Select the correct option for each of the following questions:

1. Caesar asked the priest to

Answer: c. sacrifice an animal to the gods
2. The dreadful sights as reported to Calpurnia were:
Answer: b. Blood drizzling on the Capitol
3. Calpurnia tried to convince Caesar to stay at home by
Answer: b. begging him on bended knees
4. According to Decius, the Senate had planned to
Answer: a. crown Caesar
5. Caesar invited his friends before going to the Senate
Answer: a. to drink wine with him
6. Brutus at the end of the scene feels
Answer: a. guilty
Julius Caesar Act 2 Scene 2 Workbook Answers
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Context questions (Answers)

Question 1
CALPURNIA – Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch
1. Caesar and Calpurnia are at their residence. It is the night before the
Ides of March, a day of Caesar assassination. They are both unable to
sleep because of the storm and Calpurnia’s nightmares.
2. Calpurnia refers to “ceremonies” as the rites and sacrifices the Romans
carry out in an effort to gain the gods’ favour. Calpurnia speaks of the
supernatural signals or strange and ominous events she has seen. Her
suspicion that Caesar’s life is in danger is the primary source of her fear.
These ceremonies are seen by her as omens or warnings of impending
danger to Caesar.
3. Initially, Caesar brushes Calpurnia’s worries off as superstition. However
after Calpurnia continues to issue cautions and describes the terrifying
incidents that have occurred. In the end, he makes the decision not to
attend the Senate and instructs his attendants to go with the priests,
instructing them to perform a sacrifice and report back on the outcome.
4. Calpurnia describes horrific scenes that she saw, such as lions giving
birth in the streets, graves opening and revealing their dead, warriors
engaged in combat in the clouds, and blood spurting from the skies. These
strange occurrences are seen as warnings of approaching disaster.
5. In spite of the warning signals and Calpurnia’s requests, Caesar
displays his arrogance by declaring that he is more dangerous than
danger itself, He appears to think that his destiny is unaffected by mortal
threats and displays self-assurance in his invincibility. This demonstrates
the pride and overconfidence of Caesar, which adds to the play’s sad
conclusion.
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Question 2
CAESAR- Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear
1. Caesar presents a fatalistic perspective on dying. He thinks that
everyone must confront death at some point since it is an unavoidable
event. Caesar offers an explanation for the idea that cowards die many
times before they really do: those who are afraid of death endure the
mental anguish of knowing when they will die. A brave individual, on the
other hand, accepts death when it comes and meets it with dignity.
2. Caesar presents a fatalistic perspective on dying. He thinks that
everyone will eventually die since dying is a natural aspect of existence.
He doesn’t dread dying and thinks that cowards die many times before
they really die because they constantly fear dying and imagine dying,
which causes them to die several times over in their imaginations.
However, courageous men have no fear of dying. They make full use of
life and embrace death when it arrives.
3. The sacrifice by the priest had an unfavourable outcome. They find that
the sacrificial animal lacks a heart. This is interpreted as a negative
omen, implying that Caesar is in danger. Caesar, however, brushes this
omen off as unimportant. He thinks, that it is a normal occurrence and
that it won’t have any negative effects on him.
4. Caesar claims that he was born on the same day as danger, or that the
two of them were littered on the same day. He makes the implication that
he should not be afraid of danger since he is just as strong and formidable
as the actual threat. In addition, he asserts that he ignores the gods’
warnings and that he is more dangerous than danger.
5. Soon after this scene Decius Brutus walks in. Decius flatters Caesar and
plays on his conceit to get him to alter his mind. He gives a positive
interpretation of Calpurnia’s dream, implying that the Senate intends to
crown Caesar that day rather than to destroy him. Additionally, he claims
that if Caesar was thought to be so readily influenced by a woman or by
fear, he would lose the respect of the people. In the end, Decius
persuades Caesar to visit the Senate by deftly bending the interpretation
of the dream to suit his goals and aspirations.
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Question 3
CAESAR – And these does she apply for warnings, and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg’d that I will stay at home to-day.
DECIUS BRUTUS – This dream is all amiss interpreted;
1. The ‘she’ mentioned in the given extract is – Calpurnia.
Calpurnia recounts that she has dreamt of a series of disturbing events,
including:
A lioness giving birth in the streets
Graves opening up and releasing their dead
Fiery warriors fighting in the clouds
Horses neighing and men groaning
Ghosts shrieking and squealing
2. Decius Brutus came to accompany Caesar to the Capitol.
3. The way Calpurnia is “on her knees” resembles how Portia acts when
she bows down before Brutus in the earlier scene. The wives are
submitting to and pleading with their husbands in both cases. The
spouses’ responses, however, are different. Brutus feels guilty for
withholding his secrets from her after being profoundly impacted by
Portia’s expression of affection and concern. However, while being
affected at first by Calpurnia’s pleading, Caesar eventually adopts a more
arrogant and dismissive demeanour, thinking that he is safe from harm.
4. Decius tempts Caesar by reinterpreting Calpurnia’s dream in a
favourable light and implying that it is a vision of Caesar’s victory rather
than a warning of peril. By playing on Caesar’s arrogance and ambition,
Decius takes advantage of his egotism. Additionally, he warns him that if
he remains at home because of a woman’s dreams, others would perceive
him as weak or scared, undermining Caesar’s authority and grandeur. By
playing on Caesar’s ego, Decius makes him feel angry with Calpurnia for
trying to stop him from becoming a great man.
5. Caesar makes the decision to proceed to the Senate as scheduled.
Decius’s interpretation of Calpurnia’s dream and the notion that the
Senate plans to honour him that day influence him. This choice
demonstrates Caesar’s susceptibility to flattery and his thirst for attention
and fame.
Regarding Decius and Cassius, this scenario demonstrates Decius’s ability
to subtly influence Caesar via interpretation and flattery. But Cassius
doesn’t appear in this scenario explicitly. However, it portends the deceit
and plots that would result in Caesar’s murder, a plot in which Cassius is a
key player. Decius and Cassius are presented as crafty people who know
how to take advantage of Caesar’s weaknesses in order to further their
own agendas.
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Question 4
CAESAR- Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;
And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
BRUTUS – [Aside] That every like is not the same, O Caesar,
The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!
1. The “good friends” referred to in this scene are the conspirators led by
Brutus. They are planning to assassinate Julius Caesar.
2. To call them “good friends” is ironic since, in actuality, they are
plotting Caesar‘s betrayal and death. Despite the fact that the phrase
“good friends” implies devotion and confidence, Caesar is being duped by
the conspirators.
3. As part of their plot to kill Caesar, the conspirators go with him to the
Capitol. By being polite and behaving like devoted friends, they want to
fool Caesar into not suspecting anything.
4. The word “yearns” describes a strong yearning or desire. Brutus
displays a contemplative and intellectual side when he says, “The
exhalations whizzing in the air / Give so much light that I may read by
them.” He reveals a contradictory trait, as he appears to be a noble and
philosophical person, yet takes part in a plot to kill Caesar.
5. It is early morning. Caesar is taken aback to find Antony up so early in
the morning, given his reputation for staying out late partying and
drinking. This little element highlights Antony’s outgoing and lively
personalities