The Relationship Between Caesar and Calpurnia and Brutus and Portia

In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the wives of Caesar and Brutus in Act II, scenes i and ii, both had a different relationships with their husbands. Both couples loved each other, however, they reacted and influenced to each other differently.

In Act II, scene i, Portia, Brutus’ wife, was a lively yet tough woman with a mind of a man. When Portia noticed that something was bothering Brutus, she was determined to find out and, to do this, she had to prove him that she was strong enough to keep a secret by giving herself a voluntary wound in the thigh without crying out. Portia cared about Brutus and he was amazed by his brave wife and claimed that he didn’t deserve such a wife. Portia’s sign of bravery influenced Brutus to change his mind and tell his wife his secret that was bothering him. Even though Portia’s plan worked, Brutus was interrupted by Caius before he could finish telling the secret.

In Act II, scene ii, Calpurnia, wife of Caesar, was a superstitious woman. One day, Calpurnia woke up from a bad dream in which her husband was murdered and thought it as a bad sign so she begged Caesar to stay home instead of going to the Senate House. Calpurnia told Caesar to tell the members that she was scared and wanted him to stay or to tell them Caesar was sick. Caesar had a weak side and Calpurnia’s hysterics influenced him to stay at home instead of going to the House. Calpurina’s plan worked, however, the plan was interrupted, just like Portia’s, when Decius spoke up and cleverly interrupted Calpurina’s bad dream as a good omen and flattered Caesar to come to the Senate House.

Portia and Calpurnia tried to convince their husbands to follow their ways differently and their plans worked for a short time before Caius and Decius came and stole their husbands away. It was obvious that both wives loved and cared greatly about their husbands and they were willing to do anything to help them. The relationship between Brutus and Portia might be different than the relationship between Caesar and Calpurnia, however, both couples seemed to be made for each other and played an important role in each other’s lives.