"Antony seems totally dominated by Cleopatra, and as such loses any sympathy or respect we have for him in the play"
"Antony seems totally dominated by Cleopatra, and as such loses any sympathy or respect we have for him in the play". Do you agree/disagree with this statement? I don't agree with this statement as Antony is proven time after time, to have a huge amount of respect from his peers. For example in the opening scene of the play, we are presented with two guards talking of "His goodly eyes......have glowed like plated Mars". This hero worship shows how powerfully Antony's reputation is respected and admired, and it is not just these two guards. The enemy in the form of Pompey recognises Antony's potential to sway the end result of the upcoming battle. He can see that if Antony were to be drawn away from Egypt to help Rome, then his hope of victory would be gone. Another example of Antony's respect is when he is dying and a number of guards stumble across him. He is lying there covered in blood and probably looking rather pathetic, and yet his reputation precedes this and he is referred to as being "the star" that has fallen. Antony asks them to finish the job, but the guards cannot bring themselves to do it. The god Hercules may have been said to have left him, but antonym is still a god to them, and they are not worthy to strike down upon such a figure. Decretas, once a follower of Antony wants to become a traitor and take Antony's sword, to show to Caesar. In doing so,
How does Shakespeare make the audience aware of Cleopatra's 'infinite variety' in the opening act and maintain this impression throughout the play?
How does Shakespeare make the audience aware of Cleopatra's 'infinite variety' in the opening act and maintain this impression throughout the play? Cleopatra was a talented mistress who used her feminine charm for personal gain. She was seductive, lustful, flirtatious, and sarcastic, she had courage, and she was jealous, spiteful, very violent and impatient. She was a woman of many contrasts, facets and changing moods. Shakespeare shows these different aspects of her character in the first act then goes on to build on them throughout the play. In the opening scene straight away we enter into Philo and Demetrius' - friends of Antony - conversation, the subject of which is Cleopatra, Philo is not speaking very highly of her saying she has, '. . .a tawny front. . .' suggesting she is dark-skinned but he is doing so in an uncomplimentary way. In the same conversation he calls Cleopatra a 'gipsy' meaning a loose woman; this straight away gives us the impression that Cleopatra isn't very popular with the friends of Antony. Cleopatra and Antony then enter, we see Cleopatra being flirtatious as soon as she appears on the stage, 'If it be love indeed tell me how much you love me' Antony replies, 'There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd'. Here, Antony is saying that the love that can be exactly estimated must be a poor one. Cleopatra still replies with, 'I'll set a bourn how
Compare and contrast Shakespeare and North's version of the first meeting between Anthony and Cleopatra.
Compare and contrast Shakespeare and North's version of the first meeting between Anthony and Cleopatra. Having returned to Rome to meet his fellow triumvirs Anthony has just agreed to marry Octavia, Caesars sister. Anthony agreed to this to close the gap between his and Caesars friendship and to get rid of the rift between them. As a result of this action Enobarbus starts to reminisce about the first encounter of Anthony and Cleopatra. Enobarbus was chosen to make this famous speech because he is a believable character. He seems the most human character throughout this play and acts probably how a member of the audience would in the situations. He is a man of the world. He is captured by Cleopatra's beauty but in theory he is not in love. Many of the actual words used in used in Shakespeare's version are the same, however, North's description in it appeals to the imagination. North's version of this beautiful scene lacks imagery and is so much less figurative than Shakespeare and the images themselves aren't as interesting. Shakespeare uses alliteration to add rhythm; this was done deliberately and sounds more poetic this way. It adds to the flow, "barge she sat in like a banished throne, burned on the water". The word throne suggests majesty. In North's version he fails to make use of alliteration thus taking away the flow and rhythm that is seen in Shakespeare's
Antony And Cleopatra
Compare and contrast the way in which Roman values are presented in Act II Scene II and the way that Egyptian values begin to impinge upon the value of the Roman states and know how exactly other Romans fall under the spell Act II Scene II is a rich piece of text, replete with oppositional imagery. We have the duty, honour and strategical strength of Rome pitted against the description of Cleopatra and the world of Egypt in a profligate hyperbolic manner. From the very commencement of Act II Scene II we are met with the third Triumvir, Lepidus, who is neither gallant like Antony nor politically judicious like Caesar. He lacks the power and command of his fellow triumvirs, he vainly tries to maintain a balance of power by keeping Caesar and Antony on amiable terms. He attempts to enlist the support of Enobarbus, Antony's trusted friend. The language Lepidus uses is far from authoritative even though he is a Triumvir, "Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed, and shall become you well, to entreat your captain, to soft and gentle speech." However Enobarbus replies that he will "entreat him / To answer like himself." Here we are met with the opposition of authority within the Romans. Lepidus' opening speech shows that he is, indeed, a meek, mild- mannered man who attempts to please and offend no one. He tells the other Triumvirs, "That which combined us was most great, and let not
Cleopatra's credibility as a bewitching and paradoxical, "Royal Wench," relies heavily on Shakespeare's deliberate structure and use of language In Act 2 Scene 2?
