Examine the Strengths and Weaknesses of Antony and Cleopatra's relationship and the significance love has on important events in the play.
Bianca Layne A-Level English Module 2, Shakespeare Examine the Strengths and Weaknesses of Antony and Cleopatra's relationship and the significance love has on important events in the play. Antony and Cleopatra's strengths in love fluctuate tremendously. Their behaviours toward each other create a chain reaction in the formation of events within the play. It is for these reasons, which determine the direction of the narrative. Antony behaviour is demonstrative of extreme strengths in his love toward Cleopatra, as he is prepared to neglect all his duties in Rome to stay in Egypt with her. His duties in Rome are very important to stabilise the triumvirate however, he still finds love more important. We see this when a messenger comes to call Antony back to Rome, his reply is: "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / of the ranged empire fall! Here is my space"(I.1.33)1 This shows his devotion to their love and shows the audience he has a sense of loves value. Antony uses hyperbole in his reply as he suggests that the river that flows through Rome will disappear or crumble and the bridge will collapse, before he will return, 'wide arch' also accentuates the strength of the bridge, this may show that Rome's might is so strong it does not need Antony. This use of language emphasizes how unlikely it is that Antony will leave Cleopatra. It shows he is prepared to see
Examine Shakespeare's handling of one of these relationships in any one of the plays and show how the balance of power swings between the two characters concerned throughout the course of the play.
Jaime Smith Examine Shakespeare's handling of one of these relationships in any one of the plays and show how the balance of power swings between the two characters concerned throughout the course of the play. In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of characterisation, plot, key scenes, theme or any other appropriate feature. Antony and Cleopatra is a play in which the balance of power swings interestingly between two lovers. It is set in the First Century BC between Rome and Egypt. Antony is one of the three members of the second triumvirate who jointly rule the Roman Empire. Antony is the eponymous tragic hero, who allows his love for Cleopatra to cloud his judgement. According to Aristotle this is hamartia, an error of judgment caused by fate. This leads to his downfall. Cleopatra is the Queen of Egypt; she is a very clever yet volatile lady. We follow their relationship and changes in power between them throughout the play in chronological order. The great feeling of love between the two characters allows the play to have unexpected twists. Culminating in both their suicides, unusually Cleopatra lives on past Antony's death. We can easily see the balance of power shift throughout the play, between Antony and Cleopatra. From the opening of the play we see the imbalance of power between the two as in Act one Scene one
Compare and contest the differing perspectives of Anthony and Cleopatra in act one.In your opinion which one of the characters is portrayed in a more positive light?
JOSHUA GRAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2005 Compare and contest the differing perspectives of Anthony and Cleopatra in act one. In your opinion which one of the characters is portrayed in a more positive light? Act one of Anthony and Cleopatra deals immediately with the different personalities of Anthony and Cleopatra. It shows the pressure of the outside world on their relationship. By the end of the act you are left unsure as to who is the more treacherous, who is more loving and are given different perspectives of Anthony and Cleopatra. At a quick glance over the act the reader would automatically point the finger at Cleopatra as being the more sinister of the two. However, with a more in depth look it would appear that this is not the case, and we are left challenged as to whom is seem in a more positive light. Anthony and Cleopatra was written in 1607 during a time of great change in Western Europe. Christian and Pagan world views interacted with each other in rich and often paradoxical ways and signs of that complicated interaction are present in many of Shakespeare works and is clearly evident in Anthony and Cleopatra. Anthony and Cleopatra is sometimes classified as a tragedy, however, because of it's uniqueness it is difficult to categorize. Many place it with the Roman plays, Julius Caesar and Cariallunis, all three use Plucharch's view of the noble Grecians and
Discuss the presentation of Cleopatra presented in Act 1
Discuss the presentation of Cleopatra presented in Act 1 In act 1 in Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra is presented as a dominant, sexually veracious, dramatic character that is totally besotted with Antony and wants to know everything about him when he is not around him. She comes across as a very complex character that seems to show a state of ambivalence that is of love and hate, by poking fun at and belittling Antony when he is present, but constantly wandering about him when he is gone even to the point of her conjuring up an image of him. It is apparent that one of Cleopatra's characteristics is her dominance and especially the dominance she holds over Antony. In their first exchange she illustrates herself to be the more dominant entity verbally compared to Antony. She forces Antony to keep on complimenting her by saying how much he loves her: "there's beggary in the love that can be reckoned...then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth [for his love]". From this short conversation, Cleopatra's dominance is illustrated by how she controls it: "if it be love indeed, tell me how much", showing that she is in total control even so much as by saying that she will tell him how much to love her: "I'll set a bourn how far to be beloved". Her dominance is presented in another way also later on when she deliberately belittles Antony by playing on his lack of
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
Final Paper: Antony and Cleopatra, The Demise of Fraternal Bond
