English LiteratureICSE Class 9 · Chapter 1

Julius Caesar Act I ICSE Class 9: Summary, Characters and Extract Questions

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Act I of Julius Caesar sets up the conspiracy. The tribunes scold the crowd for celebrating Caesar's triumph, a Soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March, Cassius works on Brutus's fear that Caesar will become king, and on a night of storms and omens Cassius wins over Casca and plans to draw Brutus in.

What Julius Caesar – Act I is about

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is the drama in ICSE Literature in English (English Paper 2). CISCE's 2028 syllabus divides the play: Acts I and II are the Class IX portion, and Acts III-V are examined in Class X. The Class IX examination is set by your school only on the Class IX portion.

Act I (three scenes) is the exposition. It shows Rome divided over Caesar's rise, introduces the main characters and plants the seeds of the plot: the Soothsayer's warning, Cassius's envy, Brutus's inner conflict and the forged letters that will push Brutus to act.

CISCE publishes no separate Class IX paper pattern, but schools usually follow the board layout: one-mark multiple-choice questions in Section A, and extract questions of 16 marks (parts of 3, 3, 3, 3 and 4 marks) in which you must explain context, meanings, characters' motives and give a personal response. All quotations on this page are checked against the public-domain text of the play (Project Gutenberg); your Evergreen edition may differ slightly in spelling and punctuation.

Weightage: CISCE publishes no Class IX paper layout; the Class IX examination is set by schools on Acts I and II, five stories and five poems. In the board pattern, drama supplies one-mark MCQs and 16-mark extract questions.Source: CISCE ICSE 2028 English syllabus (Paper 2, Class IX portion); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper, Literature in English

Julius Caesar – Act I: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

Scene 1: A street in Rome. It is the Feast of Lupercal, and the common people have taken a holiday to celebrate Caesar's triumphant return after defeating the sons of Pompey. Two tribunes, Flavius and Marullus, scold them. A cobbler answers them with puns, but Marullus angrily reminds the crowd how they once cheered Pompey and asks what conquest Caesar brings home. Ashamed, the commoners leave. The tribunes decide to strip the decorations from Caesar's statues, hoping that plucking these 'feathers' from Caesar's wing will stop him from flying too high.

Scene 2: A public place. Caesar, on his way to the race, tells Antony to touch Calpurnia, who has no children, as he runs. A Soothsayer calls out, 'Beware the ides of March.' Caesar dismisses him as a dreamer. Cassius stays behind with Brutus, who admits he has been troubled. Hearing shouts from the crowd, Brutus says he fears the people are choosing Caesar for their king, though he loves him. Cassius seizes the moment: he tells how he once saved Caesar from drowning in the Tiber and how Caesar, sick with fever in Spain, cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius' 'As a sick girl'. Yet this weak man now 'doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus'. Their low position, Cassius says, is their own fault, not fate's, and Brutus's name is as good as Caesar's. Brutus promises to think about it.

Caesar returns looking angry and tells Antony he distrusts Cassius's 'lean and hungry look'. Casca then reports, in blunt prose, that Antony offered Caesar a crown three times, that Caesar refused it each time though he seemed reluctant to, and that he then fell down in the market-place in a fit. Cicero spoke in Greek, and Flavius and Marullus have been 'put to silence' for pulling scarves off Caesar's images. Alone, Cassius admits that Brutus is noble but can be won over, and he plans to throw letters, written in different hands as if from several citizens, through Brutus's window.

Scene 3: A street, a stormy night. Casca, terrified, tells Cicero of strange sights: a slave's hand burning without being scorched, a lion near the Capitol, men all in fire walking the streets, an owl hooting at noon. Cassius welcomes the storm and tells Casca the omens are warnings against Caesar's tyranny. Casca reports that the senators mean to make Caesar king the next day, and he joins the plot. Cassius sends Cinna to place the forged papers where Brutus will find them, saying that three parts of Brutus are already theirs.

