Julius Caesar ― Act II ― Two powerful couples Caesar and Calpurnia/Brutus and Portia For each topic given, note one way that the two couples are the same OR one way that the two couples are different. Give one piece of evidence to prove your point. Attribute Caesar and Calpurnia/Brutus and Portia The husband’s position in the marriage Brutus and Caesar were different in terms of power. Caesar had a sense of authority over Calpurnia, while Brutus saw Portia more as an equal. When Calpurnia begs him to stay home because of her bad dream, Caesar repeatedly dismisses her claims and says he should still go. For a moment, he does decide to go, but when Decius points out that giving into his wife makes Caesar weak, he changes his mind again because …show more content…
He points out that he is not worthy of such a great wife. He is then persuaded by Portia and decides to tell her about the conspiracy. The wife’s position in the marriage Both Calpurnia and Portia serve the purpose of caring for their husbands, but they differ in terms of power and obedience. Because Caesar has a sense of authority over Calpurnia, she, in turn, has to obey him. When ultimately deciding to go to the Capitol, Caesar says, “How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia! I am ashamed I did yield to them” (67). He is ashamed that he let Calpurnia persuade him into staying home. In his mind, he should never follow her, and she should always obey him. Since Portia and Brutus’s marriage does not have much difference in power, she challenges her husband as an equal. She calls Brutus out on his weird behavior and distance lately. She immediately calls him out on lying too, and then presents strong, logical arguments to Brutus when he won’t tell her what’s on his mind. Her position as a wife is greater than Calpurnia’s, and Portia even uses this in one of her arguments as to why she has the right to know what’s on Brutus’s …show more content…
Brutus and Portia really love one another, or else, Portia wouldn’t have bothered to argue about his secrets, and Brutus wouldn’t have decided to tell her his secrets. Furthermore, Portia argues about her role as Brutus’s wife being that she should know everything about him and should always supports him; Brutus says he isn’t worthy of such a great wife. In the way they talk about their roles in the marriage and one another, it is shown that their love is greater. Caesar’s ego proves to be greater than the love of his marriage to Calpurnia. Calpurnia is unable to keep him home because he believes in masculinity more than loving his wife. He doesn’t want to be seen as a coward that obeys his