Welcome to our blog post dedicated to dissecting Act 1, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Julius Caesar. As avid learners and educators, we understand the importance of grasping the nuances of Shakespearean literature, and that’s why we’ve curated this comprehensive guide specifically tailored to the ICSE curriculum.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the depths of Act 1, Scene 1, utilizing the meticulously crafted workbook provided by Morning Star publishers. Our aim is to not only provide you with multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and long-form answers but also to empower you with a deeper understanding of the themes, characters, and language intricacies within this iconic play.
It’s important to note that while we offer structured responses based on the workbook, we encourage students to use this resource as a foundation for their own exploration. Shakespeare’s works are renowned for their richness and versatility, allowing ample room for interpretation and analysis. Therefore, feel free to adapt and modify our insights to suit your individual learning style and requirements.
So, whether you’re a student looking to ace your exams or a literature enthusiast eager to unravel the mysteries of Julius Caesar, join us on this enlightening journey through Act 1, Scene 1. Let’s embark on an adventure where words transcend time, and the legacy of Shakespeare continues to captivate minds across generations.
( Updated For ICSE 2026 Session )
Table of Contents
Workbook Summary :
Caesar is at the height of his power and glory. He has extended the boundaries of Roman rule, defeated Pompey in a civil war and is now the master of Rome. He is celebrating a triumphal procession in Rome after he has defeated Pompey’s sons, thus putting an end to civil wars. There is stiff opposition to Caesar’s authoritative rule.
The play opens with the street scene in Rome. The common Roman citizens are thronging the streets of the capital in holiday attire. The day is February 15th, 44B.C., and they are all anxious to witness Caesar’s triumphant return to the city, following his successful campaigns against Pompey’s sons. Their holiday mood is rudely interrupted by the Tribunes — Flavius and Marullus.
The Tribunes ask some citizens to name their trades and to explain their absence from work. The first commoner answers straightforwardly, but the second commoner answers with a string of puns that he is a cobbler and that he and his fellow workmen have gathered to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph.
Marullus accuses the workmen of forgetting that they are desecrating the great Pompey, whose triumphs they once cheered so enthusiastically. He blames them for wanting to honour the man who is celebrating a victory in battle over Pompey’s sons. He commands them to return to their homes and to ask forgiveness of the gods for their offensive ingratitude. Flavius orders them to assemble all the commoners and take them to the banks of the Tiber and fill it with their tears of remorse for the dishonour they have shown to Pompey.
The common citizens, ashamed of their behaviour, go away. The two Tribunes decide to strip all adornments and decorations from the statues of Caesar. Marullus doubts whether it is legal to disrobe these images on the Feast of the Lupercalia. Flavius reassures him and points out that if such steps are not taken, Caesar will soon have them all living “in servile fearfulness.”
Workbook MCQs :
1. What is the rule that Marullus refers to?
(a) Workers ought to wear signs of their trade
(b) A carpenters foot rule
(c) Citizens should bow before officials
(d) All of the above
Answers : (b) A carpenters foot rule
2. What sarcastic reason does the cobbler give Flavius for leading citizens on the
street?
(a) To get himself more work (b) To rejoice in Caesar’s Triumph
(c) To celebrate the feast (d) Both (b) and (c)
Answers : (a) To get himself more work
3. What does the cobbler say to show that he is a master craftsman?
(a) He is a surgeon of old shoes
(b) He mends soles
(c) Every shoe-wearing gentleman has worn his handiwork
(d) He needed more work
Answers : (c) Every shoe-wearing gentleman has worn his handiwork
4. Why, according to Marullus, would there be a plague?
(a) Due to the crowding in the sheets
(b) Due to the ingratitude of citizens
(c) Due to the hollow banks of the Tiber
(d) Due to the flowers strewn on the way.
Answers : (b) Due to the ingratitude of citizens
5. Why did Flavius consider it necessary to remove all the decorations with
Caesar’s statues?
