Do you agree that this is essentially how Shakespeare presents the opposition between East and West in 'Antony and Cleopatra?'
Shakespeare used as his source for the play North's translation of Plutarch's 'Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.' Plutarch, along with other Greek and Roman authors, saw an opposition between the conquering West, standing for moral and political virtue, and the conquered East, representing luxury and decadence. Do you agree that this is essentially how Shakespeare presents the opposition between East and West in 'Antony and Cleopatra?' 'Rome' and 'Egypt' have significance far beyond physical locations; they symbolize two oppositional value systems essential within both society and the psyche. The world of 'Antony and Cleopatra' is riddled with polarised opposites, such as civilisation and nature, public and private, and, perhaps most importantly, passion and honour. The inability of the East and West to reconcile their values inevitably causes conflict, forcing Antony, the tragic protagonist, to choose between the spheres. In suicide, he transcends the limitations the world thrusts upon him; joined later by Cleopatra, who finally discovers the significance of Western values, in a triumphant death. The notion of either sphere having moral superiority to the other is moot; Shakespeare passes no concrete judgement, and no simple platitude of 'good and evil' could suffice to explain the complex behaviour of the principal characters. Neither Egypt nor Rome seems to be
Antony in "Antony and Cleopatra" I.i-II.iv
Antony in "Antony and Cleopatra" I.i.1-II.vi.65 Antony, one third of the triumvirate, the leaders of the Roman Empire, is a skilful and powerful general, in love with Cleopatra, who constantly mocks Antony, leading to a joke power struggle in the opening scenes of the play. Despite originally being known as a powerful and respected leader, certain members of Antony's company, like Philo, believe that he is wasting his time in Egypt with Cleopatra, and that Antony is not doing his duty as a member of the triumvirate: Philo: Nay, but this dotage of our general's O'er flows the measure. Those his goodly eyes, ... now bend, now turn The office and devotion of their view Upon a tawny front. His captain's heart... Reneges all temper And is become the bellows and the fan To cool a gypsy's lust. Take but good note, and you shall see him The triple pillar of the world transformed Into a strumpet's fool. (I.ii.1-14) Philo means that, since being in Egypt with Cleopatra (the "tawny front" and "strumpet") Antony's solider persona has become weakened, and he now lives to be a plaything for Cleopatra. The "triple pillar of the world" means that he is a member of the ruling triumvirate, and this insinuates that Antony is not doing his job properly, or does not care about Rome. This is confirmed a few lines later, twice by Antony himself: Messenger: News, my good
How is Cleopatra's 'infinite variety' reflected in the language that she uses? In your answer you should include detailed reference to at least 2 passages from the play.
How is Cleopatra's 'infinite variety' reflected in the language that she uses? In your answer you should include detailed reference to at least 2 passages from the play. Throughout the play many sides of Cleopatra are shown, this suggests she is constantly masking her true feelings, this ability shows her as a good queen of Egypt, but also a stubborn, yet scared person. The first passage I will refer to is Act I, Scene 1, where Antony and Cleopatra are happy and flirtatious. Here Cleopatra is portrayed as a flirtatious and dominant character, almost like a 'femme fatale' with her use of language suggesting this via words and statements such as "If it be love indeed, tell me how much", "Hear the ambassadors", these two statements are direct and dominant, she tells Antony to do these things rather than asking him. Also, the way she talks about love in this manner shows her as independent and strong. In this scene she also teases and manipulates Antony with her talk of Fulvia, his wife, and Caesar's hold over him, this is encouraging him to write them off and declare his loyalty to her, as he seems to be doing with his statement "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch of the rang'd Empire fall: here is my space". Although this scene shows Antony and Cleopatra's love, it also shows Cleopatra's strong will and manipulation skills, as can be seen on many occasions
Examine the contrast between Cleopatra and Octavia. How do they embody different aspects of womanhood and how is this opposition useful in developing the themes and actions of the play?
