Cato, a Tragedy

Marcus is Cato’s son and the brother of Portius and Marcia. He allies himself with his father and ultimately dies valiantly in battle, emphasizing his adherence to virtue, saying that his passions “should rise and fall by virtue’s nicest rules” (33). He is largely consumed by his love for Lucia, though, saying his “successless love” “plant[s] daggers in my heart, and aggravate[s] / My other griefs” (6). He is also known for his temper, which keeps Portius and Lucia from revealing their romance to him.

Portius is Cato’s other son and the brother of Marcus and Marcia. Like his father, he is an honorable man; agreeing with Lucia that the two cannot be together and hurt Marcus, and saying his heart “leaps at the trumpet’s voice, and burns for glory” before going into war (38). At the same time, he is more driven by emotion than his father; he is incapable of telling Marcus about his love of Lucia and apologizes for being sad over his father’s decision to commit suicide. “Forgive your son, / Whose grief hangs heavy on him,” he says (55).

Sempronius is a Roman senator who conspires against Cato for denying him his daughter Marcia. Sempronius instead allies himself with Caesar, who he believes will give him Marcia as a “reward” (9). Unlike Cato, Sempronius is driven by ambition over virtue and often relies on dishonesty and deceit, proclaiming his love for Cato and Rome only to mask his true selfish intentions. “I’ll conceal / My thoughts in passion,” he tells Syphax (10). He also describes his desire for Marcia—who “like[s] not that loud, boist’rous man” (43)—in domineering, not loving, tones: “I long to clasp that haughty maid, / And bend her stubborn virtue to my passion,” he states (42).

Syphax is a Numidian allied with Sempronius, who describes him as “well disposed to mischief” (9). Much like Sempronius, he is dishonest and deceitful, attempting to ingratiate himself with characters like Juba to get ahead. Unlike the Roman characters and Juba, Syphax does not revere honor; after suggesting that Juba should kidnap Marcia to get around Cato’s disapproval, Syphax tells Juba that honor is “a fine imaginary notion, / That draws in raw and inexperienced men / To real mischiefs” (27).

Juba is a Numidian prince who is allied with Cato and in love with Marcia. He also has a strong sense of honor and virtue; Cato praises his virtue, and he tells Syphax that honor is a “sacred tie” (29). At the same time, Juba shows more emotion and desire for personal gain than many of the Romans do: he suggests to Cato that they should flee Utica; expresses surprise that Cato does not mourn Marcus’s death; and after Marcia confesses his love for him, he says he does not care about what happens in battle when he has such a good fate for himself. “Let Caesar have the world, if Marcia’s mine,” he pronounces (47).

Lucius is a Roman senator and Lucia’s father, and he is Cato’s ally. He is largely defined by his desire for peace instead of war with Caesar; he urges Cato to surrender to Caesar to keep himself alive. Lucius tells the senate that they should “sheathe the sword, and spare mankind” (19); later, when Cato has realized that “the conquer’d world / Is Caesar’s,” Lucius suggests that Cato should “submit to Caesar, / And reconcile thy mighty soul to life” (49).

Lucia is Lucius’s daughter who is loved by both Marcus and Portius. She loves Portius and fears Marcus’s temper. Much like the other characters, Lucia is very virtuous; she asserts she cannot be with Portius because she is too concerned about the effect it would have on his family.