In Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, it is interesting to notice the difference in the roles of the female characters when compared to other plays by Shakespeare such as The Taming of the Shrew and Richard III. In both The Taming of the Shrew and Richard III, the female characters had no more value than the value granted to them through marriage. In Julius Caesar, both Brutus’ wife Portia and Caesar’s wife Calphurnia seem to have an unusual amount of virtue. Although both of them are virtually powerless without their husbands, they certainly exercise power over their husbands and also display a high degree of wisdom.
For example, in act two, scene one of Julius Caesar, Portia basically tells Brutus that he is lying to her when he tries to say that nothing is wrong, he is just sick, she says, “You have some sick offense within your mind, / Which by the right and virtue of my place/ I ought o know of” (288-290).
Then, in scene two of the same act, Calphurnia (Julius Caesar’s wife) tells Caesar: “What mean you, Caesar? Think you to walk forth?/ You shall not stir out of your house today” (8-9). After learning of Calphurnia’s dream where all of the Roman’s were bathing in the blood coming from a statue of Caesar, Caesar decided it was best to stay at home that day. Little did he know, Cassius and Brutus were already plotting against him. Somehow, by wisdom or maybe intuition, Calphurnia and Portia already knew this. It is Brutus’ bad judgment that coerces him to continue with Cassius’ evil plan. And it is Caesar’s pride that persuades him to meet with the council to take the plan rather than stay home as Calphurnia pleaded him to. In this light, the audience sees the men as arrogant, while the women appear to be wise and virtuous. This portrayal of the female character is much different than the other two plays.
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