Cleopatra is then shown as the typical female stereo-type, ‘See where he is, who’s with him, what he does; I did not send you: if you find him sad, say that I am dancing; if in mirth, report that I am sudden sick: quick and return.’ Cleopatra wants Charmian to go and find Antony, see who he is with, and what he is doing but Antony has not to know that Cleopatra sent her. If she finds him sad Cleopatra wants her to say that she is dancing, if she finds him happy she must say that Cleopatra has suddenly became sick. Here, Cleopatra’s scheming is revelled.
Antony has to leave for Rome and when he comes to say his good bye’s to Cleopatra it is as if a combat takes place. Cleopatra shows the typical emotions of the ‘other woman’, she is jealous of his legal wife Fuliva and then she says to Antony, ‘why should I think you can be mine and true, though you in swearing shake the throned gods, who have been false to Fuliva? . . .’ However she adds, ‘Eternity was in our lips, and eyes, bliss in our brows’ bent; none our parts so poor but was a race of heaven; they are so still. . .’ Here, Cleopatra makes a speech with romantic love and unromantic uncertainties. By this stage in the play we as an audience have already seen a variety of different faces from Cleopatra. We can see that she loves Antony dearly but doesn’t always express her love in simple ways because she likes to play games.
When next, we see Cleopatra, she is in Egypt, dreaming of her love, and thinking of what he is doing at that moment, ‘. . . where think’st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he? O happy horse . . .’’ Here we see Cleopatra in love. Cleopatra then asks Charmian if she ever loved Caesar as much and Charmian replies positively of Caesar, then we see the fish wife in Cleopatra when she says, ‘By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth, if thou with Caesar paragon again my man of men.’ She says that her feelings for Caesar were due to her ‘salad days’, meaning that she was ‘green in judgement’ and inexperienced. This provides us with a contrast as, now she describes Antony as, ‘my man of men’ rather than, ‘a man, who is the abstract of all faults that all men follow.’
In act two, scene two, we observe a conversion between Agrippa, Mecoenas and Enobarbus, they are discussing Cleopatra, Agrippa calls her, ‘Rare Egyptian!’, and, ‘Royal wench!’ while Enobarbus again speaks highly of her, ‘I saw her once hop forty paces through the public street. . .’ he again is talking about her moving from one extreme to another. The two aspects of Cleopatra are seen here, and these two pictures are realities of the one woman, the ‘Rare Egyptian’. When Mecoenas says that Antony should leave Cleopatra now because Octavia has ‘beauty, wisdom and modesty’ Enobarbus says, he will not and he then describes Cleopatra, ‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety; other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where most she satisfies. . .’ he says here compared to Cleopatra’s infinite variety Octivia has nothing and Enobarbus believes Antony will never leave Cleopatra.
As the play progresses, a messenger enters and she questions him about Octavia, here we see her again as being the ‘other woman’ with typical jealous feelings and womanly questions, ‘is she as tall as me?’, ‘didst hear her speak? Is she shrill-tongu’d, or low?’, ‘. . . what majesty is in her gait?’ She carries on with her questions and gets all the answers she was looking for and hoping for. The messenger gives Cleopatra the impression that she is much better than Octavia in every respect and Cleopatra says, ‘that’s not so good. He cannot like her long.’ so she has hope that Antony will not leave her for Octavia because she is the one he loves. At the end of this scene, we as an audience, discover that this play is about an imperfect love of two imperfect people.
When Caesar turns against Antony and declares war against him, Antony agrees to fight and Cleopatra gives him her promises to back him up showing her masculinity when doing so, ‘Sink Rome, and their tongues rot that speak against us! A charge we bear I’ the war, and, as the president of my kingdom, will appear there for a man. Speak not against it; I will not stay behind.’ Enobarbus says that Antony should battle on land because he has a stronger army by land but Antony replies to this with, ‘by sea, by sea.’ Enobarbus still tries to change his mind by saying, ‘most worthy sir, you therein throw away the absolute soldiership you have by land;’ but Antony doesn’t listen and says, ‘I’ll fight at sea.’
In the middle of the battle Cleopatra flees, ‘like a doting mallard’ and Antony follows her, the battle was lost Caesar won.
We then see Antony in defeat, he offers his followers a ship laden with gold, and he tells them to take it and go and make peace with Caesar. He is ashamed of himself for turning and fleeing after Cleopatra.
Cleopatra then enters and Antony says, ‘O! Whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See, how I convey my shame out of thine eyes by looking back what I have left behind ‘story’d in dishonour.’ Cleopatra follows this with, ‘O my lord, my lord! Forgive my fearful sails: I little thought you would have follow’d.’ She is saying that she didn’t think that he would follow her and she wants him to forgive her. He continues with a deeply moving speech, ‘Egypt, thou knew’st too well my heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings, and thou shouldst tow me after; o’er my spirit thy full supremacy thou knew’st, and that thy beck might from the bidding of the gods command me.’
