The earliest account of Cleopatra’s death was written by Strabo, who was present in Alexandria during or soon after her death. Strabo highlights that the story of her death by asp is only one version. His accounts propose two views, one agreeing with the story of an asp bite and the other mentioning the possibility of her poisoning herself. He also makes it known that the version of Cleopatra’s death by asp bite was widely known soon after death. This prompts us to consider whether this version of the tale was conjured up to perceive Cleopatra in a certain way. The only ancient sources in which Cleopatra’s death by asp bite is viewed as certain are Augustan poetic sources and statues. The poet Propertius, an eyewitness of Octavian’s triumph after the death of Cleopatra tells that the paraded image of Cleopatra depicted multiple snakes biting each of her arms, demonstrating that this is the representation of Cleopatra’s death that Octavian wanted to be portrayed. By ensuring this version was to be perpetuated throughout history, Octavian prompted the representation of Cleopatra’s seduction as no match to his powers. Of all stories to have spread, suicide portrayed her as weakest, allowing Octavian to stand in triumph.
The primary account of Cleopatra’s death comes from her personal physician Olympos, as referenced by Plutarch, which does not mention any cause of death and makes no mention of an asp. Plutarch only mentions the idea of death by asp bite after digressing from Olympos’ account, depicting this story as uncertain. He suggests that it was more probable that Cleopatra ingested poison that she had concealed in a hollow implement called a knetsis. The use of the word ‘knetsis’, a rare word, suggests that the term had been used in original accounts of Cleopatra’s death. This theory is viewed as more plausible as it would have allowed Cleopatra and her two handmaidens to have died swiftly, without any wounds. This version of the story, although more probable has not been maintained throughout history. This can be attributed to the fact that Octavian’s propaganda and reign shaped the way historians viewed Cleopatra’s death, allowing the portrayal of her as weak and submissive to be sustained.
Pat Brown expresses her judgment that the story of Cleopatra’s death by the bite of an asp is distorted and therefore examines evidence of the past to evaluate the probability of this story’s truth. She examines the likelihood that Cleopatra would have been able to smuggle a snake into the mausoleum, concealed in a basket of figs, questioning why the guards would have so carelessly allowed the basket to enter the room without being thoroughly checked. She also questions the probability that a single snake would have been able to kill all three women simultaneously, leaving them without any symptoms of a snake bite. After speaking with Egyptologists, poison experts, archeologists and historians, Brown concluded her own theory, stating her belief that the well-known version of Cleopatra’s death by snake bite was created and spread by the perpetrators of her death and that she was rather murdered. She presents the theory that Cleopatra was murdered by Octavian and his men in an attempt to achieve control over the Roman Empire, using the story of the snake bite as a cover-up. It is only now in modern times that the origins behind this story have begun to be questioned. Modern historians are able to use their knowledge of the context of this to construct a more realistic picture of Cleopatra’s representation. We are now able to reveal her true nature as an accomplished and authoritative woman, posing as a threat to Octavian’s power.
Although we can never truly know the exact circumstances of Cleopatra’s death, what is certain is that it is highly unlikely she died by the bite of an asp. Rather, it is probable that this version of her death was spun to leave an adverse impression of Cleopatra, later to become a common fable, allowing the continuation of Octavian’s rise to power by maintaing Cleopatra’s image as a weak woman who succumbed to the great powers of the men of her time. Whether her death was really a case of suicide or at the hands of someone else, modern day historians are now able to challenge this perpetuated tale, remembering her as the admired and consummate last Queen of Egypt.
Agrippina the Younger was a prominent woman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, born in 15AD. She was murdered in 59AD under the orders of her son; the Emperor Nero. Ancient writer’s accounts of her death have allowed her representation to prevail as an incestuous, scheming, power hungry dominatrix. However, through analysing her character through the lens of her context, we are presented with an image of a strong, determined ruler, whose pedigree served as an asset to her husband Claudius and son Nero.
Roman society during Agrippina’s time was characterised by strict standards regarding the proper conduct of women. In Roman law, women were treated as minors and were given male guardians. They were forbidden to hold positions of power and had no official access to public life. Agrippina refused to conform to these standards and as a result was “represented as the consummate schemer, lusting after power, manipulating…when thwarted, retaliating with calculated ruthlessness”. As women were so excluded from exercising power, Agrippina’s dominance was said to have been acquired through deception and sexual artifice. Through analysing the events of her death, murdered by her son Nero, we can observe how ancient accounts have portrayed her as second to her male counterparts, reducing the immensity of the representation of her power.
In the near distance there is a bright sun-lit courtyard in front of a temple like building with impressive columns. In the square under the blazing sun we see an already dead prisoner being carried away by two male servants. In the foreground there is a prisoner dying in agony on the ground and clutching his stomach. Next to him there is a female servant holding the bottle of poison that he just drank from.
In the near foreground we have a section sheltered from the sun. There is a raised platform upon which the beautiful queen and her graceful maid gazes with cool indifference at the spectacle in the courtyard. The two women are surrounded by plants and flowers. They are wearing beautiful fabrics and have a cheetah next to them. According to Egyptian mythology, the cheetah represents the goddess Mafdet- who protects pharaohs.
The painting depicts the story of how Cleopatra tested poisons so that she could choose the most effective and painless one to keep with her in case she needed to commit suicide.
Plutarch, the Roman historian, too, writes of Cleopatra interest in poisons, observing herself which venomous snake was most effective. “She did this daily, tried them almost all; and she found that the bite of the asp alone induced a sleepy torpor and sinking, where there was no spasm or groan, but a gentle perspiration on the face, while the perceptive faculties were easily relaxed and dimmed, and resisted all attempts to rouse and restore them, as is the case with those who are soundly asleep” (Life of Antony, LXXI.5).
The painting shows Cleopatra as cold and calculating. She is assessing with interest the effect the poisons are having on the prisoners who are her subjects. She is dressed in luxurious clothes, but scantily, the robes don’t cover her breasts. She is portrayed in the Roman version as a woman of seductive beauty.
Plutarch talks about Cleopatra’s behaviour as “provocative impudence”, when she got herself carried secretly in a sleeping bag to meet Caesar. This escapade which resulted in her endearing to Caesar. However, this was an advantageous move from her point of view. She had been in an unstable position battling her brother in the Sinai desert. During the next months she was by the side of Caesar until she was restored back to the throne. Her position was precarious and she knew it. The fact that she was able to govern Egypt, effectively and relatively peacefully for the next 18 years (a relatively long tiume) is a testament to her intelligence and clear understanding of her situation. She could be toppled any time by the Romans, killed by her own family, betrayed by her advisers or deposed by the native Egyptians whom she ruled over.
