FLAVIUS CIMBER, a Roman tribune
METELLUS CIMBER, his brother
SAMPSON, a commoner
GREGORY, his lover
BENVOLIO, cousin to Gregory
JULIUS CAESAR, a flamboyant Roman politician
CAIUS CASSIUS, father to Romeo, conspirator against Julius Caesar
CINNA, conspirator
MARCUS BRUTUS, friend to Caesar, and conspirator against him
NURSE, bondwoman to Cassius
ROMEO, son to Cassius
PORTIA, wife to Brutus
LUCIUS, attendant to Brutus
ROSALINE, a Soothsayer
CINNA, a poet
Citizens, Attendants, Revelers, Soldiers, etc.
In Elizabethan and Jacobean England, it was illegal for women to appear upon the public stage. Hence, the plays of Shakespeare were written to be performed by an all-male company of actors with only a handful of female characters - largely secondary roles played by boys.
These male-heavy casts present a challenge in modern-day stagings, where the acting company is usually comprised of a more balanced troupe of men and women. To accommodate this, gender-blind casting is recommended for the plays of Shakespeare, as well as gender-reversal, to adapt the plays to the available talent pool.
The following suggested breakdown for this play provides an abbreviated cast of 13 actors - eight men, five women:
FEMALE
Cinna
Nurse
Portia
Rosaline
Benvolio / Cinna the Poet