Get notes, workbook solutions, summary, questions and answers, and pdf of the drama/play Julius Caesar (Act 2 Scene 4) by William Shakespeare which is part of ICSE Class 9 English. However, the notes should only be treated for references and changes should be made according to the needs of the students.
Summary
In the tense atmosphere of Brutus’ home on the Ides of March, Portia is awash with anxiety. She struggles to articulate the task she has for Lucius, her servant. Finally, she tells him to go to the Senate and check on Brutus, to see if he appears well. As she sends him on this errand, she becomes alarmed, believing she hears a distant noise emanating from the Capitol. Lucius, however, hears nothing.
Just then, a soothsayer interrupts their conversation. Desperate for any information, Portia inquires if he has been to the Capitol, and whether Caesar is there. The soothsayer reveals that he has his own private favor to seek from Caesar, intensifying Portia’s fears. As she finds out that the soothsayer is ignorant of the plot against Caesar, she is overtaken by a mixture of relief and concern, her emotions so turbulent that she nearly collapses.
Cognizant of Lucius’ watchful eye, she hastily composes herself. Feigning an explanation for her emotional state, she tells Lucius that Brutus has sent a written petition to Caesar that might not be favorably received. She asks him to pass along her best wishes to Brutus and to come back to her as soon as he can.
Video tutorial
Evergreen Workbook solutions
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Portia is
Answer: a) in Brutus’ use
2. Portia sends Lucius
Answer: c) on an errand to the Senate House
3. Lucius and Portia are interrupted by the
Answer: b) soothsayer
4. Portia is worried
Answer: a) whether Caesar has gone to the Capitol or not
5. Portia’s prayer to the heavens is to
Answer: c) speed up the enterprise of killing Caesar
Context questions
Question 1
LUCIUS – Madam, what should I do?
Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?
And so return to you, and nothing else?
PORTIA – Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,
For he went sickly forth: and take good note
What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.
Hark, boy! what noise is that?
LUCIUS – I hear none, madam.
PORTIA- Prithee, listen well;
I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray,
And the wind brings it from the Capitol.
1. Where are Portia and Lucius? Who is Lucius? Why is he confused?
Answer: Portia and Lucius are both currently in Brutus’ house. Lucius is a servant in Brutus’ household. He is confused because Portia is being vague about the exact errand she wants him to run to the Capitol, and she seems anxious.
2. Why is Portia so tensed?
Answer: Portia is extremely tense and anxious because today is the day the conspiracy will be carried out and Caesar will be assassinated. As Brutus’ wife, she is worried for him.
3. Just before the extract, what had she uttered about ‘a man’s mind’ and ‘a woman’s body’?
Answer: Just before this extract, Portia had said “I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might” – meaning she has the intellect and understanding of a man, but the physical and emotional weakness stereotypical of a woman.
4. Why is Portia worried about Brutus? How has Brutus added to her anxiety?
Answer: She is worried for Brutus’ safety as he is one of the conspirators who will assassinate Caesar. His sickness and secrecy about the plot have made her even more anxious.
5. What other instructions were given to Lucius?
Answer: She also instructs Lucius to observe what Caesar does, note who his suitors are, and report back to her on all of this.
Question 2
PORTIA – Thou hast some suit to Caesar, hast thou not?
Soothsayer-That I have, lady
1. Where does Portia meet the soothsayer? What are Portia ‘s fears regarding the soothsayer?
Answer: Portia meets the soothsayer randomly on the street near Brutus’ house, as he is on his way to the Capitol. She fears that he knows about the conspiracy and is going to the Capitol to warn Caesar about it.
2. What is the importance of the soothsayer? Why is this day significant?
Answer: The soothsayer is important because earlier he had foretold that Caesar would face calamity on the Ides of March – which is this very day. So the date is significant.
3. What does the soothsayer want to tell Caesar? Why does he wish to get for himself a ‘place more void’?
Answer: He wants to warn Caesar to “befriend himself”, meaning to take care of his own safety. He wants a more empty place away from crowds to directly warn Caesar about the danger.
4. What is meant by the ‘throng’? What are the ‘throng’ about to witness? How is Portia’s character portrayed in the scene?
Answer: The “throng” refers to the large crowds of senators, officials and common people following Caesar towards the Capitol. They are about to witness Caesar’s planned assassination. Portia is shown to be worried, anxious, tense, and emotional throughout this scene.
Morning Star Workbook Solutions
Multiple Choice Question
1. On which errand does Portia send Lucius?
(a) To see if Calpurnia is there with Caesar.
(b) To see how his master Brutus is.
(c) To observe what suitors are pressing about Caesar.
(d) Both (b) and (c).
Answer: (d) Both (b) and (c).
