Julius Caesar

Roles

• Portia - Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50), Female

About this piece

Portia urges Brutus to confide in her

Summary

The play starts with Caesar celebrating his victory over Pompey with a military parade through the streets of Rome. The people of Rome show great support for him and some fear that Caesar has gained too much power and will become a dictator. In the first scene of the play we find two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, scolding two commoners for celebrating Caesar's victory and remove decorations from all Caesar's statues. Cassius, an ambitious Roman general, conspires to kill Caesar together with other politicians, such as Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus and Trebonius. Cassius tries to have Brutus join them as Brutus has a great following in the city of Rome. By forging letters to make him think that the people of Rome are angry at Caesar, he manages to convince Brutus to kill Caesar. After discussing the details of the planned assassination, in ACT II, Scene 1, we find Brutus with his wife Portia in the garden. She is worried because he has behaved oddly lately and he tells her that he is sick. In this monologue Portia urges her husband to tell her what troubles him. She knows that he is not sick and there is something that worries him. She tells him there shouldn't be any secrets between them.

Tone

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