Coursework Plan

COURSEWORK PLAN

 Compare and contrast the ways in which female power is presented in the texts you have studied.

 

(INTRO- )

Women’s Power in Language-

Cleopatra-

v  manipulation + blackmail ‘never has there been a Queen so mightily betrayed’, ‘if he is sad say I am dancing; if in mirth, report I am sudden sick’

-Cleopatra’s speech dominates that of others, language used to describe her makes her powerful- ‘Isis’, ‘Egypt’, goddess, barge scene- Controls nature. Symbolism- Silver, female power. –(SEXING THE CHERRY- 12 dancing princesses, dominating strong females who drown out Jordan’s voice with their stories.)

v  (Both women Cleo+Jean are very changeable in nature- they change themselves to become a personality that fits each situation best so they maintain their power) Cleo- pretends to be weak for Antony when he breaks in order to make him take control and rise into a more powerful role once more. (QUOTE)

v  Uses flattery to make the man feel more powerful-

Jean Muir-

v  manipulative- faints to get attention and make herself appear weak + vulnerable. ‘slid from her seat and lay before the startled listeners, as white and rigid as if struck with death’ (SEXING THE CHERRY- ‘women have a private language. A language not dependant on the constructions of men but structured by signs and expressions, and the uses ordinary words as code-words meaning some other’- Jean talks differently + confidently to herself than in front of others. Also puts on a ‘pretty Scotch accent’ to soften her outside act)

v  -Jean changeable ‘shook her clenched hand as if menacing some unseen enemy. Next she laughed and shrugged her shoulders…’

v  Using flattery to make men feel comfortable and empowered ‘I was going to say, I love him. I will say it, for he is an old man, and one cannot help loving virtue and bravery’

Women’s Power through gender representation/sexuality-

             Jean Muir

v  Laura Mulvey- woman maintain + use their sexuality to hold power over men. It is their only means to power. We see this with Jean Muir- can only gain her status and security in marriage through seduction, without this she is powerless

v  Judith Butler- gender performance. Jean performs role to give herself most power ‘Come…the curtain is down, so I may be myself for a few hours, if actresses are ever themselves.’

v  Cleopatra- uses this to control Antony, too, ‘now my Lord is Antony, I shall be Cleopatra’ – Cleopatra is just an act? Shaped to fit different situations and to ease out what she wants from different people.

v  SEXING THE CHERRY- ‘The self is not contained in any moment or any place, but it is only in the intersection of moment and place that the self might, for a moment, be seen vanishing through a door, which disappears at once.

v  The women in power- semiotics- masculine. Connotations of masculinity from them. Becoming like men? Women are no longer victims of sex? Cleopatra ‘I drank him to his bed…’, also when she attacks messenger ‘draws a knife….strikes him down’ violent, strong, male traits. Barge scene , beauty symbolism, silver- feminine power. Music, her hypnotic power, a lure to all. Perfumes. Jean Muir also uses music in a similar way, women do not need words to seduce hypnotic power also ‘she charmed them all by the magic of this spell’  Dog Woman- too large to be touched by sex, unable to be a victim- overpowers men by their lack of ability to do anything to her. Dog woman uses sexuality for power as she is so large and unattractive that she is immune to sex and the potential weakness and dominance it plays both men and women into. She is powerful through a neutral stance to sexuality.

Women’s Power Roles in love, how it is achieved-

v  Dog Woman – sheer size and physical power. Man-like, Breaks connotations of women being small and weak especially to men. Role-reversal. Role- mother. Maternal love- powerful, instinctual like her. Role as mother- (self sacrifice. Idea of woman as food, used as a tool to promote male growth before being useless when their task is complete) ‘when Jordan was a baby he sat on top of me much as a fly rests on a hill of dung. And I nourished him as a hill of dung nourishes a fly, and when he had eaten his fill he left me’ women are powerful as they are providers. Without them the men would not grow strong enough to leave in time. However women suppress this power and choose to share it out of love. The men do not.

v  Cleopatra- powerful with how she uses language. Seduction for power. Role- lover.  Sexual love- shallow power-struggle. Egotistic. ‘he will return to his Egyptian dish’ materialised. Just a basic need for a man but not that he cares about. Food- lower order pleasure. Cleopatra and Dog Woman’s roles are antithesis of each other.

v  Jean Muir- powerful by pretending to be weak, weak role of governess. Role- governess. But powerful as she creates whatever role she wants to play. Multiple roles. Governess, seductive, meek etc.

