Diagnosing Portia

Ripe Good Scholar

A little disclaimer about this episode. Dr. Lisa Grogan and I are talking about Portia from Julius Caesar. There is a significant discussion about self-harm and suicide, so if those are subjects that bother you, you may want to skip this episode.

“I have made strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here, in the thigh; can I bear that with patience and not my husband’s secrets?” Portia in Julius Caesar Act 2, Scene 1

Brutus’ wife, Portia, has a tiny part in Julius Caesar, but there is a lot to unpack there. We are introduced to Portia when she stabs herself in the leg to prove her loyalty to Brutus. Then, she has a clear panic attack when he goes to stab Caesar. Finally, we get the news that she committed suicide after being overwhelmed with anxiety about Brutus’ fate.

See what I mean? There’s a lot there, so I decided this would be an excellent topic for me to discuss with my dear friend Dr. Grogan and see what treatment options would be available to Portia today. This gets a little heavy, but please join us as we dive into the psyche of Portia.

Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-tales

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4056-minstrel-guild

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/