Brutus explains that he has not been able to sleep. how does he explain what happens to a man's conscience between the "acting of a dreadful thing/and the first motion"? how are cassius and brutus related? why does brutus insist that the men do not need an oath? why do the men want cicero on their side at first? why do they change their minds? who does cassius want to murder in addition to caesar? what is brutus' response to this idea? how does decius plan to get caesar to come to the capitol? what has portia noticed about brutus' recent behavior? what reasons does portia give to insist that brutus reveal his feelings to her? what does portia do to prove her strength to brutus? what is your reaction to this act? why has calpurnia been unable to sleep? about what omens does calpurnia tell caesar? why does caesar insist on leaving the house? how does decius convince caesar to leave? caesar instructs his men to keep close to him? what is the irony? artemidorus reads from a letter at the beginning of the scene. who wrote the letter and what does artemidorus plan to do with it? what is ironic about portia's statement: "how hard it is for women to keep a secret"? (hint: think about her speeches in scene 1). what instructions has portia given lucius? whom do portia and lucius run into? where is he going? why?

Activity construct an argument about a topic, theme, or idea that you read about in william shakespeare's romeo and juliet, act ii or act iii. make sure you create a central claim for your argument that is debatable. provide textual evidence from the play to support your argument. here are some ideas for your essay. notice how each topic is focused and specific. you may write about one of these topics or choose your own focused and specific topic: discuss juliet's level of maturity and compare it to romeo's. compare how the two characters react to the events after their marriage, when romeo is banished from verona. discuss the balcony scene. does the knowledge of romeo and juliet's final fate influence the meaning of the balcony scene or the audience's interpretation of it? discuss the characters of tybalt and romeo as they relate to the theme of family and the theme of love. explain how the character of tybalt develops the theme of family and how the character of romeo develops the theme of romantic love. discuss the character of friar laurence. what motivates him to romeo and juliet to defy their parents? part a choose a topic based on what you read in act ii or act iii of romeo and juliet. then write a thesis statement. part b identify two or three short excerpts from the play as textual evidence to support your thesis statement. part c write a 300-word essay arguing the thesis of your analysis. (i mainly need on part b and c)