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the two worlds of Rome and Egypt in the play so far.

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the two worlds of Rome and Egypt in the play so far.

Shakespeare’s presentation of the two worlds of Rome and Egypt is very important to the whole play itself as each side is set up as a direct antithesis to the other. In many senses we see Antony as a personification of Rome and Cleopatra as a personification of Egypt. Rome and Egypt can also stand alone as personifications of war in Rome’s case and love for Egypt. These contrasting loyalties and values are what eventually leads to the demise of both sides as the embodiment of them both lose their life in the clashing and tearing of their different priorities.

     Cleopatra represents an exotic world of bodily pleasures, gluttony, and sex mingled with flamboyant yet frivolous power alongside manipulating influence. Egypt shows a different world of freedom and love which is a refreshing break from society and the rules which it uses to dictate how one lives their life. This is something which we see Antony become so caught up in that he becomes unable to escape from it. The views of Cleopatra vary in accordance to who is speaking of her. If we hear about her from Romans the focus is very much upon objectifying her and criticising her ways.

     Cleopatra is referred to as a ‘gypsy’ and a ‘strumpet’ whilst the lifestyle is very critical and focused again on the bodily pleasures indulged within the country ‘we did sleep all day out of countenance and made the night light with drinking’. Gluttony and idleness is referenced to extremely frequently ‘eight wild boars roasted whole at breakfast, but twelve persons there’ and we also hear about how Antony is caught up between it, as if he has been captured by a lifestyle of idleness and the shame of it for Rome seems to be extreme ‘he fishes, he drinks and wastes the lamps of the night in revel’, this Roman view of Egypt shows it as wasteful, irresponsible and sinful.

     The Roman speech of Cleopatra is also extremely objectifying, perhaps because of her sex. We see Cleopatra is not spoken of as an intellectual leader, but a temptress who is nothing more than a physical interest to be indulged in as she is spoken of a ‘wonderful piece of work’ which is just about the only form of ‘praise’ we hear of her. This view could be a form of denial of her power as Cleopatra is a powerful figure, yet due to disagreements about what she stands for and her taking Antony from Egypt she cannot be acknowledged as the renowned leader she is.

     We see Egypt reflects Aristotle’s lower order pleasures such as eating and sex, whereas the higher order pleasures that reflect intellect are seen in Rome. J.S Mill spoke of the higher and lower order pleasures on an animalistic level. He stated that there was a lack of meaning in the lower order pleasures as they only satisfied you on an animalistic level, not on an intellectual level.  Mill famously stated ‘It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinions, it is because they only know their side of the question.’ This statement shows a stupidity to those who might indulge in lower order pleasures and a lack of open mindedness. This could also be reflective of the oppressive views towards women at the time. The idea of somebody choosing a lower order existence is seen as abandoning all dignity, something which we see Antony as doing. This could be reflective of a negative modernization or a backward movement away from advancement as an animalistic existence may be simpler and far more indulgent than being ruled by duty alone.

      When Cleopatra is spoken of in an Egyptian viewpoint we see her very differently. She is spoken of as a goddess, in the same league as Venus and Isis. Isis was seen as a powerful female law-giver. The name Isis is directly translated to mean ‘Throne’, something which again we see absolute solid connotations of power from. The animal of Isis is the cobra, which again links to similarities with Cleopatra as she commits suicide by applying snakes to herself.

     The presentation of both Rome and Egypt as opposites sets the play up for a tragedy. The differences create a void which will eventually create a great issue in the play as both powers cannot remain. Cleopatra is a powerful and iconic female figure, but when looking at her from a 16^th to 17^th century viewpoint we see that she may not have been an admirable source of power. Women may have more commonly seen her morals, treatment, and dominance over Antony as flawed also. We then must consider that Cleopatra may not have been written to have the same interpretation as we make read her as having today. This brings us back to how different both the powers of Rome and Egypt were, showing that we were quite possibly supposed to side with Rome over Egypt.

      The fact that Cleopatra is a female representation of Egypt and Antony a male representation of Rome is also to be explored. The fact that Egypt is a land of love and Rome that of war and duty could perhaps be showing how emotions and love are far more closely linked to women than men. We see in the play how war of powers creates conflict in love also. The splitting of these powers is what creates the conflict as they both must remain powerful, and by doing so neither can step down for the other.

