What makes Antony and Cleopatra A tragedy?
The play’s tragedy stems from the irreconcilable division between the two, represented in the play’s two major movements: Antony’s abandoning Cleopatra and Egypt for Rome and his duties and his subsequent defection back to them.
What are the qualities and characters of Cleopatra?
Cleopatra was charismatic and intelligent, and she used both qualities to further Egypt’s political aims. She was also ruthless, reportedly killing several family members in order to solidify her power. The only member of her house to learn Egyptian, she was said to be a popular ruler.
How is Honour presented in Antony and Cleopatra?
In Antony and Cleopatra, honor seems less a function of Western or Eastern culture than of the characters’ determination to define themselves on their own terms. Both Antony and Cleopatra secure honorable deaths by refusing to compromise their identities.
What is the climax in Antony and Cleopatra?
climax Antony disgraces himself by fleeing the battle of Actium to follow Cleopatra, betraying his own image of himself as a noble Roman. falling action Cleopatra abandons Antony during the second naval battle, leaving him to suffer an insurmountable defeat.
What is the resolution of Antony and Cleopatra?
The resolution comes when Antony falls on his own sword and later dies before Cleopatra. She follows him into death by committing suicide herself, completing the tragedy.
Who is the more powerful character in Act One Antony or Cleopatra?
From the opening of Shakespeare’s play we are introduced to Cleopatra’s domination over Antony. Her upstaging of Antony “in theatrical terms, in military terms, and ultimately in sexual terms” (Dusinberre 57) confirms the upset of equality in the play, and we consider Cleopatra the character with the most control.
What was Marc Antony’s personality?
Personality… brave and noble, but conflicted. A powerful general and a passionate lover, Antony struggles to reconcile the two aspects of his personality. He takes pride in being a respected soldier, and is consequently rankled by the thought that others would think less of him for loving Cleopatra.
What is the character analysis of Antony and Cleopatra?
Antony and Cleopatra | Character Analysis. Share. Generous, likeable, and warm-hearted, Antony is one of the Roman Empire’s three triumvirs. When the play begins, he has been living with Cleopatra and has fathered three children with her.
How is Octavius portrayed in Antony and Cleopatra?
As in Julius Caesar, Octavius is depicted in Antony and Cleopatra as possessing nearly inhuman detachment and self-control. He is a cold, calculating, political animal. He uses Antony when he needs him, and turns on both Antony and Lepidus when he can. But he is not malicious. He is single-minded.
How does the assortment of perspectives from which we see Cleopatra illustrate?
The assortment of perspectives from which we see Cleopatra illustrates the varying understandings of her as a decadent foreign woman and a noble ruler.
Should we view Cleopatra as a character?
But to view Cleopatra as such is to reduce her character to the rather narrow perspective of the Romans, who, standing to lose their honor or kingdoms through her agency, are most threatened by her.