Antony and Cleopatra: The Theme of Nature
Nature, described as mysterious and secretive, is a recurrent theme throughout Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra, the ill-fated queen of Egypt, is both mysterious and secretive, and her emotional power is above and beyond nature’s great strength. Whether described in a positive or in a negative manner, both nature and Cleopatra are described as being “great natural forces.” Throughout the first act, the two are compared and contrasted by various characters in the play.
The first act, set in Alexandria, Egypt, sets the stage for the play and presents the majority of the actors. Scene two introduces one of the major themes of the play, Nature. This raunchy, innuendo- filled scene has two of Cleopatra’s close friends and one of Antony’s discussing her and Antony’s life. Charmian, one of Cleopatra’s best friends, Alexas, one of Cleopatra’s servants (as well as the link between her and Antony), Enobarbus, one of Antony’s trusted Lieutenants, as well as a Soothsayers are all present and discussing their fortunes. During this discussion, the Soothsayer states, “ In Nature’s infinite book of secrecy/ A little I can read” (I.ii.10-11). The Soothsayer explains to the others that there is little she can do outside of not only her powers, but also what nature allows her to. One of the first references to nature and the mystery that revolves around it, this quote simply demonstrates how little power the people have over something as great as nature.
Nature and the elements surrounding it are simply a mystery to the people of Rome. In his discussion with his commanding Lieutenant, Enobarbus refers to Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt and Antony’s soon-to- be lover, as a great natural force that is above nature’s powers. In the second scene of the first act, Antony states, “She is cunning past man’s thought” (I.ii.145). This statement is then followed by Enobarbus’ statement about Cleopatra: “…her passions are made of noth/ing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her /winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater /storms and tempests than almanacs can re- port. This/ cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a show’r of /rain as well as Jove” (I.ii.146-151). In this quote, Enobarbus shows great respect and admiration towards Cleopatra. Not only does he defend her from Antony’s statement, but also he regards her with such high esteem that he compares her to Jove, the ruler of the gods in charge of rain, thunder, and lightning.
The author, Voltaire, wrote in the Enlightenment period, a literary movement characterized by the rising concern of philosophy, science, and politics. Voltaire’s writing was influenced by the Enlightenment movement to create awareness of global issues. This is evident in the repeated tragedies Candide stumbles upon. Social issues, corrupt authority figures, and war are real world topics that Voltaire chooses to address in Candide. The satirical nature of Candide allows for an in-depth discussion between the characters regarding the problems they face and the problems of the people they meet, creating a perspective that the audience is forced to look through. It is also a coming of age story, not just for Candide, but for the rising awareness in global issues. Voltaire’s inclusion of the issues of his time reflect the severity of those issues. Satire is used as a reaction to a society’s hypocrisy. Candide as a satirical piece reflects what people have neglected to pay attention to. Coming into a new era of awareness and responsibility leads Candide to reflect on the live he lived in Westphalia and the people he encountered across
The issues involving The Tragedy of Julius Ceaser is an equivocal topic, although to narrow one down is to reiterate how the men and women are viewed in this society. This play written by William Shakespeare, he introduced numerous characters but there are a few focal characters that surface around the idea of a bend in gender roles. To clarify, the characters that illustrate this are Julius Ceaser, the romans leader, as well as, his wife Calpurnia; and the other being Brutus, Ceasers friend, and his devoted wife Portia. This book reveals how dominance was ensued in men, while women’s worries were taken into account, but when challenged by a man’s there was no decision to be made the man hurled toward their fellow man’s idea. They felt that the men made more logical decisions when in fact that was utterly wrong.
soon as she appears on the stage, 'If it be love indeed tell me how
The first philosopher that Candide encounters is named pangloss, and he is presented as a follower of optimism. Optimism is the belief that the world they live in is the best possible world. During their travels together Pangloss contracts a disease from a handmaiden and comments, “Oh, Pangloss cried candide, what a strange genealogy! Is not the Devil the original stock of it? Not at all, replied the great man, it was a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds; for if Columbus had not in an island of america caught this disease… we should have neither chocolate nor cochineal.” (Voltaire, 8). This is an example of Pangloss philosophy on optimism because he takes a negative event and adds on something positive which in turn gives it an optimistic view point. Pangloss believes deeply in his philosophy despite the fact that he has contracted a disease which worsens his health and prevents him from spawning children. He even goes on to say that des...
Cleopatra, born in 69 B.C., was an Egyptian Queen and the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. She was from Greek descent and a member of the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. In just her early twenties, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt following the death of her father and the defeat of her siblings. Popularly, she is remembered because of her physical beauty, love affairs, and the tragedy of her life. But more importantly she should be celebrated as a commanding female leader who used her intellect to exercise considerable power and influence in a male-dominated world.
