Brutus says, “I know no personal cause to spurn at him, / But for the general.” What conclusion does the orchard soliloquy begin to form?

In the orchard, Brutus compares Caesar to “a serpent’s egg.” What does that image help him justify?

Lucius brings Brutus a letter that says, “Brutus, thou sleep’st: awake, and see thyself.” What is the letter’s effect?

Cassius has arranged for letters to be thrown into Brutus’s house. Why is Brutus an especially useful target?

Before the conspirators enter, Brutus calls the time between deciding and acting “a hideous dream.” What conflict does this describe?

Why do the conspirators hide their faces when they come to Brutus’s orchard before dawn?

When Cassius suggests an oath, Brutus says, “No, not an oath.” Why does Brutus reject it?

Metellus suggests adding Cicero, but Brutus refuses. What reason does Brutus give?

Cassius wants Antony killed with Caesar, but Brutus says Antony is only a “limb of Caesar.” What consequence follows from Brutus’s decision?

Brutus says, “Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers.” What does this wording reveal?

Brutus asks who will bring Caesar to the Capitol, and Decius says, “I can o’ersway him.” What is Decius promising?

Portia sees Brutus sick at heart, awake before dawn, and surrounded by secret visitors. What does she demand?

Portia argues that if Brutus keeps secrets from her, she is “Brutus’ harlot, not his wife.” What pressure is she applying?

Portia shows Brutus the wound she has given herself in the thigh. Why does she do this?

After Portia exits, Ligarius enters sick, and Brutus still will not name the plan aloud. What is the scene construction doing?

Calpurnia dreams that Caesar's statue ran blood and Romans bathed their hands in it. What does she want Caesar to do?

How does Decius reinterpret Calpurnia’s dream of Caesar’s bleeding statue?

Caesar says, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once.” What motif does this continue?

Act 2 moves from Brutus alone at night to masked conspirators at his door. What does this staging emphasize?

Caesar welcomes the men who come to escort him to the Capitol, while the audience knows their plan. What dramatic technique is at work?

Across Act 2, letters, dreams, sacrifices, and omens all need interpreting. Which theme does that pattern develop?

Brutus hides the plot from Portia while claiming to act for Rome. Which tension in Act 2 does this choice sharpen?