She knew that she had to be ready for death all the time. If she was captured by Octavian, she would be transported to Rome and put to death in a humiliating manner. She avoided that final humiliation. Similar to the ingenuity she displayed at the start of her career when she smuggled herself through enemy lines she found her way to Alexandria and barricaded herself in a mausoleum. While in life, the Romans were reluctant to find good things to say about the achievements of Cleopatra. The fact that she chose the time and manner of her death finally earned her the grudging respect of her enemies.
She killed herself most likely using a poison. Possibly a poison selected through a gruesome and chilling process that this painting seeks to illustrate.
Cleopatra was born in 69 BCE with Greek lineage and into a ptolemy family. Her family was known as the type to kill and strategize against anyone that might get in their way of power no matter who it was, even if it were family. Her father was Ptolemy XII and her mother hasn’t been identified. At a young age she was already exposed to people being killed right in front of her eyes. Seeing these sights opened up her mind early on in her life to manipulate, seduce, kill, or use people to benefit her, giving her power. While growing up, because she was very quick to utilize these skills and start her journey toward power, she had to make others around her believe she wasn’t a threat to them for the throne. Once they believed what she wanted them to, she attacked with smart moves to get rid of them.
At just the age of 18 she married her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, who was only 10 years old. Together, they co-ruled Egypt after their father passed away. Ruling together was a struggle because of the hatred they had for each other competing for more power. Eventually, Cleopatra forced her brother out of the throne and soon after married another one of her brothers. To open eyes she killed one of Julius Caesar’s greatest enemies. After this she began an affair with Caesar and had a kid with him that they named Caesarean. As the people of Rome grew more mad and disliked Cleopatra, they decided to kill Caesar. On March 15 44 BC, Caesar was stabbed many times and killed.
Once Cleopatra quickly finished grieving, she had more affairs with men including Marc Antony and she attempted to seduce Octavian. She dressed as the goddess Isis to show people her importance. Her and Marc Antony fell in love and wanted to combine Egypt and Rome to rule both lands as one. They soon got in a war against Octavian but lost. Antony received a letter that said Cleopatra had died, so he killed himself by stabbing himself with a sword. At the same time, she is trying to seduce Octavian as her last hope but it doesn’t work and she finds out that Antony has died and doesn’t see any purpose left in her life. She has truly given up and ends up killing herself by allowing a poisonous snake bite he
When it comes to Cleopatra and Julius Caesar’s relationship, I do not believe that is was completely true love the entire time, but I do think at certain points they really did love each other. I think that they were at least very attracted to each other and knew they both had a lot of power politically. By combining that power could make them an unstoppable duo. Caesar helped her by killing her brother/husband and making sure that she would be protected by his army. Their love for each other could’ve grown as they became more confident and seeing the progress they had made. Together they had a kid and named it Caesarian. The relationship was strong up until the point of Caesar’s death where Cleopatra moved on fast and started her next affair. If there wasn’t a motive for her to seduce Caesar I feel that they would have never actually had a love story at all.
From the start of Cleopatra and Marc Antony’s relationship I feel this love was true. They both had the same interests and desires for each other and their futures. Cleopatra decided to seduce him because of how attracted she was to him, how close he was with Caesar, and the great amount of power and skill he had. Spending many days together helped keep Antony obsessed with her but also caused some tension between them when things started to go wrong. Their fights seemed to never last long and they eventually got married and had children together. Soon later they got into a war against Octavian that they knew they weren’t going to win. Since they knew they would lose, they fled to Alexandria. While here, Antony received a false letter that Cleopatra had died and so he decided to stab himself and suffer a slow death. When his death became known Cleopatra set out in an attempt to seduce Octavian and failed. Being hopeless and without Antony, she killed herself with the poisonous venom from a snake.
The personalities of these historical figures are all different yet the same in their own unique ways. I interpreted Antony’s personality type to be very fun, adventurous, and living in the moment. He isn’t afraid to show his true feelings and fight for what he wants. When Cleopatra seduced him, he made it very obvious that he was obsessed with her and would protect her. Although he has this protective side, he isn’t afraid to have a good time and go to parties when he isn’t trying to secure his power.
The one with the biggest personality out of these people was Cleopatra. I would say she was the most persuasive, passionate, smart and determined women of this time. She seduced many men, mainly to get what she wanted, but it also helped her find great men to have loving relationships with. She was so smart with her choices and ideas, which proves her intelligence. When she had kids she gave them so much love and protection to prove her passion and heart in her life, and this could reflect in how she would rule.
Julius Caesar was a confident, power-hungry, and intelligent leader. He always knew the right move to make, to show what he could do when it came to gaining more power. When he met Cleopatra, she immediately drew him in. He knew together they would make an incredible team to take on Rome and Egypt and be the strongest duo of the land. Caesar was very confident in his ability to be a strong ruler with a strong military. He proved this by getting along with almost everybody, he wasn’t from a wealthy family, and he had the ability to negotiate well with others.
Lastly, Octavian’s personality was shown the most in his political moves. He was a very sharp, strong, and stable man. He seemed to always be a step ahead of everyone which helped him take advantage of every situation. He watched Caesar ruin his reputation with Rome when he was spending a lot of his with Cleopatra, and this helped him get closer and closer to the throne. As he was in the position with power, Cleopatra tried to seduce him and he was smart enough not to fall for it. He knew what she was known for and made the decision to ignore her antics in order to gain ultimate power. In the end this worked out for him and he soon ruled the land but by the name of Augustus.
The historical figure that I admire the most would be Marc Antony. I chose him because he seems to be the most normal, average guy out of all of them. He liked to just live life, have a good time, and express his feelings truthfully. Even though he searched for power, he found love and never gave up on it. Throughout his fight for power and love, he made many mistakes. To me, mistakes stand out because it shows that we are only human and no one’s perfect. He also shows how he doesn’t give up on what he loves/wants because life is too short.
The historical figure I dislike the most would be Cleopatra. After learning about her beauty, confidence, strength, and her many other qualities I believe that it’s the qualities of the heart that matters the most. She may have been a loving mother and wife but she made choices and decisions that would only benefit her. She did whatever it took to get what she wanted, even if that meant killing whoever got in her way. I think true beauty comes from within and the way you treat people reflects on how you would be as a leader. She left an impressive legacy but I feel the message she sent could’ve been more humane.
