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.
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