     Shakespeare’s presentation of Egypt and Rome in the play so far show both countries as extremely divided. They are set up as dichotomies to each other- as are Antony and Cleopatra- the embodiment of both powers. The life of Egypt is that of the exotic and free, indulging in all forms of lower order pleasures. Rome stands for justice, war and duty. They both stand as opposites in the sense that Egypt seems to remain focused on individual needs and pleasures, whereas Rome focuses on a collective need.

‘Antony and Cleopatra is the story of Cleopatra’s tragedy’- To what extent does your reading of Act 1 support this statement?

‘Antony and Cleopatra is the story of Cleopatra’s tragedy’- To what extent does your reading of Act 1 support this statement?
Antony and Cleopatra is a play which represents the placement of both love and women in a world dominated by men, politics and war. Cleopatra is an iconic female figure who breaks many conventions of typical representations of women in that time period. She rises above all of these domineering threats in the play as triumphant, and in scene one we begin to see how the path for this victory is laid out for her.
     The idea of the play itself being Cleopatra’s tragedy alone can be derived from the sheer power she has within the play and the influence she has over people. This influence extends from the storyline to the play itself, as Cleopatra is such a strong female character who overpowers many within the play. She also has the power to dominate the play itself, making her a key focal point within it.
     We hear of Cleopatra’s power and influence the very moment the play begins as Philo described in the opening speech how Antony has been transformed from a well-respected warrior to ‘the bellows and the fan to cool a gypsy’s lust’. This shows us even before we have met Cleopatra the influence she has to change and manipulate people into being the way she wants them to be as Antony, described in a likeness to ‘Mars’ the God of war, is now ‘a strumpet’s fool’. This description creates a vivid image of Cleopatra being very much like a puppet master, controlling others to suit her personal needs and conveniences.
      Despite the unusual sense of feminine power which Cleopatra holds she is still described in a poor light by many, called a ‘tawny front’ and ‘gypsy’ within Philo’s opening speech, the negative connotations derived from this shows that her power was most likely still regarded as revolutionary and perhaps threatening even for male hubs of power. Cleopatra is a character who used her sexuality to gain control, when we consider this objectively we can see that this may well have been the only way to gain power over a man in the period which Cleopatra was within. Theories such as Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ are in accordance with such views, stating how before the radical acts of feminism met society in the late 19th to 20th Century, the only power and influence women could have over men was through the use of their sexuality.
     Cleopatra’s power is visible from an extremely basic level, she has far more speech than a conventional Shakespeare female role would usually have, and even more unusually we see in scene 3 of act one how Cleopatra repetitively cuts Antony off before he can speak. For a woman to exhibit such acts of control and solidity over a man was extremely uncommon within Shakespeare’s works. We also see how Cleopatra’s power leads to her having such influence that even becomes worthy of the triumvirs conversing about her, for a woman’s power and influence to stretch across an entire empire is hugely representative of how Cleopatra is a revolutionary kind of woman in literature. We see the very speech of Cleopatra is regarding her with a disgusted wonder at her influence ‘he fishes, he drinks, and wastes the lamps of night in revel; is not more manlike than Cleopatra’, here we see that Cleopatra is being practically compared to Antony- a man- as an equal in power, if not above him. We can also see Cleopatra’s power through her mocking on Caesar as news comes from Rome ‘if the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent his powerful mandate to do: ‘Do this, or this….’, for a woman to be able to mock one of the most influential leaders in the world shows that she is also aware of her power, if not a little arrogant with it also. The fact that Cleopatra holds such a large extent of power and importance as a character shows us that the story is very much hers. She has a great deal of input into the decisions and lives of the other characters, showing that the play is very much shaping itself to become her tragedy alone as her love leaves, rendering her for once out of complete control.