Depending on the current ideologies people are judged on their actions, woman throughout the years have been judged by various degrees. In the past women were denied of liberties and even now we are still fighting for complete equality. Some sources view Cleopatra and Agrippina as great women of history, others portray them in a less positive way. The comparison and contrast of how both Cleopatra and Agrippina the younger are portrayed today and how they were portrayed in the past, is somewhat alike but also very biest depending on the sources and where or who they came from.
We have been led to believe that Cleopatra got to where she did by using seduction as well as her beauty to get what she wanted, and even today she is still portrayed as somewhat of a powerful woman but mainly she is remembered for her seductive behaviour.
In today’s era, women are still fighting for complete equality, and although in the past women have been denied of liberties and human rights, or even being viewed particularly through the gaze of a male. Women end up being looked at and judged through a distorted lens even today.
In the 1963 film titled Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor [Cleopatra] Richard Burton [ Mark Antony ] and Rex Harrison [Julius Caesar]. Cleopatra is scrutinized as a seductive and charming woman who used her looks to get where she needed to be, in order to gain an army to fight her younger brother [Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator] and therefore gain the higher power of Pharaoh.
In the book titled ‘ The British Museum: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt ‘ written by Geraldine Harris and Delia Pemberton, Cleopatra is perceived as a woman of power and a woman who used her power in an attempt to make Egypt a strong and independent country. Although another source suggests the opposite , and quotes her as ‘ clever, charming and sexy ‘. The oversexulaisation of women, especially Cleopatra in modern sources suggests that women as one or a community are always brought down to their looks and not their accomplishments. Therefore women to a certain extent are being brought down to nothing less then how then look.
Agrippina the younger, although an empress of the Roman empire, she is not remembered as such in many modern sources. Women throughout history and even today have been distorted and being gazed at through a distorted lens and therefore have only been looked at on the verge and not in full detail.
Women to an extent have been and continue to be represented through a distorted lens. Women are fighting to be remembered as something more than just their looks. Women are known in some sources as that of a powerful being, but mostly they are just known as sexual material. As women continue to fight, as they take one step forward society takes one step backwards and treats them worse.
Agrippina the younger has been distorted as a manipulating and power/ money hungry women, who used sexual manipulation as a way to gain the power of other’s, “ Agrippina used her sexuality in many ways and was able to use powerful men as puppets for her personal gain and increase in power and control “.
Agrippina the younger has been described as a “ scandalous and manipulative women”, therefore Agrippina like Cleopatra and many other woman has again been brought down to the immoral parts of her life, and not the reputable.
Cleopatra is represented through primary sources as not only a powerful woman but a sexualy manipulative one. Though some of these sources may be biest, depending on where or who they came from. Cleopatra is certainly a powerful woman but society can’t just pretend that she didn’t manipulate Mark Antony and Julius Caesar into sleeping with her.
Throughout the years woman have continuously been judged and gazed on the verge through a distorted lens, woman are continuously recognised as sexual materials and are not known for what they do in their lifetime but rather bought down just to their looks. Women are materialised as sexual objects, and therefore society always looks at woman as sexual objects. Woman are fighting not to be recognized as objects but as real people, and not to continuously be compared to men.
Cleopatra has been portrayed in society as a powerful being, but as a sexually powerful manipulative being. In a depiction of Cleopatra on a Roman coin, she is interpreted as that of a not very beautiful woman. The hooked nose and large eyes, suggest that the Romans were trying to portray Cleopatra as a man. This coin suggest that Romans have deliberately depicted Cleopatra as ugly, in order to mock what she may have really looked like. Romans weren’t a fan of Cleopatra so they may have purposely depicted her like that. Woman are again brought down to their looks and not what they actually do in their lifetime, therefore woman even in Cleopatra’s day we’re still fighting for complete equality and were judged in various degrees.
This is another example of woman being distorted and being gazed at through a distorted lens and therefore have only been looked at on the verge and not in full detail.
Women throughout history have been judged to certain extents and are still fighting for complete recognition and equality today.
Agrippina the younger has been represented through a bias source, as being a goddess of beauty and fertility. She is being based off a bias opinion and therefore gazed at on the verge through a distorted lens and not in full depth ot detail. Agrippina is interpreted as a powerful goddess of beauty and the fruit in her hair suggests that she is also a goddess of fertility.
Agrippina the younger is therefore based off a biased opinion and scrutinized through a distorted lens. Women have again been denied of equal rights and are still attempting to fight for complete equality in today’s society, This source explores the standards that a society expects a women to be, ‘ a goddess of beauty ‘.
Women have always been based off society’s expectations, to be beautiful or a goddess, and today women are being based off barbie dolls or models. Agrippina the younger is depicted as a powerful, goddess of fertility and beauty, but as this source is based off a bias opinion, Agrippina the younger has therefore been scrutinized through a distorted lens and not viewed in full depth.
Women throughout history and even today are still fighting to be recognised in society as something more for just their looks and bodies. Women are viewed through distorted lens and never viewed in full detail or depth, therefore the truth is hard to find, and woman are distorted into something that may not have been. Agrippina the younger and Cleopatra are both powerful and beautiful women of history but through both secondary and modern sources they have become distorted and scrutinized as woman who just used sexual manipulation ( seduction ) to get what they wanted, power and money. Women are based off societal expectations, e.g. models, barbie dolls, magazine covers etc , and as a society woman are fighting together to be recognised as something more than what they look like but their accomplishments in life. In conclusion this essay explored how the modern world scrutinized Cleopatra and Agrippina the younger , and how they were gazed at through a distorted lens in the past.
Last Pharaoh of Egypt’ has left a legacy in the memories of the Romans, the Egyptians, Shakespeare, modern historians and the film industry. She ruled Ptolemaic Egypt for 21 years and in that time was heavily involved in Mediterranean politics and became infamous for her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. It has certainly been difficult to ascertain; however, it can be concluded that Cleopatra was a highly intelligent, politically astute, fiercely maternal and capable ruler of Egypt. Behind the evident propaganda used against her, Roman historians, can agree that she was a skilled…. Although the limited sources exaggerate her as a shallow seductress. Shakespeare and the Romans failed to acknowledge her loyalty and dedication to Egypt, as well as her caring, motherly attributes; as revealed in other primary sources.
