How Is Love Portrayed in Julius Caesar?

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How is love portrayed in Julius Caesar? Love is portrayed as a key theme in Julius Caesar for several reasons, and is often closely linked with friendship and loyalty. Shakespeare uses the powerful and emotive idea of love and friendship to show the audience Brutus’ humanity after his role in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Brutus and Portia’s relationship serves the purpose of showing us that Brutus was no cold blooded killer or butcher, but that he was compassionate, caring, and acting in what he thought were the best interests of Rome. “You are my true and honourable wife” shows us the love and respect Brutus had for Portia, and as such emphasises Brutus’ humanity in the play. “Yes, my Lord” shows us the adoration Portia had for Brutus, and therefore reflects the idea of Brutus being “human”. Shakespeare was keen to stress the importance of differentiating Brutus from the image of a murderer to prove that his actions were not selfish or conceited, but that he genuinely believed he was acting on behalf of the Roman people. This is also reflected in the relationship between Brutus and Lucius. By the end of the play, Lucius’ opinion of Brutus had not faltered – in that he still had great admiration for him, even after it was clear Brutus had failed. Commanding such respect from someone who is not a centralised character goes to show that Brutus must have been a decent person. Brutus’ love for Rome is of course a key factor in the play as well. When contemplating whether he should partake in the plot or not, Brutus was finally able to justify his role by telling himself that he was doing it because he loved Rome and not because of greed. This also helps us see the human side to Brutus – Shakespeare portrayed his love for Rome in such a way that it was clear that he was not involved in order to gain riches, but because he genuinely believed

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