How, in your opinion, does Shakespeare use language throughout the play to present Cleopatra's

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

How, in your opinion, does Shakespeare use language throughout the play to present Cleopatra’s “Infinite variety” to the audience?

Enobarbus uses the phrase “infinite variety” to describe the beauty and wonder of Cleopatra to Agrippa and Maecenas in Act 2 Scene 2. In the context of the whole play I believe it is a perfect description of how Cleopatra uses the different aspects of her character. Shakespeare uses language, imagery and structure to show the different sides of her personality. This allows Cleopatra to be interpreted in many ways by the actress and the audience.

One of the ways Shakespeare presents Cleopatra throughout the play is as a queen. Cleopatra’s language emphasises her royal status in Act 3 Scene 7 when she says “as the president of my kingdom” to Enobarbus before the battle of Actium. Using the phrase “my kingdom” to refer to Egypt highlights her power and authority, which is used to win the argument with Enobarbus over her involvement in the battle. This shows how Cleopatra changes her character to best suit the situation. In both Antony and Cleopatra’s final scenes Cleopatra is shown by Shakespeare to be a queen rather than a woman or lover. In Act 4 Scene 14 the character of Antony says to Cleopatra “I’m dying, Egypt, dying”, this presents her as primarily a queen and a ruler. I believe this is of further importance to Cleopatra’s presentation because Antony’s death is of great significance and what is said will have more of an impact on the audience. Shakespeare also shows Cleopatra as a queen in her own death scene. Cleopatra desires to die in royal clothing when in Act 5 Scene 2 she commands “Give me my robe; put on my crown”. Without any action on stage the language alone is enough to create an image of Cleopatra looking very regal. The language involves two short precise sentences, which suggests that Cleopatra has a clear intention to die like a queen. The structure of the play encourages the audience to compare the two death scenes. This emphasises Cleopatra’s royalty as the royal aspects of her death are accentuated in contrast with Antony’s farcical death scene. However Cleopatra is not always content to fill her role as queen and this continues the theme of identity that runs throughout the play.

In contrast to her death scene there are times in the play where Shakespeare presents Cleopatra as being no different to any other woman. As Antony prepares for his second battle with Caesar in Act 4 Scene 4 he refers to Cleopatra as “my chuck” and “Dame” which are colloquial terms of address. This makes Cleopatra and her relationship with Antony seem very typical as he is using the same everyday language as normal people. The way Antony leaves her with a “soldier’s kiss” increases the sense of normality in the scene. This is because the language suggests he is leaving her as a simple soldier would leave his wife or lover. Shakespeare does not give Cleopatra a special farewell from Antony and as I read the scene I could imagine a similar goodbye happening across Egypt from Antony and Caesar’s men. Cleopatra’s persona is hard to define as Shakespeare changes the audience’s perception of her as the play develops. In Act 4 Scene 15, after Antony’s death, Iras calls Cleopatra “Royal Egypt! Empress!”, which clearly shows that Iras always sees Cleopatra as the sovereign she is. However Cleopatra’s response rejects this title when she states “No more than e’en a woman”. The use of the word “woman”, not queen, implies that she is not only going against her royal role but also her image as a beautiful temptress that elevated her above other women. It can be argued that Cleopatra says this because she realises that she has no hope of the life she wants under Caesar’s rule and is contemplating suicide. However, I believe it is because she viewed her and Antony’s love for each other as the basis of their lives, with the responsibilities and politics of their power being only incidental elements. Cleopatra’s appreciation of normal lives can be seen in Act 1 Scene 1 when, to appease Cleopatra, Antony suggests they “wander through the streets and note/the qualities of people”. I feel that although Cleopatra could not live without her privileged royal life she still desires aspects of ordinary life in her time with Antony. But during the play Cleopatra is not considered ordinary and Agrippa feels she is a “Rare Egyptian!” in Act 2 Scene 2.