     The use of dramatic irony within the first act also demonstrates how the story is Cleopatra’s tragedy alone. References from the Soothsayer to Charmian about her fate stating she shall ‘outlive the lady whom you serve’, shows us the first mention of Cleopatra’s fate, setting up a point for the story to return to and come full-circle. The second use of dramatic irony is from Enorbarbus within his discussion with Antony as he decides to leave Egypt ‘if they suffer our departure, death’s the word’, this stands as the second hint of Cleopatra’s death showing us again that the only character with frequently implied happenings is Cleopatra, making the tragedy and story very much hers and hers alone. Antony goes on to mention ‘a serpent’s poison’ in one of his parting speeches, again incorporating the use of dramatic irony as this is what Cleopatra commits suicide with. We see throughout the first act how the hints of Cleopatra’s death become more and more fleshed out showing how her path is being placed down before her.
     We can see that the story of Antony and Cleopatra is more so Cleopatra’s tragedy than Antony’s. Both characters are set up as the absolute antithesis to each other. Their gender roles are very much reversed from the traditional. Cleopatra stands as the more influential and powerful of the two, holding the power to manipulate Antony and use him ‘if you find him sad, say I am dancing; if in mirth, report I am sudden sick’- her love is obsessive yet controlling, reflecting a male-like power. Antony is the opposite of this. He is strung along by Cleopatra, unable to give in to her, abandoning world issues due to his romance. Cleopatra has more power than Antony in this respect and we do see her using her sexuality to control him and being far more in control of it than Antony as he asks her ‘what sport tonight?’ and she brushes his comment off, redirecting him to ‘hear the ambassadors’. We can see from their speech to each other alone how Cleopatra is placed upon a pedestal by Antony as he calls her ‘Queen’. Cleopatra merely refers to Antony by his name alone until we reach the end of the scene.
     Cleopatra’s influence over the story and power to be the centre point of the tragedy springs very much from her power to manipulate others. Upon hearing of Antony’s plan to leave Egypt, and thus her, she tries to blackmail him into remaining with her ‘Oh, never was there a Queen so mightily betrayed!’ We see how Cleopatra tries numerous approaches to get Antony to stay such as emotional blackmail ‘the greatest soldier of the world, art turned the greatest liar’, then pretending to be unwell to get him to stay ‘I am quickly ill’ and finally by acting in an almost submissive manner at a last resort as she senses herself as for once being unable to control the man whom she had once had such a complete form of power over ‘be deaf to my unpitied folly’.
     Cleopatra’s fear of losing Antony becomes apparent in her disjointed speech and this shows an evident sense of grief from her. We now see Cleopatra in a different light, as if vulnerability has seized her. Her words suddenly become fairly monosyllabic, as if showing a breakdown to the raw complexity of the emotion running through her, breaking down the power she stands to represent as her stronghold begins to take control for himself. She detaches herself from Antony as she begins to realise she is powerless to change his mind, a blunt form of coldness taking hold of her speech, as if she is trying to become bitter and break off from him to numb the pain of his leaving, calling him ‘Sir’ and ‘Courteous Lord’ in an almost submissive manner.
      Cleopatra’s speech within this part of the scene is broken down, showing the tragedy already taking hold of her and nobody else to any similar extent. The use of syntactic parallelism with the anaphora ‘Sir, you and I must part’ and ‘Sir, you and I have loved’ shows Cleopatra as if she is desperately trying to order her thoughts, but she is still confused as she breaks off. As she tries again to explain her emotion she finishes with ‘but that’s not it’, deepening her sense of confusion and helplessness as she is struggling to control herself now that she’s lost her control over Antony. As such a powerful icon, Cleopatra may well have never felt these conflicting emotions before as her love is clashing with her power over Antony.
     The mere fact that Cleopatra seems to be feeling a more powerful emotion and suffers more of an impact from Antony’s departing shows her again as the focal point of the scene as it seems to mean more to her character. This emotional response is what could be making Cleopatra as a woman a victim for the tragedy of the play, showing her as falling at the destructive and all-powerful hand of man. The concept of a woman being powerful and so radically different is something that may have been seen as ‘not right’ within the play, and we see it is very typical within stories for abnormalities to be resolved to a normal state by the end of the play, in this sense Cleopatra’s death was an inevitable eventuality. Yet there is a victory to her suicide, as she dies and takes control of her own life, she is still remaining in power as she chooses to take it, allowing her both to fall but remain this iconic figure of power throughout her tragedy.
     In scene one we are confronted with many hints and emotional responses about and including Cleopatra that can only work for the purpose of setting up the foundations for her tragedy. Cleopatra is alone when she takes fate into her own hands and I think this is what makes the tragedy hers alone as this is how she faces it in the end.

