Act I - Scene III A Street. Thunder and Lightning Practice Quiz — The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Act I - Scene III A Street. Thunder and Lightning
What is Casca doing when the scene opens, and why?
Casca enters with his sword drawn, breathless and staring wildly, frightened by the violent supernatural storm raging over Rome.
What supernatural omens does Casca describe to Cicero?
A slave’s hand burning like twenty torches without being scorched, a lion prowling near the Capitol, a hundred terrified women who saw men on fire walking the streets, and an owl shrieking at noon in the marketplace.
How does Cicero respond to Casca’s account of the omens?
Cicero says it is a "strange-disposed time" but warns that men interpret things according to their own biases, "clean from the purpose of the things themselves."
What has Cassius been doing during the storm, and why does it matter?
Cassius has been walking the streets with his chest bared to the lightning ("unbraced"), deliberately exposing himself to danger. This demonstrates his fearlessness and serves as a theatrical display to impress and recruit Casca.
What news does Casca share about the Senate’s plans for Caesar?
Casca reports that the senators plan to establish Caesar as king the next day, with Caesar wearing his crown everywhere except in Italy.
How does Cassius respond to the possibility of Caesar becoming king?
Cassius declares he will kill himself rather than live under tyranny: "I know where I will wear this dagger then: Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius."
What does Cassius instruct Cinna to do with the forged letters?
Cassius tells Cinna to place one letter in the praetor’s chair where Brutus will find it, throw another through Brutus’s window, and attach a third with wax to old Brutus’s statue.
What do Cassius and Casca plan to do after Cinna leaves?
They plan to visit Brutus at his house before dawn to recruit him personally. Cassius says "three parts of him is ours already" and expects Brutus to yield fully at the next encounter.
How does Casca’s character change over the course of this scene?
Casca begins as a terrified, superstitious man shaken by the storm’s omens, but by the end, Cassius’s rhetoric has transformed him into a committed conspirator who pledges to go "as far as who goes farthest."
What does Cassius’s behavior during the storm reveal about his character?
It reveals his boldness, theatrical self-confidence, and willingness to use dramatic gestures for persuasion. He frames his defiance of the storm as proof of true Roman courage, shaming those who cower.
What role does Cicero play in this scene, and why is he not recruited?
Cicero serves as a rational, independent voice who warns against interpreting omens to suit one’s agenda. His intellectual independence likely makes him unsuitable for a conspiracy that depends on manipulation and groupthink.
Why do the conspirators consider Brutus indispensable even though he is absent from this scene?
Brutus commands enormous public respect. Casca says his "countenance, like richest alchemy, will change to virtue and to worthiness" any act he supports—making the conspiracy appear noble rather than criminal.
Who is Cinna, and what is his function in this scene?
Cinna is a conspirator whom Cassius recognizes by his walk. He confirms that the other plotters are waiting at Pompey’s Porch and is sent to deliver forged letters designed to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy.
How does the scene explore the theme of freedom versus tyranny?
Cassius frames the conspiracy as a fight for Roman liberty, arguing that "every bondman in his own hand bears the power to cancel his captivity." He characterizes Caesar as a tyrant-wolf who rules only because Romans have become sheep.
What does the scene suggest about the interpretation of omens and signs?
Through Cicero’s warning that men "construe things after their fashion," the scene shows that people read the same events differently based on their own biases—a theme that recurs throughout the play as characters misread warnings.
How does the theme of manipulation operate in this scene?
Cassius manipulates Casca through shame, flattery, and rhetoric, then devises a scheme to manipulate Brutus with forged letters. The conspiracy depends not on honest persuasion but on calculated deception.
What does the scene reveal about the relationship between public reputation and political power?
The conspirators recognize that Brutus’s sterling reputation can legitimize their plot, while Caesar’s growing power depends on public acquiescence. Political action in Rome depends as much on perception as on substance.
What is pathetic fallacy, and how does Shakespeare use it in this scene?
Pathetic fallacy attributes human emotions to nature. The violent storm with thunder, lightning, and supernatural portents mirrors the political chaos threatening Rome and foreshadows the bloodshed to come.
Identify the dramatic irony in Cassius’s interpretation of the storm.
Cassius reads the omens as a warning against Caesar’s tyranny, but the audience can sense that the unnatural signs more likely foreshadow the destruction that the conspiracy itself will unleash—civil war, proscriptions, and the deaths of the conspirators.
What extended metaphor does Cassius use to describe Caesar?
Cassius compares Caesar to the dreadful storm itself—a man "no mightier than thyself or me" who has grown "prodigious" and "fearful, as these strange eruptions are." He also uses animal metaphor: Caesar is a wolf because Romans are sheep, a lion because they are hinds.
How does foreshadowing operate in the supernatural omens of this scene?
The omens (fire from the sky, a lion at the Capitol, men ablaze, graves opening) foreshadow both Caesar’s assassination and the subsequent civil wars. The disruption of the natural order presages political catastrophe.
What does "portentous" mean in the context of Casca’s speech about the omens?
"Portentous" means serving as an omen or warning of something momentous or calamitous. Casca says the combined prodigies are "portentous things unto the climate that they point upon"—signs warning of disaster for the land.
What does Cassius mean by "thews" when he says Romans "have thews and limbs like to their ancestors"?
"Thews" means muscular strength or physical power. Cassius laments that while modern Romans have the same strong bodies as their ancestors, they lack the courageous spirit—they are "govern’d with our mothers’ spirits."
What is "alchemy" and what does Casca mean by calling Brutus’s countenance "richest alchemy"?
Alchemy was the medieval practice of trying to turn base metals into gold. Casca means that Brutus’s endorsement has the power to transform what would appear offensive in others into something virtuous and worthy—like turning lead into gold.
Who says: "Men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from the purpose of the things themselves"?
Cicero says this to Casca. It means people interpret events according to their own biases, often missing the true meaning. This line serves as a thesis statement for the play’s recurring theme of misinterpretation.
Who says: "Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius" and what does it mean?
Cassius says this, declaring that he will kill himself rather than live under Caesar’s tyranny. It expresses his radical commitment to liberty and foreshadows his eventual suicide at Philippi in Act V.
Who says: "His countenance, like richest alchemy, / Will change to virtue and to worthiness"?
Casca says this about Brutus, meaning that Brutus’s respected reputation will make the conspiracy appear noble and justified. This reveals why the conspirators are so desperate to recruit Brutus.