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Unlike most ordinary women of her time Cleopatra would have to have been extremely domineering and self-confident to survive as a powerful woman in a male dominated society. Shakespeare includes this in his interpretation of the Egyptian queen. This is shown before the battle of Actium, when with little military knowledge, Cleopatra argues for a role in the battle. As Act 3 Scene 7 begins Cleopatra and Enobarbus are in the middle of the argument, it is clear that Cleopatra is not willing to back down as her first line is “I will be even with thee, doubt it not”. Telling Enobarbus to “doubt it not” implies an annoyance with him for attempting to control her. It also has a finality in its tone which shows that she is not willing to change her mind and is confident of her own opinion. Shakespeare makes it clear to the audience that Cleopatra is in control of the conversation even though she should have no authority on military matters. Enobarbus seems slightly scared of Cleopatra as his point about the distraction of women on the battlefield, using the metaphor of “horses and mares”, is said as an aside so it may not be heard by Cleopatra. Shakespeare also gives Cleopatra the last as well as the first word in the scene when she boldly tells Enobarbus “I will not stay behind”. In this short scene Cleopatra’s dominance in the argument emphasises her confidence. I believe that Cleopatra’s assertiveness is particularly overpowering in this scene considering Enobarbus’ close relationship with Antony. By not leaving the men to deal with the battle Cleopatra reverses the traditional role of a woman just as she does in her first meeting with Antony. In Act 2 Scene 2 Enobarbus reveals to Agrippa and Maecenas that when Antony approached her Cleopatra suggested that “he became her guest” and therefore took charge of their potential relationship. From this quote it is clear that Cleopatra is not nervous amongst strangers or humbled by any person no matter how powerful. Shakespeare’s Cleopatra is so strong willed and confident that the character has become the ultimate personification of a strong woman.

Despite Cleopatra’s strength Shakespeare also reveals the character’s weaknesses, which include her normally hidden insecurities about her age and Antony’s feelings for her. In Act 2 Scene 5 Cleopatra’s self confidence falters when she fears Antony may love another woman. Upon hearing of Antony’s sudden marriage to Octavia Shakespeare has Cleopatra inquire about Octavia’s appearance to demonstrate her anxiety. She asks the messenger to quickly “report the feature of Octavia, her years”, the fact that Cleopatra is firstly concerned about her looks and age highlights her insecurity about being middle aged. The way the messenger reports back to Cleopatra in Act 3 Scene 3 shows that her insecurity is obvious to those around her. The messenger attempts to please Cleopatra as, through her questions, she suggests the responses she needs to hear. Her sensitivity about her age is shown when in an attempt to emphasise Octavia’s age the messenger falls below Cleopatra’s. Her discomfort is obvious as Cleopatra rapidly changes the subject when the messenger claims “And I do think she’s thirty”. Earlier in the same scene Cleopatra reassures herself that she has the advantage over Octavia. She says that “There’s nothing in her yet./The fellow has good judgement.”, the second statement seems to encourage the messenger to continue his negative description. The use of the word “fellow” is personal and friendly which indicates that Cleopatra now wants to befriend the messenger as he has the power to make her feel better. In my opinion Cleopatra’s natural confidence has lessened as she has aged and now requires regular reassurance from those around her. Cleopatra’s self-image and concern over her age make aging one of the main themes in the play. I believe Shakespeare’s inclusion of an insecure side to Cleopatra’s character makes her more human and easier for the audience to relate to. But it is the more overpowering aspects of her personality that are the most significant in the play.

