Year 8

Act II, Scene i - Motivation and Soliloquy: The Conspiracy (Part 2)

Year 8

Act II, Scene i - Motivation and Soliloquy: The Conspiracy (Part 2)

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will continue to examine Brutus and Cassius' interaction in Act II Scene i, except this time we will read it in Shakespeare's original English. We will look at serpents and consider what they might symbolise.

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5 Questions

Q1.
What is a conspiracy?
A group of friends
Correct answer: A secret plan to do something illegal
Guy Fawkes
Killing someone famous
Q2.
What is Brutus' motivation for killing Caesar?
He wants Antony to be king
He wants power for himself
He wants to be a butcher
Correct answer: He wants what is best for Rome
Q3.
Why does Cassius want to kill Antony?
He doesn't want to kill Antony
He thinks Antony is just as bad as Caesar
He thinks Antony is like a snake
Correct answer: He thinks Antony will stop him taking power for himself
Q4.
Why does Brutus want to be a 'sacrificer' and not a 'butcher'
He doesn't like animals
He thinks Caesar should be fed to the dogs
Correct answer: He wants it to seem like they are offering Caesar to the gods
He wants to show how ambitious Caesar was
Q5.
Why does Brutus compare Caesar to 'a poisonous snake'?
Correct answer: Because Caesar could become very dangerous
Because Caesar fell on the ground and looked like a snake
Because Caesar only comes out during the day
Because Caesar whispered to Antony

5 Questions

Q1.
What is a symbolism?
A daffodil that means 'growth'
A rose that means 'love'
A snake in the bible
Correct answer: The use of signs and symbols to represent ideas in a story, play or poem
Q2.
Which statement is correct?
Serpents have always symbolised evil
Correct answer: Serpents have mainly symbolised evil in stores since Eve was tempted in the bible
Serpents symbolise evil as well as growth
Serpents symbolise evil because they hatch from an egg
Q3.
Which statement is NOT correct
A soliloquy cannot be heard by other characters
A soliloquy is a long speech where a character speaks their thoughts aloud
Correct answer: A soliloquy is where a character speaks to the audience
During a soliloquy, a character is usually on stage alone
Q4.
Why does Brutus compare Caesar to a 'serpent's egg'?
Correct answer: Because Caesar has the potential to grow into something evil
Because Caesar is still young
Because Caesar is untrustworthy
It symbolises how Caesar might poison the people in Rome.
Q5.
Why does Brutus say he must "kill him in the shell"?
To stop Caesar hatching
Correct answer: To stop Caesar turning into something evil
To stop Cesar growing old
To stop Cesar poisoning people