Explore Shakespeare's presentation of EITHER Cleopatra OR Antony in Act three Scene thirteen. How typical is their presentation here of the rest of the play?
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of EITHER Cleopatra OR Antony in Act three Scene thirteen. How typical is their presentation here of the rest of the play?
The presentation of Cleopatra in Act three Scene thirteen is quite ambiguous. Her presentation in the rest of the play is also very contrasting and distinct. I believe Shakespeare concentrated on demonstrating Cleopatra's personality and ambiguity to emphasise that, being the only central female in the play, it is even more surprising that she manages to act the way she does, with such an alarming range of emotions, for example forging illness for attention and accusing Antony of leaving Egypt for the wrong reasons. I think that Shakespeare wanted her character to be spontaneous, dramatic and attractive towards men so that the audience would build up very strong opinions of her, whether they are good or bad.
Throughout the play so far, Cleopatra has been presented as a very confident woman who adores playing numerous tricks with Antony. By Shakespeare creating the sense that Cleopatra controls Antony through her witty actions and words, it re-enforces her role in the novel as an independent, slightly deceitful woman. (1.1.14) 'If it be love indeed, tell me how much', this displays Cleopatra's clear determination in wanting to know how she is thought of by Antony. Shakespeare presents Cleopatra like this to prove that both her image and personality are very important to her because she is so desperate to know what Antonys opinion of her is. Here, Shakespeare's presentation of Cleopatra highlights her unique female qualities in a way that represents women throughout the play and Cleopatra as an individual. I believe this works well because the other main characters in this play are males and so are in contrast to the stereotypical female behaviour.
Cleopatra's persistency is shown when she answers Antony back instantly demanding the truth. Again she is shown as 'playing certain games'. Perhaps she is required to act like this toward Antony to declare herself in the male-dominated situation in which the play is set.
Most of the time in the play, Cleopatra does not need to be persistent towards Antony because he listens to first time, for example in Act three Scene seven when Antony is debating to himself whether to fight at sea or land, Cleopatra tells him confidently that he should fight at sea. After she makes this remark, Antony refuses to change his mind even though both Camidius and Enobarbus try to persuade him not to fight at sea. This emphasises Cleopatras easy control over Antony even more.
At the beginning of the play in Act one Scene three, Cleopatra is heard having a conversation with her two personal attendants about the ways in which you can attract a man. Cleopatra's side of the argument, (1.3.2) 'See where he is, who's with him, what he does: I did not send you. If you find him sad, Say I am dancing, if in mirth, report that I am sudden sick', presents her as an extremely jealous person. Shakespeare implies that Cleopatra is like this maybe because she literally cannot trust anyone as the majority of people around her are men and will not understand her as well as another female character would. If Shakespeare did have another prominent female character in the play, I do not think it would convey the same meaning because having one strong female character highlights the femininity well enough.
This line (1.3.2) also implies that Shakespeare was trying to show that women (in particular Cleopatra) want to be looked after and treated well but do not want to be looked down on; they especially do not want to be seen as being jealous in anyway because this would make them seem weak to any males that they want to impress. I think Shakespeare has presented Cleopatra very carefully and has taken into account the stereotypical female life in this time.
In the sixteenth century, the effect on the audience of Cleopatra's strong, powerful presence that shines ...
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This line (1.3.2) also implies that Shakespeare was trying to show that women (in particular Cleopatra) want to be looked after and treated well but do not want to be looked down on; they especially do not want to be seen as being jealous in anyway because this would make them seem weak to any males that they want to impress. I think Shakespeare has presented Cleopatra very carefully and has taken into account the stereotypical female life in this time.
In the sixteenth century, the effect on the audience of Cleopatra's strong, powerful presence that shines through continuously in the play would be of utter shock. The audience would portray Antony as the inferior and women in particular would be intrigued because being looked after and being financially supported by a man would have been the only life they knew. They would not be sympathetic toward Antony, which is the reaction I would expect most people to have reading the play now. This is because gender domination has evidently reversed itself since the 16th century. Four hundred years ago, the idea of women's liberation was a very unknown concept, nowadays however, we understand this view and can understand the differences that have taken place in society since then between the different gender roles.
