Antony & Cleopatra Notes:
CHARACTERS:
CLEOPATRA
- Represents Egypt (Ptomely) as the Pharaoh of Egypt.
- Associated with WATER and the MOON
- Embodiment of the Egyptian Goddess Isis (important with large wings)
- Seen as Roman Goddess of love, Venus
- Known as a serpent – life-giving yet dangerous, clever, beautiful
- Clever, volatile, unpredictable, emotional, melodramatic, powerful, sensuous, charismatic and
manipulative
ANTONY
- Antony has to honour Rome and the Triumvirate but also honour
Cleopatra and their love.
pressure from the Triumvirate as he is so besotted with Cleopatra.
- Associated with EARTH and the SUN
- Believed to have descended from Hercules (most powerful and TRIUMVIRATE
successful God, helper of man and Gods, greatest of all Greek Gods)
- Referred to as Mars, God of War Should be working
together as 1
OCTAVIUS CAESAR combined group to
- Caesar is unsentimental - interested only in politics and power, politically continue the
expedient (favours what is immediately advantageous but without Roman empire
regard for ethics or considered principles)
- A good leader, focused on domination and growing the Roman empire
- Tactician / strategist, synonymous with control
- private life never intervenes with his public duty
LEPIDUS
- Lepidus is not a strong character or leader
- Uses flattery – not assertive
- Lacks the stature of Antony and Caesar
POMPEY
Naval tactician
ENOBARBUS
Antony’s friend, Roman officer, realist and cynical
OCTAVIA
Passive, quintessential, typical roman wife, submissive
,THEMES:
o Love o Duty
o Power o Reason and Passion
o Honour o Clash of Cultures
o Imperialism
o Public Duty vs Private Life *
o Political Expedience – may not be morally acceptable but done to achieve the right goal
IMAGERY:
Much is paradoxical
- DISSOLUTION & DISINTEGRATION – Dissolved in something else, lose who they are
- CORRUPTION & DECAY – Dissolved in something else, lose who they are
- FECUNDITY (fertility) – Extremely important – generation of life from elements of Earth and water:
Rome = sterile, Egypt = fertile (Alexandria is on the Nile which floods its banks)
ROME:
Order, Stability, Precision, Discipline, Grandeur, Austere THE “WORLD”
Military Values, Rationality, Legalistic Morality
This is the entire
world in the play
But Duplicity and
EGYPT: Hypocrisy in both
worlds
Sensual Indulgence, Richness of experience, Spontaneity,
Love, Amorality, Excess, Passion, Fulfilment of appetite
o Rich country (gold and wheat), Rome dependent on it.
, ACT ONE:
SCENE 1:
o Antony’s passionate relationship with Cleopatra is played out against a background of war as there is civil
strife in Italy which was initiated by Antony’s wife, Fulvia.
o Roman point of view – Cleopatra is Antony’s weakness:
“This dotage of our general’s o’erflows the measure” (water imagery)
o Rome under threat – civil strife
o Learn that Antony is a very good solider: “Like plated Mars”
o Antony neglects public duty for his sensual, transcendent and real love with Cleopatra, enmeshed in a
relationship with her
o Antony is compared to a fool for being so taken by Cleopatra:
“The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet’s fool”
o Antony knows that he has neglected his duty in Rome but cannot leave Cleopatra. Dissolution imagery “let
Rome in Tiber melt” – loses more of his own identity
o Denounces Roman honour in favour of honour of love for Cleopatra
o HONOUR = empathy, sympathy, generosity, forgiveness, accountability
o IMPERIAL THEME:
Ability to dominate the world
Cleopatra demonstrates little concern for dictates and the power of Octavius Caesar (shows no respect for
him) because she is in control of the whole of Egypt and not threatened by him. She is powerful and able to
convince anyone.
o Cleopatra = capricious & provocative
o Antony = great reputation
“When he is not Antony” – his greatness is not evident, not able to temper love and fulfil public duty but
forgiven as Cleopatra is known for making men besotted with her.
SCENE 2:
o Soothsayer = fortune teller, foreshadows events
Predicts that: - Antony will love Cleopatra more than she loves him
- What Antony has experienced in life so far is better than
what is to come
- Antony will outlive Cleopatra
o Antony reverts to himself – imperial business and impulsive as he deals with Roman public duty: “A
Roman thought hath struck him”
o Romans disapprove of A&C’s relationship
o PUBLIC DUTY VS PRIVATE LIFE – Must get away from Egypt or will be powerless in the conflict
(break free of the handcuffs)
“These strong Egyptian fetters I must break”
CHARACTERS:
CLEOPATRA
- Represents Egypt (Ptomely) as the Pharaoh of Egypt.
