Differences Between Brutus And Portia

Both Brutus and Portia are effective speakers and have their own style of speaking; however, only one remains to be the more convincing person. Brutus rejects Cassius’ plan of murdering Mark Antony along with Caesar, saying that to do so would be too violent and would seem unjust to the commoners. He eventually persuades the men that are involved in the plan to let Antony live by the reasons of seeming insane in front of the people and that Antony is not a threat because he simply only supports Caesar (“Shakespeare” 163-184). Brutus is able to put himself in the shoes of the commoners, so that the action of killing Caesar could be justified. In addition, he reminds the men that their original plan is to only kill Caesar to prevent the fall

of Rome, not everyone associated with him. He keeps to his morals, despite going against Caesar, to not take extreme actions out of anger and create more complications. His argument is mainly logical because he is speaking on behalf of what the people would think and tries to prevent further havoc. On the other hand, Portia attempts to persuade Brutus to tell her his secret by telling him that, as a wife, she should know his secrets because marriage bonds them as one and should consist of both sides supporting each other through hard times. She adds that, although she’s a woman, she should be deemed trustworthy because of her noble family name, otherwise she might as well be treated and looked upon as simply a prostitute (“Shakespeare” 180-299). Portia intentionally uses reasons that would make Brutus feel guilty. Her argument is largely for an emotional cause; she simply wants to be a part of and know every second of Brutus’ life for her own self-security, self-confidence, and curiosity. Brutus deems to be the most logical and influential speaker because he’s speaking for what would be the best for everyone, unlike Portia, who mainly speaks for herself and her own curiosity.