Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What is the primary ideological conflict that opens the play 'Julius Caesar'?
Answer
The division between supporters of monarchy (Caesar) and republicanism (senators).
Question
According to the text, what establishes peace after the period of war and chaos following Caesar's murder?
Answer
The rule of three 'Caesars' (Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus).
Question
What is the specific fear that drives Brutus to consider Caesar a potential threat?
Answer
The fear that being crowned king would turn Caesar into a ruthless dictator.
Question
Brutus justifies the assassination on the presumption that Caesar would become _____.
Answer
All-powerful.
Question
Besides being a victim of Cassius's deception, what is the internal cause of Brutus's downfall?
Answer
His own self-delusions and illusions.
Question
What is the source of Brutus's illusions regarding the freedom of the Roman people?
Answer
His pride in his noble ancestors.
Question
Which specific scene provides a soliloquy demonstrating Brutus's psychological need for self-delusion?
Answer
Act II, Scene 1.
Question
How does Brutus visualise the murder of Caesar to make it psychologically acceptable?
Answer
As a sacrificial rite.
Question
Brutus adopts Casca's reasoning that cutting off life is a benefit because it reduces the years spent _____.
Answer
Fearing death.
Question
What purpose do Brutus's self-delusions serve after he commits the assassination?
Answer
They provide psychological relief from the horror of the deed.
Question
Why does Roman society view the assassination of Caesar as a sin against 'cosmic harmony'?
Answer
Because a ruler was regarded as God's representative on earth.
Question
What are the immediate consequences of the 'sin' of Caesar's assassination?
Answer
Human suffering, death, destruction, and cosmic disorder.
Question
Term: Tragic Flaw
Answer
Definition: A fault in the character of a great human being that leads to their death and destruction.
Question
What is identified as the 'tragic flaw' of Julius Caesar?
Answer
His ambition, pride, and arrogance.
Question
What is identified as the 'tragic flaw' of Brutus?
Answer
His one-sided ideology.
Question
How does the tragedy affect the minds of the heroes by the end of the play?
Answer
Their minds are cleansed.
Question
What realization does Caesar reach regarding his friends before he dies?
Answer
They are not to be totally trusted in the political field.
Question
What realization does Brutus reach regarding the assassination at the end of the play?
Answer
His choice of murdering Caesar was wrong.
Question
How does Shakespearean tragedy supposedly help the reader/audience?
Answer
It helps them bear their own sufferings by comparing them with those of the heroes.
Question
At what event does Caesar instruct Calpurnia to stand in Antony's way?
Answer
The Lupercalia.
Question
Which character delivers the warning about the 'ides of March' in Act I, Scene 2?
Answer
The Soothsayer.
Question
What supernatural occurrence in Act II, Scene 1 creates 'superstitious terrors'?
Answer
The storm.
Question
What does Caesar request of the augurers in Act II, Scene 2?
Answer
To perform a sacrifice due to his fears and Calpurnia's dreams.
Question
Where does Caesar's ghost appear to Brutus?
Answer
At Sardis (Act IV, Scene 3).
Question
What birds does Cassius reference as a bad omen in Act V, Scene 1?
Answer
Birds of evil omen (ravens, crows, and kites).
Question
What is the dramatic importance of Caesar's apparition, regardless of whether it is 'real'?
Answer
It stresses the continued influence of Caesar's personality after death.
Question
The dominance of supernatural events in the play gives rise to a sense of _____.
Answer
Fate.
Question
Why did Shakespeare incorporate supernatural elements beyond thematic purposes?
Answer
To create suspense and satisfy the expectations of the Elizabethan audience.
Question
What are Aristotle's 'Three Unities' in drama?
Answer
The Unity of Time, the Unity of Place, and the Unity of Action.
Question
Concept: Unity of Time
Answer
Definition: The principle that the duration of action in a drama should not exceed one day.
Question
Concept: Unity of Place
Answer
Definition: The principle that the scene of the incidents in a drama must not change.
Question
Concept: Unity of Action
Answer
Definition: The principle that there must be only one plot with no secondary or minor plots.
Question
What is the actual historical time period covered by the play 'Julius Caesar'?
Answer
Three years (45 BC to 42 BC).
Question
According to the text analysis, how many days of dramatic action occur in 'Julius Caesar'?
Answer
Three days (notwithstanding the detailed six-day timeline).
Question
In what three main locations does the action of the play take place?
Answer
Rome, Sardis, and the Battlefield of Philippi.
Question
How is the Unity of Action maintained in 'Julius Caesar'?
Answer
There is no sub-plot or digression, and the movement is swift and straightforward.
Question
What is the focus of the earlier part of the play's action?
Answer
The development of the conspiracy against Caesar.
Question
What is the focus of the later part of the play's action?
Answer
The consequences of the murder, including the Civil War and the conspirators' defeat.
Question
On what date do the events of Day 1 (Act I, Scenes 1 and 2) take place?
Answer
February 15, 44 BC.
Question
What is the time interval between Day 1 and Day 2 of the play's action?
Answer
One month.
Question
On what date do Acts II and III (Day 3) take place?
Answer
March 15, 44 BC.
Question
How long is the interval between the assassination (Day 3) and Act IV, Scene 1 (Day 4)?
Answer
Eight months.
Question
What is the time interval between the meeting at Day 4 and the events at Sardis (Day 5)?
Answer
About a year.
Question
What is the month and year of the final action in Act V (Day 6)?
Answer
October, 42 BC.
Question
The play highlights the conflict between the _____ choice made by Brutus and its dire consequences.
Answer
Wrong moral.
Question
Who are the three 'Caesars' that establish peace at the end of the play?
Answer
Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Aemilius Lepidus.
Question
In Shakespearean tragedy, what does the readers' realization of the 'insignificance of their own troubles' help them achieve?
Answer
A better understanding of life and its problems.
Question
According to the text, why is the murder of Caesar considered a 'crime' beyond simple homicide?
Answer
It is the murder of a trusted friend and a ruler.
Question
Which character's reasoning does Brutus 'eagerly take up' regarding the benefits of an early death?
Answer
Casca.
Question
What literary element includes the storm, ghosts, and omens in 'Julius Caesar'?
Answer
Supernatural elements.
Question
How does the 'Unity of Place' apply to Sardis and Philippi in the context of the play?
Answer
They are considered places close to Rome, thus maintaining a level of unity.
Question
How many days are listed in the 'Time of the Action of the Play' table?
Answer
Six days.
Question
Which scene involves Calpurnia's fears and 'terrible dreams'?
Answer
Act II, Scene 2.
Question
What does the text suggest about the mystery of tragedy for readers?
Answer
They fail to understand why there should be so much waste and suffering of innocent people.
Question
According to critics who believe the ghost was unreal, what was its actual origin?
Answer
Brutus' imagination.
Question
What historical event took place on Day 3 of the play's action?
Answer
The assassination of Julius Caesar (March 15, 44 BC).
Question
The 'Unity of Action' implies there should be no introduction of _____ or 'minor' plots.
Answer
Secondary.
Question
In Day 1 of the action, which scenes are included from Act I?
Answer
Scenes 1 and 2.
Question
What is the date of Day 4 in the play's timeline?
Answer
November, 43 BC.
Question
What specific supernatural sign appears to Cassius in Act V?
Answer
Birds of good and evil omen.