Using Act III Scene 13, how does Shakespeare present the character of Mark Antony?
Using Act III Scene 13, how does Shakespeare present the character of Mark Antony? In Act III Scene 13, Antony receives the news that Cleopatra’s request has been granted, and his ignored. He sends an ambassador to propose a duel between himself and Caesar. Then Caesar’s ambassador comes in, and as he is kissing Cleopatra’s hand, Antony walks in. He orders for the ambassador, Thidias, to be whipped, inviting Caesar to do the same to his own ambassador. He then shouts angrily at Cleopatra; not only because of Thidias, but also because she was the reason he left the naval battle. After Cleopatra has satisfied Antony with her responses. He then resolves to fight Caesar, and behaves as he did in Julius Caesar, a brave warrior; Shakespeare here shows that Antony has returned to his former self, or at least a close approximation to the attitude displayed in Julius Caesar. In the opening of the scene, Shakespeare presents Antony in a very negative light; Enobarbus says that Antony’s ‘captainship’, his competence as a captain, has been ‘nicked’ by his infatuation with Cleopatra: ‘The itch of his affection should not then/ Have nicked his captainship’. Shakespeare’s word choice makes this a particularly demeaning comment; the fact that Antony’s love for Cleopatra is reduced to an ‘itch’ here shows that Enobarbus clearly does not think very highly of Antony’s affection, as it is a very diminuting adjective. Also, it is clear that Enobarbus disapproves of Antony’s priorities, as he speaks with conviction against it; he uses a model verb to voice his opinion; ‘should not then’. This is indicative of just how strongly Enobarbus feels about Antony’s pursuit of Cleopatra. The way that Enobarbus brings up the idea that affection ‘nicked his [Antony’s] captainship’ presents Antony as a character who is far from level-headed; to lose ‘captainship’ at such a vital time would have been unthinkable in Roman times, with honour and valour
being key traits; it was seen as a sign of nobility for one, rather than retreat or be captured, to commit suicide, fall on his sword. A sword duel is the first thing Antony wishes to propose to Caesar, which presents him in a different light. On the one hand, it can be seen as a brave and noble thing to do. However, it is unrealistic to expect Caesar to accept, and is a very foolhardy, unprofessional stance to take. Antony says he wants Caesar to answer him ‘sword against sword,/ Ourselves [themselves] alone’, which seems more of a dramatic ...
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being key traits; it was seen as a sign of nobility for one, rather than retreat or be captured, to commit suicide, fall on his sword. A sword duel is the first thing Antony wishes to propose to Caesar, which presents him in a different light. On the one hand, it can be seen as a brave and noble thing to do. However, it is unrealistic to expect Caesar to accept, and is a very foolhardy, unprofessional stance to take. Antony says he wants Caesar to answer him ‘sword against sword,/ Ourselves [themselves] alone’, which seems more of a dramatic gesture than a genuine battle tactic. Shakespeare may here have wanted to present Antony as a desperate, irrational character at this point; in context, this seems to bewhat Antony is doing, and the speed with which he resolves to offer a dual shows that he hasn’t considered it at all; it appears he wants to think and act fast just for the sake of it, rather than making precise tactical decisions. Therefore, it becomes clear that Shakespeare is presenting Antony as a foolhardy character; although one may take the view that this promise of action is better than no action at all, this is ultimately what it amounts to anyway; Antony should know full well that Caesar, who is not a front-line soldier, would never agree to such a proposal. Enobarbus, who throughout this scene is pessimistic about Antony’s actions, is used by Shakespeare to present the negative side of Antony. This provides the audience with several opinions, allowing them to ultimately decide whether or not Antony is being completely imprudent, or merely headstrong. When Enobarbus says ‘Caesar, the hast subdued/ His judgement too’, he is presenting Antony’s proposal as the brash, unrealistic action it really is. The word ‘subdued’ shows that Enobarbus believes that Caesar’s action have constrained Antony, and got him completely under wraps. Also, the way Shakespeare chooses the word ‘too’ shows that Enobarbus believes that Caesar already has Antony subdued politically or militarily. This negative outlook presents Antony’s political and military situation as a dire one. In an aside, Enobarbus likens Antony’s situation to a sinking ship, and makes a reference to the fact that some of Antony’s top generals have already deserted to join Caesar: ‘Sir, Sir, thou art so leaky/ That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for/ Thy dearest quit thee’. The repetition of ‘Sir’ emphasises the whole clause, henceforth highlighting the metaphor that Antony is a leaky ship. It is also indicative of tone; such a repetition implies a manner of pleading to someone who refuses to take good advice. The fact that he again uses a modal verb, ‘we must leave thee’ shows that he is absolutely convinced of Antony’s failure, and has lost all faith in him. This presents Antony as a hopeless shadow of what he was in Julius Caesar; Enobarbus is seemingly loyal throughout the play, and now he feels he ‘must’ leave Antony. The reference to the generals leaving Antony, ‘Thy dearest quit thee’ was no doubt added by Shakespeare not only to re-iterate that the generals have defected, but also to underline the point that Enobarbus is going to follow suit. Antony seems to regain confidence later on in the scene, presenting him as a far stronger character. He speaks with conviction and passion when addressing Thidias: ‘Now, gods and devils!