An important distinction to note is the diversity of perspectives that exist within the Roman perception of Cleopatra. During her final years and the reign of Emperor Augustus (born Gaius Octavius), that followed her death, hostility and hatred for the former queen was at its height. From this time – Augustan poets like Horace (b. 65 BCE) and Sextus Propertius (b. ~50 BCE) vilified her as an exotic seductress, writing that she was a ‘fatal monster’ and ‘whore queen’. Modern egyptologist Jaqueline Williamson suggests that ‘Octavian’s political need to consolidate his rise to dictator created our image of Cleopatra today’._____However, even they could not ignore her political power. The Latin poets also admitted in the previous poems, respectively, that Cleopatra ‘Threaten’d our power in dust to lay / And wrap the Capitol in flame’ (Odes, 1.37) and that ‘The city [Rome]…that directs the whole Earth , was terrified of a woman’s power and fearful of her threats’ (Poems, III.11.39). In an attempt to portray the queen as a ruthless manipulator, the Romans were forced to admit that she was ___ In truth, Cleopatra was a multi-faceted ruler, who learnt from her experiential education in a brutal family and volatile time period, and tried to use her sexuality, charm and political acumen to ensure that Egypt was removed from the Roman sphere of influence and obligation. Historian Don Nardo,editor for ‘People who Made History’, likewise, claims that Shakespeare’s ‘Cleopatra… is on the one hand selfish, greedy, and devious. Yet she is also able to… display courage, loyalty and even nobility’. The Romans and Shakespeare did not lie about her strength and____, but perhaps they interpreted her actions with the wrong motive – believing that her agenda was purely selfish when in reality, it was for the benefit of her people.
Luxurious lifestyle and charm
As time passed, Roman perspectives became further removed from the vitriolic propaganda of Octavian’s rule and the more sympathetic views of historians like Plutarch (whose works influenced Shakespeare) and Suetonius Tranquillus emerged. Her image as a seductress remained, however it is even clearer to ..see.. the true intent of her in their histories. Suetonius, writing in 120 CE, highlights how Caesar ‘would not let her return to Alexandria without high titles and rich presents’. (The Lives of the Twelve Caesars) Cleopatra has accumulated wealth, status and power from her relationship with the dictator…. The Romans chose to view amorous relations and her charming personality as argument for her …immorality. However it is clear that these were political skills ….for the benefit of her kingdom. And indeed these skills proved fruitful. The ‘Donations of Alexandria’ saw Cleopatra and Antony’s children, whom she one day hoped would rule Ptolemaic Egypt, granted land controlled by Antony, including Phoenicia, Syria, Judea, Coastal Arabia, Armenia, Medica, Cicilia and Cyprus. This increased the power and influence of Egypt. The Romans, and by extension Shakespeare,
Cleopatra was clearly an intelligent and highly competent ruler. This characterisation is distinctly displayed in several ancient sources and is even discernible in Roman writings. Plutarch, A Romanise-Greek historian, comments on how Cleopatra ‘gave her decisions herself to most of them, including Ethiopians, Troglodytes, Hebrews, Arabians, Syrians, Medes, and Parthians. This thoughtful, educated gesture, noted by the Roman historian, not only highlights her academic capability through her knowledge of at least nine languages, but also the importance she placed on Egyptian matters, as even her forebears were not versed in Coptic Egyptian.
At 18 years old, Cleopatra and her brother became the co-rulers of Ptolemaic Egypt after their father, Ptolemy XII’s death. Despite inheriting an Egypt plagued with struggles due to how Ptolemy XII ‘was heavily dependent upon the Romans and…their ‘friendship’ put an increased strain upon the Egyptian economy’ as Sally-Ann Ashton, a keeper at the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, reveals, Cleopatra endeavoured to return Egypt’s stability and implemented astute administrative policies. In 41 BCE, an Egyptian decree issued in her name commanded ‘Nobody should demand of them [The farmers] anything above the essential Royal Dues [basic taxes]’. This Cleopatra, who’s intellectual merit was alluded to by Roman historians (albeit underneath propagandistic sentiments), was actively concerned for her people’s welfare – as evident in her fair and just actions towards the farmers of Egypt.
Christian historian, John, Bishop of Nikiu, further contributes to this idea when he comments in ‘The Chronicle’ (c. 690 CE) that ‘She constructed a canal to the sea… Now the city was formerly without access to water, but she brought all the water it required…She executed all these works in vigilant care for the well-being of the city’. ……There is no mistaking that the general consensus in the ancient world agreed with the Romans’ belief in Cleopatra’s ingenuity and
An aspect of Cleopatra’s life that the Romans and Shakespeare never presented was her role as a matriarch. In an attempt to portray the queen as a ‘harlot’ with an overly luxurious and careless lifestyle, they wholly overlooked her fiercely maternalistic protection of her children and country. Cleopatra and her son, Caesarion’s, depiction in the Temple of Hathor at Denderah, reveals a queen who strived to appear motherly and caring. In the relief, Cleopatra and Caesarion, her child borne to Caesar in 47 BCE, are represented as pharaohs. Cleopatra performs sacrificial rites for Ammon Ra, Osiris and Horus and introduces her son to the family of gods as the Goddess Hathor, the wet-nurse of Horus, welcomes them. This dignified allusion to her divinity as the ‘New Isis’ explicitly conveys to the Egyptian people that she is spiritually intertwined powerful maternal goddesses: Isis – protector of women and children, and Hathor – deity of love and fertility. Cleopatra also went to great lengths to ensure Caesarion’s place as the heir to the Egyptian throne by ingratiating him into the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon. These two actions undoubtedly proclaim that the queen was a compassionate mother.
This image of Cleopatra not only existed in Egypt but in Rome too. In 46 BCE, Caesar constructed the Temple of Venus the Mother (Genetrix), in which stood a gilt-bronze statue of Cleopatra. There in the new Forum of Caesar, stood a clear indication that___. However, the Roman historians make no mention of Cleopatra as a mother and ignore her nurturing character to dehumanise her.
The image that we look at is an oil painting by French painter Alexandre Cabanel, called Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners. This painting was created in 1887, when Cabanel was 64 years of age and this was just before his death in 1889. In the imagine we see Cleopatra sitting with what can be presumed as a slave fanning her down while she calmly looks upon two men carrying a dead prisoner and another prisoner in serious pain, Cleopatra is wearing an Egyptian style headdress and jewellery along with exotic clothing, with the clothing leaving her breasts out. She is sitting on a tigers pelt and beside her is a disciplined pet cheetah that can be considered the representation of the Egyptian goddess Mafdet “Mafdet has been considered the goddess of judgment, justice, and execution. She is believed to be the first feline goddess, predating Bastet and Sekhmet. She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a cheetah. Sometimes she had the head of a cat, a leopard, a lynx or even a mongoose” (Anon., n.d.) she is surrounded by exotic flowers and Egyptian architecture.
