Comparing Calpurnia And Portia In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Caesar has become overly ambitious, so a group of men conspire to murder him. Many people and omens try to warn him of his doom, but he is too arrogant to think he will die. Calpurnia, his wife, tries to convince Caesar to stay at home; while Decius, one of the men who plots to kill him, insists that he comes to the Senate House. Calpurnia and Decius employ various rhetorical devices, which Calpurnia uses in an attempt to save Caesar from his fate, while Decius uses them to draw Caesar closer to his fate.

“Et tu, Brute?” (Caesar 3.1.78) asks a betrayed Caesar to Brutus in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar. Betrayal and Manipulation are a common theme in both Mean Girls and Julius Caesar. Since the beginning of mankind, Ego and Jealousy have played an important rule in trying to end mankind. Ego and Jealously come in the way of right for almost everyone in both works of art, but in particular, Brutus and Cady. While there are innumerable ways in which Brutus and Cady relate and are similar, the two lived in different times and differing societies in such manner that undeniable differences between the two will be noted.

Draped in flowing teal cloth, Portia is a visual anomaly in comparison to the rest of the cast, who standardly is dressed in a strict uniform of white collared shirts, black kilts, and red sashes to accent. The stark contrast of just colour itself ostracizes Portia from the rest of the characters; a notable costuming choice, as she represents an entirely different dimension to the life of Brutus. In Julius Caesar. By William Shakespeare. Dir. Ron Jenkins. Shakespeare Company, Ground Zero Theatre, and Hit and Myth Productions, at Vertigo Theatre, Calgary. 06 October 2017. Performance, designer Victoria Krawchuk creates an archetype of Portia’s role in the show through costuming. Portia’s more traditional Roman look, an elegant dress and bare feet, resonate the image of a mythological goddess; symbols of both femininity and strength. Encompassing these characteristics perfectly, Portia acknowledges them herself in 2.1, 292-302, (Shakespeare, William. “Julius Caesar.” The Norton Shakespeare: Essential Plays, The Sonnets, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Norton, 2016, pp. 1115-1180,) in which she states,

During this fight Brutus mentions the fact Portia has committed suicide in the fact that she longed for her Brutus. But he seemed unphased by her death and he did not shake with any

In a cast of over 30 characters, there are only two women. This is a statement describing the world renown play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. These two female characters are Calpurnia, the wife of Julius Ceasar, and Portia, the wife of Marcus Brutus. Other than these two women, the cast is composed entirely of male characters. In a work of literature so populated by men, one may ask why Shakespeare takes the time to include any women at all. However, after further reflection, it is clear to see the reason as to why they are included. Upon including Calpurnia and Portia in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare deepens our understanding of their husbands, highlights the social values of the time, and

She tries to convince Brutus into divulging his secret by invoking the vows of love they made to each other, and also by begging him on her knees. Brutus shows his respect for Portia by stating, "Kneel not, gentle Portia," (II, I, 300). When Brutus lifts Portia off of her knees to face him, this reveals Brutus' admiration for his wife. Despite Brutus' respect for his wife, he still continues to withhold his secret. Portia once again declares that as his wife she deserves Brutus' respect and adoration:

From the expansion days of Ancient Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire, women have always succumbed to living subjacent to the status of their omnipotent and dominant male figures. After leaving her childhood home and the rule of her father, a young Roman girl would then be coerced into the dominion of her husband, often taking a plethora of roles, ranging from lover, caretaker, and best friend. It is often lightheartedly stated that, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman,” and William Shakespeare exemplifies this concept beautifully in Julius Caesar, in which he effectively used the spouses of the two main characters to add more depth, drama, and literary elements to the play, bringing it to life. Although the only two

Portia kneels at the start of her conversation with Brutus. This shows that she is not ashamed of begging her husband to for his own benefit. She evens stabs herself in the thigh to convince Brutus that she us able to keep his troubles to herself. Calphurnia on the other hand, kneels only at the end of her conversation, when she is desperate. Calphurnia also does not make any physical sacrifices while Portia stabs herself in the thigh. She instead offers to sacrifice her public reputation, giving Caesar permission to use her cowardly fear as an excuse for his absence from the senate.

In the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, women play an important role. The women are important factors in foreshadowing and in the development of many of the characters. To look at the role of women in the play we must look deeper in to the roles of the only two women in the play; Calpurnia, wife of Caesar, and Portia, wife of Brutus. Both of these women are key in foreshadowing the murder of Caesar. After Caesar’s murder we do not hear much of either of them.

    Brutus and Cassius are both conspirators against Caesar, but for diverse reasons. Brutus, though pressured for the wrong reasons by his friend Cassius, joins the conspirators solely to promote the well being of Rome. Through out the play Julius Caesar, the guilt of the thought of slaughtering his benevolent friend Caesar overwhelms him. His wife Portia comments on the anguish caused from his inner battle between his love for Rome and his love for his Caesar. "Yesternight at supper you suddenly arose and walked about, musing and sighing, with your arms across" (Julius Caesar, 571, act 2, scene 1). Portia displays her concern of her husband's problems,

Even though it is natural to share vulnerability with loved ones, Brutus’ personal troubles lead him to keep his secrets and feelings from his wife Portia as well. She senses that Brutus is anxious and is putting on an act when he is around others. “No, my Brutus, / You have some sick offense within your mind, / Which by the right and virtue of my place / I ought to

Not only can women pretend to be men, therefore exhibit the commonly associated prestige; they can also exceed men’s capabilities. In the contraband letter, Bellario describes Balthasar (Portia in disguise) as a young man, but urges everyone in the court to "let his lack of years be no impediment" (IV i161) even though wisdom and keen sense are often associated with established adults. At first, Portia seems to support Shylock when she contemplates the case, so he remarks, "How much more elder art though than thy looks!" (IV i250). Portia’s looks are deceptive, but she is actually hiding her sex, not her age. Shylock is unknowingly amazed by a female’s intellect and continues to praise Portia repeatedly when he refers to her as a "noble", "wise and upright", "most rightful", and "most learned" judge (IV i245-303). After Portia shifts her argument to favor Antonio, Gratiano praises her in similar ways. Her intelligence astounds the court. In the final scene, Antonio, Bassanio, and Gratiano "are all amazed" (V i266) when Portia reveals the secret identities she and Nerissa took on. She proves that women can demonstrate more keen intellect than

Another example of Portia fighting back is when Portia uses trickery to make Shylock stick exactly to the bond causing him to be condemned to Christianity and to give half of his belongings to Antonio and the other half to

Women are a very important part of this world although they are sometimes not portrayed that way. One would think they would be seen as significant because of the fact that women make up almost half of the world’s population. Throughout all of history, females have been considered the weaker sex. In the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, women are portrayed as weak minded and unfaithful. The inability to correctly make important life decisions, a weakened mental state, and complete obedience to men all contribute to this point.

Portia: Portia, being one of the main characters and the romantic heroine of the play, must be presented to the audience as a graceful, beautiful and intelligent person. We all know she’s beautiful, that needs no convincing. Portia is usually a fairly self-controlled person who likes to keep problems between her and her trustworthy lady-in-waiting, Nerissa. However there are certain times when she lets slip that she is an anxious person for example when Bassanio arrives at her mansion and is about to choose a casket. She has fallen in love with him and is having great difficulty in trying to conceal that fact. Her anxiety and confusion is what makes her lose her composure. Portia’s other appealing characteristic- probably one of the most apparent- is her graciousness, her amazing way of handling a situation with tact and