Themes and message

Ambition and the fear of tyranny

Act I asks whether Caesar wants to be king. The tribunes fear his pride; Brutus fears that the people will crown him; Casca's account of the thrice-refused crown is ambiguous, since Caesar seemed unwilling to let it go. The conspiracy grows out of this fear of what Caesar might become rather than proof of what he has done.

From the text: Brutus: 'I do fear the people / Choose Caesar for their king'; Casca's report of the crown offered three times.

Manipulation and persuasion

Cassius is a master manipulator. He flatters Brutus, plays on his love of Rome and his family's history, belittles Caesar with personal stories, and plans forged letters to make Brutus believe Rome is calling him. Even the storm is turned into propaganda for Casca's benefit.

From the text: Cassius's soliloquy: 'Thy honourable metal may be wrought / From that it is dispos'd'; the letters thrown 'in several hands' in at Brutus's windows.

The fickle crowd

The commoners who once cheered Pompey now cheer the man who defeated his sons. Their loyalty follows the latest triumph. This foreshadows Act III, where the same crowd swings from Brutus to Antony.

From the text: Marullus: 'Knew you not Pompey?' and his reminder that they climbed walls and chimney tops to see Pompey pass.

Fate versus free will

The Soothsayer and the omens suggest that events are fated, but Cassius argues that men 'at some time are masters of their fates'. The play keeps both ideas alive: warnings are given, yet characters choose whether to listen.

From the text: 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.'

Public image versus private weakness

Caesar presents himself as fearless and godlike, but Act I reveals his deafness in one ear, his fits, his fever in Spain and his childlessness. Cassius uses these weaknesses to argue that Caesar is only a man.

From the text: Caesar: 'Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf'; Cassius's stories of the Tiber and Spain.

Characters

Cassius

The organiser of the conspiracy.

Envious and resentful of Caesar's greatness.
Shrewd judge of people: he knows exactly how to approach Brutus and Casca.
Manipulative: flattery, personal stories and forged letters.
Restless and watchful, as Caesar notices.

His long persuasion of Brutus in Scene 2, his soliloquy, and his handling of Casca in the storm.

Brutus

A respected Roman torn between love for Caesar and love for the Republic.

Noble and honourable: he cares more for honour than for life.
Troubled and introspective: 'with himself at war'.
Patriotic: he fears Rome losing its freedom.
Cautious: he will not decide at once.

His conversation with Cassius in Scene 2.

Julius Caesar

The triumphant general whose rise alarms Rome.

Proud and commanding: speaks of himself in the third person.
Shrewd: he sees that Cassius is dangerous.
Physically weak in private: deaf in one ear, subject to fits.
Dismissive of warnings: calls the Soothsayer a dreamer.

Scene 2: the Soothsayer, his remarks on Cassius, Casca's report.

Casca

A blunt-spoken Roman who joins the conspiracy.

Sarcastic and rough in Scene 2 ('it was Greek to me').
Superstitious and frightened in the storm of Scene 3.
Easily won over by Cassius.

His prose report of the crown and his terror at the omens.

Flavius and Marullus

Tribunes who oppose Caesar's rise.

Loyal to Pompey's memory and the Republic.
Contemptuous of the fickle crowd.
Their punishment shows Caesar's power.

Scene 1, and Casca's news that they are 'put to silence'.

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Simile and hyperbole	Caesar 'doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus'.	Cassius exaggerates Caesar's greatness to make Brutus feel small and resentful.
Metaphor	The tribunes' plan to pluck 'growing feathers' from Caesar's wing.	Caesar is a bird rising too high; removing his honours will keep him at an 'ordinary pitch'.
Pathetic fallacy and omens	The storm and strange sights of Scene 3.	Nature mirrors political disorder and builds suspense before the conspiracy.
Soliloquy	Cassius alone: 'Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see ...'	Reveals his true intention to manipulate Brutus.
Dramatic irony	Caesar ignores the Soothsayer's warning.	The audience senses danger that Caesar dismisses.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

Beware the ides of March.
Soothsayer: Scene 2, as Caesar goes to the race.
The warning that hangs over the play; Caesar dismisses it.
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus
Cassius: Scene 2, persuading Brutus.
Shows Cassius's envy and his tactic of making Brutus feel diminished.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Cassius: Scene 2.
Free will over fate: they can change their position by acting.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; / He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
Caesar: Scene 2, to Antony.
Caesar judges Cassius correctly, yet does nothing.
Thy honourable metal may be wrought / From that it is dispos'd
Cassius: His soliloquy at the end of Scene 2.
Even noble Brutus can be shaped like metal; reveals the plan to manipulate him.
Knew you not Pompey?
Marullus: Scene 1, scolding the commoners.
Exposes the crowd's fickleness.