2. In what condition is Portia in this scene of the play?
(a) Scared and angry
(b) Nervous and anxious
(c) Excited and fearless
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b) Nervous and anxious
3. How does Portia react when she hears a noise coming from the Capitol?
(a) Cries out in terror
(b) Goes inside her house
(c) Portia pretends that she has not heard the noise.
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Cries out in terror
4. Why does Portia wish to have a mountain placed between her heart and her tongue?
(a) She cannot cry on hearing the noise.
(b) She cannot shriek out of fear
(c) She cannot reveal the secret
(d) She cannot shout at her servant.
Answer: (c) She cannot reveal the secret
5. Who says, “I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might”?
(a) Brutus
(b) Portia
(c) Caesar
(d) Lucius
Answer: (b) Portia
6. What does Portia feel is her weakness?
(a) To easily get excited
(b) To feel stressed at a small difficulty
(c) To keep Brutus’ secret to herself
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c) To keep Brutus’ secret to herself
7. What does the Soothsayer want to tell Caesar by saying “befriend himself”?
(a) Be true to himself
(b) Be his own friend
(c) Take care of himself
(d) Behave friendly with all
Answer: (c) Take care of himself.
8. What is the Soothsayer’s fear about himself?
(a) He would be crushed by the crowd that follows Caesar.
(b) He would not be able to present his petition to Caesar.
(c) He would not be able to see Caesar in the crowd
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (a) He would be crushed by the crowd that follows Caesar.
9. What is meant by “throng that follows Caesar at the heels”?
(a) His robe
(b) The crowd
(c) The conspirators
(d) The Senators
Answer: (b) The crowd
Context Questions
1. Portia
I prithee, boy, run to the Senate House;
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone:
Why dost thou stay?
Lucius
To know my errand, madam.
(i) Where does this scene take place? Give two examples to show that Portia agitated.
Answer: This scene takes place on a street near the Senate House in Rome. Two examples showing that Portia is agitated are:
- She hurriedly instructs Lucius to run to the Senate House without delay: “I prithee, boy, run to the Senate House; Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.”
- She struggles to maintain her composure, expressing the difficulty of keeping her concerns to herself: “O constancy, be strong upon my side; Set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue.”
(ii) What is the errand on which Portia is sending Lucius? What has Motivated her to send Lucius urgently on the errand?
Answer: Portia sends Lucius to the Senate House to observe how Brutus looks and to note what Caesar does, particularly what suitors approach him. Her motivation stems from anxiety about the conspiracy against Caesar, of which she is aware, and her concern for Brutus’ safety and the outcome of the plot.
(iii) Whom does she meet a little later, which increases her tension? What does that person indicate that there is a possibility of an impending danger?
Answer: Portia meets the Soothsayer a little later, which increases her tension. The Soothsayer indicates a possibility of impending danger by expressing his fears for Caesar: “None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance.” This suggests that although he does not know of any specific plan, he senses that something harmful may happen.
(iv) Give two arguments put forward earlier to Brutus by Portia to indicate why she should know his secrets.
Answer: Two arguments Portia puts forward to Brutus are:
- She argues that as his wife, she deserves to share in his secrets: “Dwell I but in the suburbs of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife.”
- She also appeals to him by wounding herself to show her strength and loyalty, demonstrating that she can bear the weight of his secrets: “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?”
(v) What noise does Portia said to have heard a little later? Does Lucius heard the noise? What can you conclude about this situation?
Answer: Portia says she hears a “bustling rumor like a fray,” implying a disturbance coming from the Capitol. However, Lucius does not hear the noise, as he replies, “I hear none, madam.” This suggests that Portia is so agitated and anxious that she imagines the noise, reflecting her heightened state of worry and fear.
2. Portia
I would have had thee there, and here again
Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do these
[Aside] O constancy, be strong upon my side;
Set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue!
| have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.
How hard it is for women to keep counsel!
Art thou here yet?
Lucius
Madam, what should I do?
(i) Where is Portia sending Lucius? What does she tell Lucius to find out about Brutus and Caesar?
Answer: Portia is sending Lucius to the Capitol to observe and bring back information about Brutus and Caesar. She instructs Lucius to find out if Brutus, her husband, is well, since he left home feeling unwell, and to observe what Caesar is doing, particularly which people (suitors) approach Caesar.
(ii) Why is Portia externally distracted and internally anxious according to the extract?
Answer: Portia is externally distracted and internally anxious because she is deeply worried about Brutus and the dangerous conspiracy against Caesar. She struggles with the burden of knowing the plan but being unable to act directly or express her concerns openly, which causes her internal conflict and anxiety
(iii) Give the meaning of: “Set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue!” What is the conflict from which Portia suffers as indicated in this statement?
