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Julius Caesar Act II: Brutus, Portia, Calpurnia | ICSE 9

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English LiteratureICSE Class 9 · Julius Caesar – Act II

Julius Caesar Act II: Brutus Decides, the Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia

Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Act II, Brutus decides alone that Caesar must die, joins the conspirators and overrules Cassius: no oath, no Cicero and no death for Antony. Portia begs to share his secret. On the Ides of March, Calpurnia's dream nearly keeps Caesar at home, but Decius flatters him into going to the Senate.

Follow the arrows: Brutus's decision leads to the plot, Portia's plea, then Caesar's fatal choice after Calpurnia's dream and Decius's flattery.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II)

Position. This page covers Act II of the prescribed play. It runs from the night before the Ides of March to the morning of the assassination in four scenes.

Brutus's soliloquy. Unable to sleep, Brutus decides "It must be by his death". He has no personal grudge, but a crown might change Caesar. He compares him to a serpent's egg to be killed in the shell. A letter found at his window seems to him Rome's appeal.

The conspirators. Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus Cimber and Trebonius arrive with faces hidden. Brutus takes charge. He refuses an oath, rejects Cicero, and when Cassius wants Antony killed he says "sacrificers, but not butchers" and calls Antony only a limb of Caesar.

Portia. Brutus's wife begs him to share his trouble, reminds him that she is Cato's daughter and shows a wound she gave herself to prove her constancy. He promises to tell her.

Calpurnia and Caesar. Calpurnia's dream and the omens make her beg Caesar to stay home. He first dismisses the warnings, saying "Cowards die many times before their deaths". He then agrees to stay for Calpurnia's sake. Decius flatters him, and Caesar's pride overcomes the warning. Caesar changes his mind and goes.

Themes. Honour and self-deception; fatal political misjudgements; omens, warnings and pride.

Devices. Metaphor (the serpent's egg, the ladder), the anachronism of a striking clock, dramatic irony, imagery of blood and soliloquy.

Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II): key facts

Brutus's three decisions
  • No oath
  • No Cicero
  • Spare Antony
Each overrules Cassius.
Two wives
Portia strong and loyal | Calpurnia fearful and warning
Compare in a table.
Warnings to Caesar
  • Calpurnia's dream
  • Omens
  • Soothsayer
  • Artemidorus
Ignored through pride.
Devices
  • Metaphor
  • Anachronism
  • Dramatic irony
  • Blood imagery
  • Soliloquy
Name and effect.

How to answer Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II) questions

Use this for a decision or comparison question.

  1. 1State the decision or the contrast asked about.
  2. 2Give the scene and speaker.
  3. 3Explain the reasoning in your own words.
  4. 4Judge it with two reasons using later events if the question allows.
  5. 5Close with a link to a theme.

Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II) in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A leader who trusts too easily

Suppose the captain of a quiz team refuses to question a rival-team member even though others say he could be dangerous, because the captain thinks everyone should be trusted.

Which decision of Brutus does this resemble, and what lesson follows?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Brutus spares Antony out of idealism.
  2. A good intention is not the same as good judgement.
  3. Ignoring a warning has consequences.

Answer: It resembles Brutus sparing Antony, and shows that idealism without good judgement can be costly.

Memory hook: Kind is not always wise.

Tricks to remember Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II)

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • N-N-S

    No oath, No Cicero, Spare Antony.

    Use it when: Brutus's decisions.

  • Egg and shell

    Kill the serpent in the shell.

    Use it when: Brutus's reasoning.

  • Dream then flattery

    Calpurnia's dream, Decius's flattery.

    Use it when: Scene 2.

Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II): solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Brutus and Antony · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which phrase does Brutus use to refuse to kill Antony?
(a) "sacrificers, but not butchers" (b) "beware" (c) "lean and hungry" (d) "friends, Romans"

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Act II, Scene 1 (1).

Answer: (a) "sacrificers, but not butchers".

Example 2: Name the decisions (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the three decisions Brutus makes against Cassius's wishes.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. No oath (1)
  2. No Cicero (1)
  3. Spare Antony (1).

Answer: He refuses an oath, refuses to include Cicero and refuses to kill Antony.

