English 10H: Julius Caesar
what happens in calpurnia's dream that scares her so much?
a statue of caesar spilling blood and the roman citizens bathing in it
besides caesar, who else does cassius want to kill?
antony
who is portia
brutus' wife
who is lucius
brutus's survant
who is calpurnia
caesar's wife
The audience knows that the conspirators are planning to kill caesar, but caesar does not. this is an example of
dramatic irony
who is decius
persuades caesar to leave his home and go to the capitol
brutus has a soliloquy in his garden - what is he thinking about?
should he join the conspirators or not
at the end of act II, why does portia send lucius to the capitol?
to check on brutus and report back to her
who is artemidorus
writes a letter to caesar in an attempt to warn him
compare and contrast the relationship between caesar and calpurnia with the relationship between brutus and portia. Which couple has a stronger relationship? Support your answer with details from the story.
Brutus and Portia have a stronger relationship than Caesar and Calpurnia. Portia talks to Brutus as if she is his equal, which is very uncommon in that time period. Wives back then were treated no more than property to their husbands. She has a very tough and brave character with a mind of a man. When Portia noticed that there was something bothering Brutus, she was determined to figure out what was wrong and even voluntarily wounded her thigh to prove she was strong enough to keep a secret. Portia truly cared about Brutus and he was amazed by his brave wife and claimed he didn't deserve her. In contrast, the relationship between Caesar and Calpurnia is more of the time period. Calpurnia is treated with disrespect by Caesar. For example, Calpurnia wakes up from a bad dream in which her husband was murdered and thought of it as a sign so she begged Caesar to stay home instead of going to the Senate House. While Caesar listens to his wife's concerns about not going out of the house that day, he ultimately makes the decision to leave the house, calling her dreams and warnings foolish. After saying that, it is obvious that Brutus and Portia have a stronger relationship than Caesar and Calpurnia.