(a) To turn the people against him
(b) To replace them with new decorations
(c) To quell Caesar’s ego and popularity
(d) None of the above
Answers : For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
6. According to Marullus for whom had the citizens of Rome waited patiently earlier?
(a) Caesar (b) Brutus
(c) Pompey (d) Antony
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7. What did Marullus ask the commoners of Rome to do?
(a) To pray for Caesar’s well-being
(b) To run away to their houses
(c) To pray to God to avert their punishment
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answers : (d) Both (b) and (c) – To run away to their houses and To pray to God to avert their punishment
8. Why did Flavius ask the commoners to shed tears of remorse?
(a) For the dishonor shown to Pompey
(b) For the rise of a dictator
(c) For the loss of their liberty
(d) For making Caesar too powerful
Answers : (a) For the dishonor shown to Pompey
9. Which quality of the common man is reflected in this scene?
(a) Admiration for Caesar (b) Fickleness
(c) Hatred for Caesar (d) Fear of Caesar
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10. Which type of atmosphere in Rome is seen in Act I, Scene 1 of the play?
(a) Peace and happiness (b) Confusion and chaos
(c) Strife and disunity (d) None of the above
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11. What is the central theme of the play reflected in this scene?
(a) Conflict between monarchists and republicans
(b) Conflict between anarchy and democracy
(c) Conflict between dictatorship and democracy
(d) None of the above.
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12. The opening scene of the play reflects on which of the following causes that let to the development of the play?
(a) Caesar’s triumph over Pompey’s sons
(b) Caesar’s suspicions
(c) Mounting hostilities to Caesar’s rule
(d) Fear of Caesar
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Workbook Questions :
Question No: 1
Flavius
Hence! home, you idle creatures, get you home.
Is this a holiday? What, know you not.
Being mechanical, you ought not walk
Upon a labouring day without the sign
Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?
First Citizen
Why, sir, a carpenter.
Marullus
Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?
What dost thou with thy best apparel on?
You, sir, what trade are you?
(i) Who are Flavius and Marullus? Where are they and what are they doing there? Why?
Answer :- Flavius and Marullus are tribunes, officials who represent the common people. They are on a street in Rome where a crowd has gathered, dressed in their best clothes, to celebrate Caesar’s victory. Flavius and Marullus are dispersing the crowd because they dislike Caesar’s growing power and popularity. They fear his rise could threaten the Roman Republic.
(iII) Give the meaning of the following:
(a) Being Mechanical – In this context, “being mechanical” refers to being a worker or laborer who is involved in manual labor or trades that require physical work. It suggests that the citizens should be engaged in their respective professions or trades rather than idly wandering the streets.
(b) A Labouring Day – This phrase refers to a regular working day, a day when people are expected to engage in their occupations or labor. Flavius questions why the citizens are out celebrating when it is a day meant for work and productivity.
(c) Sign of Your Profession – This phrase indicates the characteristic items or attire associated with a particular occupation or trade. For example, a leather apron and a rule (measuring tool) would be typical signs of a carpenter’s profession. Flavius asks the citizens about the symbols or indicators of their trades to emphasize that they should be visibly engaged in their work rather than idling about.
(iV) Whom does Marullus address in the last line of the extract? What reply does he get? How does he react to the reply?
answer:- Marullus addresses the second citizen, who is a cobbler. The cobbler replies with a pun, saying he is a “mender of bad soles.” Marullus reacts angrily, calling the cobbler a rascal for his witty reply.
(v) Giving an example each, show how Flavius and Marullus are men in authority. Who among them, do you think, exercises greater authority? Why?
Answer:- Flavius and Marullus show their authority by questioning the commoners. Flavius demands the first citizen to state his trade, while Marullus asks why the carpenter is not wearing his work clothes. Flavius exercises greater authority because he takes the lead in dispersing the crowd and later insists on removing decorations from Caesar’s statues, showing his determination to oppose Caesar’s growing influence. Marullus, on the other hand, seems less confident and follows Flavius’s lead.