Although Shakespeare had no idea whatsoever that gender roles would alter, I think he presents clearly here, the differences between his own views and the audiences' views in the 16th century on who should dominate and Cleopatra's views on who should dominate. He also obviously presents the contrasting side between Antony and Cleopatra's personalities and ambitions. As well as this, Shakespeare has presented these characters so that the audience can identify with them much easier, by giving them their flaws and imperfections so they that they do not seem like perfect, unrealistic characters but more like normal human beings, proving it to be an enticing play.
Charmian's opinion of the opposite sex is in great comparison to Cleopatra's, (1.3.9) 'In each thing, give him way, cross him in nothing', meaning give him everything he wants and let him have his space. Again, this would be viewed by the audience nowadays as completely ridiculous but by Shakespeare's audiences as correct yet comical at the same time because it would be a completely unfamiliar view. The way in which shakespeare uses a minor female character to contrast Cleopatras's opinion works well; it makes Cleopatra seem correct whereas if it was a male who was disagreeing with her, he may well be seen as the one who is right.
Because Shakespeare implies that Cleopatra does have flaws, the audience who may have previously been thinking that they don't like her character, now begin become more comfortable with her actions and consequences because they feel that she is like one of them. Shakespeare uses this technique to make the audience feel more at ease with the characters and for them to enjoy the play more.
In Act three scene thirteen, Cleopatra and Enobarbus are discussing whose fault it is that Antony left the battle. Thidias says to Cleopatra, (57-59.3.13) 'The scars upon your honour, therefore, he does pity as constrained blemishes, not as deserved'. Thidias is telling Cleopatra, after being told to do so by Caesar, that she does not deserve Antony; he has been scarred and has many faults. Shakespeare subtly brings Thidias in here to put Cleopatra in the delicate situation of making a decision to whether she joins Caesar's side or not. This is a very important time to make Cleopatra choose because it comes immediately after Antony has made the biggest mistake with his army by abandoning them. I believe Shakespeare wanted to show the audience where Cleopatra's priorities lie, for example, if she decided to go with Caesar, then obviously it is essential to her to be on the winning side but if she decided to stay with Antony then this would imply that she truly loves him. This test of her loyalty brings an intriguing point to the play as the situations following will greatly depend on her decision, so again Cleopatra has control.
In answer to Thidias, Cleopatra says, '...mine honour was not yielded, but conquered merely', implying that she has been beaten but has not given up. At this point, although Cleopatra is shown as being weaker than usual, her true personality shines through because she's denying that she's given up. Still aware of other people's opinions of her, she doesn't want to be seen as giving up because to her, to have given something a go is important. Shakespeare demonstrates well here how and where Cleopatra's loyalties lie.
Thidias bothers Cleopatra about whether she will change sides and Cleopatra praises Caesar and eventually says yes. Cleopatra could be seen to be slightly backing down here (73.3.13) to Caesar and not being her usual arrogant, 'superior to everyone else' self. Maybe this is because she is realising she has nowhere else to go if she leaves Antony and so she's keeping quiet and behaving herself as this is probably her worst possible situation - not being superior to most of everyone else. Because Shakespeare has presented Cleopatra becoming a bit apprehensive of the situation she is in, the audience are kept intrigued as to what will occur next. When Cleopatra is her usual ambiguous self, as said before, she can sometimes be quite predictable, but in this situation, the audience are now left to assume what might happen next.
Also in Act three Scene thirteen, we are given significant and good reason form Antony for Cleopatra to be allowed to act the way she does. When Antony walks in on Thidias kissing Cleopatra's hand (to her delight) he loses his temper. Antony is enraged and immediately accuses Cleopatra of conspiring against him. He wants Thidias to be whipped and ignores Cleopatra. I think that Shakespeare has presented Antony like this to emphasise Cleopatra's possible explanations for her superiority. If Antony acted like this all the time then Cleopatra may well have good reasons to think she can try and control him.