One of the best ways to understand Cleopatra is through the opinions of other characters. But those opinions are often divided between the view of her as a beautiful temptress and a harmful witch. Cleopatra is given an amazing description by Enobarbus in Act 2 Scene 2, he says “so perfumed that/The winds were lovesick with them”. This infers that Cleopatra’s presence affects everything around her, even nature itself. Describing the winds as “lovesick” suggests that it is impossible not to fall in love with her. Shakespeare illustrates that Cleopatra has a talent for seducing great men. As Agrippa responds to Enobarbus’ description he states, “She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed” which reminds the audience of her previous great lover. Saying she “made great Caesar” emphasises how she can influence and control a great man. “lay his sword to bed” has sexual connotations and shows the sexual power Cleopatra has over men. Cleopatra is also shown to have seduced Antony as Caesar comments on her beauty after death in Act 5 Scene 2: “As she would catch another Antony”. This shows the great effect he believed Cleopatra had over Antony, which has great resonance with the audience as it is the final scene of the play. Caesar’s line is linked to an earlier statement of Cleopatra’s, in Act 2 Scene 5, while discussing the catching of fish she proclaims, “I’ll think them every one an Antony”. This reveals that she is aware of her sexual power and how she “caught” Antony. It also creates a surreal image of Cleopatra physically catching Antony. The image implies that the seduction of Antony was as easy as fishing for Cleopatra while Antony was as powerless as a hooked fish and illustrates the great power her sexual attraction gives her.

However Cleopatra’s great control over people is not always shown to be so innocent and loving. In the very first scene Shakespeare introduces the idea that Cleopatra is and will become a bad influence on Antony’s life. In the opening scene Philo believes that Cleopatra is misguiding the great Antony when he says “The triple pillar of the world transformed/Into a strumpets fool”. Shakespeare has Philo suggest that Antony is unknowingly losing his power and importance because of Cleopatra. The language, which strongly criticises Cleopatra as a “strumpet” implies she is only driven by sex and does not appreciate her effect on Antony’s position. Including this view at the start of the play could mean that Shakespeare favours this interpretation. But I believe he is introducing one perspective for the audience to evaluate as the play continues. The language that condemns Cleopatra strengthens after Caesar’s defeat of Antony. The now desperate character of Antony in Act 4 Scene 12 refers to Cleopatra as “This grave charm,/Whose eye becked forth my wars”. Using the word “grave” describes the serious effect of Cleopatra’s influence and connotes death, which follows for Antony and is triggered by Cleopatra. This quote shows Antony’s belief that Cleopatra’s blind confidence in their military strength was harmful. This belief is reinforced in the line “Beguiled me to the very heart of loss”. “Beguiled”, meaning enchanted or tricked shows Antony’s realisation that Cleopatra’s conscious altering or manipulation of his thoughts and feelings eventually led to his defeat. Later in the same scene Antony refers to Cleopatra as a “witch”, which is already how some other characters view her, although it has taken a long period of time for Antony to see that side of her character. Ultimately, Cleopatra’s final impact on Antony’s life is the most significant in the play as her play-acting and attention seeking cause Antony’s suicide. Following this those sympathetic to the character may find Cleopatra a tragic character whose actions caused her life to collapse around her. However others may see her as a witch-like manipulator whose schemes finally destroyed Antony.

The “infinite variety” of Shakespeare’s Cleopatra is what makes her such an interesting character. Shakespeare does not provide any definitive evidence on Cleopatra’s genuine character and that allows different views to develop. I believe that her chameleon-like nature makes it difficult to evaluate the sincerity of her actions during the play. For example, the confusing incident involving Seleucus and Cleopatra’s wealth in Act 5 Scene 2 shows her potential for deceit. This makes it hard to form an overall opinion of Cleopatra and her motives. But I think that Shakespeare presents Cleopatra as a very human character with contrasting strengths and weaknesses. Considering her effect on Antony’s once great life it is fair to refer to her as a bad influence. However I do not think Cleopatra should be labeled a witch because I believe she didn’t intentionally hurt Antony, though Antony’s character was unfortunate to have been affected by Cleopatra and be manipulated by her so easily. Her naturally overpowering personality simply was not suitable to guide Antony successfully through the problems he faced. I feel that Cleopatra’s special personality and “infinite variety”, which was perfect for Egyptian life, was not right for the tactics and military battles involved in Antony’s Roman power struggle. Cleopatra used the varying aspects of her character to find a role in his struggle. But unfortunately for Antony her only success was in the final scene where her deception of Caesar allowed her suicide and reunification with her lost Antony.

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