Antony and Cleopatra
A tragedy of epic sweep and sensuous poetry, Antony and Cleopatra dramatizes the clash between Rome (duty, power, austerity) and Egypt (desire, luxury, art), embodied in the catastrophic love affair between the triumvir Mark Antony and Egypt's queen.
At a Glance
- Genre: Tragedy (Roman Play)
- Approximate date: c. 1606–1607
- Setting: Dispersed throughout the Roman Empire; primarily Rome, Alexandria, and Greece
- Source: Plutarch's Lives (translated by Sir Thomas North)
- Acts: 5 (42 scenes — more than any other Shakespeare play)
Dramatis Personæ
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| MARK ANTONY | Triumvir; once Rome's greatest general; torn between duty and Cleopatra |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Cold, calculating triumvir; Antony's rival; future Augustus |
| LEPIDUS | The third, weaker triumvir |
| SEXTUS POMPEIUS | Rival to the triumvirs; makes and breaks a treaty |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Antony's most loyal friend and general; deserts; dies of grief |
| VENTIDIUS | Antony's general; victorious in Parthia |
| EROS | Antony's devoted servant; kills himself rather than kill Antony |
| SCARUS | Faithful soldier |
| DERCETAS | Brings Antony's sword to Caesar |
| DEMETRIUS and PHILO | Open the play with commentary on Antony's debasement |
| MAECENAS and AGRIPPA | Caesar's counsellors |
| DOLABELLA | Caesar's officer; sympathetic to Cleopatra |
| PROCULEIUS | Caesar's agent; captures Cleopatra |
| THIDIAS (THYREUS) | Caesar's messenger |
| GALLUS | Caesar's officer |
| MENAS | Pompey's friend; suggests killing the triumvirs |
| MENECRATES | Pompey's friend |
| VARRIUS | Pompey's friend |
| TAURUS | Caesar's lieutenant-general |
| CANIDIUS | Antony's lieutenant-general |
| SILIUS | Officer in Ventidius's army |
| EUPHRONIUS | Ambassador from Antony to Caesar |
| ALEXAS, MARDIAN, SELEUCUS, DIOMEDES | Attendants on Cleopatra |
| A SOOTHSAYER | |
| A CLOWN | Brings Cleopatra the asp |
| CLEOPATRA | Queen of Egypt; magnificent; manipulative; passionate; devoted |
| OCTAVIA | Caesar's sister; married to Antony as political gesture |
| CHARMIAN | Cleopatra's chief attendant; dies with her |
| IRAS | Cleopatra's attendant; dies before Cleopatra |
Plot Summary
Acts I–II: Antony, besotted with Cleopatra in Alexandria, is summoned back to Rome after his wife Fulvia's death and the rise of Pompey. He marries Octavia as a political alliance with Caesar. Enobarbus describes Cleopatra's extraordinary beauty and power: "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety." Back in Egypt, Cleopatra rages at the news of Antony's marriage. Pompey meets with the triumvirs; a treaty is made; the parties celebrate on Pompey's galley.
Acts III–IV: Antony returns to Cleopatra, separating from Octavia. Caesar uses this as a pretext for war. At the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra's fleet flees and Antony follows her, abandoning the battle. Defeated, Antony rages at Cleopatra, then forgives her. Caesar refuses terms; Antony challenges him to single combat (a fantasy). Enobarbus deserts to Caesar. Antony sends Enobarbus's treasure after him; Enobarbus dies of shame. Antony briefly recovers, wins a sea battle — but then his fleet surrenders. Believing Cleopatra dead (having sent a false report to test his love), Antony tries to kill himself, botching it; dying, he is raised to Cleopatra's monument and dies in her arms.
Act V: Caesar, wanting to display Cleopatra in his triumph, promises kind treatment. Cleopatra, resolved not to be paraded through Rome, receives the clown with the asps. She dresses in her royal robes and dies by their bite — "I am fire and air; my other elements / I give to baser life." Charmian and Iras die with her. Caesar's final speech acknowledges their greatness.
Key Themes
- Rome vs. Egypt — public duty vs. private desire; reason vs. passion; austerity vs. luxury
- Love as transcendence — Antony and Cleopatra's love is presented as something beyond the political world that destroys them
- The theatrical self — Cleopatra is herself a performance, a spectacle; she manages her own death as theatre
- Time — "Eternity was in our lips and eyes" vs. the relentless clock of Roman history
Notable Quotations
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety." *(Enobarbus, II.ii)*
"I am fire and air; my other elements / I give to baser life." *(Cleopatra, V.ii)*
"Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have / Immortal longings in me." *(Cleopatra, V.ii)*
"The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, / Burned on the water." *(Enobarbus, II.ii)*
LibriVox Recording
Antony and Cleopatra audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording.
Cross-references
- Tragedies — genre context; Roman tragedies
- Julius Caesar — Antony's story continues from the earlier play
- Romeo and Juliet — the mature counterpart to youthful love-death
- Coriolanus — Roman politics and the tragic hero