Question No: 2
Second Citizen
A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.
Marullus
What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, what trade?
Second Citizen
Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you.
(i) What is meant by a “trade”? Of which trade is the second citizen? What is the pun involved with the word “soles”?
Answer :- A “trade” refers to a person’s occupation or profession. The second citizen is a cobbler, someone who repairs shoes. The pun lies in the word “soles,” which refers to both the soles of shoes that the cobbler mends and the “souls” of people, humorously suggesting that he can also mend or improve people’s character. This play on words highlights the cobbler’s wit and cleverness in his response to Marullus.
(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.
Answer:- “Naughty knave” means a good-for-nothing rogue, showing Marullus’ disdain for the cobbler. This reflects the Romans’ haughty attitude toward artisans, whom they considered inferior. Other examples of such expressions include “thou saucy fellow” and “you blocks,” which further highlight the tribunes’ contempt for the common people. These phrases reveal the social divide and the lack of respect for working-class individuals in Roman society.
(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.
answer:- The cobbler’s statement has a double meaning. First, he asks Marullus not to be angry (“out with me”) and offers to mend his shoes if they are worn out (“if you be out”). Second, he humorously suggests that if Marullus is angry, he can improve his mood or character. This clever wordplay shows the cobbler’s wit and ability to turn a simple conversation into a humorous exchange, frustrating Marullus further.
(v) Give two characteristic traits, each with an example, of the common people in this scene.
Answer:- The common people are fickle and easily swayed by events. For example, they once celebrated Pompey’s victories but now cheer for Caesar, who defeated Pompey’s sons. They are also hardworking but playful, as seen when the cobbler uses puns and jokes while talking to Marullus. These traits show their lack of political loyalty and their ability to find humor even in serious situations, making them unpredictable and difficult for the tribunes to control.
Question No: 3
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?
(i) Who speaks these lines? To whom are these words addressed? What type of rejoicing is referred to in the extract?
(iII) What is the conquest refered to in the extract? Why has the conqueror not brought any territory to Rome by his conquest?
Answer:- The conquest refers to Caesar’s victory over Pompey’s sons in the civil war. No new territory was brought to Rome because the conflict was internal, fought between Romans. Caesar’s triumph was over his political rivals, not foreign enemies, so there were no captives or spoils to display. This highlights the tragic nature of the civil war, where Romans fought Romans, and the victory brought no real benefit to Rome.
(iV) Give the meaning of :
What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?
answer:- These lines mean that no conquered nations or prisoners are following Caesar to Rome to honor his victory. Unlike traditional Roman triumphs, where foreign captives and spoils were paraded, Caesar’s victory over Pompey’s sons was a civil war, so there were no foreign tributes or captives. Marullus uses this to emphasize that Caesar’s triumph lacks the glory of a true conquest and is instead a divisive internal conflict.
(v) Who are referred to as “the cruel men of Rome”? Why are they called so ?
Answer:- The “cruel men of Rome” are the commoners who are celebrating Caesar’s victory over Pompey’s sons. They are called cruel because they had once cheered for Pompey but now rejoice at his defeat, showing their fickleness and lack of loyalty. Marullus scolds them for their ingratitude and thoughtlessness, accusing them of being heartless for forgetting their former hero and blindly supporting Caesar’s rise to power.
Question No: 4
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 cull out a holiday?
And do 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 ?
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(iII) What is meant by “Pompey’s blood”? Who comes now in triumph?
Answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(iV) How do the people now prepare for the triumphal entry of the person?
answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(v) What does the speaker want to achieve by his speech given in the extract ?
Answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Question No: 5
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’Il 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?
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(iII) What is meant by “trophies”? Why does Flavius say that no images should be hung with Caesar’s trophies?
Answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(iV) Who are “the vulgar”? Why are they so called?
answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(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?
Answer:- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
