Portia and Calpurnia are two female characters in William Shakespeare's tragic play "Julius Caesar." Both characters have distinct roles in the play and are often compared to and contrasted against each other. Calpurnia is the wife of the Roman leader Julius Caesar, the main character, and Portia is the wife of Brutus, a friend to Caesar and an honorable man. Both wives love and support their husband, but one of these character’s support for their husband ultimately leads to their own demise. Calpurnia is portrayed as the caring and concerned wife of Julius Caesar. She has a dream about her husband’s death and begs him not to go to the Capitol on the day of his eventual assassination. She says to her husband, "Caesar, I never stood in ceremonies, yet now they frighten me" (2.2.91-92). …show more content…
As well, Calphurnia shares with Caesar about a dream she had, which she interprets as a sign that something terrible will happen to her husband. She says, "When beggars die, there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes'' (2.2.30-31). The quote represents the belief that Calpurnia has in warning her husband of some ill fate and yet Caesar needs to keep his appearance as a great Roman leader. She shares the fear she has regarding Caesar's death but does not sway him because she also inadvertently plays into his ego. In contrast to Calpurnia, Portia is presented as a brave, strong, and loyal woman. To prove her loyalty and bravery, she stabs herself in the thigh as a sign of trustworthiness to Brutus. "I have made strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here in the thigh" (2.1.275-276). Her words show that she is willing to endure physical pain to prove her loyalty to her husband. As she continues to earn Brutus’ trust to share in his plans, she ultimately does not fully understand and is unable to prevent her own tragic
Calpurnia has raised his children, she is the only motherly figure they really know. Because of Atticus’s morals he treats Calpurnia very respectfully and is genuine about
She dreamt that Caesar was killed, and she begged him not to go to the senate that day. That morning Caesar sacrificed a bull in the temple, but the bull was found to have no heart and was clearly an unworthy sacrifice. Soon also, a bird
Calpurnia says this when she prepares to
In scene two act two we are shown Caesar in his house talking to calpurnia about him not leaving because had a bad nightmare of him crying. Then enters his "friend" Decius and he tells him to go and that his wife miss interpreted the the dream. This is when he says he's not going to go " Mark Antony shall say I am not well, And for thy humor I will stay at home" (II.ii.55-56). Later that day Caesar says " How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia! I am ashamed I did yield to them.
This quote from Julius Caesar is a reminder of the sacrifices made by the characters in the play, and how their choices ultimately lead to their fate. Portia's death is a prime example of the sacrifices made by characters in Julius Caesar. She takes her own life after learning of her husband Brutus' plans, and her death serves as a tragic reminder of the consequences of political ambition. Portia's death is particularly tragic because it was a
Fearing evil, she tried to convince Caesar that her dream was a warning for him not to go to the Senate that day. Ceasar even has one of his servants go to the priests to do a sacrifice to see what they have to say about Calpurnia's fears. When the animal was sacrificed, there was no heart in it... a bad omen indeed. Caesar even ignores this omen when Decius Brutus re-interprets
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the character Calpurnia is a valuable member of the Finch family and is vital to their well-being. The first instance this is seen is when Calpurnia supplies Scout with some much need discipline after she had been rude to Walter Cunningham at the dinner table. Calpurnia tells Scout: “That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?”
This shows that Brutus is not taking his wife’s concerns seriously and is more concerned with his feelings. When Brutus does not listen and carries on with his plans, he is filled with guilt after Caesar’s
Calpurnia is known to be humble, motherly, and defensive. Calpurnia is a very humble person. She speaks little of her personal life, or any achievements she may have accomplished in the past. When Scout goes with Calpurnia to church she discovers that Calpurnia lives a separate, intriguing life outside of the Finch's home. Scout states, "That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me."
She establishes her credibility by reminding Brutus of her loyalty to him, saying “I grant I am a woman, but withal a woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter” (II.i.305-306). Portia then employs an emotional appeal, expressing her concern for Brutus’ well-being, saying “I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might” (II.i.315). Through this rhetorical device, Portia emphasizes her ability to handle difficult situations and appeals to Brutus’ protective instincts.
Calpurnia is also very promising towards Atticus, especially when she is asked to do things that she is uncomfortable doing. Atticus asks Calpurnia to go with him to tell Helen Robinson that Tom Robinson is dead. Atticus says, “Cal, I want
The-one-and-only Calpurnia from To Kill A Mockingbird fills that void in Scout’s life, fulfilling the maternal role in her life. The biggest maternal influences Calpurnia provides Scout with is the ability to to be an involved caregiver , the ability to guide and educated her , and the ability to teach her to be a tough and poised woman. Sometimes, Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra are seen as being stronger influences against Calpurnia but it is not a valid argument. The author’s portrayal of Calpurnia proves her to be a mother to Scout in several different ways including the care, patience, and skill, shown in the book.
We can draw conclusions about Calpurnia's character from this, and confidently state that Calpurnia has great compassion for others. In addition, this quote also has a more important significance. Calpurnia is clearly proud of her care for the children, but she explains how she does not want anyone saying she does not take good care of them. This is a perfect example of how this character is marginalized in this book. She clearly takes good care of her children but does not receive enough credit because of her class.
Samantha Durand 27 October 2015 Dunipace 4th Julius Caesar Essay Brutus is the Tragic Hero William Shakespeare wrote “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” to tell the story of the tragedy that happened to him. When Caesar was going to become king, his own friends turned into conspirators against him. Since the conspirators said that Caesar would abuse the power of being king, they decided to murder him for the sake of the Roman people.
(pg.29/Act 1 Scene 2 ). As the reader can see, Caesar was warned by the soothsayer. But now not only does he face the consequences of his actions, he also degrades others in the process. This was not the only example of when he could have changed his outcome. Just after Soothsayer lets Caesar know