“Behind every man, there is a woman.” As seen throughout history, society has dumped women into a lower “rank.” Women have been seen as much less significant and less important as pertaining to men. This idea of society’s own patriarchal illustration can be seen in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, in which Julius Caesar’s wife, Calphurnia, is left widely unnoticed and highly insignificant although she holds an image that is really quite important. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar is seen as what the image history has portrayed him as, a fine general of Rome’s vast military but also a general of an ill mind and ignorance that is upon him. This ill mind and ignorance is derived from his power and the abuse that came with the power. His abuse of power is widely seen throughout The Tragedy of Julius Caesar as he seizes his power from the Rome senate and everyone and everything. This abuse is also summarized in Brutus’s response of Caesar’s power as he describes Caesar as a “serpent egg” and provides a forewarning of the dangers of Caesar’s power as it becomes more and more prevalent throughout the first half of the story before his death. As it is shown that the assumptions pertaining to Caesar are true; it is also developed that Caesar begins to overlook his surroundings, of which includes his beloved wife, Calphurnia. As the story progresses, we find that Calphurnia’s nature can be described as shy, reclusive, and very quiet in her ways.
