Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

by

William Shakespeare

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Portia Character Analysis

Read our modern English translation.
Portia is the wife of Brutus and daughter of the famous Roman statesman Cato. She is proud of her identity as a member of two prominent Roman families and takes her role as Brutus’s wife seriously, demanding to be included in his plans. Despite this pride, Portia also concedes to Roman gender expectations, associating femininity with weakness and identifying with the ideal of the fearless Roman man, stabbing herself in the thigh to prove she is trustworthy, and eventually killing herself in a gruesome manner, by swallowing hot coals. Her logical personality contrasts with Calpurnia’s.

Portia Quotes in Julius Caesar

The Julius Caesar quotes below are all either spoken by Portia or refer to Portia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Manhood and Honor Theme Icon
).
Act 2, scene 1 Quotes

I grant I am a woman; but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife; I grant I am a woman; but withal a women well reputed, Cato's daughter. Think you I am no stronger than my sex, being so father'd, and so husbanded? Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose'em. I have made a strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience, and not my husband's secrets?

Related Characters: Portia (speaker), Marcus Brutus
Related Symbols: Body, Blood, & Pain
Page Number: 2.1.315-325
Explanation and Analysis:
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Portia Quotes in Julius Caesar

The Julius Caesar quotes below are all either spoken by Portia or refer to Portia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Manhood and Honor Theme Icon
).
Act 2, scene 1 Quotes

I grant I am a woman; but withal a woman that Lord Brutus took to wife; I grant I am a woman; but withal a women well reputed, Cato's daughter. Think you I am no stronger than my sex, being so father'd, and so husbanded? Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose'em. I have made a strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience, and not my husband's secrets?

Related Characters: Portia (speaker), Marcus Brutus
Related Symbols: Body, Blood, & Pain
Page Number: 2.1.315-325
Explanation and Analysis: