6548ca130baf1 Sample Paper 3 - Julius Caesar - ANSWERS

Julius
Caesar
William Shakespeare
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 3 (For Class 10 – Act 3)
ANSWERS
Question 1
(i) (c) Caesar was disinclined to listen to suits that concerned his own well-being.
(ii) (c) Marcus Brutus
(iii) (b) He shakes their hands
(iv) (d) Gauge the public’s reaction to his speech
(v) (c) They decide to burnt the houses of the conspirators
(vi) (d) Cinna the Poet
Question 2
(i) Brutus had asked Antony to look into the hearts of the conspirators and glean their
earnest desire to rid Rome of oppression. According to Brutus, this stemmed from their
pity for the people of Rome, which had driven out their pity for Caesar. Caesar’s death
was a penalty for his ambition: the death of a single person for the greater good was more
desirable than the death of many.
(ii) Upon seeing Caesar’s corpse for the first time, Antony expressed shock since he felt that
Caesar had been reduced to nothing. He lamented that all that Caesar had done – his
achievements, victories, etc – had been reduced to his mortal remains. He asked the
conspirators if this death had been planned or not. Antony claimed that there was no
better time, place, or method for him to die, than to be killed by those who assassinated
Caesar.
(iii) Cassius did not think it would be wise to allow Antony to address the commoners at
the pulpit since he was apprehensive of Antony’s ability to move the people through his
speech. Brutus instructed Antony to inform the people that he had been given permission
to speak by the Brutus and the other conspirators. He was also expected to speak after
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Brutus, and from the same pulpit as him. Antony was instructed to speak highly of Caesar
and warned against criticising the conspirators in his speech.
(iv) Once he was admitted to the gathering of the conspirators, Antony carefully promised
to follow and support them in their endeavours. He was not deceptive about how he felt
about Caesar but appeared to understand that the conspirators had honourable intentions
and did not criticise them. He shook hands with each and every one of them, falsely
promising his loyalty to gain their trust.
(v) Mark Antony had decided to support the conspirators in an attempt to gain their trust.
He was outnumbered by them at the Capitol and in order to secure his own well-being,
he had to present himself as one who did not bear any ill will towards them. This was
especially important since we know that Cassius had wanted to kill Antony alongside
Caesar. Antony’s fondness for Caesar was very well established so he went ahead and
verbally declared that he might be perceived as a flatterer or a coward for changing his
alliance and supporting them. This was as smart a move as shaking hands with each one of
them and making a mental note of all those involved in the conspiracy. By convincing the
schemers of his loyalty and gaining their trust, Antony was able get permission to address
the commoners – an advantage that would allow him to sway public opinion against the
conspirators.
Question 3
(i) The lines given are a part of Brutus’ address to the commoners. They were delivered by
Brutus from the pulpit at the forum in Rome.
(ii) Brutus and Antony had remarkably different rhetorical approaches. Brutus began his
speech by demanding the attention and trust of the commoners reminding them of his
position and honour. He listed the reasons behind Caesar’s assassination and instructed
the people to admire what had been done for their freedom. Brutus’ speech was built on
the premise that all the commoners appreciated and harboured the same set of values
he did. On the other hand, Mark Antony appealed to their emotions more than their
values. He paused several times to gauge the changing mood of the public. Unlike Brutus
who mentioned abstract values and rights, Antony successfully tempted the public with
evidence, informing them to what they stood to inherit from Caesar.
(iii) Antony informed the commoners that Caesar had been accused of ambition by Brutus
(and the conspirators) but there was no evidence that support this accusation. Caesar had
refused the crown thrice on the day of the Lupercalia feast. Antony clearly states that
Caesar had brought wealth to Rome in the form of tributes and had been empathetic
towards the poor in the state. Upon his death, Caesar had even left behind wealth for the
people of Rome. Antony provided tangible evidence, as opposed to Brutus, and convinced
the public that Caesar had indeed not been ambitious.
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(iv) Antony shared the conditions of Caesar’s will with the public hoping to unite them
against those who killed him. According to the will, Caesar had left each individual
Roman seventy-five drachmas. He had left them large tracts of land near the Tiber
which included his walks, orchards, and arbours. Caesar’s private lands were made public
property to be used by the common people for recreational activities.
(v) It is to be noted that Antony’s reconstruction of Caesar’s assassination was fictional since
he was not present when it had taken place. He began by showing the blood-stained
robe of Caesar, sentimentally recalling how Caesar had first worn it after his victory over
the Nervii tribe. He then pointed at individual tears in the robe, listing the names of
the conspirators and the tears made where they had stabbed Caesar through the robe.
To aggravate the crowd more, Antony dramatised the moment when Caesar had realised
that even his beloved Brutus wanted him dead. Antony lamented that Brutus’ attack was
the “most unkindest cut of all” and blood had gushed out of Caesar to confirm if it had
indeed been Brutus. Antony then displayed the wounded body of Caesar, stating that each
gash was a mouth begging to be heard and avenged. This vivid, graphic reconstruction
swayed the commoners to mutiny against the conspirators.

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Julius

SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 3 (For Class 10 – Act 3)

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