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Antony and Cleopatra

Introduction

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragic piece of literature that is written by William Shakespeare sometime between the years 1603 and 1607. The plot of the play is based on the translation of Plutarch Lives by Thomas North and is about the relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra beginning from the time of the Parthian War till the suicide of Cleopatra. The chief enemy in the play is Octavius Caesar who is one of the fellow triumviri of Antonio and also the future first emperor of Rome. The tragedy in this play is all about the rapid and panoramic shifts in registers and geographical areas flashing between Alexandria (imaginative) and Rome (realistic).

Discussion

Antony

Antony is a part of a triumvirate which is basically an association of Antony, Octavius Caesar and Lepidus, who are in charge of the Roman Empire. Antony is a very nice general who is loved by all his men. He is less ambitious than Octavius and is a lover of pleasure. He is a very complex man who was not present to fulfill his duties as a general at major points. According to Shakespeare, his love for Cleopatra was the reason of his end. But in a way, their love for one another was a kind of triumph which was beautiful.

In the whole play, Antonio has been seen divided between his love and his duties for the Roman Empire. For example in the first scene of Act I, he is conversing with Cleopatra and telling her about the deepness of their love for which he has ignored his duties towards the Empire:

“Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / of the ranged empire fall” (I.i.35-36).

But in the second scene he is worried about losing himself in his old age. He also believes that his wife died because of his own irresponsible actions. Therefore, Antonio feels divided between his duties towards Rome and his love for Cleopatra. The geographical poles that attract him towards opposite directions reflects the issues between his emotions and reasons, his obligations towards the roman empire and his own personal needs, his desires and his duties.

But Antonio is unable to handle the strain of such pressure. In his head, he knows that first he is one of the best roman heroes. He acquired this status of being one of the three world leaders by defeating the unfaithful Cassius and Brutus, who had planned to murder his fore runner Julius Caesar. Many times he thinks about the good days of his heroism, but now as he has involved himself in an affair with the queen of Egypt, he feels guilty about how he has gone so far away from his perfect self. This is proved when he tells Octavius in the fourth scene of Act III that the current actions that he is involved in will damage his honor and since honor is the crucial quality of being a roman hero, he can not be the same anymore:

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