Voltaire’s Candide can be understood in several ways by its audience. At a first glance it would appear to be simply a story blessed with outrageous creativity, but if you look deeper in to the novel, a more complicated and meaningful message is buried within. Voltaire uses the adventures of Candide as a representation of what he personally feels is wrong within in society. Written in the 18th century (1759), known commonly as the age of enlightenment, Voltaire forces his audience to consider the shift from tradition to freedom within society. He achieves this by exploring the reality of human suffering due to traditions which he mocks throughout Candide. In particular he focused on exploiting the corruption he felt was strongly and wrongfully present within three main aspects of society these being religion, politics and morals. Each chapter represents different ways in which Voltaire believes corruption exists providing the audience with the reality of society’s problems due to its fixation on tradition. As a philosopher of the Enlightenment, Voltaire advocated for freedom of religion, freedom of expression and the separation between church and state. Voltaire successfully presents these ideas within Candide by highlighting why they are a significant problem in 18th century Europe.
To get his point across in Candide, Voltaire created the character Dr. Pangloss, an unconditional follower of Leibniz's philosophy. Voltaire shows this early in the novel by stating, "He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause and that, in this best of all possible worlds....(16)" Pangloss goes on to say that everything had its purpose and things were made for the best. For example, the nose was created for the purpose of wearing spectacles (Voltaire 16). Because of his "great knowledge," Candide, at this point a very naive and impressionable youth, regards Pangloss as the greatest philosopher in the world, a reverence that will soon be contradicted by contact with reality (Frautschi 75).
Voltaire did not believe in the power of reason to overcome contemporary social conditions.In Candide, Voltaire uses Pangloss and his ramblings to represent an often humorous characterization of the "typical" optimist. Of Pangloss, Voltaire writes, "He proved admirably that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in the best of all possible worlds the Baron’s castle was the best of all castles and his wife the best of all possible Baronesses." (522) The attack on the claim that this is "the best of all possible worlds" permeates the entire novel. Throughout the story, satirical references to this theme contrast with natural catastrophes and human wrongdoing. When reunited with the diseased and dying Pangloss, who had contracted syphilis, Candide asks if the Devil is at fault.
Throughout the entirety of the novel, Candide encompasses a plethora of different horrific human deeds against one another and significant natural disasters. All of these events force some of the main characters to choose how to interpret these unfortunate events and reflect upon the meaning behind their occurrences. In Voltaire’s Candide, Professor Pangloss establishes political and intellectual certainty in an uncertain world by consistently repeating that everything in this world happens to benefit the greater good. If his ideas were true, this would be unacceptable—if everything disastrous in the world occurred for God’s greater plan, then everything humankind has done to remedy these
Cleopatra's family were the rulers of Egypt for more than 100 years before she was born around 69 B.C. The stories and myths surrounding Cleopatra's life inspired people to write a number of books, movies and plays, including Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. Cleopatra has become one of the most well known ancient Egyptians.
However, the main point Voltaire makes at the end of this novel with the garden is that to be content is to be happy. All the characters in the book were searching for happiness and yet always found discontent. It is at the end that finally Candide understands to be happy it is necessary to do something he is content in, and thus finds happiness. This is important to the satire of the whole, because it is Voltaire’s summation of all the criticisms, all that is wrong with society. This book is just an all out attack on society, and uses humor to illustrate his views. It is indeed a finally irony that in the end seriousness that the satirical journey of Candide comes to a close. “Let us cultivate our Garden.” Five short words, Voltaire’s final summation to the great comedy that is Candide.
There are two reasons why The Aeneid is associated with the Shakespearean play Antony and Cleopatra. First, The Aeneid was written by a Roman named Virgil who, among many other reasons, wrote it as a tribute for Augustus Caesar, the leader of the Roman Empire. Augustus Caesar was formally named Octavian and is a character in Shakespeare's play. Secondly, both The Aeneid and Antony and Cleopatra 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. In The Aeneid, the lovers are Aeneas and Dido and Antony and Cleopatra are the lovers in Shakespeare's play.
Throughout Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, readers are constantly thrown in the middle of a battle between Roman and Egyptian values. Antony, a noble warrior for the Romans, is the character that seems to have the most trouble between this dichotomy. He is constantly caught between reason (Rome) and passion (Egypt) and has a difficult time making the transitions. Cleopatra is the character that stays most true to her roots, but begins adopting the other side’s values toward the end of the story. She makes a smoother transition than Antony, which can be attributed to her self-confidence and open-minded spirit. Antony is a constant source of back-and-forth commotion while Cleopatra seems to posses Egyptian qualities until the end of the book when the reader’s eyes are opened to her new, Roman ways.
In Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare shifts from praising Antony as a great warrior to condemning him by depicting the gradual decline of his honor and image in order to show his inner battle between reason and emotion. This is an apparent theme in both the book and the play, though there might be some small differences both show how this inner battles defeats him and leaves Cleopatra with most of the power. One thing that I noticed is that Cleopatra seemed far more regal in the book than in the play. For example in the book when Antony wants Scarus to kiss her “favoring hand” (205) he makes it sound like a big honor that he is able to do this and the way he describes her makes me imagine that is is a regal and important moment. In the play
Caesar and Cleopatra effectively and accurately displays the early relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra. After the death of her father, Cleopatra seeks Caesar’s aid in helping her achieve sole rule despite the presence of her brother/husband. As the film goes on, the viewer watches Caesar and Cleopatra grow as friends and as lovers. Gabriel Pascal, the director, works immensely hard to create a setting that helps the viewers feel like they have been transported back in time. This historically accurate rendition of the play by George Bernard Shaw is a delight to watch and fun for viewers young and old.