Julius Caesar – Act I in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

How manipulation works

Suppose a classmate keeps telling you that the class monitor 'thinks he's better than everyone' and that you would make a better monitor, and then anonymous notes appear in your bag saying the same.

What tactics is your classmate using, and how are they like Cassius's?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Flattery: you are better.
Belittling the rival.
Fake 'public opinion' in anonymous notes.

Answer: These are exactly Cassius's tactics with Brutus: flattery, personal stories that make Caesar look small, and forged letters pretending to be from many citizens. Recognising them helps you make your own decisions.

Memory hook: Flatter, belittle, fake the crowd: the Cassius method.

The fickle crowd

Imagine a cricketer who is cheered after one great match and trolled online after a single failure.

How is this like the commoners in Scene 1?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The crowd follows the latest success.
It forgets past heroes quickly.

Answer: Like the Romans who once cheered Pompey and now cheer Caesar, crowds shift loyalty with the latest result. Shakespeare shows how unreliable popular feeling can be.

Memory hook: Yesterday's hero, today's zero.

Fate or choice

Suppose a friend says, 'I'm just not lucky in exams,' without changing how he studies.

What would Cassius say?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Blaming fate avoids responsibility.
Choices can change results.

Answer: 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves': outcomes depend largely on our own actions, which is the idea Cassius uses to stir Brutus.

Memory hook: Not the stars: ourselves.

Topics in this chapter

Cassius Persuades Brutus and the Omens of Act I (Julius Caesar)

How the school exam asks Julius Caesar – Act I

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
MCQ (1 mark)	Who speaks a quoted line, its meaning, a character's mood, or the significance of an event (the Soothsayer, the crown, the tribunes' fate).	Place the line in its scene; eliminate options from other scenes; pick the one matching the speaker's purpose.
Extract question (16 marks: 3, 3, 3, 3, 4)	An extract of about 6-12 lines; parts on context, meaning of lines, what happens before or after, a character's motive, and a personal response.	Answer every question inside each part; use specific events from the play; give two reasons in the 4-mark response.
Character and motive	'What does this reveal about Cassius?' / 'Why does Cassius plan to throw letters in at Brutus's window?'	One-word trait, then evidence from the scene.
Written assignment (internal)	Class IX assignments of 300-400 words: character or theme analysis, background, summary or literary appreciation.	A clear thesis, evidence from the Act, and quotations.

Tricks to remember Julius Caesar – Act I

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Act I in three words
Street, Speech, Storm: Scene 1 the street and tribunes; Scene 2 Cassius's speech to Brutus; Scene 3 the storm and plotting.
Use it when: Remembering scene order.
Cassius's two stories
Water and fever: the Tiber and Spain.
Use it when: Questions on how Cassius belittles Caesar.
Three papers, three places
Chair, window, statue.
Use it when: Where Cinna places the forged letters.

Julius Caesar – Act I: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: Cassius persuades Brutus (Act I, Scene 2)

Cassius: Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

(1) · 3 marks · Short answer
(i) Where are Cassius and Brutus, and what shouts have they just heard? What does Brutus fear these shouts mean?
(2) · 3 marks · Short answer
(ii) What is a 'Colossus'? Explain the comparison and what it shows about Cassius's feelings towards Caesar.
(3) · 3 marks · Short answer
(iii) Explain 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves'. Why does Cassius say this to Brutus?
(4) · 3 marks · Short answer
(iv) Earlier in the scene, what two stories does Cassius tell to show that Caesar is a weak man?
(5) · 4 marks · Long answer
(v) How does Brutus respond at the end of this conversation? Do you think Cassius has succeeded? Give reasons.

