Can I have some help with my packet about Julius Caesar?

Question

What is Pompey's Porch?

What might the person's burning hand also stand for?

How do Marullus and Flavius prepare the reader for Antony's successful swaying of the masses?

I had to do a HUGE packet for Julius Caesar! These are the last three questions I just can't figure out, even after reading the play twice! HELP!

Answer 1

"Pompey's porch" is the portico of the theatetheaterPompey built as a gift to the people of Rome.  

Flavius and Marullus easily sway the people and make them feel ashamed for being so ready to celebrate Caesar and forget Pompey.  Similarly, Antony easily convinces the people that they are foolish to celebrate Brutus' nobility and forget Caesar. One clearly sets the stage for the other.

As for the burning hand, I'm not precisely certain.  Perhaps this is a stretch, but I could imagine it tying in with Cassius' "slavery" motif.  It is a slave whose hand is burning, and Cassius refers to himself and others as bondsmen or slaves to Caesar.  Brutus also does this during his speech: "who so base that he would be a bondman.."  Therefore, I could see the slave's burning hand representing the rebellion against Caesar.

Hope this helps!