Answer: The phrase “Set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue!” means that Portia wishes for something to prevent her from speaking the worries and secrets that are in her heart. The conflict she suffers from is the struggle to keep silent about the conspiracy against Caesar, despite her intense emotional turmoil and fear for Brutus’ safety.
(iv) State in your own words what Portia means by “a mans mind but a woman’s mind.” What does she feel is her weakness? Why?
Answer: Portia means that she has the mental strength and determination of a man, but she is limited by the physical and societal constraints placed on her as a woman. She feels her weakness lies in her inability to take action or influence events directly due to her gender, which restricts her from doing more than worrying and waiting.
(v) In what way is a sense of urgency indicated in the first two lines of extract? Where else, in the extract, does she show the same attitude ?
Answer: The sense of urgency in the first two lines is indicated by Portia’s impatience and immediate command for Lucius to leave without delay, even before explaining his task. She shows the same attitude later in the extract when she hurriedly tells Lucius to run to Brutus and quickly return with information, showing her anxiety and desperate need for news.
3. Soothsayer
None that I know will be, much that | fear may chance
Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow;
The throng that follows Caesar at the heels,
Of senators, of practors, common suitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I’ll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Caesar as he comes along. [Exit]
(i) Omens and soothsayers play a big role in Julius Caesar. What role does the soothsayer play here? What effect does his presence have on Portia and on the audience?
Answer: The soothsayer in this scene serves as a harbinger of potential danger for Caesar. His role is to heighten the tension by reminding both the characters and the audience of the impending threat to Caesar’s life. The soothsayer’s vague but ominous warnings create a sense of foreboding. For Portia, his presence exacerbates her anxiety about her husband’s involvement in the conspiracy. For the audience, the soothsayer’s presence reinforces the theme of fate versus free will and contributes to the dramatic tension leading up to Caesar’s assassination.
(ii) To whom does the soothsayer address these words? Explain the first sentencte in the extract in the light of what has already been said to him.
Answer: The soothsayer addresses these words to Portia. In the first sentence, “None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance,” the soothsayer admits that he has no concrete knowledge of any specific harm that will befall Caesar, but he is deeply concerned about what might happen. This reflects his earlier warning to Caesar about the “Ides of March,” indicating that while he cannot predict exact events, he senses danger.
(iii) What is meant by “The ng”? t would the throng witness in a short time?
Answer: “The throng” refers to the large crowd that follows Caesar as he makes his way to the Capitol. This crowd consists of senators, praetors, and common people who have various petitions and requests for Caesar. In a short time, this throng would witness Caesar’s assassination at the hands of the conspirators.
(iv) What does the soothsayer want to tell Caesar? Why does he wish to get for himself a “place more void”?
Answer: The soothsayer wishes to warn Caesar of the danger that awaits him. He wants to tell Caesar to be cautious, as he senses that something bad may happen. The soothsayer desires to find a “place more void,” meaning a less crowded area, so that he can speak to Caesar privately and without the interference of the crowd. This indicates his concern that Caesar might not heed his warning in the chaos of the throng.
(v) Besides the soothsayer, there is another person waiting to communicate on the road with Caesar. Who is he? What does he want to tell Caesar and why?
Answer: The other person waiting to communicate with Caesar is Artemidorus. He wants to give Caesar a letter that contains a warning about the conspiracy against him. Artemidorus is aware of the plot to assassinate Caesar and hopes to save him by delivering the letter personally, urging Caesar to read it immediately because it pertains to his safety.
Extras
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does Portia struggle with during her conversation with Lucius?
A. Her loyalty to Brutus
B. Keeping the conspiracy secret
C. Sending Lucius to the Capitol
D. Understanding Caesar’s intentions
Answer: B. Keeping the conspiracy secret
5. What does the Soothsayer mean by “much that I fear may chance”?
A. He is aware of the conspiracy
B. He predicts Caesar’s victory
C. He fears something bad might happen
D. He is uncertain about the Senate’s decision
Answer: C. He fears something bad might happen
Questions and Answers
1.Lucius Madam, what should I do? Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?
i. Where does this conversation take place?
Answer: This conversation takes place in Brutus’ house.
ii. Why is Lucius confused?
Answer: Lucius is confused because Portia is being unclear about the exact task she wants him to perform at the Capitol.
iii. What does Portia want Lucius to observe?
Answer: Portia wants Lucius to observe Caesar’s actions and take note of which suitors press to him.
3.Portia I prithee, boy, run to the Senate House;
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.
i. What task does Portia assign to Lucius?
Answer: Portia instructs Lucius to go to the Senate House to check on Brutus and observe Caesar.
ii. How does Portia show her urgency?
Answer: Portia shows her urgency by commanding Lucius to leave immediately without asking questions.
iii. What does this urgency reveal about Portia’s state of mind?
Answer: This urgency reveals that Portia is extremely anxious and worried about the unfolding events.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.
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