Show the answersAnswers

They are in a public place in Rome while Caesar is at the race on the Feast of Lupercal. They hear general shouts from the crowd. Brutus fears the people are choosing Caesar for their king (he believes the applause is for new honours heaped on Caesar).
A Colossus is a gigantic statue (the Colossus of Rhodes was said to straddle a harbour). Caesar stands over the world like a giant while other Romans creep about beneath his legs, waiting to die in dishonour. The image reveals Cassius's envy and resentment of Caesar's power.
Their inferior position is not decided by fate (the stars) but by their own failure to act. Cassius wants Brutus to believe that he has the power, and the duty, to change things, i.e. to act against Caesar.
(1) Caesar challenged him to swim the flooded Tiber, but soon cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!' and Cassius had to carry him out. (2) In Spain, when Caesar had a fever, he shook and cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius' like a sick girl.
Brutus says he will consider what Cassius has said and talk with him later; he would rather be a villager than call himself a son of Rome under such hard conditions. Cassius has partly succeeded: Brutus has admitted his fear of Caesar becoming king and his discontent, but he has not committed himself. Cassius knows this, which is why, in his soliloquy, he plans the forged letters to push Brutus further.

Extract 2: Caesar on Cassius (Act I, Scene 2)

Caesar: Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
Antony: Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman and well given.

(1) · 3 marks · Short answer
(i) What has just happened at the games that makes Caesar look angry on his return?
(2) · 3 marks · Short answer
(ii) Why does Caesar prefer 'fat' and 'sleek-headed' men? What does 'lean and hungry' suggest about Cassius?
(3) · 3 marks · Short answer
(iii) Give two other reasons Caesar gives for thinking Cassius dangerous.
(4) · 3 marks · Short answer
(iv) What request does Caesar make of Antony just after this, and what does it reveal?
(5) · 4 marks · Long answer
(v) Caesar judges Cassius correctly but says he does not fear him. What does this show about Caesar? Is this pride a strength or a weakness? Give reasons.

Show the answersAnswers

As Casca soon reports, Antony offered Caesar a crown three times and he refused it each time while the crowd shouted; then Caesar fell down in a fit in the market-place. Caesar returns with an angry spot on his brow and Calpurnia looks pale.
Contented, well-fed men who sleep well at night are satisfied and unlikely to plot. 'Lean and hungry' suggests restless discontent and ambition: Cassius hungers for power and thinks too much.
Any two: he reads much; he is a great observer who sees through men's actions; he loves no plays and hears no music; he seldom smiles, and then as if mocking himself; such men are never at ease while someone greater than themselves exists.
He tells Antony to come on his right side because his left ear is deaf, and to tell him truly what he thinks of Cassius. It reveals a physical weakness behind his godlike public image, which links to Cassius's argument that Caesar is only a man.
It shows his shrewdness and his pride: he sees the danger but will not admit fear because he believes 'always I am Caesar'. It is a weakness: by refusing to act on his own judgement he leaves Cassius free to organise the conspiracy, just as he ignores the Soothsayer's warning. (Accept a reasoned view that his fearlessness is part of his greatness, if supported.)

Julius Caesar – Act I: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: MCQ: the tribunes · 1 mark · MCQExam level

Flavius and Marullus are angry with the commoners in Scene 1 because:
(a) they have stopped work to celebrate Caesar's triumph over Pompey's sons
(b) they refuse to pay taxes
(c) they have insulted Caesar
(d) they have joined the conspiracy

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Scene 1: a holiday to see Caesar and rejoice in his triumph.
The tribunes remember Pompey.

Answer: (a) they have stopped work to celebrate Caesar's triumph over Pompey's sons.

Example 2: MCQ: Casca's report · 1 mark · MCQExam level

According to Casca, how many times was the crown offered to Caesar?
(a) once (b) twice (c) three times (d) four times

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Casca: Antony offered it thrice; each time Caesar put it by, each time more gently.

