Julius Caesar Portia Character Analysis

Julius Caesar is very much a warrior and he thinks that he is above every one else and that he is more than an ordinary man. As a result he is very arrogant and takes very little notice of the people around him. As far as he is concerned, they are meaningless and not worth his time. He believes he is honourable but really is not. In a way he wants to be trusted and to be a trusted leader of the Roman people but he is very unwilling to do anything to gain trust. Ordinary people have a great deal of respect for Caesar and probably believe that he would be a good, powerful leader who has Roman's troubles at heart. Caesar probably believes those things as well but he is ruthless and he craves power. He also believes that everybody likes him

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.

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,

The critics and other readers of Shakespearean plays think that he treats women badly for a few reasons, one being that most of the women in his plays die a tragic death. One example is in the play, Julius Caesar. In this specific play, Portia who is Julius Caesar's wife kills herself by swallowing hot coals. Portia was highly respected in life, and in order to be highly respected in death, she felt that she had to show her bravery in an excruciatingly painful death. This shows that Shakespeare

Personally they are husband and wife. Portia worries about Brutus on a personal level so when she notices the Brutus is worried and stressed she asks what is wrong. Portia has to find out what is wrong with him since he hasn’t been eating or sleeping much (II.i.258-276). She loves him, which is personal so she wants to find out if he is ill (II.i.282-299). Portia cares about him which is a personal relationship. The argument mixes with politics when she realizes he will not tell her and says that she knew the senators were talking with him and it is political (II.i.314-325). At that Portia mixed political and personal points to find out what he is hiding from her. She finds out Brutus is going to kill Caesar. That ruins boundaries because she knows her husband is a murder, which causes Portia to trust Brutus less. That causes problems which involve lack of trust and ruin the

A death of a hero; the fate chosen for the protagonist in most dramatic tragedies. Though, in William Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’, there are two characters that are given this outcome; Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus. With the most potential, the self-titled, Julius Caesar possesses the characteristics that label him as this Tragic Hero. Caesar’s tragic flaw is hubris when he acknowledges himself. The insight of others that observe Caesar, prove his high ranking. Caesar also struggles with internal conflict when he makes key decisions in the play. By examining his tragic flaw, high rank, and internal conflict, Julius Caesar is clearly the tragic hero in this tragedy.

In Shakespeare's novel, Julius Caesar, Portia is indefinitely a tragic hero. Portia understands that she is just “a woman; but withal a woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter.” (2.1 .317-118) In result, Portia believes that because she was the daughter of an honorable Roman and a wife to noble Brutus, she is superior to the average woman. She shows to be the perpetrator when she demands that Brutus treat her with more respect and tell her what is troubling him. To prove to Brutus that she is serious, she gives “[her]self a voluntary wound in the thigh” without showing any signs of pain, saying if she can “bear that with patience” she can handle her “husbands secrets.”(2.1 .323-325) However, she feels that Brutus needs to confide in her because of her marital duties. Portia has a valid desire to be able to empathize with her husband and feels as if she is being isolated from Brutus’ life, unable to support him in his endeavors. This isolation from Brutus in combination with Antony and Octavius’ rise to power, causing her to make her greatest error in judgement, kin

Portia is a self-proclaimed ‘strong-willed/different’ woman in a society in which women are seen as weaker and less capable than men, but in the end, still could no do anything without Brutus. This applies to Portia, wife of Brutus, in particular as she challenges his opinion of her. The lines, “I should not need if you were gentle, Brutus. Within the bonds of marriage, tell me, Brutus, is it excepted I should know no secrets that appertain you? Am I yourself but, as it were, in sort of limination, to keep you at meals, comfort your bed, and talk to you

The portrayal of Shakespeare’s female roles in the plays Titus Andronicus and Julius Caesar, leave one to question his belief on gender equality. Even though both of these plays take place during the Elizabethan era in Rome, the depiction of women’s roles in each play is significantly different. The female leads, Tamora and Lavinia, in Titus Andronicus, exhibit strong and powerful personalities, which however contradict with the portrayal of women in his other plays. The different approach used in his play Julius Caesar, leaves the only two female characters, Calpurnia and Portia, with much less significant beliefs. Shakespeare’s purpose behind the different portrayals of women in each play is to appeal to diverse audiences.

In Scene 1, Portia converses with the Prince of Morocco very politely and even invites him to dinner before he chose the casket, which seems like she is in favour of having the Prince of Morocco as her suitor. However, in Scene 7, after he chooses the wrong casket and leaves, Portia says “A gentle riddance”, which shows us that she is very happy that the Prince of Morocco is not going to be her husband.

One woman. One woman in literature. One woman in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar put to shame what men call rhetoric. She spoke with strength and a certainty unusual for her sex, and her sage advice could have saved an empire. This woman, Portia, the wife of the well-known Brutus, plays a massive role in Shakespeare’s play, not only as an example of rhetorical genius, but as one of wisdom and prudence. With the outrageous malice of Caesar’s assignation and the following anarchy and bloodshed for all parties, Portia stands as a representation of order and uprightness. Thus, in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare establishes the voice of prudence through Portia and her use of the three aspects of rhetoric: logos, pathos, and ethos.

Most importantly, the idea of love shows up among the characters and events. When all the conspiracy bothered Brutus so badly, his wife, Portia noticed the problem and asked Brutus to tell her the reason why he acted that strangely. "Fearing to strengthen that impatience.... Make me aquatinted with your cause of grief" (2.1.248-256). By saying this, Portia simply wanted to reduce the stress Brutus had. However, Brutus did not tell the problem which bothered him immediately to her, instead he stated that all of these caused by the physical sicknesses he had. On the other hand, Portia, a wise woman, did not believe his words and argued with him. "Is Brutus sick? and is it physical.... I ought to know of: and, upon my knees.... Even from darkness"

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

Julius Caesar, a famous play written by William Shakespeare, describes two couples who, although having many similarities in their marriages, have quite a distinction as well. Both wives are disturbed by their husbands’ behavior. Another similarity is anxiety . Calpurnia’s nervousness is seen as she orders , “you shall not stir out of your house today…they fright me.” Having dreamt of Caesar’s murder, and because of the recent nightmarish storm, Calpurnia had begun to believe in the portentous omens and did not want Caesar to go to the Senate. Fretfulness is seen with the other couple when Portia tells Brutus “you suddenly arose…musing and sighing…,”. In addition to concern, both Portia and Calpurnia are very intuitive and wise. Portia

     For thousands of years, humanity has been ruled mainly by a Patriarchal society. In this society women have often been seen as objects or inferior humans through the eyes of their male counterparts. The Elizabethan era was no exception to these beliefs, and works of literature often supported these misogynistic views. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, however, the author appears to portray the characters of Portia and Calphurnia in a positive light, ignoring the common stereotypes often associated with female characters. Although Portia and Calphurnia have minor parts in the play, their strength is discernible. Both female characters are portrayed as