Cleopatra is one of the Shakespeare’s strongest and awe inspiring female characters. She is complex and decidedly inconstant, yet she is never less than her self: passionate, grand and over the top. By killing her self Cleopatra remains her truest, reserving all her greatness and mocking over Caesar’ triumph. Cleopatra is beyond neat categories and tidy synopses. Throughout the course of the play she dons many roles of hussy, enchantress, queen, tyrant, strew and mother. Her character has been as shifting as the clouds that Antony describes in Act IV, scene xv. Despite Romans’ victory she does not allow her multifaceted identity to be stripped to one of its simplest, basest components. Thus she refuses to parade through the filthy streets of Rome as a trophy of the Romans’ Empire while some prepubescent boy mimics her greatness.” I’th posture of a whore” (V.ii.217). By killing her self Cleopatra remains Cleopatra. [SparkNotes, Antony and Cleopatra, Analysis, Act v, scene 2] The multifaceted Cleopatra seemed to have secret longings and undisclosed motivations. For instance she does not stick to the forth act – closing resolution of suicide, until she knows what Caesar intends for her. Her withholding of a part of her inventory for her suggests she had planned to survive even after Antony’s death. [GradeSaver, Antony and Cleopatra, Analysis, Act v, scene ii] All this comes to testify to the complexity and the contradictions inherent in the queen’s character. There are depths in Cleopatra that we glimpse but to which we never gain total access. In Antony and Cleopatra, West meets East, but it does not, regardless of Caesar’s triumph over the land of Egypt, conquer it. Cleopatra’s suicide implies that something of the East’ s ... ... middle of paper ... ...ginations of writers like Shakespeare, her name has ultimately even more famous than that of her conqueror. [GradeSaver, Antony and Cleopatra, Analysis, Act v, scene ii] Works cited: Book. Single Author Antony and Cleopatra, David Bevington p.128 Book. Single Author The problems of Shakespeare, Ernest Schanzer, p.162 Electronic Source SparkNotes, Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare Analysis, Act v, scene 2 http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/antony/section10.rhtml Electronic Source SparkNotes, Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare Themes and Motives http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/antony/themes.html Electronic Source GradeSaver, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare, Analysis, Act v, scene 1-2 http://www.freebooknotes.com/page.php?link=http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/cleopatra&book=26
Changing social habits of a contemporary society have seen Cleopatra depicted in many different ways. Whilst few artefacts remain of the true image of Cleopatra, we see from her portrait on the coins (Fear, 2008, p, 21 Fig 1.4) that despite being no legendary beauty, she had the power to captivate two of the greatest Romans of her time. Cleopatra consummated her union with Julius Caesar, which strengthened her grip on the throne, following his assassination; she formed alliance with Mark Antony, in opposition to Octavian, a coalition that would lead to her downfall as both Antony and Cleopatra’s combined forces would be defeated against Octavian in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. (Fear, 2008, p.7)
Despite her achievements being discredited by most critics, the fact that she was able to rule during a turbulent time portrays her as more than capable. Cleopatra’s death through an alleged asp bite after witnessing Marc Antony’s death was tragic. However, the queen taking her own life rather than allowing her enemies end it reveals her strong character. Cleopatra’s fame after her death is a testament to powerful leadership of the Last Pharaoh of Egypt.
In conclusion, The Aeneid’s lovers and Antony and Cleopatra are both tragic tales with many connections to each other. They share a common theme of a patriotic, heroic man having to choose between duty to his country and the passionate love of a beautiful, foreign and strong queen. Then on the otherside, they both depict a powerful and noble queen who is able to overcome the rampant patriarchy in their cities and rule with a firm loyal hand.
... were disgusted by this behavior before he ever saw the Egyptian Queen’s arrival by barge. The omission of this information from Antony and Cleopatra alters not only the reputation of Antony, but also ones interpretation of Cleopatra.
