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:
).
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
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Portia Character Timeline in Julius Caesar
The timeline below shows where the character Portia appears in Julius Caesar. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2, scene 1
Portia enters, asking Brutus about his strange behavior lately—he’s been so restless and distracted. She pleads...
(full context)
Act 2, scene 4
Portia sends Lucius to the Capitol to learn whether the conspirators have been successful. Nervous, she...
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The soothsayer passes by. He tells Portia that he fears harm to Caesar, though he doesn’t know for sure that it will...
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Act 4, scene 3
Brutus and Cassius dismiss their guards and servant. Brutus explains that his temper stems from grief—Portia is dead. She killed herself by swallowing coals when she feared that Antony and Octavius...
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...are reported to have executed a large number of senators, including Cicero. Messala also reports Portia’s death, and Brutus stoically accepts the news, not revealing that he already knew. Brutus and...
(full context)
