In Julius caesar by William Shakespeare the roles of women were briefly included in the play, the two women were Portia, the wife of Brutus, and Calpurnia, the wife of Julius Caesar. The roles of the women in the play were important factors in the foreshadowing and development in the play. To look at the role of women in the play you must look at what these two women did for the characters in the play.
For the first example of foreshadowing by the women is by Calpurnia the wife of Julius Caesar, she warned Caesar to stay home the day of his murder due to the events that had taken place the previous night. “Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home. She dreamt tonight she saw my statue, Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, Did run
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pure blood: and many lusty Romans Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it” (Act II scene II). She makes it known that she has seen the future and what would become of Caesar if he leaves. Caesar was later stabbed twenty-three times by his fellow senate members including Brutus, Cassius, and Marcus. Portia the wife of Brutus, she is a strong independent woman with a deep devotion for her husband.
The relationship between Portia and Brutus is one of intimacy and mutual respect, she speaks openly with him on subjects that women wouldn't be seen talking about. Brutus speaks with compassion when a conversation regards Portia. A foreshadowing moment in the play through Portia is when she reaches out to Brutus to tell her how he is feeling and to find the root of the strange events occurring, but he doesn't confide in her (Speak No More of Her). Portia willing to show Brutus how much she wants to know what he's been hiding from her. She stabs herself in the thigh showing Brutus that she is strong and can handle anything a man can,. “I have a man’s mind, but a woman's might”. Brutus convinced by her action agrees to tell her what has been happening. Portia distraught and missing her husband along with Antony and Octavius army being too strong for Brutus. She kills herself by swallowing burning coals “swallowing fire”. (Marshall, …show more content…
Cynthia) Even Though the women’s roles are so important to the characters and to the foreshadowing the women don't have any impact on the events that conspire. These women are trying to keep their men safe but neither men won't listen to them, brushing off what they said as a bad dream or telling them that it has nothing to do with them and they shouldn't be bothered. These women are seen as being powerless figures. Shakespeare put these women into the play and described how other characters interacted with them like he did was because the women in the Roman times were treated almost the same in Elizabethan times.
When a woman is married her and her property is passed down to her husband, she was like a slave. Men mostly marry to benefit. This is called the Elizabethan Homily on the state of matrimony. An example of this would be when Caesar calls for Calpurnia and demands her to ‘Stand you directly in Antonio’s way when he runs doth course’ (Act I Scene II). He demands her to do this because Caesar in infurtal and can not have any children, the infertility was blamed on Calpurnia for Caesar to keep the status of a man. This can directly represent the infertility of Queen
Elizabeth. Women were shown to be intelligent and strong and willing to sacrifice their lives for what they thought was right, although they were practically slaves to their husband. The roles of the women in the play were important factors in the foreshadowing and development in the play. I believe that the inclusion of these women in the way that Shakespeare described them shows the similarities of marriage in Elizabethan times and Roman times. The women helped move the play along with foreshadowing but only in an insignificant amount compared to the other characters in the play.
Over the course of time, the roles of men and women have changed dramatically. As women have increasingly gained more social recognition, they have also earned more significant roles in society. This change is clearly reflected in many works of literature, one of the most representative of which is Plautus's 191 B.C. drama Pseudolus, in which we meet the prostitute Phoenicium. Although the motivation behind nearly every action in the play, she is glimpsed only briefly, never speaks directly, and earns little respect from the male characters surrounding her, a situation that roughly parallels a woman's role in Roman society of that period. Women of the time, in other words, were to be seen and not heard. Their sole purpose was to please or to benefit men. As time passed, though, women earned more responsibility, allowing them to become stronger and hold more influence. The women who inspired Lope de Vega's early seventeenth-century drama Fuente Ovejuna, for instance, rose up against not only the male officials of their tiny village, but the cruel (male) dictator busy oppressing so much of Spain as a whole. The roles women play in literature have evolved correspondingly, and, by comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Wife of Bath's Prologue, we can see that fictional women have just as increasingly as their real-word counterparts used gender differences as weapons against men.
... Portia does not show any emotion to Brutus when she cuts herself because she knows that a manly person cannot show any emotion when in pain. Once the audience visualizes that Portia does not get what she deserves after cutting herself, the audience truly identifies that she struggles to become manlier in the play but never reaches it. Works Cited Blitz, Jan H. “Manliness and Friendship in Julius Caesar ” Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations: Julius Caesar.
Do Women Play a Vital Role in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar? In my essay I will be analysing two critics, Jan H. Blits and Mary Hamer, that discussed whether or not women played a vital role in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The first critic, Jan H Blits, discusses how the women in the play are inferior to the men. Blits states this opinion by comparing the two genders roles in the entire play, “The manly is associated with the firm, the brilliant, the cold, the independent, the high and the noble”.