This all been taking into consideration leads us to believe that the reputation of Cleopatra in this painting is that she lives a solely Egyptian lifestyle one without her Greek heritage and one with a very exotic and lavish lifestyle, that lacks empathy towards her prisoners as she watches them in pain. The picture also sexualizes Cleopatra with the way her clothes don’t cover her breasts, while the same goes for her slave the slave is positioned in such way where the attention is solely drawn to cleopatra. This painting by Cabanel is inspired by Plutarch’s, Plutarch’s lives: the life of Mark Antony “ Moreover, Cleopatra was getting together collections p303 of all sorts of deadly poisons, and she tested the painless working of each of them by giving them to prisoners under sentence of death.” (Plutarch, 2016) and because of this we can begin to comprehend the portrayal of Cleopatra’s reputation in the painting. Plutarch’s lives was written around 150 years after Cleopatra’s life and the accounts of Cleopatra were used as a way to ruin the reputation of Mark Antony in the roman empire and in doing so built a negative image of Cleopatra in western culture. This meaning that French painter Alexandre Cabanel’s painting of Cleopatra is one that is influenced by that of the reputations built up of Cleopatra in the western world by the romans even though Cabanel’s from France. The roman reputation of cleopatra was that she was a manipulator, using flattery and her beauty as a way to control the men in her life “Plutarch also presents Cleopatra as a cunning manipulator, a master of a thousand flatteries, who shrewdly measured Mark Antony’s desires and appetites and made sure to cater to them” (The Open University, 2019) This reputation can be compared to the other reputations of her in different cultures such as reputation in medieval Arabic culture and in Greek culture. In Greek culture of her time Cleopatra was viewed not as an Egyptian Pharaoh but instead of a Egyptian Queen of Greek decent and this was due to her own portrayal during her life. Comparing Cabanel’s painting to the reputation of Cleopatra as a Queen to the Greek speaking elite of the time Cleopatra style of dress and clothing would be completely different, she would not have her hair down and have such an exotic style but instead she would have her hair up wearing a tainia ( A headband, that is a form of diadem and a sign of royalty ) with her hair pulled back in Greek melon hair style. In medieval Arabic culture Cleopatra is described as a woman with a high intelligence while being a strong and well able monarch and instead she is looked at that for that instead of her beauty.
In conclusion the painting that we look at by painter Alexandre Cabanel is one that is based on the reputations given to cleopatra by the romans that was solely negative. One that made her look like an Egyptian pharaoh that lively a lavish and exotic lifestyle and didn’t not care about her people, one that didn’t reflect on other resources of the Cleopatra of her time.
Option 2: Mary, The Mother of Jesus
The image that we look at is an ex-voto painting displayed in the shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Alcalá near Alcalá de los Gazules, Spain. An ex-voto is an offering that is a visual depiction of personal situations when the virgin has intervened in someone’s life to help that person in individual situation particular to the person such as cure to illness or help with fertility and in general made a difference.
This picture shows the virgin of Alcalá looking over a woman and a sick man that is lying in the bed. The man in the picture is depicted as not being in great health and the woman looks like she is his care giver. on the wall is a faint cross and a picture on the wall with also a faint cross in it. This is showing that before the intervention of the Virgin the people were already devotees of the Roman catholic faith, since it is an ex-voto we can presume that to the person that created this painting through devotion to the virgin of Alcalá. This man was cured in sickness. To the devotee this painting would have meant that trough art they could depict the events and can give this to the Virgin of Alcalá as an offering of gratitude. An ex-voto is just one of the ways that throughout the Roman Catholic religion that people are able to show their devotion to the virgin mary. The ex-voto tells us that through the painting mary holds the reputation of being the intercessor between god and the devotees and offers protection fertility and health through faith. The visual representation of the virgin of Alcalá is mary with a crown filled with jewels with a big blue cloak carrying the baby Jesus Christ .The virgin of Alcalá shows that Mary’s representation in different parts of the world is depending on the Marian apparitions “A Marian apparition is a supernatural appearance of Mary to a person (or group of people) on earth. Since the early centuries of the Church, there have been thousands of reported Marian apparitions” “The Church, under the guidance of the bishop in whose diocese the alleged apparition occurs, carefully investigates alleged apparitions according to a set of criteria established by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith” (Moyer, 2010) we can compare this painting to different type of Marian Apparitions and how devotees show commitment to them. One of the most famous Marian Apparitions is our lady of Lourdes, where in a small town in France the Virgin Mary showed herself to Maria Bernada Sobiros in February 11, 1858, Maria had no knowledge of the roman catholic doctrine this strengthened the belief of the apparitions. The virgin also told her to dig a hole that unearthed a spring and where the water is believed to hold healing power that is still drank to this day. In comparison, throughout both the drinking of the spring water and the creation of ex-votos devotees of the Virgin Mary show their commitment and gratitude through different ways. Our lady of Lourdes and the Virgin of Alcalá in visual context is strikingly different as our lady of Lourdes is dressed in white with the signature blue that is rooted back to the colour of Byzantine royalty with her silk veil. In the ex-voto the virgin of Alcalá is seen to be wearing a blue cloak with gold lining that is a staple of the virgin of Alcalá and is part of payer to her in her church whereas the devotees cover their head with her cloak. She and the baby of Jesus also wear gold crowns, this shows mary is a queen and Jesus is a king
In conclusion, Marys reputation throughout the Roman Catholic faith is that she is the intercessor between god and humans. She intervenes in times of need and offers people protection and performs miracles but through the roman catholic religion she has been and can continue to be interpreted in many different ways both visual and literally
Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra explains the context of misfortune by comparatively providing insight about misfortunes in life. Shakespeare has used Marc Antony and Coriolanus as the mainstream and relative objects of comparativeness. Through them, misfortunes in life are perceivable. According to Aristotle, the tragedy of the hero is as a result of his weakness becoming superior hence, he shows frailness in his judgment. This explains Coriolanus’ unfortunate life. In the play, Shakespeare projects life as a tragic cycle. He provides this viewpoint by brutalizing Coriolanus’ life and equally making tragedy as principal in his life.
