Read the extract from 'Julius Caesar' Act 3, Scene 1, given below and answer the questions that follow: Antony: Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay'd, brave hart; Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters stand, Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe. O world, thou wast the forest to this hart; And this indeed, O world, the heart of thee. How like a deer, strucken by many princes, Dost thou here lie! Cassius: Mark Antony — Antony: Pardon me, Caius Cassius: The enemies of Caesar shall say this; Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.
What does Cassius ask Antony immediately after this exchange? How does Antony respond to his question?
Topic: Act 3 Scene 1 — Cassius's suspicion
Answer
Cassius, made uneasy by Antony’s praise of Caesar, interrupts to ask him plainly whether they may count on his friendship — whether Antony intends to side with them, or whether they should proceed without depending on him.
Antony answers that he shook their hands in earnest and is indeed their friend; he was swayed only by looking on Caesar’s body. He asks them to give him a good reason why Caesar was dangerous — and if they satisfy him, he will be content. Having disarmed their suspicion, he then makes his request to speak at the funeral.
The examiner is testing whether you can follow the play’s tension: Cassius senses the danger that Brutus cannot. Show both sides — the suspicion and the smooth reassurance — and add that Antony’s reply is calculated, since he is buying the permission that will destroy them. That reading is worth more than a bare summary of the exchange.