CliffsNotes on Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra

Cliff Notes

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• ISBN:
  9780544179561
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

Act I: Scene 1

Summary

The play opens in Alexandria, in one of the rooms of Cleopatra’s palace. Two of Antony’s friends, Demetrius and Philo, are discussing Antony’s increasing fondness for Cleopatra. Philo, in particular, is worried about “this dotage” that his general has for the Egyptian queen; to him, Antony’s passion “o’erflows the measure.” He feels that a general’s passion is best spent on the battlefield “in the scuffles of great fights.” As they ponder their general’s unreasonable behavior, there is a fanfare of trumpets, and Antony and Cleopatra enter, accompanied by the queen’s ladies-in-waiting and her attendant eunuchs. Philo is fearful that all this pomp and beauty has turned his general from a fierce warrior into an addled lover. Significantly, he worries that Antony, “The triple pillar of the world,” has bean translated into “a strumpet’s fool.”

Cleopatra’s first words to Antony are teasing. She wants to know how much Antony loves her, and he boasts that if any love can be measured, then it is poor love indeed (“There’s beggary in the love that can be reckoned”). But Cleopatra tantalizes him for still more compliments—more verbal proof of his love. Foolishly, he tries to appease her.

They are interrupted by a messenger who has brought news from Rome, but Antony clearly is in no mood to hear or discuss military matters. All of his thoughts are on his beloved Cleopatra, who mocks the messenger’s urgency; she sarcastically jests that Caesar is probably sending yet another order to “do this, or this; / Take in that kingdom . . .” Games of war bore her; she delights in equating the taking of whole kingdoms to being no more than a mere daily errand, ordered by the “scarce-bearded Caesar.”

The Queen’s strategy works; Antony is furious that anyone would interrupt his thoughts and his time with his beloved Cleopatra. “Let Rome in [the] Tiber melt,” he roars. The only “messenger” he will see is Cleopatra; his devotion to the worthy Cleopatra comprises “The nobleness of life.” They exit with the queen’s attendants, and Demetrius and Philo are left alone to ponder their general’s transformation. Rumor has already reached Rome of Antony’s romantic waywardness. Demetrius hopes that tomorrow he will once again see proof that his general is still “that great property.”

Analysis

Shakespeare does not dally with theatrical conventions of lengthy exposition. Almost immediately we are introduced to the two lovers, who are clearly passionate lovers. There is only a modicum of introduction as the play opens. Briefly, two of Antony’s friends discuss their general’s infatuation with Cleopatra. They describe Antony as if he had undergone some strange sort of metamorphosis; it seems to them that his eyes, which once looked upon battlefields, “now bend, now turn / The office and devotion of their view / Upon a tawny front.” His soldier’s heart is no longer courageous; instead, it “reneges all temper / And is become the bellows and the fan / To cool a gypsy’s lust.”

After Antony and Cleopatra have made their entrance, it is clear that Antony has indeed let himself be seduced—body and soul—by Cleopatra’s sensuality and charm. It is also clear that the Romans in general dislike Cleopatra, in spite of her legendary ability to enchant males—or perhaps because of it. This prejudiced view toward Cleopatra is developed throughout the play, but as we will see, Shakespeare was not content to present her as only a one-dimensional character; she is more than merely a sensual woman who happens to rule an entire country.

As Antony and Cleopatra talk, both of them use exaggerated language to swear that their love is greater than any other love in the world; their love, they believe, is more than this world can hold. This is not idle overstatement, for their intense love for one another will be the cause of their deaths. Time and again in the play this key idea will be emphasized: love and the worlds of politics and war belong in separate spheres and can never coalesce or merge. The central theme of this play is exactly that—love vs. war—and Shakespeare will weave this theme in and out of the action as the play progresses. By the end of the tragedy, it will seem as if the concept of war has won, but we should not be too hasty to come to that decision. Upon reflection, we will see that the final act of this play is ambiguous. It is possible that love may finally be the victor after all.

In this act, however, Shakespeare’s emphasis is clearly on Antony’s current displeasure with political matters. The messenger who has come with a letter from Rome gives Cleopatra a chance to tease Antony that he is dominated by Octavius Caesar, a much younger man. Her motive is to goad Antony into declaring his independence of Rome—and she succeeds, for Antony retorts that “kingdoms are clay; our dungy earth alike / Feeds beast as man.” Impetuously, he denies that Rome and the concerns of the political arena have any hold on him. Here, we should note his choice of words: Antony says that the earth is “dungy” and that kingdoms “melt” like mud into the rivers of the world. This comparison is ironically striking when we consider the “earthy” (sensual) interest for which he is forsaking Rome.

