You, sir, what trade are you?

(i) Who are Flavius and Marullus? Where are they and
what are they doing there? Why?

Ans: Flavius and Marullus are tribunes- high-ranking officials in

the government of ancient Rome. They are at a street in Rome to
rebuke the citizens who are gathered in their best clothes to
celebrate
Caesar's victory over Pompey in a triumphal parade .
They are dispersing the crowd as they detest Caesar's growing
popularity. Flavius and Marullus believe that the citizens are
being fickle and disloyal to Pompey, who was once their beloved
leader. They also fear that Caesar is becoming too powerful and
popular, and they want to prevent him from becoming
(ii) Who are the "idle creatures"? Why are they called so? What makes the
speaker ask if it is a holiday?

Ans: The "idle creatures" are Commoners or citizens of Rome who are celebrating and
taking the day off from work. They are called "idle" because as they are not wearing
the tools of the trade and Flavius believes their celebration as unproductive, they
should be working instead. The speaker asks them if it was a holiday since the citizens
of Rome were out on the streets without the tools of their profession.
C) Sign ot your profession: Working clothes with tools of their profession
Pick out from the extract, an example of a sign of a profession.
Leather apron, rule (any one)

(iv) Whom does Marullus address in the last line of the extract? What
reply does he get? How does he react to the reply?

Ans: Marullus address to the Second citizen who is a cobbler, in the last
line of the extract. The Second Citizen says he is a mender of bad soles.
Marullus does not understand him well and is angry and called the man
a rascal.
(iii) Give the meaning of the following:

Ans: (a)Being mechanical: Being manual workers

i.e Workmen who use manual tools for their profession. Like a carpenter uses a leather apron and a rule.
(b)A labouring day: A working day.
Second Citizen

A trade, sir, that I hope may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.

Marul lus

What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, What trade?

(v) Giving an example each, show how Flavius and
Marullus are men in authority. Who among them,
do you think, exercises greater authority? Why?
Ans: We can say that Flavius and Marullus are men in
authority because they question the people of Rome why
they are on the streets of Rome without the tools of their
trade. Flavius question each citizen on their profession
and why they were on the street without the tools of their
profession. Marullus chides the people for celebrating
the victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey. Flavius has
greater authority as later in the scene Marullus is unsure
of removing the decorations on Caesar's statues and
Flavius dismisses him saying they must quell Caesar's
popularity.

Extract I l
Ans: The term "trade" refers to a person's profession
or occupation. The second citizen is a cobbler by
 profession. When Marullus asks him what his trade
is, the cobbler replies, "Sir, a mender of bad soles."
pun involved is symbolising "bad shoe soles" with
"human souls".

(ii) Why does the Second Citizen think that he "may

use" the trade with a safe conscience?
Ans: This is a play on the words mender, of soles
that is a pun. The cobbler is playing with the words
' Sole / Soul'. He is a mender of soles / Souls. Soul
relates to conscience. Thus, he thinks that he may
use the trade with a safe conscience.

(iii) What is meant by "naughty knave"? What does

this expression tell us about the attitude of the Romans
towards artisans? Give two more examples of such
expressions from the scene.
(i)What is mea nt by a "trade"? Of which trade is the second citizen? What is the pun involved with the word "soles"?
ID a pul 1. ID playli1Y VVUIUD
Soul'. He is a mender of soles / Souls. Soul relates to
conscience. Thus, he thinks that he may use the trade
with a safe conscience.

(iii)What is meant by "naughty knave"? What does

this expression tell us about the attitude of the
Romans towards artisans? Give two more
examples of such expressions from the scene.
Ans: The "naughty knave" term means good for
nothing (worthless rascal), Flavius used the word
"naughty knave" to refer to the cobbler. This
expressions tell us that officials have attitude.
It suggests that the Romans looked down on artisans
and craftsmen as being of lower social status. Two
more examples of such expressions from the scene
are "thou saucy fellow" and "you blocks, you stones."