- Associated with WATER and the MOON
- Embodiment of the Egyptian Goddess Isis (important with large wings)
- Seen as Roman Goddess of love, Venus
- Known as a serpent – life-giving yet dangerous, clever, beautiful
- Clever, volatile, unpredictable, emotional, melodramatic, powerful, sensuous, charismatic and
manipulative
ANTONY
- Antony has to honour Rome and the Triumvirate but also honour
Cleopatra and their love.
pressure from the Triumvirate as he is so besotted with Cleopatra.
- Associated with EARTH and the SUN
- Believed to have descended from Hercules (most powerful and TRIUMVIRATE
successful God, helper of man and Gods, greatest of all Greek Gods)
- Referred to as Mars, God of War Should be working
together as 1
OCTAVIUS CAESAR combined group to
- Caesar is unsentimental - interested only in politics and power, politically continue the
expedient (favours what is immediately advantageous but without Roman empire
regard for ethics or considered principles)
- A good leader, focused on domination and growing the Roman empire
- Tactician / strategist, synonymous with control
- private life never intervenes with his public duty
LEPIDUS
- Lepidus is not a strong character or leader
- Uses flattery – not assertive
- Lacks the stature of Antony and Caesar
POMPEY
Naval tactician
ENOBARBUS
Antony’s friend, Roman officer, realist and cynical
OCTAVIA
Passive, quintessential, typical roman wife, submissive
,THEMES:
o Love o Duty
o Power o Reason and Passion
o Honour o Clash of Cultures
o Imperialism
o Public Duty vs Private Life *
o Political Expedience – may not be morally acceptable but done to achieve the right goal
IMAGERY:
Much is paradoxical
- DISSOLUTION & DISINTEGRATION – Dissolved in something else, lose who they are
- CORRUPTION & DECAY – Dissolved in something else, lose who they are
- FECUNDITY (fertility) – Extremely important – generation of life from elements of Earth and water:
Rome = sterile, Egypt = fertile (Alexandria is on the Nile which floods its banks)
ROME:
Order, Stability, Precision, Discipline, Grandeur, Austere THE “WORLD”
Military Values, Rationality, Legalistic Morality
This is the entire
world in the play
But Duplicity and
EGYPT: Hypocrisy in both
worlds
Sensual Indulgence, Richness of experience, Spontaneity,
Love, Amorality, Excess, Passion, Fulfilment of appetite
o Rich country (gold and wheat), Rome dependent on it.
, ACT ONE:
SCENE 1:
o Antony’s passionate relationship with Cleopatra is played out against a background of war as there is civil
strife in Italy which was initiated by Antony’s wife, Fulvia.
o Roman point of view – Cleopatra is Antony’s weakness:
“This dotage of our general’s o’erflows the measure” (water imagery)
o Rome under threat – civil strife
o Learn that Antony is a very good solider: “Like plated Mars”
o Antony neglects public duty for his sensual, transcendent and real love with Cleopatra, enmeshed in a
relationship with her
o Antony is compared to a fool for being so taken by Cleopatra:
“The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet’s fool”
o Antony knows that he has neglected his duty in Rome but cannot leave Cleopatra. Dissolution imagery “let
Rome in Tiber melt” – loses more of his own identity
o Denounces Roman honour in favour of honour of love for Cleopatra
o HONOUR = empathy, sympathy, generosity, forgiveness, accountability
o IMPERIAL THEME:
Ability to dominate the world
Cleopatra demonstrates little concern for dictates and the power of Octavius Caesar (shows no respect for
him) because she is in control of the whole of Egypt and not threatened by him. She is powerful and able to
convince anyone.
o Cleopatra = capricious & provocative
o Antony = great reputation
“When he is not Antony” – his greatness is not evident, not able to temper love and fulfil public duty but
forgiven as Cleopatra is known for making men besotted with her.
SCENE 2:
o Soothsayer = fortune teller, foreshadows events
Predicts that: - Antony will love Cleopatra more than she loves him
- What Antony has experienced in life so far is better than
what is to come
- Antony will outlive Cleopatra
o Antony reverts to himself – imperial business and impulsive as he deals with Roman public duty: “A
Roman thought hath struck him”
o Romans disapprove of A&C’s relationship
o PUBLIC DUTY VS PRIVATE LIFE – Must get away from Egypt or will be powerless in the conflict
(break free of the handcuffs)
“These strong Egyptian fetters I must break”
