Shakespeare’s language here creates bright burning colours, which are designed to stand out like Cleopatra. Shakespeare uses the metaphor “Burned on water” creating a paradox combining two elements that are completely the opposite from one and other. He describes the sails being purple which is very rich in colour like Cleopatra who is queen. It also adds passion to the scene, which is a theme throughout the play. The sails are “perfumed”, this gives the image of intoxication, and the perfume has caught the attention of the men watching the boat come. It has hypnotised them. He uses personification “the winds were lovesick with them”; he gives the wind human qualities, which are unnatural like Cleopatra’s beauty. She is one of a kind. He describes the oars as moving to the “tune of flutes” as if they were all synchronised which displays importance, like a marching army, showing power. The oars seemed to make the waves behind them follow faster, “Asamorous of their strokes” which is another impressive metaphor. Amorous meaning love, which is the main theme of the play.
“O erpicturing that Venus where we see, the fancy outwork nature.” He compares her to Venus, which is an appropriate choice. Venus is seen as a goddess of beauty. Using this imagery Cleopatra who is beautiful herself is seen as a goddess of love.
Even her men are described as beautiful “like smiling cupids” they are images of love. He then goes on to bring in more colours, blue which is also a very strong intense colour.
The next scene is very feminine “flower-soft” which is a soft sensual sound he uses delicate words. Addition to this he uses very delicate and soft images, “Nereides”, which are very young girls that live in water.
This scene also adds to the character of Cleopatra and her beauty “Whistling to the air; but for vacancy, had gone to gaze on C
North’s opening passage uses a very long sentence, which seems to drag on, it makes up gasp for air, which makes it seem more exciting and exhilarating, but it isn’t. Shakespeare also used some of the language used by North, which is noticeable. He doesn’t write in iambic pentameter. There are a lot of references to precious metals. As a whole it is very complex.
In North’s version the banquet style dinner is extravagant, the word ordinary “And for his ordinary, pays his heart” Shakespeare uses as a joke.
Enobarbus follows with a less exotic description of Cleopatra hopping through the streets till she is breathless. However, this continues a paradox in itself. When she is said to have made “defect perfection” which means when she is at her worst she is better than anything else.
He further develops the character of Cleopatra in this scene; however, there are not very many actual descriptions of Cleopatra herself. Although this is true, the audience will be aware of how power this rare Egyptian is. Cleopatra is what the audience remember the most in this scene, with the help of Shakespeare.
Act 2 scenes 2, situated in Rome, ends with a discussion of Octavias “beauty, wisdom and modesty.”
This is done deliberately Octavia now has to compete with Cleopatra’s infinite variety; there is a contrast between the two.
In the structure and order of his description in the incidents described Shakespeare follows North’s closely.
Although North’s version was written first Shakespeare’s is far better. It works better. The writing is more successful and poetic. The rhythm is very strong and reads like a song, it is very hypnotic and it flows very well all the words link up. By the end of the scene the audience should be captivated which they are in Shakespeare’s version but not in North’s. North’s is far more complex and normal, it reads in normal English and is very boring. It lacks interest and does not appeal to anyone. Shakespeare’s version attacks our senses “a strange invisible perfume hits the sense”. He exaggerates her character dramatically “Enthroned I’th’market place, did sit alone whistling to th’air, which, but for vacancy”. Even the air would have gone to watch her against nature. North’s version appeals to the imagination but is less figurative it uses little or no metaphors. Shakespeare opening scene is more magical and interesting “burned on the water” metaphor is used but in North’s it isn’t. Shakespeare makes the scene much more feminine than North’s, they both appeal to our senses by using perfume which is sweet but Shakespeare adds a mystery “invisible perfume”. The feast that they have towards the end is extravagant and both develop Cleopatra’s character further. Shakespeare uses three levels to describe and build up Cleopatra. The first of which he uses is to describe her nature, the identity of this essential character. He makes her out to be super natural the way he contrasts fire and water. He makes her seem like she can control the forces of nature. The next step is the way that he compares her to art. He compares her to the God Venus, the god of love. The third step that he uses is to make her seem above everything else by saying that even the winds would go see her if they could. She is better than anything nature could create. This is one of the major points that North just didn’t’ get across.