Examine the contrast between Cleopatra and Octavia. How do they embody different aspects of womanhood and how is this opposition useful in developing the themes and actions of the play? How might the distinction be given different emphases in performance? Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's most dramatic plays; however it has not been staged nearly as many as plays such as Hamlet or Macbeth because it is such a hard play to produce due to its enormous variety of content. However the mere strength of the characters within the play creates intense tragic possibilities, despite the difficulties that may be faced in production. Cleopatra and Octavia are contrasting characters in the play Antony and Cleopatra. Each embodies different aspects of womanhood; each is a model of the qualities that should be seen from the country and culture they belong to. The play centres around the contrast between the lavishness of Egypt with the lineal qualities of the Roman Empire. Egypt is a country of luxurious feasts where eight wild boars are roasted for a breakfast for twelve people (2.2.189-90) and parties; it is a very sexualised place whereas Rome is a country characterised by politics, scenes of intellectuals and battles, thus the lives and loves of a Roman stand in opposition to the lives and loves of an Egyptian. Cleopatra is a symbol of Egyptian luxury, passion and lust
Write a concise account of the history of the Lutheran passion up to Bach's Matthew Passion. Were all the developments improvements?
Write a concise account of the history of the Lutheran passion up to Bach's Matthew Passion. Were all the developments improvements? Passion music, i.e. the setting of the Passion of Christ to music for performance during Holy Week, has been a tradition for centuries. It has gone through many changes, the most dramatic of which occurred during and after the Reformation in Germany. These are called Lutheran Passions, because they are most influenced by the style and theology of Martin Luther and the composers were usually writing for the Lutheran Church in Germany. I would like to discuss the developments that occurred and explain what I think and whether or not they were improvements. Overall I think the changes to the style were positive, and necessary for the survival and popularity of the genre. The performance of the Passion dates back to the very early church; the dramatic spoken recital of gospels in church can be traced back to the fourth century. The performance of sung passions was established by the twelfth century, where 3 clergy members sang; the narrator was a tenor, Christ a bass and the crowd were represented by an alto. In the Middle Ages, some simple choral participation was added as the crowd part and it became the Responsorial Passion. The motet, another type of passion, was the product of the Renaissance, and the 17th Century brought the Oratorio Passion
How does Shakespeare explore the relationship between man and woman in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’? Examine how both a Jacobean audience and a contemporary audience would respond to these relationships
How does Shakespeare explore the relationship between man and woman in 'Antony and Cleopatra'? Examine how both a Jacobean audience and a contemporary audience would respond to these relationships The interesting thing about the play 'Antony and Cleopatra' is that it touches on issues that are as relevant now as they were in Jacobean times. The issues of forbidden love, of honour and privilege, of the right to give everything up for the one you love. Modern films pull in thousands of pounds at the box office dealing with these subjects, many of which are pathetically inferior to Shakespeare's play. They fail to inject his passion, his intensity or his wit and yet Shakespeare is much overlooked today. Keeping this in mind, I intend to examine how the relationship between the two sexes is explored by Shakespeare and how he makes the play vigorous and enthralling by manipulating this relationship. Also I hope to discover how relevant 'Antony and Cleopatra' is to the modern audience and how, if it is somewhat shocking and ground-breaking in today's society, must it have been received in Jacobean times. The basic relationship between man and woman in the play is, of course, the affair of Antony and Cleopatra. This is rightly so, for none of the other dalliances between the sexes are as varied and complex as theirs. In one
Contrast and how it is used to heighten differences in Antony and Cleopatra.
Contrast and how it is used to heighten differences in Antony and Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra is a stage play written by William Shakespeare in the 17th Century. The plot of Antony and Cleopatra is centred round the struggle between East and West, which is not only between two geographically distinct empires but also between two diametrically opposed views. Shakespeare used all his literary tools to transform this historic story to a comedic tragedy. Shakespeare, when writing the opening scene, was very aware that he had to capture the audience's attention and interest. He opens with a Roman point of view "Nay, but this dotage of our general's overflows the measure," although the play is set in Alexandria, Egypt. This is the first contrast used to capture the audience's attention because they will be curious to why a roman soldier would be in Egypt. The audience is then shown throughout the play the opposition between the conquering West, standing for moral and political virtue, and the conquering East representing luxury and decadence. The structure of Antony and Cleopatra is comprised of opposites. There is a marked contrast between the Roman scenes that are full of information and political strategies and the Egyptian ones that contain elements of self-expression and the pursuit of pleasure. Shakespeare's play shifts between these two opposites, constantly
How does Shakespeare capture the audiences' attention at the outset of the play?