Brutus is considered an honorable man by all those who live in Rome. He is a close friend of Caesar, husband of Portia, and is also a Senator. Brutus is drawn into killing Caesar by Cassius, who was jealous of Caesar's degree of power. Brutus was pulled into the scheme by letters brought to his house by Decius to make him think that the people of Rome wanted him to replace Caesar. Brutus also feels that Caesar is being given too much power and will destroy Rome's democracy. Brutus' reason for killing Caesar is to benefit Rome, he proves this when he states"If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." After losing to Mark Antony and Octavious, Brutus runs onto his own sword. He sticks to his beliefs, not altering them for others.
As a result, these characters have significant religious meanings and serve as a form of inspiration to other women. This would mainly apply to those women who were in attendance. This would include women of all classes that simply wanted to watch a play. Their limitations amongst society can also be noticed by the amount of education that they are entitled to. Plato’s Republic mentions how the role of women is determined by the status of their spouse.
Kunter, Lee. "The Women of Julius Caesar." Wells, Stanley, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999.
In Julius Caesar, there were only few scenes in which women were represented – that in itself representing what was thought of women at the time. These were in Act 2 Scenes I and II, in which Caesar and Brutus are represented with their wives (Calphurnia and Portia) in a domestic setting (which is symbolic of the fact that most politicians of the time lead ‘double lives’). Because Shakespeare didn’t write this play as an account of history (in which it has been said – or at the very least implied, that wives did have some rights), rather the play was written most likely with the Orthodox priorities in mind (as the play would have been performed to Elizabethan England which held those priorities in high esteem) – largely based on The Elizabethan Homily on the State of Matrimony which was a decree which ordered wives to obey their Husbands, so the extent of a married woman’s freedom and welfare was largely dependent on their relationships with husbands and fathers, and the reason for this is that it was widely believed that ‘the woman is...
From the expansion days of Ancient Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire, women have always succumbed to living subjacent to the status of their omnipotent and dominant male figures. After leaving her childhood home and the rule of her father, a young Roman girl would then be coerced into the dominion of her husband, often taking a plethora of roles, ranging from lover, caretaker, and best friend. It is often lightheartedly stated that, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman,” and William Shakespeare exemplifies this concept beautifully in Julius Caesar, in which he effectively used the spouses of the two main characters to add more depth, drama, and literary elements to the play, bringing it to life. Although the only two female characters in Julius Caesar, Portia and Calpurnia do not play a pivotal role in the overall plot of the story, their presence is vital in illuminating and developing the characters of their husbands, Brutus and Caesar. What they reveal about their husbands leads the reader to infer that Portia is the more admirable and redeeming character.
The women in Othello are synonymous with Venetian societal standards. Only three women are characters in Othello: Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca but the roles these women play give the reader an idea of how women were portrayed, not only in Shakespeare's Othello but in society in general.
During the Shakespearean time women were treated as inferiors. The three women in Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca encountered many degrading and unfortunate situations. They were to be obedient. The women had to comply with the commands, orders, and the instructions of the men. Women were made to believe that they had no rights. The men would publicly humiliate the three women. It was difficult for the women to stand up for themselves due to that time in society. In Shakespeare’s play Othello, he portrayed the three women to be viewed as obedient, loyal, and submissive to their husbands.
From the expansion days of Ancient Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire, women have always succumbed to living subjacent to the status of their omnipotent and dominant male figures. After leaving her childhood home and the rule of her father, a young Roman girl would then be coerced into the dominion of her husband, often taking a plethora of roles, ranging from lover, caretaker, and best friend. It is often lightheartedly stated that, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman,” and William Shakespeare exemplifies this concept beautifully in Julius Caesar, in which he effectively used the spouses of the two main characters to add more depth, drama, and literary elements to the play, bringing it to life. Although the only two female characters in Julius Caesar, Portia and Calpurnia do not play a pivotal role in the overall plot of the story, their presence is vital in illuminating and developing the characters of their husbands, Brutus and Caesar. What they reveal about their husbands leads the reader to infer that Portia is the more admirable and redeeming character.
Shakespeare’s Representation of Women in The Merchant Of Venice. In ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ Shakespeare portrays the character of. Portia as a subservient woman but as the play progresses he develops. the character and Portia becomes the most dominant character in the play, overcoming the stereotype that restrains women in the society at that time.
The play Othello by William Shakespeare is a tragedy which only includes three female characters: Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. Given that the play is written in Elizabethan time, the female is presented as being men’s possession and submissive. Interestingly, the female group is also seen to have power. By presenting woman in such a manner, Shakespeare may want to convey the idea of pursuing an egalitarian society.
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the role of women is quite significant. Although there are only three women throughout the play, Jessica, Nerissa, and Portia, all play a role that affects the outcome of the play. Portia, Jessica, and Nerissa are all very significant characters from this time period. The three women display characteristics of bravery, independence, and intelligence.
Therefore, Portia is a character whom Shakespeare means to be highly admired. She possesses qualities that make her the adoration of some and the envy of others. She is highly skilled at whatever task she undertakes; yet she retains an aura of compassion and a strong sense of commitment. She puts herself on the line for the sake of her Bassanio. On the other hand, when she is crossed - or better yet when something she is endeared to is threatened - she is prepared to unleash a havoc to make things better again.