Cleopatra's credibility as a bewitching and paradoxical, "Royal Wench," relies heavily on Shakespeare's deliberate structure and use of language In Act 2 Scene 2? In this scene Cleopatra is portrayed as a very bewitching and seductive woman. The just and unbiased Roman, Enobarbus, the truth teller of the play explains, to two followers of Caesar, his thoughts and feelings regarding Cleopatra. Enobarbus begins by telling us "the barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water." Shakespeare immediately uses language that enlightens us about Cleopatra's personality and figure. He uses this metaphor to tell us that Cleopatra is so seductive and fiery that she sets barges on fire with her amazingly seductive looks and unlimited lust. This action of water being on fire is transcending the impossible; this could be a reference to Cleopatra's capability to surpass the impossible, that she is such a woman that could do this. It is also a paradoxical statement, linking to Cleopatra's paradoxical and contradictory personality. The concept that an individual can be paradoxical implies a supernatural character. A physical depiction of this paradox is shown in this quotation. Enobarbus then goes on to use a lot of colour in his speech. For example, "purple," "silver," and "gold" are all very deep, royal and rich colours, adding to her sensuality. Gold and Silver are two
How does Enobarbus convey the appeal of Cleopatra
How does Enobarbus convey the appeal of Cleopatra? As a dedicated follower of Antony, Enobarbus has great respect for Cleopatra and unlike others in the play who only see that Cleopatra is corrupting Antony, he understands Cleopatra's attraction. He uses imagery, language and description to convey Cleopatra's appeal. The first thing the audience notices in Enobarbus's description is that he never describes Cleopatra herself; only describes her surroundings. This may be because Enobarbus feels that it is not his place, as a friend and follower of Antony, to talk about Cleopatra so intimately and in such detail. However, Enobarbus's beautiful descriptions of her surroundings create the illusion that she must be as beautiful as them and all his descriptions have deeper meanings, which often relate to descriptions of Cleopatra. For example: ' The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water;' This is very artistic language and the word 'burnished' gives imagery of bronze and red colours, possibly suggesting that Enobarbus thinks of Cleopatra as being art herself. The quotation also creates an image of
"Rare Egyptian" or "Foul Egyptian"? Discuss how Cleopatra is presented to us. What is the audience's final judgement on her? - Antony and Cleopatra
Alice Fodor "Rare Egyptian" or "Foul Egyptian"? Discuss how Cleopatra is presented to us. What is the audience's final judgement on her? Antony and Cleopatra is a very unusual play for a number of reasons. It deals with many different issues and themes, for example the struggle to balance political and personal life, the unconventionality of a female ruler, the different worlds and values of Egypt and Rome, and the sense of identity and public reputation. Because of this, Cleopatra is forced into playing many different roles, such as queen, lover, woman and public icon. One main aspect of Cleopatra's presentation throughout the play is her charm, and powers of seduction. Even in Act 1 Scene 1 she is displaying this, when she first comes onto the stage, laughing and flirting with Antony. Her first line of the play is, "if it be love indeed, tell me how much". This conveys her as a happy, hedonistic, frivolous woman, with nothing to worry about except her love. We are endeared to this image, as it sets a positive tone for the beginning of the play, and most women either can or want to identify with Cleopatra's seemingly successful relationship. It appears successful because we see them giggling together and there is no suggestion of any tension between them; however, very soon after this we see Cleopatra ordering Antony to "hear the ambassadors" and we get the feeling of an
