In the play Antony and Cleopatra, the character of Cleopatra is one of many dimensions and be seen a person of complex diversity. Her personality is mainly about taking life as one big celebration most of her time in Egypt. Cleopatra loves the richness of
In the play Antony and Cleopatra, the character of Cleopatra is one of many dimensions and be seen a person of complex diversity. Her personality is mainly about taking life as one big celebration most of her time in Egypt. Cleopatra loves the richness of her own queen status and loves the celebration that comes with it. Her personality varies because she can change from being a woman with dignity to a woman acting insane. Her sudden changes in behaviour are often difficult to predict or comprehend and happen frequently throughout the play. You can never guess what Cleopatra is going to next. This is why Enobarbus observes Cleopatra as if she has 'infinite variety'. Whether it is an accurate observation is what people question when looking at the famous Enobarbus speech of Cleopatra. She mainly deserves this famous tribute from Enobarbus for many reasons. "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety"(2.2.235-236). There are many reasons that Enobarbus' observation of Cleopatra's infinite variety is an accurate observation. Firstly Act 2:Scene 2 sees Enobarbus talking openly to Agrippa and Maecenas about Cleopatra's wild and wonderful ways. He describes in intricate detail the barge she sailed to the harbour in and how even the air would gaze upon her if it could. 'Whistling to th'air, which, for vacancy, /had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,/ And made
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
In the play "Antony and Cleopatra", the character of Cleopatra is one of many dimensions and she can be seen a person of complex diversity.
In the play "Antony and Cleopatra", the character of Cleopatra is one of many dimensions and she can be seen a person of complex diversity. Her personality is implied to the reader that Cleopatra takes life as one big celebration most of her time in Egypt. Cleopatra loves the richness of her own queen status and loves the celebration that comes with it. Her personality varies because she can change from being a woman with dignity to a playful woman. Her sudden changes in behaviour are often difficult to predict or comprehend and happen frequently throughout the play. The audience can never guess what Cleopatra is going to do next. This is why Enobarbus observes that Cleopatra has 'infinite variety'. Whether it is an accurate observation is what people question when looking at the famous Enobarbus speech of Cleopatra, is the question. When looking at Enobarbus, because he is Roman, he may have put his feeling across in the speech for political reasons, for example to be in a favourable position in Antony's views, and yet this speech is rich and almost Egyptian in its sentiment. He disapproves of Cleopatra in principle, yet is overcome by her appearance on the barge. His appreciation of Egypt and its queen, together with his wit and humour make him the perfect vehicle for the exotic description of Cleopatra given to his peers from Caesars entourage. But she deserves this
An examination of Shakespeare's treatment towards suicide between Antony, Cleopatra and Enobarbus
An examination of Shakespeare's treatment towards suicide between Antony, Cleopatra and Enobarbus Shakespeare has created three strong characters within the play Antony and Cleopatra. Their attitudes to death and mortality in the play have little similarities as Antony, Cleopatra and Enobarbus all approach the issue differently. Enobarbus, for example, acquires a broken heart after regrettably leaving the side of Antony to join forces with Caesar. He is ashamed at what he has done and feels he has acted wrongly. When the messenger sent by Antony gives Enobarbus his treasure, it makes him feel guiltier for his disloyalty to his close friend. At this point, the option of suicide becomes apparent as Enobarbus speaks of his death which would be a way of ending his broken heart. At the end of Act IV, Enobarbus feels not worthy and exits by saying; 'go seek / some ditch wherein to die...' It isn't until Scene 9 that Enobarbus carries out his suicide. He looks up to the moon and addresses it, as this is associated with mental instability and asks the moon to witness his repentance and for the forgiveness of Antony, and in line 23 he stabs himself uttering Antony's name. Enobarbus' death showed his weakness to carry on with the guilt of leaving Antony. He felt so ashamed of his actions and saw the only way to fix the wrong doing was to end his life as he was the one at fault.
How Shakespeare presents the character of Cleopatra in" Anthony and Cleopatra" The play of "Anthony and Cleopatra" is that of one many tragedies
How Shakespeare presents the character of Cleopatra in" Anthony and Cleopatra" The play of "Anthony and Cleopatra" is that of one many tragedies, of which William Shakespeare famously wrote and crafted. In "Anthony and Cleopatra" Shakespeare explores the themes of love, politics and betrayal. Central to the play are dominant male figures such as Mark Anthony and the mighty Caesar Octavius. The Play centres mostly on Mark Anthony's divided love for Rome and for Cleopatra. Ironically enough, it is Cleopatra; the only dominant female in the play that maintains all power and control. Especially over Mark Anthony with Caesar Octavius at times seeming subjectable to her charms. This strange imbalance of power between Masculine brute power and Subtle feminine wiliness seems therefore somewhat of a strange anomaly in the chauvinistic society in which the play is set. In this essay I shall attempt to explore this fascinating power that Cleopatra seems to possess, how she harnesses it and how it perhaps contributes to her death. First and lasting impressions of Cleopatra are mainly centered around her extraordinary beauty. This is most notably displayed in Enobarbus's speech (Act 2, scene 2). The trance - like beauty of the scene seems to enhance the queen's superiority, as she is the epicentre of all attention. Enobarbus's speech is riddled with examples of hyperbole, exaggeration
Discuss the 'variety' of Cleopatra, and how successfully Shakespeare presents the contribution, which this makes to the dramatic impact of the play.