How does Shakespeare capture the audiences' attention at the outset of the play? Shakespeare probably completed Anthony and Cleopatra towards the end of 1606 or early in 1607, after he had finished Macbeth and before he embarked on Coriolanus. Shakespeare, when writing the opening scene was very aware that he had to capture the audience's attention and interest therefore he opens with a Roman point of view "Nay, but this dotage of our general's overflows the measure," although the play is set in Alexandria Egypt. This will capture the audiences attention because they will be curious to why a roman soldier would be in Egypt. The opening presents the audience with Roman disapproval preparing us for the play later on, which is a miniature version of the whole story. Cleopatra and Anthony lead their lives in public everybody knows everything about their relationship and is often the most talked about subject by the servants, who help bring the plot along. The text in the opening of the outset, spoken by Philo one of Anthony's followers, prepares us for their entrance by calling Cleopatra "a gypsy" a term used for a slag, and Anthony "a strumpets fool"- this is how they both behave. The audience are put right in the thick of it, there is argument between the two main characters, Anthony and Cleopatra, and a relationship is established. In my opinion there is not a better way
Caesar in "Antony and Cleopatra" I.i-III.iii
Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra Octavius Caesar has a pivotal role to play in Antony and Cleopatra: as a member of the triumvirate (the ruling council of the Roman Empire, composed of three members, the others being Lepidus and Antony), he has the responsibility to run part of Empire, he also has a long-standing rivalry with Antony, and dislike Antony's relaxed mood, especially his affair with Cleopatra. We first see Caesar towards the end of scene one, where he is criticising Antony for spending too much time with Cleopatra. Two common habits of Caesar are shown in the first few lines of this scene: It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate our great competitor [Antony] ... he fishes, drinks and wastes the lamps of night in revel. (I.iv.2-3a, 4b-5a) Not only does Caesar like to himself in the third person ("Caesar's natural vice...") he also has a tendency to criticises anyone who likes to enjoy themselves; this is seen again at the feast on Pompey's ship. Caesar then goes on to list more of Antony's faults, as Lepidus, ever eager to stop any arguing, tries in vain to excuse Antony, and calm Caesar down: Lepidus: I must not think that there are Evils enough to darken all his [Antony's] goodness. Caesar: Let's grant that it is not Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy, [To] keep the turn of tippling with a slave ... and stand the buffet With
How are Rome and Egypt presented in Shakespere's "Antony and Cleopatra"
HOW ARE ROME AND EGYPT PRESENTED WITHIN THE PLAY? The play is set in the decade between 40 and 30 B.C., when Rome is securing its hold on the entire known world. What is at stake, the play reminds us over and over, is not just Rome, and not just the Roman Empire, but the world itself. Antony and Cleopatra details the conflict between Rome and Egypt, giving us an ides of the Elizabethan perceptions of the difference between Western and Eastern cultures, it does not however, make a conclusive statement about which culture ultimately triumphs. In the play, the Western and Eastern poles of the world are characterised by those who inhabit them: Caesar, for example, expresses the emotionless duty of the West, while Cleopatra, in all her theatrical grandeur, represents the free-flowing emotions of the East. Caesar's concerns throughout the play are imperial: he means to invade foreign lands in order to invest them with traditions and sensibilities of his own. The Roman understanding of Cleopatra and her kingdom seems very superficial, to Caesar the queen of Egypt is little more than a whore with flair for drama. His perspective allows little room for the real power of Cleopatra's sexuality-as she can persuade the most powerful men to follow her into dishonourable isolation. In his opening lines to Demetrius, Philo complains that Antony has abandoned the military endeavors on which
