Most of this play was based on fact and on writing from this time, so these characters were all actual people, except Enobarbus. Shakespeare created him, I think, so that the audience could understand Antony better. We hear many thoughts and feelings from Cleopatra when she talks to Charmian, and we hear many of Antony’s thoughts, and the audience get more of an insight of his character, from the way he talks to Enobarbus, which is just why Shakespeare created him.
Enobarbus is Antony’s right hand man and he has no status of his own and only has a status because of Antony. Despite having no status, Antony seems to depend on him as much as he depends on Antony. They seem to have a very close relationship which Shakespeare shows by the way he writes their speech to each other so informally. For example on page 17 Antony tells Enobarbus they must leave, any other person of his status and in his position would just start to arrange it, but because they are such good friends Enobarbus can joke with him ‘why then we kill all our women’ (line 130) which is very friendly and jocular. Their relationship, however, changes depending on where they are. As the country changes, so does their relationship and the way they treat each other. In Egypt it is as if they are no longer bound by rules and status, they are more carefree and enjoy them selves and seem to have a much better relationship as if they are equals in Egypt. However in Rome it is all politics and status again, and their relationship is very different, as it is now formal and instead of friends they are once again Master and Servant. This is made clear on page 53, lines 115-6 when Enobarbus speaks out and Antony reminds him of their standing by saying ‘thou art a soldier only. Speak no more.’ When Enobarbus hears this he says ‘the truth should be silent I had almost forgot’ which obviously creates a lot of tension between these two characters. I think their professional relationship is made difficult by the fact that they are so close as friends, because this is why Enobarbus spoke out in the first place, because in Egypt, he would have been allowed to.
Charmian is Cleopatra’s personal attendant and she is very apt at dealing with Cleopatra and her moods. When Cleopatra says that she will kill the messenger Charmian proceeds to tell her to ‘keep within yourself. The man is innocent.’ (page 71 line 76-7) which clearly calms Cleopatra because she apologises and says she was wrong, which, considering Cleopatra’s personality, is clearly not something she does often. Cleopatra seems to only ever admit that she may have been wrong to Charmian, which implies that they are actually very close and rely upon each other quite heavily. An example of this is when Cleopatra says ‘my salad days, when I was green in judgement, cold in blood, to say as I said then’ (page 39 lines 76-8). Charmian and Cleopatra are two opposites, Charmian is not a very strong character and is technically very unimportant to everyone, where as Cleopatra is a very strong and overbearing character and is the most important person in Egypt.
Enobarbus and Charmian have very similar roles with their principles. They would both be without status, were they not to have their principles, and they both seem to dote on them and have the utmost loyalty, which Enobarbus clearly shows when Antony tells him they must leave, and Enobarbus simply says ‘I shall do’t’ (page19 line 190). However after a closer look it is quite clear they are quite different characters. The main difference between these two characters is that Charmian stayed faithful to Cleopatra where as Enobarbus did not. Cleopatra and Charmian begin the play together, and they end it together, where as Antony and Enobarbus begin it together, and they end it very much apart. Although they begin the play as very good friends, as the play continues, Enobarbus starts to doubt Antony, he says to Antony ‘look, they weep, and I, an ass, am onion-eyed’ after he talks to the men. Shakespeare delivers this line through Enobarbus, because he is really the only person who would be allowed to say this to Antony, the only one who is allowed to question Antony’s judgement.
In the end all four of these characters die. This ending is in fact very similar to that of another Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. Cleopatra makes it known to Antony that she is dead, even though she is not, and Antony kills himself because of that, which then leads Cleopatra making that lie a truth. The way that they die is very similar mainly because they all do it by their own hand. Cleopatra and Charmian both die the same way, and Enobarbus and Antony both die the same way, which I think Shakespeare did to show that they were still connected, even though they were apart. Cleopatra is overcome with grief and applies a poisonous snake to her body until it bites and kills her, then Charmian also does the same once her mistress is dead. This shows that she obeys her mistress to the very end. I think that Charmian cares a great deal for Cleopatra because when Cleopatra and Charmian are both dead a guard tells Caesar that he ‘found her trimming up the diadem on her dead mistress’ (page 227 line 336-7) which I think shows great care and affection towards Cleopatra. Enobarbus realises what he has done, leaving his master and his best friend, when he was most needed and decides to kill himself. Enobarbus’ last words are for his master, as he dies he says ‘O Antony! O Antony!’ (page 171 line 23). Antony also dies by turning his sword on himself; however he first asked Eros to kill him, which shows that actually in the end, Enobarbus is stronger than Antony.
These characters are all very similar, and yet very different and I think that, no matter how they ended up, there is still an unbreakable bond between the servants and their masters, and Shakespeare portrays this very well throughout the play. Even when there was doubt from Enobarbus, his last words were for Antony, which still shows his loyalty. Charmian lived for her queen and she died for her queen, loyal until the end. They both behave with their principles in very unique ways which just enhances their own characters and makes them stand out not only as being their principles closest servants but also as being their own individual person.