(iv) Give the double meaning intended in the

following expression:
. be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir, I can
mend you.
Ans: In the line "be not out with me: yet, if you be out,
sir, I can mend you," the cobbler is using a pun to
make a joke. "Out" can mean either "angry" or "worn
out." The cobbler is saying that if Flavius is angry with
him, he can calm him down. But if his shoes are worn
out, he can also mend them.
(i) Who speaks these lines? To whom are these words addressed? What
type of rejoicing is referred to in the extract?

Ans: Marullus speaks these lines. These words are addressed to the citizens of
Rome. He is referring to the rejoicing of people celebrating the victory of Julius
Caesar over Pompey.

(ii) Who is "he" referred to in the first line of the extract? What message
does the speaker want to convey to his listeners through these questions?
example, of the common people in this scene.

Ans:

Extract I l l

Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones,
you worse than senseless things!
O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey?
Ans: The conquest referred to is Julius Caesar's victory over Pom pey's sons. The conq ueror is not broug ht a ny territory to Rome

by his conquest as it was a victory over a riva l in the sa me country no territory was brought under Rome. Also, Pom pey was

Julius Caesar's son -in-law.

(ii) Who is "he" referred to in the first line of the extract?
What message does the speaker want to convey to his
listeners through these questions?
o, Ans: "He" referred to Julius Caesar in the first line of the
extract. The message that Marullus wants to convey to the
citizens of Rome through these o questions was that they are
fickle because one day they celebrated Pompey's victory and later
they celebrated Pompey's defeat with the same fervour they need
to repent for their ingratitude, it was not worth celebrating the
victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey.
(iii) What is the conquest referred to in the extract? Why has
the conqueror not brought any territory to Rome by his
conquest?
was a victory over a rival in the same country no territory
was brought under Rome. Also, Pompey was Julius
Caesar's son-in-law.

(iv) Give the meaning of:

What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?
Ans: Marullus asks the citizens of Rome whether Julius
Caesar had captured a king or acquired territory through
this conquest. He asks the citizens of Rome whether Julius
Caesar had acquired wealth for Rome through this
conquest. He tells the citizens of Rome that they were
being incorrect in celebrating the victory of Julius Caesar.

(v) Who are referred to as "the cruel men of Rome"?

Why are they called so?
Ans: The common people who had gathered to celebrate
Julius Caesar's victory over Pompey's sons.
They are cruel because they had celebrated Pompey's
victory in the same vein some time ago.

Extract IV
Marullus
And when you saw his chariot but appear, Have
you not made an universal shout,
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks, To
hear the replication of your sounds Made in her
concave shores?
And do you now put on your best attire?
And do you now And do cull out a holiday?
you now strew flowers in his way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?

(i) Whose chariot was seen? When? What did

"you" do on seeing the chariot?
Ans: Pompey chariot was seen. when he returned
victorius. On seeing the chariot the commeners
cheered in a single voice that was so loud that the
vibration could be felt at the river Tiber.

(ii) What is meant by "universal shout"? State in

your own words what happened as a consequence
of the shout.
Ans: Universal shout means the joyous screams of
the people of Rome welcoming Pompey to Rome
after his victories. The consequence of the shout was
that the shout echoed off the banks of the river Tiber
and the river trembled under its banks. This is only
an indication of how joyously people welcomed
Pompey back from his victorious battles.

(iii)What is meant by "Pompey's blood"? Who

comes now in triumph?
Ans: Pompey's blood refers to the bloodshed in the
civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, in
which Caesar emerged victorious. The conqueror
who is now coming in triumph over Pompey's
blood is Julius Caesar himself.

(iv) How do the people now prepare for the

triumphal entry of the person?
Ans: They dress in their best attire, and celebrate the
day as a festival, strewing flowers on Caesar's path.
And do you now put on your best attire?
And do you now And do cull out a
holiday? you now strew flowers in his
way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?