Antony is not trying to shift the blame onto Cleopatra, but is acknowledging her power over him and her knowledge of that power. Here we see Antony’s dignity and he seems to blame love for his defeat rather than the one he loves. Antony asks Cleopatra for a kiss,’ give me a kiss, even this repays me.’ Later there is a conversation between Cleopatra and Enobarbus Cleopatra is asking him whose fault the defeat was, ‘Is Antony or we, in fault for this?’ Enobarbus replies saying that Cleopatra should accept no blame and it was all Antony’s fault, ‘Antony only that would make his will Lord of reason. What though you fled from that Great War, whose several ranges frightened each other, why should he follow?’ This shows that Cleopatra feels some guilt for what she did but Enobarbus reassures her that it wasn’t her fault.
Once Antony resolves to fight Caesar again, there is a domestic scene in which Cleopatra helps arm her knight and he treats like a homely woman. Cleopatra maintains her role commendably well until she receives her kiss from her ‘soldier’.
In scene seven, we see that Antony has victory against Caesar and his forces.
In defeat, Antony returns saying ‘all is lost’ and he rants that Cleopatra has betrayed him. Everything falls down for Antony, his fleet surrender to Caesar and his followers start changing their allegiances. He and Cleopatra argue and he refers to her as a ‘foul Egyptian’, ‘triple-turn’d whore’, ‘false soul of Egypt’ and ‘a right gipsy’. When he sees Cleopatra he is incredibly insulting towards her, ‘Ah! Thou spell. Avuant!’ She replies with,’ why is my lord enrag’d against his love?’ he continues with, ‘Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving, and blemish Caesar’s triumph. Let him take thee, and hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians; follow his chariot, like the greatest spot of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown for poor’st diminutives, for dolts; and let patient Octavia thy visage with her prepared nails.’ Cleopatra leaves after this and he resolves that she will die.
We then see Cleopatra appealing to her women for help, she explains that Antony is mad and that she has never seen him so mad,’ was never so emboss’d’ with rage.’ Charmian follows this with, ‘To the monument! There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead. The soul and body rive not more in parting than greatness going off.’ Charmian is saying that the best thing to do is for Cleopatra to lock her self in the monument and get some one to tell Antony that she has killed her self. Cleopatra then says, ‘To the monument! Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself: say that the last I spoke was ‘Antony’, and word it, prithee, piteously. Hence, Mardian, and bring me how he takes my death. To the monument!’ Cleopatra finishes this scene showing that she is going to take Charmian’s advice and asks Mardian to tell Antony she has killed herself and the last words she spoke were ‘Antony’. There follows is a quiet and moving scene apart from Mardian’s brief outburst, which opens with Antony and Eros’ conversation. Antony again complains,’ I made these wars for Egypt; and the queen, whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine, which whilst it was mine had annex’d unto’t a million more, now lost;. . .’ Here Antony acknowledges his love even at a time when most men would deny it. Mardian enters and tells Antony that Cleopatra is dead, and that her last words were,’ Antony! most noble Antony!’
Antony decides that killing himself is what he shall do because there is nothing left to live for. He says to Eros,’ Since Cleopatra died, I have liv’d in such dishonour, that the gods detest my baseness,’ He says that Eros is sworn to kill him because he lacks courage to do it himself. When Eros protests, Antony asks if he would rather see him in shame, but still Eros cannot kill Antony and kills himself. Antony follows his actions and falls on his sword but is unsuccessful and has to lie begging to be put out of his misery. Diomedes enters and says,’ . . . she sent you word she was dead; but, fearing since how it might work, hath sent me to proclaim the truth; and I come, I dread, too late.’ When Antony hears this he doesn’t speak one angry word, all he asks is to be taken to Cleopatra.’ Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides;’
When Antony is brought to Cleopatra, he advises her with his thoughts for her safety and peace of mind. Antony says,’ the miserable change now at my end lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts in feeding them with those former fortunes wherin I liv’d, the greatest prince o’ the world, the noblest;’ Cleopatra goes on to say her last words to Antony and while doing so he dies, ‘Noblest of men, woo’t die? Hast thou no care of me? Shall I abide in this dull world, which in thy absence is no better than a sty? O! see my women,’ Then Cleopatra makes a long but moving speech saying things such as, ‘All’s but naught;’ , ‘then is it sin to rush into the secret house of death?’
In the final scene, Gallus and some soldiers burst into where Cleopatra is, forcing her to draw a dagger and say,’ Quick, quick, good hands.’ Her attempt to kill herself shows her bravery but Proculieus delivers a strong argument on why she shouldn’t. Later this scene Caesar goes to see Cleopatra, he promises to take care of her and she goes along with all he says when he is there, but as soon as leaves she asks a guard to get her a asp, this shows her bravery and her loyalty to Antony. She doesn’t want to betray Antony by being with Caesar once again. The clown brings the basket with the asp and then she says her farewell’s and applies the asp to her arm straight after doing so she dies.
Through out the play Cleopatra showed us, as the audience, all her different assets of her Character. Shakespeare provides us with a clear picture of Cleopatra she loves Antony dearly but she doesn’t always want him to know that. She likes to know where he is but again she doesn’t allow him to know that. She is a typical jealous woman and asks typical questions but won’t accept the answers if they are not what she wants to hear. Cleopatra was very talented and always used her feminine ways to gain what she wanted, and she always succeeded.