Conversely, tragedy and misfortune appear to be prevalent intrinsically. The purpose is to provide a context of destiny in application. Misfortune are comparable to natural disasters, hence, one cant choose to have a disastrous rather circumstance compel one to live a life of chaos. Coriolanus is a perfect example of a man whose life is a path of disaster. In other words, this character was predestined for disaster. Another character, Antony, is indicative of how one can chose a path of personal destruction. Antony is rather an adventurous one. He finds himself entangled in a web of conflict and misfortune. His life is almost like that of Coriolanus, however, it is important to note, Coriolanus’ troubles are not self invoked rather natural while Antony’s are caused by his own ambition.
To understand this context, examining the differences and similarities in their lives will provide a comprehensive overview regarding how their lives dissent while their faculties correlate. It is important to note that both share the same platform as heroes and fighters of a noble cause. Unfortunately, the complex web of their travails and dissenting objectives is core to provide a viewpoint. While Cleopatra the queen of Egypt is brought to the fold to give the Shakespeare insight some panache, her role goes beyond providing the commonplace plot avenue. Cleopatra is a strategic character poised to give a specific view regarding relationships. Her relationship with Marc Antony from the Parthian war to her suicide is a typical Antony tragedy with Antony as a protagonist.
Octavius Caesar is an antagonist who to Antony is a close friend and later, an enemy and dictator who Rome should be rid. Caesar in this play is a major antagonist and will be the first emperor of Rome. The play leads you across a journey from Rome to Egypt’s Alexandria. The overall context is about how a woman’s power to possess a great man’s soul can declare the destiny of man. In Antony’s context, Cleopatra mesmerizes him and he forgot where his loyalties lay. Coriolanus’ love for his mother led him to plunder over the time brutalizing his life and condemning his destiny. We closely examine Marc Antony and Coriolanus lives through the themes of the play and in continuum, conceptualize the role of Caesar, Cleopatra, Lepidus, and others who directly affect the plays direction in principal.
Background
Shakespeare’s work is like a continuation of the Julius Caesar, where, after his assassination in 44 B.C, the formation of the triumvirate of Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus as the rulers of Rome. This triumvirate sets off to track armies of the assassin and when Egypt refused to join them, Antony summoned Cleopatra to Turkey (Cicilia) to explain Egypt’s defiance only to fall in love with her and return with her to Alexandria. Antony’s role as a leader unmistakably fails upon taking up the role of Cleopatra’s boyfriend. Cleopatra witch nature is what Shakespeare uses to characterize how a woman enslaves a man through love and commitment and a man’s selfish desire to satiate the ambition of conquering the woman.
Rome is under Octavius, he is a dictator, and he deposes Lepidus for becoming too cruel to Rome. He reckons to do the same on Antony when he returns to Alexandria to be with Cleopatra. Octavius defines Antony as a deserter. Antony allies with Cleopatra, an act that makes Octavius say he has deserted Rome and his wife. Octavius and Antony become foes and start fighting each other. Antony is seen as fighting against Rome. He nearly wins on land but when an Egyptian fleet involved in the fight surrenders, it becomes disastrous. He Denounces Cleopatra who he reckons betrayed him by surrendering.
Cleopatra tries to fool Antony by falsehood. She sends a messenger to inform him that she committed suicide calling out his name. Antony attempts suicide by ordering his servant Eros to kill him. Nevertheless, Eros declines to kill his master. Antony suicide attempt ends with his sword injuring his ribs. Cleopatra sends another messenger saying she was alive and Antony panged by love sets off in pain and frailty for her where he dies in her arms. Cleopatra, afraid of being a slave, commits suicide.
Coriolanus is another deceptive tragicomedy by Shakespeare. The play opens in Rome after Tarquin kings expulsion, riots going on over grains. Protesters are particularly angry with general Martius who they blame for grain loss and Brutus and Sicinius come into focus who denounces the general. The general however is endeared to the people again after successfully fighting an army under Cominius. In recognition of general Martius courage, Cominius appointed Caius Martius the Coriolanus making him Coriolanus.
Caius mother suggests and insists he view for consulship. Coriolanus is wary of this and he turns her down out of his fear. He accepts this and easily becomes popular with senate members and the people of Rome. Due to his record as a good soldier, he wins the support of Roman commoners too. Unfortunately, Brutus and Sicinius plan another evil plot that sees Coriolanus expelled from Rome. In his rage when the plot was executed, Coriolanus saw Brutus and Cicinius work through another riot in protest to his consul vying. The opposition makes Coriolanus angry. He ends up breaking the common law of Rome by speaking against the concept of law. Brutus and Cicinius condemn him and he is banished from Rome.
Coriolanus goes to the Volscian capital as his choice for exile. Here, looks for Aifidius. When he finally finds him, they reach an agreement that promises Volscian’s his readiness to lead the Volscian army against Rome. The assault is planned and Rome panics knowing very well, Coriolanus will lead victory against his own. Rome desperately tries to stop Coriolanus to no avail until his mother alongside his wife convinces him against it. Coriolanus instead signs a peace treaty between Volscian and Rome. When he returns to Volscian, Aufidius conspires and kills him for betraying the Volscians.
Similarities
In both cases the men die for their desire to commit to their women’s demands. Antony dies since he could not bear the news that Cleopatra was dead. He could not live without her. However, we deduce foolishness in Antony’s passion and frailty when he is with this woman. It is obvious that he looses his sense of responsibility and abandons his rightful place as a leader. Throughout his encounters with Cleopatra in Egypt, Antony is oblivious of his other world in Rome where he has a wife and people to rule. During his stay in Alexandria, Antony is charmed and forgets Rome and his cause.
Coriolanus on the other hand is a man who has principal and valor; unfortunately, he has enemies within his social class. He is a general whop is revered for his immense abilities in battle. He has been instrumental in keeping the enemies of Rome at bay. He earns himself valor for his tireless participation in battle and defeating armies of enemies. We note that courage and will to protect the sovereignty of Rome endears Coriolanus to the senate and the people of Rome. Though unconscious, Coriolanus does not indulge to the politics of Rome but continues with his life and role as a general until his mother coerces him to become consul. Sine he is loved for his deeds for Rome, he easily wins support but his enemies plot a scheme to frustrate his efforts.
Coriolanus is unable to resist his mother’s commands, turn down her wishes, let alone tell her off. When he plans to defeat Rome by leading the Volscian army, his mother is sent to negotiate peace with him. Coriolanus listens to his mother. We observe a trend of a woman’s power working against the will of man and his sanity. The man becomes oblivious of facts and agreements made between him and the Volscian’s’. He unconsciously follows his mother objective of peace with Rome. He abandons the Volscian advance on Rome and his promise of leading them to victory against Rome. Since he is banished from Rome, he returns to Volscian where an angry caboodle of leaders led by Aufidius accuses him of betrayal and kill him.