Carel Alé Comp Lit 4BW Catherine McGraw Spring 2006 Final Paper: Antony and Cleopatra The Demise of Fraternal Bond Though Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is undeniably seen as the story of the romantic relationship between these two lovers, it is only through Antony's relationship with Caesar that the most accurate portrayal of events is made clear. As rulers triumvirate of Rome, Caesar and Antony possess a relationship that is not only unique in the world but extraordinary in its implications. Their individual successes and failures are tied to the other's thus creating an intense and seemingly unbreakable bond. It is not until Antony and Cleopatra meet that the weakness of the relationship between the two Roman rulers is evident. The failed relationship between Antony and Caesar demonstrates the futility of Antony's struggle against the fated demise of his rule at the hands of Cleopatra's affection and brings with it a mournful acceptance of human limitations. Antony's inability to adequately prioritize his obligations causes him to neglect his relationship with Caesar in spite of the fact that his true place and most valuable responsibility is in Rome. Being one of the three rulers of Rome bestows upon Antony a very unique task with grave global implications and yet, when he is in Egypt, Antony unashamedly disregards his greater commitment to this
Compare the roles of Enobarbus and Charmian
Analyse the way that Shakespeare uses language to compare roles of Enobarbus and Charmian and the ways they behave with their principles From Shakespeare's use of language it is very easy to become enthralled by the lives of these characters. They are all individuals yet they are also couples, Cleopatra and Antony, Charmian and Cleopatra, Enobarbus and Antony. They all have their own unique relationships which are different but often the same in many respects. With all of them it is easy to see their loyalty but also their deceit, for example when Antony marries Octavia, Cleopatra finds it very hard to believe and she feels betrayed and upset as she makes clear to Charmian on page 73 lines 120-1 'pity me, Charmian, but do not speak to me'. Antony is a well respected and well known general who fought alongside the late Julius Caesar in some of the best planned battles known to man, even today, and because of this Antony is generally spoken to with respect by most people. It is clear he is well respected and sought after when even Caesar admits he is in need of Antony's help on page 51 line 95-6 when Caesar claims he asked Antony 'to lend me arms and aid when I required them, the which you both denied' this shows how powerful Antony has become when the Emperor of Rome asks him for his help. He and Cleopatra are lovers, but it would seem that there are very few who
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Rome and Egypt in Antony and Cleopatra
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Rome and Egypt in Antony and Cleopatra As the title clearly suggests, Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is based around the extraordinary relationship among two distinctive individuals, one a Roman general and the other an Egyptian queen. Along with Caesar who is also a Roman general, these entities dominate the play's tragic storyline progression. However whilst Antony and Cleopatra centres around a provocative love affair, Shakespeare makes it evident that there is a good deal larger tensions involved, a collision course between two worlds. Antony and Cleopatra details the conflict between Rome and Egypt, it demonstrates the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, however it does not make a clear statement over which culture ultimately triumphs. In the play the Western and Eastern cultures of the world are symbolised by those who reside in them. Caesar for example, personifies the strict and unbending duty of the West. While Cleopatra, in all her pretentious magnificence, embodies the graceful passions of the East. Caesar's anxieties right through the play are undoubtedly imposing: he means to occupy foreign lands in order to endow them with traditions of his own. But the play opposes siding with this imposing impulse. The Roman perceptiveness of Cleopatra and her kingdom seems very shallow. To Caesar Cleopatra is a
In Act 5 of Antony and Cleopatra, Maecenas says that Antonys taints and honours waged equal with him. To what extent, and in what ways, does Shakespeare prepare the audience for this view in the first two acts of the play?
Sam Ford In Act 5 of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, Maecenas says that Antony’s ‘taints and honours waged equal with him’. To what extent, and in what ways, does Shakespeare prepare the audience for this view in the first two acts of the play? In Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, different comments and views of Antony are given to explore his ‘taints and honours’. Through people’s remarks and obvious changing attitudes towards Antony, the audience are shown the changeability of his disposition as a consequence of the place his is situated, Rome or Egypt. The effect his company has on him is crucial to the perception the audience take of him, most significantly, the relationship between himself and Cleopatra, the ‘gypsy queen’ of Egypt. Shakespeare uses Philo to give the audience the view of Antony from a Roman perspective in a conversation with Demetrius, a friend and supporter of Antony, and give light to the concerns that Antony is placing his personal life before that of state issues, which subsequently supports the belief that Antony is neglecting his duties and responsibilities as a Triumvir. Antony’s position as part of the Triumvirate, ruler of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, coincides with the Aristotelian belief that the tragic hero should be of high rank or nobility, in order to heighten the intensity of the tragedy as they
Antony and Cleopatra - How does Shakespeare create this sense of distance and power in the play?
"Antony and Cleopatra work so powerfully through distance. Vast geographical distances had opened up for the English imagination a sense of power over space to audiences of both 1607 and now." How does Shakespeare create this sense of distance and power in the play? Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is a clash of cultural values in the union of a fine Roman general and a sultry Egyptian queen. Whilst it purports to being a tragic love story, the play traverses the ancient world in an important survey of a twelve-year history that determines the fate of two empires - a history that seals the demise of Roman republicanism, and decisively shifts the balance of Mediterranean power from East to West. Written ten years before Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra portrays actual events and persons from Roman history, but also embodies the love story of the two title characters. For the historical background, plot and intimate details of the affair between Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare drew upon the work of the ancient Roman historian Plutarch. However, Shakespeare transformed the play into his own personal masterpiece by portraying the power over distance that the relationship of the two protagonists exerts, and this sense of power over vast geographical space is a fundamental aspect of the play. Critic Harley Granville-Barker comments, 'Roman and Egyptian are set against
