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