The Character of Enorbarbus
The Character of Enorbarbus Enobarbus's character can be seen as the most striking invention of Shakespeare. As the lieutenant of Antony, he contributes to the drama in a number of ways. He is sympathetic to Antony from the start, loyal and fellow feeling. Instead of agreeing with Antony at the beginning where he says he wishes he had never met Cleopatra, Enobarbus replies that, had that been the case, Antony would have missed "a wonderful piece of work". (I.2.154-5). He does not share the perspective of his fellow Roman soldiers Philo and Demetrius in the opening scene, in fact he seems to enjoy life in Egypt contributing with appreciative comments on Cleopatra. "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. (149 II.2.245) When Antony says of Cleopatra, "She is cunning past man's thought", Enobarbus disagrees, "Alack, sir, no: her passions are made of/ nothing but the finest part of pure love" (I.2.146-8). In their conversations at the beginning and in his role throughout, Enobarbus seems to represent an ordinary reflection of something in Antony himself, as in a mirror. His humour in response to the announcement of Fulvia's death, anticipate the jovial side of Antony that will manifest itself in the galley scene. Before the triumvirs meet, the diplomatic Lepidus tries to persuade Enobarbus to keep Antony calm. Enobarbus however refuses saying that he
An exploration of the concept of Power in the play "Antony and Cleopatra".
An exploration of the concept of Power in the play Power is used throughout "Antony and Cleopatra" in many different ways, it brings people together yet also pushes others apart and whilst power can be a useful thing, too much power or the abuse of power can lead to great confusion or greed between people. Power is one of the main themes in the play and controls not only the movement of the characters. For example Antony moving between Rome and Egypt to control his empire and meet with the Triumvirate, power also controls people's relationships. The power of love plays a strong part in the play, mainly between Antony and Cleopatra. From the opening lines of the play we get an impression of Cleopatra's power as two of Antony's soldiers are talking about how she has changed him, they refer to Antony saying he was a god like "Mars" until he met Cleopatra, but now his eyes "turn the office and devotion of their view" to everything that Cleopatra does. The power of love has always affected some part of Antony's life; if it were not his love for Cleopatra it would be his love of soldiering. In Act 1 Scene 4 we hear Caesar's opinion of how Antony used to be, he describes Antony as a hero and has a lot of respect for him, he uses similes to describe his power as being " like the stag." The power of Antony's love for soldiering even made him do the strangest of things if called
It is said of Enobarbus that he understands everyone but himself. Do you agree?
It is said of Enobarbus that he understands everyone but himself. Do you agree? Enobarbus, Antony's most loyal supporter, is worldly and cynical; Enobarbus is friendly with the subordinates of both Pompey and Caesar, yet stays faithful to his master even after Antony makes grave political and military missteps. The fact that he is worldly and cynical could mean that he is quick to criticise and speak about others but what does Enobarbus know about himself? Being Antony's most loyal supporter Enobarbus shows not resistance or fear to be able to speak freely, mainly in private, with Antony, and often is used as a person to whom Antony confides in. This is demonstrated in Act I, Scene ii, as Antony explains how Cleopatra is "cunning past man's thought" (I.ii.146). In reply to this Enobarbus speaks very freely of his view of Cleopatra describing that '...her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove.' (I, ii, 147-152). This quotation, spoken by Enobarbus, is showing that he has no fear in talking about people who are considerably more superior to himself. It is also showing that he not only has a rough understanding of Cleopatra but a detailed one, as he