Women In Julius Caesar Research Paper

Women of Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Julius Caesar Shakespeare wrote of only two women in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Portia and Calpurnia. Portia is the wife of Brutus and Calpurnia the wife of Caesar. Portia is quite unstable emotionally and mentally while Calpurnia on the other hand is the strong yet shy wife of Caesar. Both women are strong independent characters in Shakespeare’s play and hold vital roles to how the play progresses. Portia’s speech in Act II scene four lines 39-40 is a soliloquy, spoken when she is alone on stage. She has just sent Lucius in to the senate house to Brutus and fears that Brutus is not well. “Ay me, how weak a thing / The heart of a woman is!” (2.4.41-42) in this Portia expresses how she believes herself as weak, and in a previous statement she claims she has a man’s mind but a women’s might. This shows that Portia is internally struggling with proving herself strong to her husband. The speech does though show that Portia is very worried about her husband’s wellbeing, fretting as to if he is well. She is not afraid to take things into her own hands and figure out what is wrong for her. Portia shows herself as strong willed, determined, and a worried woman with her speech in Act II. Calpurnia and Portia are both strong female …show more content…
Without the women the play would lose a layer of the plot. They add a woman’s point of view to the plot as it progresses, which would not be present without them. Portia states “I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.” (2.4.8) her statement shows how Shakespeare created his women as characters who think for themselves. They are both independent and willing to make movements beyond their husbands. Without the two women present we as the audience would not experience the level of suspense and anxiety that should be in the play. Their warnings and worries help the audience relate and feel as if they know more than the characters