(i) Whose chariot was seen? When? What did

"you" do on seeing the chariot?
Ans: Pompey chariot was seen. when he returned
victorius. On seeing the chariot the commeners
cheered in a single voice that was so loud that the
vibration could be felt at the river Tiber.

(ii) What is meant by "universal shout"? State in

your own words what happened as a consequence
of the shout.
Ans: Universal shout means the joyous screams of the
people of Rome welcoming Pompey to Rome after his
victories. The consequence of the shout was that the
shout echoed off the banks of the river Tiber and the
river trembled under its banks. This is only an
indication of how joyously people welcomed Pompey
back from his victorious battles.

(iii) What is meant by "Pompey's blood"? Who

comes now in triumph?
Ans: Pompey's blood refers to the bloodshed in the
civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, in
which Caesar emerged victorious. The conqueror
who is now coming in triumph over Pompey's
blood is Julius Caesar himself.

(iv) How do the people now prepare for the

triumphal entry of the person?
Ans: They dress in their best attire, and celebrate the
day as a festival, strewing flowers on Caesar's path.
(v) What does the speaker want to achieve by his
speech given in the extract?
Ans: The speaker does not want the people of Rome to
celebrate the victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey. He
is worried that the celebration of this victory will make
Julius Caesar the absolute ruler of Rome and a tyrant.
The speaker wants to make the common man realise
his thoughtless and fickleness and wants him to repent
for it.

Extract V
Marullus
May we do so?
You know it is the feast of Lupercal.
Flavius

It is no matter; let no images

Be hung with Caesar's trophies. I'll about,
And drive away the vulgar from the streets.
So do you too, where you perceive them thick.
These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing
Will make him fly an ordinary pitch;
Who else would soar above the view of men
And keep us all in servile fearfulness.

(i)"May we do so?" What was Marullus supposed to

do? Why?
Ans: Flavius instructs Marullus to remove all the
decorations and bunting from the statues of Julius
Caesar to quell the celebrating mood at the triumph of
Caesar over Pompey's sons. These are decorations that
the people of Rome have put on the statues to celebrate
the victory of Julius Caesar.

(ii) What was the feast of Lupercal? How was the

feast normally celebrated?
Ans: The feast to honour Lupercus a god believed to
be the protector of flocks and herds. The festival of
Lupercal was normally celebrated by placing
decorations all over the city. On the feast of Lupercal,
young men ran through the city and touched spectators
with leather straps. It was believed that barren women
so touched would be cured of their infertility.
infertility.

(iii) What is meant by "trophies"? Why does

Flavius say that no images should be hung with
 infertility.
0) infertility.

(iii) What is meant by "trophies"? Why does

Flavius say that no images should be hung with
Caesar's trophies?
Ans: Trophies - decorations on the statues of Caesar
which are tokens of victories of Caesar. Flavius
says that no images (decorative items) should be
hung on Caesar's trophies as Flavius believes that
suppressing people's enthusiasm for Caesar, it will
be like pulling feathers from a falcon's wing: it will
make him fly at a normal height instead of soaring
out of sight (like a god) to treat men like slaves.

(iv) Who are "the vulgar"? Why are they so

called?
Ans: "The Vulgar" are the common people - the
workers and artisans. They are s o called because
they are fickle - one day they celebrated Pompey's
victory and on another day they celebrated Julius
Caesar's victory over Pompey's sons. They needed
to be dispersed before they crowned Caesar as king.

(v)How does the scene (from which the above

extract is taken) reflect the changing fortunes of
men in power and how does it indicate the
behaviour of the common people in Rome?
Ans: The fortunes of men in power is continuously
changing. Earlier, it was Pompey who was the
darling of the people of Rome. The people of Rome
cheered and celebrated the victories of Pompey
earlier. Now, the same people who are celebrating
the death of Pompey. The behavior of the people of
Rome, towards the men in power is fickle and ever-
changing. Pompey who was their hero was now the
villain whose defeat the people of Rome were now
celebrating. ( for more details: Refer to 'Fickleness
of the Crowd' under Critical Comments)