Read the extract from 'Julius Caesar' Act 5, Scene 3, given below and answer the questions that follow: Brutus: O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords In our own proper entrails. [Alarums] Cato: Brave Titinius! Look whe'r he have not crown'd dead Cassius! Brutus: Are yet two Romans living such as these? The last of all the Romans, fare thee well! It is impossible that ever Rome Should breed thy fellow. Friends, I owe more tears To this dead man than you shall see me pay -- I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.
Explain the term 'funerals'. Why does Brutus not want to hold 'his funerals' in their camp? Where will 'his funerals' be held?
Topic: Act 5 Scene 3 — the funerals
Answer
"Funerals" means the funeral rites and ceremonies performed for the dead — the honours paid to Cassius’s body.
Brutus does not want them held in the camp because the sight of the dead Cassius and the sound of mourning would dishearten his soldiers and lower their morale just when they must fight a second battle: "his funerals shall not be in our camp, / Lest it discomfort us."
They will be held at Thasos, the nearby island, where Brutus orders the body to be sent.
Straightforward recall, one mark each — but the middle part is where candidates go vague. Give the precise military reason (morale before a renewed battle), not just "it would make people sad", and name Thasos exactly. Notice how the order shows Brutus thinking as a commander even while grieving as a friend.