As he describes the boat she was in on the day they met, Enobarbus’ language gives connotations of wealth and extremity. He portrays the boat as a “burnish’d throne”, that “the poop was beaten gold” and “the oars were silver”. Along with references to her “cloth-of-gold”, we can see her personality reflected in these assets; very over-the-top and ostentatious.
After meeting Antony in her lavish royal barge, she invited him to be her guest. Incredibly opulent, as well as being an exceptional hostess, she won his heart.
Agrippa however, has a much more ‘Roman’ view on Cleopatra, proclaiming “Royal wench!” as he hears the tales. This mirrors many other events in the play, where Cleopatra is condemned by the Romans, not only for seducing the great soldier Antony, but for her Egyptian heritage. An example of this is in Act I, when Philo and Demetrius criticize Antony’s neglected, labelling Cleopatra as a “wrangling queen” and a “slave”. She is also called “Salt Cleopatra” and an enchantress who has made Antony “the noble ruin of her magic” later on in the play.
But to view Cleopatra as such is to reduce her character to the rather narrow perspective of the Romans, who standing to lose their honour through her agency, are most threatened by her. This threat has much to do with Cleopatra’s beauty and open sexuality, which, as points out, is “awe-inspiring”. Her passion, grief, and outrage are outspoken to the most dramatic and captivating level. Enobarbus then goes on to tell another story of Cleopatra, on an occasion when she was out of breath on a public street. At that moment, Enobarbus says, she was no less splendid than when she was in her barge. She can "make defect perfection"
Cleopatra, throughout the play leaves her onlookers breathless, both when she is losing her temper with a servant or making extravagant gestures towards Antony.
Enobarbus’ lengthy description of Cleopatra in this passage testifies to Cleopatra’s power, and ability to captivate. Her beauty is so incomparable, her charms so strong that the “vilest things / Become themselves in her, that the holy priests / Bless her when she is riggish”. This ‘talent’ of turning the “vilest things” into things of beauty, and for overturning entire systems of morality so that priests alter their understanding of what is holy and what is sinful, is Cleopatra’s greatest strength, and the Romans’ greatest fear.
The language is hugely contrasting from that used before, such as “flower-soft hands” and “perfumed”. These are very sensual words, used to describe the moment when Cleopatra is coming to meet Antony in her magnificent boat. These also contrast Egypt to Rome, which is very logical, dutiful and seemingly dull compared with the emotional and mysterious Egyptian ways.
Comparing the queen to Venus, Goddess of love, Enobarbus maintains that Antony will never be able to leave her, despite obstacles such as his marriage to Octavia.
This passage lets us see that Enobarbus is obviously quite sensitive to the charms of the East, and more importantly, to the charms of Cleopatra. He predicts, indiscreetly considering he is speaking with a close associate of Caesar, correctly that Antony will never leave her.