The Romans were immensely furious with Cleopatra and had primary influence over what sources were left behind about her. So certainly this is going to lead to biases and inaccuracies in the depictions we have. Furthermore, we are all well aware of how Hollywood likes to dramatize and embellish stories in order to generate ticket sales and is not worried about the accuracy of the historical anecdote. Because of this and her popularity, our knowledge of Cleopatra has been flooded with twisted truths. When examining Cleopatra’s full reign beyond her love affairs, reveals Cleopatra put all of her effort forth in order to solve the conflict between Egypt and Rome and should be recognized for her masterminded and commanding leadership
She attributes her exceptional education, captivating oratory skills and intellectual abilities to have merited both the hearts of the Roman leaders. Through the latter she elevated her Empire from the path of ruin and into world supremacy, using the influence and might of the Roman Empire to do so. After all as Cleopatra displayed to have understood- Why be the conquered when you are able to be the conqueror. Read page 129
Ever since her brother’s disappearance Rome has continued to try and take over Egypt. They have started getting their armies ready and making weapons to take preparation for taking over Egypt. Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Cleopatra re-married. This time the man she married happened to be a Roman Commander. His name was Caesar. He happened to be really important to the Roman Empire, so the Romans could not take Egypt that day. That was the main reason she ma...
Cleopatra and the province of Egypt are not accepted by the Romans because the relationship between the two city-states is not equal, as Rome does not benefit from a partnership between the two, although Egypt expects to be treated as a people of equal power and prestige. While it is true that Egypt is a country with great wealth and fertile land, thus able to give to Rome ample amounts of gold and grain, these are not reasons enough to make Rome tolerant of...
The woman, by definition is the nurturer of life. She labors through birth, tends to the needs of her family, and assumes unending responsibilities. And while women have given birth to the ancient and modern day male heroes we've come to glorify to this day, we must remember that some of those same women have also been tremendously influential and invaluable all throughout the depths of history. One such woman is Cleopatra, the temptress whose ambition and seduction both augmented her empire's prestige and brought about her theatrical downfall.
Once in Syria and situated Cleopatra began constructing an army. She knew that an army alone wouldn’t get her power back. Cleopatra would need some outside help too to get the job done. She needed a powerful ally and Julius Caesar was just that person. She reached out many times to seek Julius Caesar’s support. After many failed attempts at getting his support he finally came through and agreed to help Cleopatra restore her po...
Cleopatra’s embodiment, though, does aim for her to become “one of [them.]” Her new body fits in a very specific niche – she does not f...
... middle of paper ... ... Saying that she was devoted to her empire and raising her children doesn’t seem fitting enough for all that Cleopatra has done. She would be the last Egyptian queen we would ever know, but also the most famous female ruler in world history. Bibliography Burstein, Stanley Mayer.
(Cicarma,2017) With all the planning to negotiation the tactics of both were lacking and defeat. When all things are all well in the eyes that seem to doom Cleopatra puts herself in seat of death of a cobra granted that this was a myth or not. Plutarch says that those who believed in the asp theory that the snake was smuggled in to her bowl of figs. (Baldwin, 1964, p 182: 2) And still no one knows if it was Cleopatra killed Antony for her own free will. It was the power that struck her and her own risk to not anyone have her Antony right beside her. This goes to that this fascinated to us about Cleopatra show us in ways as a woman she did her best to reign and what she expected for the last Pharaoh to do what's right mind of her
One of the biggest internal struggles in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra is Antony’s struggle between reason and emotion. One of the times this is shown is when Antony turns his ships around after noting that Cleopatra has done so in Act III scene 10. Shakespeare decided to show Antony’s internal struggle by having him follow Cleopatra to emphasize how strongly his emotions and reasoning lead him to mix business with pleasure, intertwining his role of general with his role of lover. From turning his ship around mid-battle to dressing himself after spending the night to outright stating his feelings, Antony shows over and over the unavoidable mutual existence of his roles as general and lover.
"When she first met Mark Antony she purs'd up his heart upon the river. of Cycnus", in other words she dominated him from that point on. Antony went to Egypt with his only political purpose, Rome. Over the course of time however, Cleopatra's engineering, Antony lost his. purpose.