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety". Discuss the 'variety' of Cleopatra, and how successfully Shakespeare presents the contribution, which this makes to the dramatic impact of the play. In this play, Shakespeare has created a uniquely fascinating character in the Egyptian Queen. Cleopatra is a very sensuously attractive woman whose past relationships with Julius Caesar and Pompey indicate that even before meeting Antony she is sexually experienced. Her 'variety', as Enobarbus indicates, has much to do with her theatrical temperament, her mood swings and highly sensual nature. She is capable of participating in vulgar jokes, feigning illness, outbursts of temper and physical violence, as well as tender expressions of love and nobility in the face of tragedy. The audience also see her behave in a cowardly way and play the diplomat. It is also not always easy to understand Cleopatra's motives or gauge her level of self-interest. Cleopatra is overall an awe-inspiring queen who leaves all audiences breathless. She may be called a "wrangling queen" and an "Egyptian dish", but such epithets alone do not do full justice to her character. In the opening scene of the play, the audiences' introduction to Cleopatra is as a "gypsy" and "strumpet". This is expressed by Philo, as very much the Roman view and Caesar agrees that: "Let's grant it is not Amiss to
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
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents Rome and Egypt. How are the contrasts between them reflected in the characters of ‘Antony and Cleopatra?’
"Antony and Cleopatra" is the tragic story of one of the triumvirs, Antony, who is deeply in love with the pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra, but their love seems doomed. This is due to problems in their relationship that are caused not only by these two lovers, but also by others in the two countries. In "Antony and Cleopatra," there are a number of contrasting impressions of the Egyptian and Roman cultures and society. The major differences are in the environments and the societies of both Egypt and Rome. This can be seen through the many characters in both Rome and Egypt. In Rome, the main characters consist of the triumvirs, which include Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Lepidus. There are also both Antony's and Caesar's friends and followers, the other major character being Enobarbus, a close friend of Mark Antony. Egypt is ruled by the pharaoh, Cleopatra, who has had many known relationships with powerful men. Then there are her attendants, including Charmian, Iras, and Alexus. In Rome, the general society is full of military expenditures and strategy, and this leads to a great deal of tension and many problems arise from early on in the play, and this can frustrate Antony as they intrude into his life with Cleopatra. This is evident when he says, "let Rome in Tiber melt." This proves that Antony is frustrated with his responsibilities in Rome, and is one of the causes in
Antony & Cleopatra - Cleopatra
A critical commentary on all the poetic descriptions of Cleopatra by Enobarbus - Act 2 Scene 2 Line 183 - end Shakespeare created Enobarbus in order to project our own judgmental dilemma onto a character whose very life depends on a comparable choice. Enobarbus's speech being analysed shows how he responds, like Antony and his great predecessors, to Cleopatra's power to provoke desire and compel the imagination. Enobarbus is also often a chorus to the action, from time to time he voices that common-sense wisdom which is usually forgotten. His descriptions of Cleopatra's magic fascination; both appreciative and critical, which is why the reader believes and trusts what he says. As a result of this, with his commentary on Cleopatra he is able to lead the audience into believing the two are inseparable without the reader presuming exaggeration. Firstly, in these speeches Cleopatra is described as irresistible and beautiful beyond belief, a view that is necessary for us to believe in order to buy the fact that a man with so much to lose would be willing to risk it all in order to win her love. Consequently Enobarbus is of great importance as Shakespeare fashioned the character as a means of relaying information to the audience that would otherwise be difficult or awkward to bring forth from other characters - Cleopatra's beauty. The picture of Cleopatra that emerges is not
Remind yourself of Act 3: Scene 2, in which Antony and Octavia take leave of Caesar. Write a detailed exploration on the scene paying particular attention to the dramatic function of Enobarbus and Agrippa and also the words of Caesar, Antony and Octavia.
Antony and Cleopatra essay 2: Remind yourself of Act 3: Scene 2, in which Antony and Octavia take leave of Caesar. Write a detailed exploration on the scene paying particular attention to the dramatic function of Enobarbus and Agrippa and also the words of Caesar, Antony and Octavia. When we look at Act 3: Scene 2, we can see that it is in an important and prominent place in the play. It is a continuation from the drunken scene on Pompey's boat and here, we see the characters in a very different view: sober and distressed. The scene starts with lesser characters, as it does in many of the scenes in this play. This is a common convention of Shakespeare's to prepare us for the entrance of the more important characters and to give us a different view. To understand this use more, I will study the text in more detail. The beginning is very different to the main part of this scene. We see, which is usual from Shakespeare, Enobarbus and Agrippa: the lesser characters. They start the scene in a high-spirited tone and humorous tone. They are conversing about the members of the triumvirate, particularly Lepidus. These two characters think that Lepidus is the weakest member of the triumvirate, and that he only takes the orders of Antony and Caesar, instead of proposing his own ideas: " 'Tis a noble Lepidus." They make fun of him and tell each other of how they think he would do