The Significance of Calphurnia's Insignificance in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare

Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women, who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination, now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, women are expressed as powerful characters who behave, speak and live in a way that breaks away from the conformist role of females during the 16th century. Therefore, the submissive stereotype expected of women in Shakespearean time is confronted and defied through

The tragic Ancient Greek play Trojan Women by Euripides has many points of consideration that may trigger a misogynistic or feminist analysis. Post-modern feminists may point out that the victimised state of protagonists like Hecuba (as the valiant widow matriarch) bar out the possible monstrous interpretations from Helen (as a monstrous seductress). Thus justifying the feminist analysis of the play as a sympathetic insight into the female condition, by a playwright with an instinct of equality ‘beyond all the ethical canons’ [3] of his era. Contextually, the fact that Trojan Women was written for the entertainment of the Ancient world- a potentially male-dominant and misogynistic society, may provide an explanation into the exaggerated weak

The way in which women were treated in Roman times is an interesting issue which arises in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. We can look at modern society to see what similarities or differences may exist between the two.

In the tragic play Julius Caesar there is a leader everybody looked up to named Caesar. Although people looked up to him he was not always loyal,trustworthy, or honorable. Some seen it before others and want to make a change and within that change Caesar had to be kilt. Brutus being Caesar friend knew the games that he played and became one of the ones that put an end to his games. With him being his friend he honoured him for all the good but as he was ambitious Brutus slew him. Maybe Caesar knew he was no good to Roman because once he seen Brutus standing upon the conspiracy something switched in him he no longer fought for his life. Caesar last words were “Et tu, Brutus(you too Brutus)then falls Caesar”.

Along with the actuality and the attempts of manipulation in this play reside many forced manipulations. In the same scene in which Calpurnia convinces her husband to not go to the Capitol, a group of conspirators meet at Caesar's house to make sure he does not decide to stay at home, simply so that the planned assassination can, in fact, take place. Brutus, one of the conspirators, tells Caesar that his wife is superstitious, and that he should not be listening to her.

Julius Caesar, a play by William Shakespeare, outlines a civil war brought on by the assassination of Roman leader Caesar by a group of noblemen led by Brutus and Cassius who oppose Caesar and his possible rule due to their belief that he is a power hungry tyrant. Contrastly, Antony and Octavius are loyal to the fallen leader and strive to avenge his death. Through the play, Caesar is shown to be a megalomaniac due to his lack of trust, his endeavour to be seen as strong, and his pursuit to gain popular support. Caesar’s lack of trust in others parallels him to absolute monarchs and dictators who attempt to be in control and remain in control by eliminating possible threats and placing trust in a small group. After Caesar rejects the crown

In the given excerpt from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Caesar is stuck with the decision of attending a meeting of the Senate or not. His wife, Calphurnia attempts to persuade him to stay home due to a dream she experienced, but ultimately fails in the process; As a representative part of the scheme, Decius strives to inveigle Caesar to make an appearance at the meeting where he will be assassinated, resulting in a success and thus marking the 15th of March as the day he died.

Centuries after the murder of a rising dictator, students, historians, and linguists alike continue to study the death of Julius Caesar as immortalized by William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. In this tragedy, Shakespeare examines the days preceding Caesar’s downfall, and the aftermath that ensues. The tragedy describes Marcus Brutus, a character with noble and honorable intentions, influenced by Cassius to support a conspiracy against an ambitious politician, Julius Caesar. Brutus, Cassius, and other conspirators succeed in ending Caesar’s life, but are forced to flee when Rome turns against them. Much controversy has arisen over who is the tragic hero of the play. A tragic hero is a noble character who, despite his greatness, is led to destruction by his own fatal flaw. Although many argue Brutus is the tragic hero due to his prominent role in the play and his heroic, yet flawed, character, Shakespeare remains justified in the naming of his play. In Shakespeare’s accurately titled tragedy, Julius Caesar, rather than Brutus, remains the tragic hero of the play due to his heroic qualities, his fatal flaw, and Brutus’ ineligibility as the tragic hero.

When observing gender in our society, women and men are stereotyped with specific roles. Men have always been seen as the family’s main source of income whereas the women take care of their home and children. However, Shakespeare challenges these gender roles in his play with the three female characters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. While all three are independent, powerful women and even lead their armies into battle, the men seem to be foolish and weak such as King Lear and Albany. Furthermore, Mira cel Batran makes a point in her essay, “Feminist Reading of William Shakespeare’s King Lear”, that although women are regarded as dependent on men, Shakespeare explains that it can be the exact opposite. The men seem to depend on the women such as King Lear depending on Cordelia and Albany depending on Goneril. Shakespeare, in his play, King Lear, portrays women who are strong and intelligent and men who are weak or overpowered by female characters, challenging the societal belief that women are inherently less than or dependent on men.

“Even the noblest men can be seduced by power; it has the power to kill, to distort, and to corrupt” Through this passage, Matthew Sims captures in essence how individuals often turn to betrayal and deception in order to gain their heart’s desires. This characteristic is not only present in life, but can also be seen in modern and classical literature, including the well known work of Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the lust for power transcends any one individual and ultimately leads to death and corruption of not only Caesar, but also of Brutus and Cassius. The play begins with Caesar parading through the streets of Rome as he triumphs in his victory over Pompey. However, Brutus, Cassius, and many others hatch a plot to

In the Middle Age literature, women are often presented or meant to come off as an unimportant character; which can also reflect on how the author wants the women character represent. Women are usually shunned, have no say or control in what they do; due to what men desire; like Ophelia and Gertrude did in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But these female characters that I will discuss are women with power, control, and a voice. Majority of the female character’s appearances are made to represent wickedness, evil, or a seducer who challenges a man belief; and does not symbolize perfect women.

     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

Well, honor is the subject of my story. I cannot tell you what other men Think of this life, but for my single self, I had as lief not be, as live to be In awe of such a thing as myself” (1.2.90-96.). Brutus goes through with killing Caesar,but talks the men out of killing Mark Antony out of the belief he has done nothing wrong. Caesar believes he has done the correct thing and has saved the people of Rome from a corrupt leader, and he performs a speech to the people of Rome explaining his actions and why he murdered Caesar. This leads to his downfall in the end, because the act of not killing Mark Antony creates a war that is order to kill Cassius and Brutus.

Out of the many flaws that Julius Caesar had, one of the largest flaws that he had was his pride and his ambition. Having both of these attributes led to him being power hungry as well. For the most part Shakespeare’s play focuses on the idea of Julius being ‘power hungry’ for immortality. Despite his several flaws he is still able to be considered a hero for several different reasons. For one, he recognized his flaw, he was aware of what was thought of him because he saw it that way himself.

Throughout many pays and novels, women have had important roles of helping form the main characters, in the way they think, move or change the story. Women have always been subordinate to men all through history, but in plays, novels, short stories, etc, they have been given large enforcing roles, showing the power within women. William Shakespeare and Sophocles use guilt, pride, and influence to demonstrate the importance of the women’s role to support the main characters in both the plays of Macbeth and Antigone.