Which character is Brutus's wife who kills herself by swallowing burning coal?

• A. Calpurnia
• B. Artemidorus
• C. Portia
• D. Lepidus

Answer: (C)

Portia is Brutus's wife, and she is known in the play for her fierce loyalty and resolve. She pleads with Brutus to share his thoughts and the burden of his secret plans, showing how deeply she wants to be part of his fate and to support him. When Brutus goes off to the camp and the strain of the conspiracy continues, Portia decides to prove she can bear pain and keep his secrets. She dies by swallowing a burning coal, a dramatic act meant to demonstrate extreme strength and to show that she can endure suffering without breaking. This moment highlights the personal cost of political turmoil and the way Brutus’s public actions spill into his private life. Calpurnia is Caesar’s wife who has ominous dreams about his fate; Artemidorus is the man who tries to warn Caesar with a letter; Lepidus is a political figure later in the play. Portia is the one who dies by swallowing burning coal.