Julius Caesar: The Major Players

There are A LOT of characters with very difference names than we are used to hearing in the 21st century.  Keeping them straight can be a challenge. Here's an introduction to the characters in the plays...written from their own perspective!  They will help you sot out who's who and what they're up to.

CHALLENGE ACTIVITY: Each character was asked to sum up his or her personality with one word. As you read the play, decide if you agree with their choice.  If not, what word would you use? 

Julius Caesar: I am the leader of Rome. There are some people that think I should share more of my power. But I think I’ve earned the right to become the head of the Roman Empire since I am a great general and have conquered many lands for Rome. My problem is that I feel I have to struggle to maintain my power – there are other men who want to share it – or take it from me. There is someone who follows me and seems to be warning me about the Ides of March (which is March 15) and as much as I think “soothsayers” are silly, there is something about this warning that chills me to the bone. But I am a very confident man and simply cannot believe in this type of fortune telling. CONSTANT 

Brutus: I am the protagonist of Julius Caesar – the central character whose emotional journey the audience follows. I am a man of conscience who carefully weighs the HUGE decisions I make. I end up leading the conspiracy against Caesar. Though I am thoughtful, I seem to be a romantic who believes too naively in the goodness of others. My temperament reflects my belief in Stoicism, which I strive to practice, but not always successfully. The audience sees bursts – flashes of temper and passion. PASSIONATE 

Cassius: I am a commanding officer in the Roman army, and I’m also a Roman senator, so I’m both a politician and a soldier. Brutus is one of my best friends. There are some people who would call me a villain for plotting the assassination of Caesar, but I think it’s closer to the truth to say that I genuinely love my country – the freedoms it allows its citizens—and fear that the only way to protect it and prevent Caesar from becoming a dictator is to kill him. Sure, I’m a hothead who’s easily set off, and I’m usually pretty intense, but I prefer to think that it’s just because I happen to be passionate about the things I believe in. PASSIONATE 

Marc Antony: - Now. Now. Now. Life is in the moment. Live it, be it, breathe it. Life is a wild stallion and it takes a man to tame her. No, not tame her, then she loses her spunk – no, a real man can saddle and ride even while she’s at her wildest. Politics, like life, takes a moment-to-moment skill. It’s a balance of control. You must feel the will of the beast – sometimes letting her take the reins and run where she will, and sometimes digging your spurs into her side to turn her to your will. Life, politics, war. It’s all in the moment. NOW 

Calphurnia: I am the wife of Julius Caesar, Rome’s emperor. I am this powerful man’s partner but am not involved in his political career – only aware that his great power insures him great enemies. The “air” is precarious, and I can feel the danger of the times. I am terrified for the loss of my husband’s life and am pessimistic. FEAR

Portia: I am wife to Brutus and am loyal, loving, and concerned. In the two scenes in which I appear, I seem to be pessimistic, though with good reason. Perhaps I am merely following my intuition. CONSTANT 

Titinius: I am Cassius’ second in command, and I believe in honor and duty. LOYAL 

Brutus: I am a relative of Marcus Junius Brutus, and one of the conspirators against Caesar. It is my job to make sure that nothing stops Caesar from going to the Forum on the Ides of March. I’m a definite follower. I can’t imagine that the assassination was my idea, but I seem pretty happy and excited to be a part of it. Once Caesar is dead, I pretty much disappear from the scene. SLIPPERY 

Octavius Caesar: I am Octavius Caesar. Following the filthy conspiracy of his assassination, I come to right wrongs and fulfill my destiny as the heir to Caesar’s throne. In life there is right and wrong; in battle there is right and left. In both, I will be right. SURE 

Cinna the Poet: I am in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am a citizen of Rome who is mistaken for a conspirator and massacred for it. I am a poet and a romantic. UNFORTUNATE 

Metellus Cymber: I am one of the conspirators against Caesar and am one of the people who stabs him. I have issues with Caesar and am a follower. ANGRY 

Titinius: I am Cassius’ second in command, and I believe in honor and duty. LOYAL 

Casca:  I conspire against Caesar because I believe he has too much power. I confess I am the first one to stab Caesar, but since my co-conspirators also stab him, I feel secure that I did no wrong. After all, we’re doing this for the people… Doing something wrong for the right reason – does that make it right? JUSTIFIED

Popillius: I help move the plot and strike fear in the conspirators. I’m a realist. WISE

Caius Legarius: I am a conspirator against Caesar. I voluntarily ask to be a part of the plot to overthrow Caesar, not knowing what the plot actually is… My character is a follower. I am always looking to be in on the action. KANIEVING 

Cinna the Conspirator: I am one of the many conspirators plotting against Caesar. I am very pessimistic. SUBVERSIVE 

Trebonius:  I’m the only conspirator who doesn’t stab Julius Caesar. I am also central to the conspirator’s decision to let Mark Antony live and, as a close friend to Caesar, have nerves of glass. I believe the most difficult change is often the most necessary. What we cry over today, we will laugh at tomorrow. TRUSTWORTHY