Both men die in foreign land. Their presence there was prompted by desire to follow a woman’s wishes. Antony sought Cleopatra and in the event of his stay with her, she led him to his death. Antony stabs himself and dies of his wounds in her arms. Coriolanus was banished from Rome after he adhered to his mother’s pressure to become consul. He was tricked to treachery by his archrivals Cicinius and Brutus. He was then expelled from Rome. He went to exile in Volscian where he plans to destroy Rome. We observe hatred and pain in both men as they turn against Rome. Coriolanus is killed for betraying the Volscian’s.
While both men die in foreign land, each death was because of their desires to please a certain woman in their lives. Antony felt indebted to Cleopatra who had committed suicide calling out for him. Coriolanus died in the hands of people he had betrayed by listening to his mother.
Both died in a time of war. Coriolanus had planned an onslaught on Rome while Antony was fighting Octavius. Their passion for woman and their valor in battle is compromised by the superior power of their treasured women. Antony loves Cleopatra that much that he dares kill himself. Coriolanus stops to go to war against Rome since his mother has requested him to do so since he is her son and that he should love her and respect her wishes only to get killed.
Both plays are by Shakespeare and they present Rome’s supremacy. Antony and Coriolanus are symbols of Rome’s great history and diverse influence across the world then. They die away from the same land they led and protected. Both are fighting against their homeland out of anger. Antony is fighting the dictator Octavius, a man he ruled Rome with and once was friends. Coriolanus was never friends with Brutus and Cicinius, but these two make the Coriolanus tragedy. While both men are loved and respected soldiers, they end up using their might as warriors against their own kinsmen.
Antony’s love for Cleopatra made him abscond his duties as leader of Rome and husband. This love ruled his life and led him to plunder. Coriolanus love for his mother allowed her mother to dictate his life. She made difficult choices for him and he ended up dying tragically and away from home. We see women dictating terms and conditions, forcing men to do what they want and subsequently, leading these men to their deaths and misery. The lives of these men are made tragic and painful. Men fail in meeting their obligations. Both leave behind windows, women they had legally married and loved. These women are left without their men to look up at.
Differences
In both plays, we observe a critical difference in the context of how the life of these men plays against them. Their roles differ in context. Antony is a leader and Coriolanus is a war general. Antony’s mistakes are grave and as a result of his own desires to satiate his needs rather than serve a cause. In Coriolanus, we see a highly respected soldier who is easy to love for he serves only the will of the people. Unfortunately, he is forced to fight against the people he served and loved after he is expelled falsely from his motherland. Here, Coriolanus was revenging his exile. He was bitter that his own people had betrayed him by turning against him. As a result, he turns against them and plans to destroy and conquer Rome using the Volscian armies who for many years had fallen to Roman brutal soldiers.
Antony is not fighting against Rome rather hoping to depose his dictator friend who is about to become a tyrant. As such, Antony is fighting to free Rome of a dictator while Coriolanus is objective to depose the Roman throne for turning against him through Brutus and Cicinius. Whereas Antony used to be a great leader, Cleopatra has devoured reason and valor from him. He is no longer committed to Rome rather for absolute power.
There is also a di in opinion. Antony does not need an opinion to consolidate power and people’s well wishes. He rather has his personality and great achievements to have the people think well of him. Unfortunately, Coriolanus has to work hard to consolidate power for himself and his mother. Unfortunately, various complexities arise and his popularity is shadowed by his actions against his people. The grain saga and the treachery are enough weapons against him. His war against Rome is completely different from Antony’s.
Their deaths
Both men die since they cannot free themselves from the influence of the women who have immense influence on them. This is a weakness, which is the root of their failures to excel as leaders. This foolishness of love leads them to death. Antony’s failure to commit Volumnia his wife is indicative of a weakness. This is frailty. Coriolanus cannot seek his own power rather he lives under his mother instruction. His desire to keep his mother abreast leads him to plunder. His wife’s role as his woman is shadowed by his mother’s immense influence.
In death, Antony dies for love not for any noble cause. He is frail for he is so trivial in his heart that a woman has decimated his reason, place in the society, and role as a husband. In death, Coriolanus dies a shameful death. He dies as a traitor who failed to identify with his place in the society. He was a leader and had he remained true to his word and ignored the role of his mother as his mentor, he could have won the respect and throne of Rome. Both men are frail. In context, Antony is driven by self-inspired beliefs and needs. Cleopatra does not specifically engineer his actions; rather he commits himself to satiate Cleopatra’s desires. On the other hand, Coriolanus tragedies are natural calamities. They are circumstances far beyond his abilities. He is under his mothers command. What his mother reckons fine, he does it collectively.
“Since Cleopatra Died” by Neil Powell discusses the importance of context in many different works of Shakespeare. The author begins by pointing out the concept of context and tense within the first few lines, stating that the words “Since Cleopatra Died” are devastating because Marc Antony’s understanding of the context is misunderstood. He commits suicide under the supposition that Cleopatra died, yet she is alive (Powell 1). Given this example, the author vehemently asserts that “tenses matter, which is why their misuse grates so dreadfully” (Powell 1). Shakespeare used tense quite often in his plays for word-play, comical relief, sarcasm, and drama, which served to either trick the characters into believing a falsehood or allowing the audience to understand something before a character did. Therefore, the misuse of tense and context in Shakespeare can drastically change the meaning of any of his plays, even among the characters in the plays themselves. Powell references Hamlet and Antony and Cleopatra to provide several points about the importance of tense in the plays. For example, in a segment from Hamlet, Powell shows that the quote “‘She should have died hereafter…Not ‘she shouldn’t have died’ nor even ‘I wish she hadn’t died, but ‘She ought to have waited until later’”(Powell 1). Powell goes on to explain that Shakespeare used a mixture of tenses for plot points, as in Antony and Cleopatra when Antony misunderstands the tense of Cleopatra’s death and kills himself because of it. As such, to understand the correct tense is to understand Shakespeare’s specific meaning in his plays.