Cleopatra's behaviour and actions are often ambiguous and contradictory. One moment she's an enchanting queen who hides in her monument and the next, she's the 'nag of Egypt' and is courageously facing her death. Because the audience can identify clearly with Cleopatra, they begin to show more feelings towards her such as feeling sympathy when she's being singled out or disapproving of her. Shakespeare's presentation of Cleopatra allows his audience to become more involved in the play. One thing that the audience may particularly disapprove of is the fact that Cleopatra seems to think she has grown up since her 'salad days'. However she proves herself wrong because she shows the audience that she can deal adequately with the political problems of that time as well as dealing with everyday situations. Shakespeare implies that Cleopatra gradually grows in confidence to become who she is now.
We often find out what Cleopatra is like through other peoples opinions. Shakespeare has written the play like this to suggest that Cleopatra is very well known and easily described and explained. The information we get about Cleopatra through other characters often revolves around her relationship with that character (145.1.2) '...her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love'. Here, Enobarbus is speaking about Cleopatra and it is clear that he thinks she is very passionate. Cleopatra is probably the only character who is most well-known through other characters opinions as she is the only female character and the men in the play have numerous opinions of her.
Act two Scene five shows Cleopatra's aggressive and mistrustful side and this is a scene where her moods change quite often at speed. Her aggressive side is shown most prominently through her treatment of the messenger. She slaps him and even draws a knife to him because she jumps to conclusions with the information she has been given. This event has a slight comical element to it because the audience's reaction will be of shock and horror. The presentation of Cleopatra in this scene and of Antony in Act three scene thirteen is very similar and Shakespeare has pursued his presentation of them both to highlight the fact that as well as their differences, they do have many similarities. Because they are presented like this, the audience may begin to think that they belong together. There is an atmosphere of slight dramatic irony presented by Shakespeare here because Cleopatra especially will not admit to liking Antony and when the audience begin to realise that they suit each other's personalities, they know something that the characters do not.
Cleopatra adores Antony and is upset about his forthcoming marriage to Octavia. This is indirectly shown through her tremendous outburst towards the messenger who innocently brought her the news. This vicious side to Cleopatra is also shown at the beginning of Act two Scene five where she says, (12.2.5) '...Tawny-fine fishes, my bended hook shall pierce their slimy jaws and as I draw them up, I'll think them every one an Antony and say 'Ah, ha! You're caught." The metaphor that Shakespeare uses in this line about fishing implies that Cleopatra will think of Antony whilst fishing and will finally get revenge. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony here to emphasise this metaphor about Antony being a fish. It is comical that Shakespeare chose to use a fish as a metaphor because fish are slimy, squirmy, helpless mammals and this is what Shakespeare makes Antony seem like to Cleopatra.
Although this scene as a whole is quiet humorous, it is a scene in which Shakespeare can present Cleopatra's lack of control over her emotions with the messenger but also demonstrate Cleopatra's way of showing that she has true love for Antony.
Shakespeare relates Cleopatra's behaviour in Act three scene thirteen to the way in which the whole Act is structured. Cleopatra is very confused and the scenes represent this by being quite abrupt and out of sequence. All of the scenes in this Act are reasonably short and near the end of the Act, they do not seem to be linking together as well as usual. This is represented through the melting imagery in this Act, 'Let Rome into Tiber melt'. Also through the whole play, there is repetition of certain features relating to collapsing and melting. (90.3.13) 'Authority melts from me', spoken by Antony, suggests that things arre gradually slipping away and eveything is falling apart.
Overall, the way in which Cleopatra is presented by Shakespeare, through metaphors, form and language amongst other devices is very clear and portrays the feelings that he intended to show. I think Shakespeare has presented Cleopatra very carefully and has taken into account the stereotypical female life in the time that it was set. The characters are only creations designed to make an impression and although they are only this, Shakespeare has made them very impressionable and I think it gradually becomes clear that Cleopatra must use her female charms to survive and have any power in a male-dominated place.