Antony and Cleopatra – Act 1 Scene 5

1) Focus of the scene is Cleopatra deciding to send messengers to Antony. This shows her sheer obsession with him- wanting to know what his emotions were like, and saying she would ‘unpeople Egypt’ by turning every person into a messenger to report to Antony and back to her. Follows the scene in Rome to show that even though Antony is left there will still be trouble as Cleopatra and Egypt follow him in some form- showing her relentless influence and power over Antony as she refuses to let go.

 2) Impression of Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship is that Cleopatra is the one in control. She is the one in power and manipulating Antony for her own pleasure. Antony is too weak to resist giving in to her and she remains in power over him by keeping him under her thumb with the messengers so that even though he is in Rome he is still overpowered and distracted from his duties as Egypt follows him. Obsessive relationship. Controlling.

 3) This is after Cleopatra asks if she ever loved Caesar as much as Antony, Charmian praises Caesar and not Antony here, shows a close bond between the two that she can state her true preference?

 4) ‘Salad days’ – when she was immature, a lot younger. Saying she was young and rash, not really in love with Caesar.

Antony and Cleopatra – Act 1 Scene 4

1a) Caesar- Our impression so far of Caesar is that he is young and perhaps not taken seriously due to his age as Cleopatra mocks him as being ‘scarce-bearded’ and mentioning a possible ‘powerful mandate’ addressed to Antony from him telling him what to do. Rome- So far we see that Rome seems to be the important centre-point for the happenings of the empires, Rome is currently under threat and as it is a place of such value to the triumvirs they are bound to protect it and uphold its laws. Antony appears to have left his loyalty to Rome in the dust ‘Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall!’ before slowly coming to his senses in the next scene. Lepidus-

 2) These impressions are built from conversations about these people and from what we hear as we have yet to meet Caesar and Lepidus.

 1) According to Caesar, Antony’s faults are that he has abandoned his duties as a statesman and thus abandoned his manhood. Believes Antony has no business enjoying himself in Egypt when the empire has a crisis on its hands.

 2) Lepidus describes Antony’s faults as ‘hereditary’ and something he cannot choose as they are passed down to him ‘hereditary rather than purchased’

 3) Caesar’s phrase suggesting rivalry and possible hostility: ‘let his shames quickly drive him to Rome’ , ‘pawn their experience to their present pleasure and so rebel to judgement.’

 4) The messenger tells Caesar and Lepidus that Pompey’s army is gaining strength and finding more followers from those who had followed Caesar out of mere fear and not duty.

Act 1 Scene 3 – Antony and Cleopatra

1) Cleopatra- immature, wants to have whichever action that will hurt Antony the most – manipulative ‘If you find him sad, say I am dancing; if in mirth, report that I am sudden sick’ It shows her relationship with her maids is very one-sided, she wants to use them to be her eyes and deliver false news. Showing no regard for the consequences they may have for lying to Antony, but only herself.

 2) Chairmian states Cleopatra shouldn’t tempt him so much that her power may drive Antony away ‘in time we hate that which we often fear’ She tells Cleopatra not to cross him or betray his trust (irony), and let him do as he pleases- submissive view allowing man the power. Cleopatra disagrees saying that acting in such a way will drive him away ‘thou teachest like a fool: the way to lose him’.

 3) In Antony + Cleopatra’s exchange, Cleopatra is in control. Emotional blackmail, cutting him off, not allowing him to speak, pretending to back down merely to try and make him disagree to stay- cunning, manipulative ‘I have no power upon you; hers you are’ –lie. ‘Oh, never was there a queen so mightily betrayed!’ Telling him to go even though she wants him to say.

 4) Antony’s language in his speech to Cleopatra are very passion-less. No love in what he’s going away to do but it is a necessity- words such as ‘strong necessity’, ‘services’, ‘threaten’, ‘purge’ and ‘desperate’. He frequently tries to assure her that his passions still lie with her and mentions only being gone for ‘awhile’. ‘My full heart remains in use with you’

 5) Upon hearing Antony’s speech and the news of Fulvia’s death, Cleopatra seems to feel that if she were to die she now knows how it would be received by Antony- the same as he had received Fulvia’s death; ‘Now I see, I see in Fulvia’s death how mine received would be’ She could be responding in this way to be blackmailing Antony to make him feel the only way to prove his love is true is to stay with her in Egypt.

 6) By the end of the scene their relationship seems to have reached a cold standstill. Cleopatra calling him ‘Sir’ reflects a sudden coldness towards him. ‘Sir, you and I must part, but that’s not it; Sir, you and I have loved, but there’s not it…’ , ‘And I am all forgotten!’ Cleopatra seems to be calling the shots at this point, unable to control whether he goes or not after trying, but still able to control his emotions and where their relationship stands. She is now using that last part of power over him before he leaves.

Antony and Cleopatra Act 1 Scene 2

1) By opening scene 2 with the Soothsayer performing an act of fortune telling, we manage to get a glimpse into Cleopatra’s court showing a lively and perhaps playful atmosphere. This image of the court being as such can show reflections of the differences between the East and West. We see how the court is almost playing in its power and making a mockery of what it has the power to do in its time, similar to how Cleopatra is able to play and make a mockery of Antony. The fortune telling also begins to drop subtle hints into where the play may be going as the maids’ deaths are foretold. By bringing in the idea of the future Shakespeare is setting up a point in which the play is able to come in full-circle. The prediction of fate and death also could be a reflection or point being proven that despite these people having mass-power, they are still never truly in control.

