Enobarbus tells Cleopatra that “your presence needs must puzzle Antony/Take from his heart, take from his brain, from’s time/What should not then be spared.” But again Cleopatra doesn’t listen. By having Cleopatra ignore Enobarbus’ advice, Shakespeare shows the increasing frustration within the character and this is building up to a point were he can no longer bear the frustration and must leave Antony. Aside in this scene Enobarbus makes a snide joke, saying that to have Stallions and mares serving together in war is inviting disaster. Enobarbus later in the scene tries to get through to Antony and tell him the futility of fighting Caesar at sea, but Antony does not take his advice and like Cleopatra, ignores all his advice. Even when Enobarbus states clear evidence that the “mariners are muleteers, reapers, people/Ingrossed by swift impress” Antony still says “I’ll fight at sea”.
After the battle Canidius and Enobarbus are talking. Enobarbus says “with all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder. / To see’t mine eyes are blasted”. Canidius then informs us that “six kings already /show me the way of yielding”. Here we see the first opportunity for Enobarbus to back out and surrender but he does not. Although he does not surrender at this point he gives the audience a hint of what is to come when he says “”I’ll yet follow/the wounded chance of Antony, though my reason/sits in the wind against me”. Here Enobarbus clearly states that he will follow Antony, but reason and logic are going against him if he does. Enobarbus’ mind tells him that he should go to Caesar but his heart tells him to stay with Antony.
In scene thirteen we see a reversal of roles from scene seven. Cleopatra asks Enobarbus for his advice, but Enobarbus’ advice is cynical and blunt, “Think, and die.” And when Cleopatra asks whose fault it was, Enobarbus says that it was “Antony only…why should he follow? /the itch of affection should not then/have nicked his captainship”. Here Enobarbus blames Antony for the loss and not Cleopatra, he thinks Antony should have been more professional and carried on with the battle rather than chase after affection. This is the start of Enobarbus’ defection to Caesar as he starts to criticise Antony more and more. Since some of his lines are aside this gives the audience a clear view into what he is really thinking. Enobarbus says that Caesar would have had better judgement than Antony, and even with great armies under his control would not go back on his good fortune by fighting a practised swordsman. In the self interest point of view, Caesar seems to be of sound judgement and more logical than Antony. But being a Roman, Enobarbus is not without honour. He states that “Mine honesty and I begin to square.” But he begins to wonder where the honour can be in remaining loyal to a fool. Though he states that staying with Antony could earn himself a place in history.
A first we think that Enobarbus will stay with Antony, for example earlier in scene thirteen he says “Tis’ better playing with a lions whelp/than with an old one dying”, this is my opinion is Shakespeare building the audience’s confidence in Enobarbus, so when he leaves Antony is will have more impact as we are made to think that Enobarbus will stay loyal to Antony. In his final speech of the scene he claims that “he’ll outstare the lightning”. Antony has lost touch with reality and will attempt the impossible in his state of mind. He says that “To be furious/ is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood/ the dove will peck the estridge”. Here Enobarbus claims that Antony has lost it, and is driven by emotion, not logic. He is saying that in this state of mind the peaceful dove will attack the estridge, a bird of prey. Enobarbus also states “A diminution in our captain’s brain/Restores his heart.” Here he says that a decline in the brain of Antony has restored his courage to carry on. As well as this he says that “When valour preys on reason/It eats the sword it fights with.” Meaning that when heroism begins to hunt logic, it destroys its main weapon. The speech ends with a blunt line which tells the audience exactly what Enobarbus is thinking. “I will seek some way to leave him”. This in turn creates sympathy for the character of Antony, because we know that Enobarbus is planning to leave him, but he doesn’t, this also gives us dramatic irony over him, which makes us pity Antony.
In my opinion Enobarbus wants to stay loyal to Antony in his heart but he is continuously faced with obstacles which drive him away from Antony. Mainly Antony’s apparent lack of logic which Enobarbus sees could put him in danger. His advice is repeatedly ignored in the presence of Cleopatra and the frustration has built up to cause him to betray Antony.
In my opinion Enobarbus’ betrayal would have had more impact in Shakespeare’s time because many authors write to cater the interests of their audience and in the Jacobean era loyalty and treason were very important and the King himself at the time was obsessed with the idea of treason because of his run in with the gunpowder plot.
Gary Longshawe