Example 3: The serpent's egg (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain Brutus's image of the serpent's egg and what it reveals about his reasoning.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Meaning (1)
  2. Caesar might change (1)
  3. Pre-emptive (1)
  4. Weakness (1).

Answer: Brutus says Caesar should be treated like a serpent's egg, killed in the shell before it becomes harmful. It shows he is acting on what Caesar might become, not on his deeds, so his reasoning rests on fear, though he presents it as honour.

Example 4: Compare Portia and Calpurnia (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Compare the two wives in Act II in two points of similarity and difference.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Both sense danger (1)
  2. Both plead (1)
  3. Portia brave, Calpurnia fearful (1)
  4. Outcome (1).

Answer: Both wives sense danger and plead with their husbands. Portia is brave and wounds herself to prove her constancy, and Brutus promises to confide in her; Calpurnia is frightened by dreams and omens, and Caesar overrules her after Decius's flattery.

Example 5: Was Brutus right? (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Do you think Brutus acts wisely when he leaves Antony alive? Give your view with two reasons.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. View (1)
  2. Reason one (1)
  3. Reason two (1)
  4. Evidence (1).

Answer: It is a mistake. Brutus underrates Antony by calling him a limb of Caesar who can do nothing once the head is gone, but Cassius warned that Antony is shrewd. Antony's speech in Act III turns the people against the conspirators, so sparing him proves disastrous.

Where students lose marks in Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II)

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Confusing the wives

    Their roles are mixed.

    Wrong working

    Calpurnia wounds herself.

    Right working

    Portia wounds herself; Calpurnia has the dream.

    Do this: Make a two-column list.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

  • Mistake: Judging without reasons

    View alone.

    Wrong working

    Brutus was wrong.

    Right working

    Brutus was wrong because Antony was shrewd.

    Do this: Add evidence.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

  • Mistake: Calling the decision Cassius's

    Speaker confusion.

    Wrong working

    Cassius spares Antony.

    Right working

    Brutus spares Antony.

    Do this: Know who decides.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

Exam tips

  • Learn the three decisions of Brutus.
  • Compare characters point by point.
  • Give a view with two reasons.
  • Link a warning to Caesar's pride.
  • Use short phrases only from the play.

Practice questions on Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II)

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Who persuades Caesar to go to the Senate?
    (a) Decius (b) Cassius (c) Portia (d) Ligarius

    Hint

    Flattery.

    Answer

    (a) Decius.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Whose daughter is Portia, and how does she prove her constancy? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Chapter page.

    Answer

    She is the daughter of Cato and shows a wound she gave herself in the thigh.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Why does Brutus refuse an oath from the conspirators? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Think of honour.

    Answer

    He says the word of Romans is enough, so an oath would insult the honourable cause.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What is the anachronism in the orchard scene and what is its effect? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Chapter page device list.

    Answer

    A clock strikes, though striking clocks did not exist in ancient Rome. The sound marks time running out for Caesar.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How does Decius undo the effect of Calpurnia's warning? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Think of pride.

    Answer

    He flatters Caesar, and Caesar's pride makes him set aside the dream and the omens, so he goes to the Senate despite his wife's plea.

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Compare how Brutus and Cassius plan the conspiracy, and say which judgement proves better. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Use Antony and Cicero.

    Answer

    Cassius is practical and wants Antony killed; Brutus is idealistic and refuses. Cassius's warning about Antony proves better, as Brutus's idealism lets a dangerous enemy live.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Whose house shows the dream?Show answer

    Caesar's.

  2. 2.Who is Portia's father?Show answer

    Cato.

  3. 3.Who flatters Caesar?Show answer

    Decius.

  4. 4.What does Brutus refuse?Show answer

    An oath, Cicero and Antony's death.

  5. 5.How many scenes?Show answer

    Four.

  6. 6.What does the striking clock show?Show answer

    An anachronism marking time.

Brutus Decides: The Conspirators, Portia and Calpurnia (Julius Caesar Act II): frequently asked questions

Which portion is this?

This page covers Act II of the prescribed play.

Is this the most asked Act?

Brutus's decisions and the Calpurnia–Decius scene are common bases for reasoning questions.

Format?

Expect short answers, extract-based questions and long answer questions.