Answer: (c) three times.

Example 3: Explaining a metaphor · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Explain Flavius's lines: 'These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing / Will make him fly an ordinary pitch'. What does he plan to do?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Feathers = the people's support and honours.
Ordinary pitch = normal height.
Action: remove decorations from statues; drive the commoners off the streets.

Answer: Caesar is compared to a bird of prey; his 'feathers' are the honours and popular support he is gaining. If these are removed, he will fly only at a normal height instead of soaring above everyone and keeping Romans in fear. Flavius plans to strip Caesar's images of their decorations and drive the commoners from the streets.

Example 4: Cassius's soliloquy · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

In his soliloquy at the end of Scene 2, what does Cassius reveal about (a) his view of Brutus and (b) his plan?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Brutus is noble but can be shaped like metal.
(b) Letters in different handwriting through Brutus's window.

Answer: (a) Brutus is noble, but his 'honourable metal' can be worked into a different shape; noble minds should keep company with their own kind because anyone can be seduced. Caesar dislikes Cassius but loves Brutus. (b) That night he will throw letters, written in several hands as if from different citizens, through Brutus's windows, praising Brutus and hinting at Caesar's ambition, so that Brutus will act; then Caesar must either fall or they will suffer worse days.

Example 5: Omens and their interpretation · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

How do Casca and Cassius react differently to the storm in Scene 3? What does this show about each?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Casca: terrified; sees the omens as signs of the gods' anger.
Cassius: walks unafraid, bares his chest to lightning; interprets the omens as warnings against Caesar.

Answer: Casca is frightened, believing the strange sights are signs that the gods are angry. Cassius walks through the storm fearlessly and tells Casca that the heavens are warning Rome against a man who has grown 'prodigious' and fearful like the night. Casca is superstitious and impressionable; Cassius is bold and opportunistic, using even nature for political persuasion.

Example 6: Personal response · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Is Cassius a patriot or an envious man? Give your view with evidence from Act I.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Take a clear stand.
Two pieces of evidence.

Answer: Mainly envious. His stories of the Tiber and Spain are personal attacks on Caesar's body, not arguments about the Republic; he resents that 'this man / Is now become a god' while he must bend to him; and his soliloquy admits that Caesar bears him hard. He does speak of freedom ('Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius'), so some love of liberty is mixed in, but personal resentment drives him more than principle. (A reasoned opposite view, citing his fear of tyranny, is acceptable.)

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Extract part (v), 4 marks: 'How does Brutus respond at the end of this conversation? Do you think Cassius has succeeded? Give reasons.' Indicative split (Class IX papers are marked by schools). (4 marks)

Step	Marks
Brutus's response: he will consider it and speak later	1
His feeling: would rather be a villager than live under such conditions	1
Clear judgement on Cassius's success	1
Reason linked to the play (e.g. the forged letters still needed)	1

Where students lose marks in Julius Caesar – Act I

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Confusing the scenes
Pupils mix up the storm of Act I, Scene 3 with the omens Calpurnia describes in Act II.
Do this: Act I, Scene 3: Casca's sights (slave's hand, lion, men in fire, owl). Act II, Scene 2: Calpurnia's report and dream.
Usually costs: Context marks in extract questions.
Mistake: Answering only one part of a 3-mark question
Each part usually contains two or three questions.
Do this: Underline every question word (where, why, what) and answer each.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks per part.
Mistake: General character statements without evidence
Pupils write 'Cassius is cunning' and stop.
Do this: Trait + specific action or line from the Act.
Usually costs: Character and response marks.
Mistake: Retelling instead of explaining lines
Pupils paraphrase the story around the lines, not the lines themselves.
Do this: Explain the meaning of the quoted words first, then link to the situation.
Usually costs: Explanation marks.