Antony thus reveals how malleable he really is, for Cleopatra clearly delights in toying with his vacillating passions. She teases him that since he has been unfaithful to his wife by becoming involved with her, it is quite likely that he will be unfaithful to her one day. Antony, of course, vehemently denies such a speculation. Here, he is willful and self-indulgent, and he is certainly fickle. We initially see him perhaps at his worst. Later, Shakespeare’s dramatic portrait of him will be enlarged and will be developed in detail, stature, and complexity.

As for portraying Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, Shakespeare remains faithful to the popular image of Cleopatra as the strumpet queen, so to speak, but he suggests that she, like Antony, is more complex than one might initially suppose. On one hand, she is a coquette who manipulates Antony so skillfullly that he does what she wants. On the other, she emotionally needs to have Antony tell her how much he loves her; she needs to have him affirm for her that nothing else matters as much as their love. This clearly reveals a certain amount of insecurity on her part, and in that sense, it is quite possible that she has a genuine, if momentary, feeling of sympathy for Antony’s wife; she can see herself in the same position—that is, Antony loves her now, but she can envision losing him later to another woman.

Act I: Scene 2

Summary

This scene also takes place in Cleopatra’s palace in Alexandria. Cleopatra’s servants are talking to a fortuneteller (a soothsayer) and are trying to get him to predict how they will all fare in love. Charmian and Iras, two of Cleopatra’s attendants, and Alexas, one of her male attendants, are trying to get the soothsayer to specify their futures. He avoids direct answers, however, and instead, predicts that Charmian will outlive her mistress, Cleopatra. Enobarbus, a friend to Antony and an officer in his army (and also something of a cynic), is also present, and he interrupts the chatter of the servants when he hears someone coming. It is Cleopatra, looking for Antony. She says that Antony was mirthful until a “Roman thought” struck him and destroyed his happy mood.

Antony enters then, accompanied by a messenger, but Cleopatra and her attendants leave before he sees them. The messenger describes to Antony the outcome of a battle involving Antony’s brother, Lucius, and Antony’s wife, Fulvia, against Caesar. Lucius and Fulvia, formerly enemies, united forces in order to defeat Caesar, but failed.

The messenger has more to say, but he hesitates to speak plainly. Antony assures him that he need not mince words and bids him to give his message, even to the point of describing Cleopatra as she is talked about in Rome (for this is why Antony thinks that the messenger is hesitant): “. . . mince not the general tongue / Name Cleopatra as she is call’d in Rome.”

Another messenger enters and gives Antony a letter telling him that his wife, Fulvia, is dead and explaining what has happened. For a moment, Antony is overcome with remorse.

Enobarbus, Antony’s lieutenant, enters then, and Antony tells him that they must prepare to leave for Rome. Enobarbus quips that if they leave, all the women will suffer and perhaps die from their absence. Antony, however, appears determined to forsake all of the enchantments of Egypt and return home. Enobarbus, at first, cannot imagine why Antony has had such a sudden change of heart, but then Antony reveals to him that Fulvia is dead.

Still, however, Enobarbus looks upon the whole matter rather cynically and tells Antony not to feel so bad; after all, Antony lost a wife he didn’t want, and he now has a lover whom he does want: “This grief is crowned with consolation; your old smock brings forth a new petticoat.” Enobarbus’s comments, however, are ill-timed, for Antony is no longer in his usual devil-may-care mood, and he does not take Fulvia’s death as lightly as his earlier behavior had led Enobarbus to expect: “No more light answers,” Antony says, as he refuses to let his friend treat Fulvia’s death flippantly. Furthermore, these events serve to remind Antony not to neglect his duties entirely. He resolves to return to Rome and see to business. For the time being, he must give up the pleasures of Egypt.

Analysis

Scene 2 introduces us to some of the minor characters, and it also includes a conversation about the nature of love. Thus, the main theme of the play remains in the foreground. The servants’ witty, if somewhat cynical, treatment of the subject of love contrasts considerably with the exalted declarations of love that were made in the opening scene. An additional touch of dramatic irony is added when Charmian is exceedingly pleased at the idea that she will live longer than her mistress; little does she realize that her mistress will soon be dead.