 2) Chairmain, Alexas and Iras seem to stand as a comic tool in Act 2 as they reflect on the Soothsayer’s words with a mere shallow yearning to have better fortune than the other, making light-hearted jokes within the time spent with the Soothsayer ‘Am I not an inch of fortune better than she?’. For example Chairmain’s comment of ‘O, Excellent! I love long life better than figs.’ Seems to show she is making a mockery of the Soothsayer, perhaps not quite heeding any words which may be serious. This could be another reference to how the East is set up as a complete antithesis to the West- the East being powerful yet somewhat frivolous not always viewing their power in a wise or responsible light. We can see this again when Cleopatra mocks Antony as news comes from Rome ‘if the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent his powerful mandate to you: ‘Do this, or this; take in that kingdom and enfranchise that…’

 3) The sexual innuendo used is used as implications of what is going on behind the scenes. It shows us again how the court perhaps is far less responsible or in control of their ‘power’ than we might think, or how they may be abusing this power, abandoning duty for their own personal agendas.

 4) Enorbarbus is the lieutenant of Antony. He seems sympathetic towards Antony as he says how he wishes he had never met Cleopatra, commenting how he would have missed ‘a wonderful piece of work’. The two seem to be very similar, both sharing a feeling of both humour and relief at Fulvia’s death. At points he seems to be the only voice who is speaking much sense ‘Mine and most of our fortunes tonight, shall be drunk to bed.’ He also clearly sees the beauty in Cleopatra ‘her passions are made of nothing but the finest of pure love.’

 5) ‘For as it is heartbreaking to see a man loose-wived, so it is a deadly sorrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded. Therefore, dear Isis, keep decorum and fortune him accordingly!...Lo now, if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they’d do’t’ Cleopatras intentions and actions seem to be fairly shallow from what we read in these lines. As her maids describe Antony as a cuckold (a man with an adulterous wife). This reflects badly on Cleopatra showing that not only can she bring Antony down to her knees to get what she wants, but she also abuses her power to be unfaithful to him, making him look even more of a fool for continuing to give in to her.

 6) News comes from Rome that his brother Lucius and Fulvia had set an army against Caesar but had been defeated; it is mentioned by a messenger to Antony that it would not have happened if he had been in Rome at the time instead of abandoning duty to be with Cleopatra. He then learns from another messenger that Fulvia, his wife, is dead. Enorbarbus expresses his concerns that Antony’s idleness and attachment to Cleopatra is to blame along with the fact that Sextus Pompeius is trying to take control of the seas from the triumvirs. At this point Antony decides to break free of Egypt and return to Rome to reassume his duties.

 7) Fulvia (Antony’s wife) passes away from a ‘length of sickness’. Antony’s response to this is of great relief ‘thus I did desire it’ commenting how ‘she’s good, being gone’. This response shows us that not only is Antony poor at commitment to his country and his duty, but also when it comes to love. His affair with Cleopatra along with the fact that Cleopatra is cuckolding him shows a shallow disrespect for what may be regarded by many as ‘love’. We see that Antony and Cleopatra seem to just be using each other to fulfil each other’s wants and needs, not for a bank of emotional support as we see later how they cannot even rely on each other. Trust becomes a large issue as Antony marries Octavia and Cleopatra leaves him in battle, this builds on the issue of Antony and Cleopatra just using each other for their own gain.

 8) Antony has changed a fair amount from the beginning of the play where he is described as ‘the bellows and the fan to cool a gypsy’s lust’ and a ‘strumpet’s fool.’ It is also mentioned how he was once a man of battle with a sense of duty towards his country and how this has changed and developed into becoming a fool used for Cleopatra’s needs and entertainment ‘Those his goodly eyes, that o’er the files and musters of the war have glowed like plated Mars, now bend, now turn the office and devotion of their view upon a tawny front’. However, at the end of the second scene we see him beginning to see some form of sense in returning to his duties as he receives news from Rome. Antony finally realises after hearing the news of Fulvia and Sextus Pompeius trying to take over the seas along with the fall of his brother’s army that it is time to return to Rome. Philo may now describe him as returning to his previous state, a glorified warrior fighting for his kingdom as he leaves his folly with Cleopatra behind.