Practice questions on Julius Caesar – Act I

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level
Who says 'it was Greek to me', and what does it refer to?
(a) Brutus, about the Soothsayer (b) Casca, about Cicero's speech (c) Cassius, about the letters (d) Antony, about the race
Hint
Scene 2, the report of the games.
Answer
(b) Casca, about Cicero's speech in Greek, which he did not understand.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
What has happened to Flavius and Marullus by the end of Scene 2, and why is it significant?
Hint
Casca's news.
Answer
They have been 'put to silence' for pulling scarves off Caesar's images. It shows how harshly Caesar's power deals with opposition, strengthening the conspirators' fear of tyranny.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
List four strange sights Casca describes in Scene 3.
Hint
A slave, a lion, men, a bird.
Answer
A slave's hand burning like twenty torches yet unscorched; a lion near the Capitol that glared at him; men all in fire walking the streets; the bird of night (owl) hooting at noon in the market-place.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Where does Cassius tell Cinna to place the forged papers?
Hint
Three places.
Answer
In the praetor's chair where Brutus will find it; thrown in at Brutus's window; and fixed with wax on the statue of old Brutus (Brutus's ancestor).
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level
Why do the conspirators need Brutus? Use Casca's words in Scene 3.
Hint
'Richest alchemy'.
Answer
Brutus 'sits high in all the people's hearts'; what would look like a crime if they did it would, with his support ('like richest alchemy'), change into virtue and worthiness. His good name would make the conspiracy look honourable.
Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
How does Act I show that Caesar is both great and weak? Give two points for each.
Hint
Public power, private frailty.
Answer
Great: he returns in triumph, the crowd adores him and is offered a crown; he judges Cassius accurately. Weak: he is deaf in one ear, has fits (falling sickness), once nearly drowned and shook with fever in Spain, and ignores the Soothsayer out of pride.
Q7 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The Soothsayer's warning and the storm both suggest fate, while Cassius argues for free will. Which view does Act I support more? Give reasons.
Hint
Consider who chooses to act.
Answer
Open answer. E.g. Act I leans towards free will: the warnings are given, but what happens depends on choices: Cassius chooses to manipulate, Casca chooses to join, Brutus must choose whether to act, and Caesar chooses to ignore warnings. The omens create atmosphere, but the plot is driven by human decisions.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What festival is being celebrated in Act I?Show answer
The Feast of Lupercal (Lupercalia).
2.Whose sons has Caesar defeated?Show answer
Pompey's.
3.What does the Soothsayer say?Show answer
'Beware the ides of March.'
4.What happened when Caesar swam the Tiber with Cassius?Show answer
He cried for help and Cassius had to save him.
5.Who reports the offering of the crown?Show answer
Casca.
6.Which of Caesar's ears is deaf?Show answer
His left (he asks Antony to come on his right hand).

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you summarise each of the three scenes in two sentences?
Can you explain the 'Colossus' and 'stars' lines?
Can you list Caesar's reasons for distrusting Cassius?
Can you describe Casca's report of the crown and Caesar's fit?
Can you name the omens of Scene 3 and Cassius's interpretation?
Can you explain Cassius's plan with the forged letters?

Julius Caesar – Act I: frequently asked questions

Which acts of Julius Caesar are in the ICSE Class 9 syllabus?

Acts I and II. CISCE's 2028 syllabus prescribes Acts III, IV and V for Class X, and the Class IX examination is set only on the Class IX portion.

Why is the play called Julius Caesar when Caesar dies in Act III?

Caesar's power, death and spirit drive the whole play; even after his death the conspirators are defeated by forces his death unleashes.

Do I need to learn quotations?

Short key quotations help in extract and character answers, but explaining them accurately matters more than quoting many.

Is the Gutenberg text the same as my school edition?

The words are Shakespeare's, but spelling, punctuation and line numbers can differ slightly between editions. Use your prescribed edition for exact line references.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2028 English (01) syllabus (Classes IX and X); CISCE ICSE 2028 Appendix I: List of Prescribed Textbooks; CISCE Regulations for ICSE Examination Year 2028; CISCE ICSE 2028 Appendix I: List of Prescribed Textbooks; William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (Project Gutenberg eBook #1522, public domain); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Draft Marking Scheme: Literature in English (English Paper 2)