Cleopatra’s troubled comments about Antony’s change of mood are characterized by her reference to Antony’s “Roman thought.” In Elizabethan times, the term “Roman” was often used because it was believed that the Romans as a nation were typically serious and devoted to duty (the theme of Virgil’s Aeneid); thus, here, Cleopatra may be suggesting that Antony’s thought was consistent with that sort of character; another possibility is that Antony was reminded of business which had to do with Rome—that is, his thoughts were about Rome; he literally had a “Roman thought.”

Antony’s demeanor is changed upon learning of the death of his wife, Fulvia. Immediately, he regrets that he once wished for her death. He sorrowfully remarks, “There’s a great spirit gone!” Antony’s guilt, to some extent, appears to spur his resolve to leave Egypt and return to Rome. When Enobarbus cynically comments upon the effect which their departure will have upon the women, Antony is not amused, and in contrast with his earlier speeches, where he seemed to be prepared to give up everything for the sake of love, he now seems quite willing to do just the opposite. Antony does not fear that Cleopatra will “die”; she is cunning, he says, echoing Enobarbus’s comment that he has seen “her die twenty times upon far poorer moment” (for Shakespeare’s audience, this allusion to dying possibly refers to the ecstasies of love, the moment of sexual climax which the Elizabethans often poetically likened to death).

In conclusion, Scene 2 basically shows the conflicting desires that struggle for dominance within Antony. He feels torn between his duties at home and his love for the Egyptian queen, and worse, he believes that he will never be able to reconcile these two passions. Yet he knows that, ultimately, he must choose one or the other. We also see contrasted in this scene the frivolity and the sensuality of life in Egypt, as typified by the games played by the servants with the soothsayer, and, in addition, we glimpse the troubled and serious world of the Romans, dominated by politics, not by love. Antony, too, senses the contrast, making plausible his sudden resolve to return to Rome and to more important matters.

Act I: Scene 3

Summary

The scene opens with Cleopatra instructing her attendants, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras, to aid her in a plan. They are to find Antony and observe what sort of mood he is in. If he seems to be happy, they are to tell him that Cleopatra is ill. But if he seems sad or moody, on the other hand, they are to tell him that she is “dancing.” Presumably, her purpose is to make Antony feel guilty about being away from her; she wants to make him think about her—anything to draw his attention to her. It is a transparent and childish device, more typical of an adolescent than of a woman deeply in love.

Antony enters and wants to tell Cleopatra the sad news of Fulvia’s death. However, Cleopatra is so involved in the game that she is playing that she doesn’t notice that Antony is trying to tell her something important. He keeps trying to interrupt her egotistical monologue, but he cannot manage to communicate his sorrow. First, Cleopatra feigns illness, but when she sees that Antony doesn’t notice, she begins berating him for his faithlessness. After a good deal of melodramatic emoting from Cleopatra, Antony is finally able to tell her that he must leave immediately. She is caught off-guard and is so distraught that he plans to leave so quickly that she accuses him of playacting. She accuses him further of being as false to her as he is false to Fulvia. At this point, Antony is finally able to tell her that Fulvia is dead.

This announcement, however, does not have the expected effect on Cleopatra. She merely retorts, selfishly, “Now I see, I see / In Fulvia’s death, how mine receiv...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Play Summary
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Act I: Scene 1
• Act I: Scene 2
• Act I: Scene 3
• Act I: Scene 4
• Act I: Scene 5
• Act II: Scene 1
• Act II: Scene 2
• Act II: Scene 3
• Act II: Scene 4
• Act II: Scene 5
• Act II: Scene 6
• Act II: Scene 7
• Act III: Scene 1
• Act III: Scene 2
• Act III: Scene 3
• Act III: Scene 4
• Act III: Scene 5
• Act III: Scene 6
• Act III: Scene 7
• Act III: Scene 8
• Act III: Scene 9
• Act III: Scene 10
• Act III: Scene 11
• Act III: Scene 12
• Act III: Scene 13
• Act IV: Scene 1
• Act IV: Scene 2
• Act IV: Scene 3
• Act IV: Scene 4
• Act IV: Scene 5
• Act IV: Scene 6
• Act IV: Scene 7
• Act IV: Scene 8
• Act IV: Scene 9
• Act IV: Scene 10
• Act IV: Scene 11
• Act IV: Scene 12
• Act IV: Scene 13
• Act IV: Scene 14
• Act IV: Scene 15
• Act V: Scene 1
• Act V: Scene 2
• Character Analysis
• Antony
• Cleopatra
• Octavius Caesar
• Lepidus
• Enobarbus
• William Shakespeare Biography
• Study Help
• Quiz
• Essay Questions