which he did ascend. So Caesar may. Then lest he may, prevent. And since the quarrel Will bear no colour for the thing he is, Fashion it thus: that what he is, augmented, Would run to these and these extremities; And therefore think him as a serpent's egg Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous, And kill him in the shell. What moral dilemma does this excerpt express?
Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . BRUTUS: Kneel not, gentle Portia. PORTIA: I should not need if you were gentle Brutus. Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus, Is it excepted I should know no secrets That appertain to you? Am I your self But as it were in sort or limitation? To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife. BRUTUS: You are my true and honourable wife, As dear to me as are the ruddy drops That visit my sad heart. PORTIA: If this were true, then should I know this secret. I grant I am a woman, but withal A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife. I grant I am a woman, but withal A woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter. Think you I am no stronger than my sex, Being so fathered and so husbanded? Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose 'em. I have made strong proof of my constancy, Giving myself a voluntary wound Here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience, And not my husband’s secrets? BRUTUS: O ye gods, Render me worthy of this noble wife! What effect does Brutus's secrecy have on his wife, Portia? Choose three correct answers.
Read the excerpt from act 2, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . CASCA: You shall confess that you are both deceived. Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises, Which is a great way growing on the south, Weighing the youthful season of the year. Some two months hence up higher toward the north He first presents his fire, and the high east Stands, as the Capitol, directly here. BRUTUS: Give me your hands all over, one by one. CASSIUS: And let us swear our resolution. BRUTUS: No, not an oath. If not the face of men, The sufferance of our souls, the time’s abuse— If these be motives weak, break off betimes, And every man hence to his idle bed. What effect does Cassius's request to swear an oath have on Brutus?
Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . ANTONY: Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar. Friends am I with you all, and love you all, Upon this hope: that you shall give me reasons Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous. What is the central idea of this excerpt?
Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . BRUTUS: By your pardon; I will myself into the pulpit first, And show the reason of our Caesar’s death. What Antony shall speak I will protest He speaks by leave and by permission; And that we are contented Caesar shall Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies, It shall advantage more than do us wrong. Which quotations support the central idea that Brutus thinks it will do no harm and may actually benefit the conspirators if they let Antony give the eulogy at Caesar’s funeral? Choose two correct answers.
Read the excerpt from Julius Caesar , act 1, scene 2. CASSIUS: 'Tis just; And it is very much lamented, Brutus, (60) That you have no such mirrors as will turn Your hidden worthiness into your eye, That you might see your shadow. I have heard Where many of the best respect in Rome— Except immortal Caesar—speaking of Brutus, (65) And groaning underneath this age’s yoke, Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. What does the image of "And groaning underneath this age’s yoke” suggest about the meaning of the passage? (A yoke is a wooden harness, or collar, put around the neck of a horse or oxen that is pulling a plough.)
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar . [ BRUTUS: ] Messala, I have here receivèd letters, That young Octavius and Mark Antony Come down upon us with a mighty power, Bending their expedition toward Philippi. MESSALA: Myself have letters of the selfsame tenor. BRUTUS: With what addition? MESSALA: That by proscription and bills of outlawry, Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus Have put to death an hundred senators. BRUTUS: Therein our letters do not well agree. Mine speak of seventy senators that died By their proscriptions, Cicero being one. CASSIUS: Cicero one! MESSALA: Ay, Cicero is dead, And by that order of proscription. How does this interaction affect the plot?
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar . BRUTUS: O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs. CASSIUS: Of your philosophy you make no use, If you give place to accidental evils. BRUTUS: No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead. CASSIUS: Ha! Portia? BRUTUS: She is dead. CASSIUS: How scaped I killing when I crossed you so? O insupportable and touching loss! Upon what sickness? BRUTUS: Impatient of my absence, And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony Have made themselves so strong—for with her death That tidings came. With this, she fell distraught, And, her attendants absent, swallowed fire. CASSIUS: And died so? BRUTUS: Even so. CASSIUS: O ye immortal gods! [Enter LUCIUS, with wine and taper] BRUTUS: Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine. In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius. CASSIUS: My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge. Fill, Lucius, till the wine o’erswell the cup; I cannot drink too much of Brutus’ love. Which evidence from the text supports the conclusion that Cassius and Brutus have reconciled? Choose two correct answers.
Read the excerpt from act 5, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . ANTONY: Villains, you did not so, when your vile daggers Hacked one another in the sides of Caesar: You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds, And bowed like bondmen, kissing Caesar’s feet, Whilst damnèd Casca, like a cur, behind, Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers! Cur and dog mean the same thing denotatively. Which statement best explains why Antony uses the word cur rather than dog to describe Casca?
Read the excerpt from act 5, scene 1, of Julius Caesar . MESSENGER: Prepare you, generals. The enemy comes on in gallant show. Their bloody sign of battle is hung out, And something to be done immediately. ANTONY: Octavius, lead your battle softly on, Upon the left hand of the even field. OCTAVIUS: Upon the right hand, I; keep thou the left. How does the use of the word gallant add to the meaning of the sentence?
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