/ Authority melts from me… I am Antony yet!’ The fact that he is addressing the gods, and precedes with ‘now’ implies that he has had an epiphany, due to the sudden nature of this outburst, and also that he is addressing ‘gods and devils’ implies a dramatic significance. The metaphor of having authority melting from him shows that he really feels in control, presenting him as a dominating, controlling character. ‘I am Antony yet’ is a device used by Shakespeare to encourage the audience to recall the associations drawn between the name ‘Antony’ and his attitude and character in Julius Caesar; here, he is presented as returning to his former glory. Later, he says ‘I and my sword will earn our chronicle./ There’s hope in’t yet,’ which contrasts with Enobarbus’ view; Shakespeare is here presenting Antony as a strong, optimistic character who refuses to give up without a fight. ‘I and my sword’ implies he has a certain affinity for his weapon; Shakespeare here is presenting him as a strong, soldierly character, no longer the love-struck fool. That’s not to say he no longer feels affection for Cleopatra, rather that he simply has political priorities in perspective at this point. Cleopatra expresses her opinions on Antony’s change in attitude in a very positive manner, and she alludes to his previous identity, the brave soldier he was in Julius Caesar. She says that her ‘lord/ Is Antony again’, which is yet another reference to the associations the audience are expected to make with the great Mark Antony at the end of Julius Caesar, similar to when Antony says ‘I am Antony yet’. By repetition of the idea that Antony is going to live up to his name/reputation, Shakespeare presents him in a positive light, as his character traits before meeting Cleopatra are consistently described in a positive light throughout the play. This repetition is Shakespeare’s way of really stressing the greatness of the ‘old’ Mark Antony, which all builds up to this moment; the idea that he has returned to greatness is a more powerful image. However, it is not all that simple; whilst Shakespeare uses the characters of Antony and Cleopatra to present Antony in a positive way, Enobarbus remains treacherously sceptical. Enobarbus’ cynicism and negativity regarding Antony is almost contemptuous at the end of the scene, as he determines to leave Antony: ‘A diminution in our captain’s brain/ Restores his heart. When valour preys on reason,/ It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek/ Some way to leave him.’ Here, Shakespeare presents a converse argument on Antony, underlining the negative points to counteract each positive. Enobarbus essentially says that Antony has sacrificed his ‘brain’ for his ‘heart’, and repeats the idea on a more conscious than physical level, saying ‘when honour preys on reason…’. This repetition of the concept that Antony has decided to forget all rationality is very un-Roman, as Rome is portrayed as being the country of reason, Egypt that of passion. Nevertheless, ‘valour’ shows some praise for Antony, so Shakespeare is here presenting a seemingly balanced argument. However, he then goes on to say that valour ‘eats the sword it fights with’; in other words, when reason is ignored, the valour actually becomes counter-productive. Enobarbus’ strong views on the matter present Antony as a character who has regained his heart and valour, yet has given in to passion and ignored reason. Also, one must consider this: at the end of Julius Caesar, Antony’s crowning achievement was not a headstrong attitude to battle, but rather political savvy; this all-important aspect of the ‘old’ Antony has all-but gone, by the way Shakespeare presents him through Enobarbus. Enobarbus also confirms that, after Antony’s recent outburst, he ‘will… leave him’; this is clear evidence that Enobarbus sees Antony’s recent actions as so terrible that he resolves once and for all to leave him. In conclusion, Antony is not presented in a distinctively positive or negative light, but rather in a nondescript shade of grey; Shakespeare presents various characters’ opinions of Antony, leaving it up to the audience to decide whether or not he has returned to his former greatness. However, it seems apparent that he has certainly regained his vigour and drive, as he resolves to fight. However, Shakespeare points out, via Enobarbus, that essentially what Antony is doing may be brave but is not clever; the intellectual, calculating side of Antony, witnessed in Julius Caesar has as good as vanished from Antony. Enobarbus concludes the scene with a reflection on Antony, essentially saying that he has gained back his heart but lost his mind; the audience are left to decide for themselves whether or not valour or reason are the more important traits, and therefore evaluate Antony. - PAGE 4 -