However, meaning is also elusive. Although tense is important with any reading, so is the emphasis (Norton 2009). In Shakespearean plays, much is left open to emphasis and meaning due to the lack of certain punctuations, emphases, and, even, context. No more is this true than in any reading of Shakespeare’s plays in which much is left to the imagination of the readers, such as how a word will be emphasized. Shakespeare was notorious for leaving out acting cues. As such, even tense can be misconstrued easily, though Powell quite ignores this in favor of explaining the various examples of tense in a select few Shakespearean plays. I believe that this is an immense weak point in Powell’s argument because it ignores many of Shakespeare’s other plays in which tense and context are largely confusing due, in no small part, to a lack of emphasis and acting commands. Powell also sticks to only a few examples from select plays, which completely disregards the differing examples from other works of Shakespeare and minimizes Powell’s points. Despite the lack of oversight on this one issue, Powell can create a persuasive argument for readers to spend more time understanding Shakespeare’s tenses, rather than speedily reading through the plays and dramatically misunderstanding their meaning them. In this, Powell makes a very strong point that anyone studying Shakespeare should have to read it several times, studying it immensely, before completely comprehending the English used in his works of literature.
Since Cleopatra Died can be of interest to scholarly peers due to its central argument of the importance of understanding Shakespeare. As Powell points out in his essay, there are many different facets to understanding Shakespearean literature and one of particular importance is the ability to fully comprehend the use of tense in his plays. If one is studying Shakespeare, it would behoove them to assess Powell’s argument to be able to keep the value of tense in mind when reading Shakespeare.
References
Powell, N. (2010). Since cleopatra died. PN review, 36(3).
The Norton Anthology of World Literature. (2009). New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company.
Shakespeare’s plays are commonly with the illusion and deception inherent in the medium of theatre itself, from plays-within-plays to the complications arising from a boy actor playing a girl dressed up as a boy, and by analogy. The theatre then become the world and states of altered reality was the regular element of Shakespeare’s plays. They may be minor alterations, such as those induced by love (Antony in Anthony and Cleopatra). They may be expressed in other-worldly spirits, be they a Puck or an Ariel, they may be symbolic – dreams, sleep, the moon, or the contrast between the wilderness or the wood and the urban city or court. They may depict major alterations of behavior, such as madness, real or feigned.
Discussion
Anthony and Cleopatra
‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ is a Shakespearian play about two lovers; Anthony, a leader of Rome and Cleopatra, the Queen Of Egypt. The main themes of the play are love and duty as well as betrayal and guilt, the play is written in old English and mainly everyday language. Numerous characters including Enobarbus and Cleopatra, commit betrayal in the play, much imagery is used including the symbolism of God, nature, and water to present its themes, Enobarbus is a loyal friend of Anthony’s until he realizes that Anthony is an unreliable leader, at which point he deserts him, to go to Ceasar. Enobarbus is so overwhelmed with guilt that he takes his own life. The imagery and use of figurative language in his suicide shows his deep feelings of regret.
The play effectively presents the issue of betrayal and guilt by using imagery and showing the extreme effects it can have, Guilt can overwhelm a person so much that they can simply not live with themselves and it shows that cleopetra must have had a lot of love for Anthony, the two lovers and their love, or lack there of, between them. It would be correct to add though that Cleopatra is the dominating presence in the play, however, Cleopatra, Antony and Enobarbus have tragic elements of grandeur, nobility, fateful misjudgments and a fall from the heights as well as other less important qualities. (Shakespeare 157)
The play is repeatedly of different kinds and categories of a drama, Cleopatra tells Antony that, if he truly loves her, he should tell her how much he loves her. Antony responds by telling Cleopatra that professed love has very little value. Antony’s negligent behavior costs him dearly back in Rome.The irony of this situation is that Antony has neglected his soldierly duties for Rome due to the fact that he arrived in Egypt and fell in love with Cleopatra. This is a remarkable beginning to the play because it indicates that, although Antony and Cleopatra are lovers, they either do not actually love each other, or they are too doubtful to declare their love to one another.
Cleopatra as a symbol of Women
The way the audience in Elizabethan times would have viewed her hitting the messenger would also have been very different to ours. To the Elizabethan audience a woman hitting a messenger especially a male messenger would have been outrageous behavior but in our day and age we still see this is unacceptable but it doesn’t really shock us very much. After this incident, Cleopatra was full of guilt that she could not live with herself. This imagery uses nature to symbolize her feelings of wanting to escape her pain and guilt by death, Cleopatra ends up killing herself by making an asp bite her on the breast.
Cleopatra has this same fate after her betrayal, she is also against Anthony. This terrible act of betrayal leads to Anthony’s suicide; as he could not live without Cleopatra, she sends a message saying that she was dead, after being annoyed that he accused her of betrayal, ‘go tell him I have slain myself’. The way that we as modern readers respond to the character of Cleopatra is very different than the way the Elizabethan audience would have responded because although there had been a woman on the throne, they still were shocked by women with power and rights. We do not view her as harshly as Elizabethans because we are now used to women with power, and now that more and more women are getting powerful jobs they now have equal status as men. (Shakespeare 189)
Cleopatra in her “Infinite Variety” Manifests Essential Femininity
The characters of Antony and Cleopatra seem rather childish at times and yet they are older than the characters of Romeo and Juliet. Antony and Cleopatra loved each other however it did not seem in the way that one thinks of as one would in a traditional notion of love. She can act as if a child one minute, and a temptress the next. Before Antony killed himself Cleopatra lied about her death because she did not want to face an upset Antony. Enobarbus says of her that “the age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/ Her Infinite Variety, other women cloy/ the appetites they feed; but she makes hungry/ where most she satisfies” (Shakespeare 199).
Cleopatra is dramatic in her emotions, and is often very theatrical in her reactions and in her rule, her childish actions and deception are what creates the precondition for Antony’s suicide and eventually her own.
Enobarbus is like the rest of the Romans believe Cleopatra is a temptress and is making Antony disregard his duties in the scene on the barge, however, not everyone in the play views Cleopatra as a manipulative woman, one of the most famous lines which is used to describe Cleopatra is spoken by Enobarbus when he says ‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety'(Shakespeare 215).
This in my opinion shows that even though Enobarbus knows Cleopatra is taking Antony away from his duties he recognizes why Antony feels so strongly towards her and can also sympathize with this, Enobarbus describes her in a very different way to that which we would think that he views her. He uses words to describe her like ‘love-sick’ and ‘amorous’, and even goes so far as to compare her to the goddess ‘Venus’. I think here that Shakespeare isn’t making her out to be either tragic heroine or ‘triple- turned whore’ but more of a temptress than anything else, to lots of people including Caesar and Enobarbus Cleopatra is very intriguing (Shakespeare 215).
Analysis of Marc Antony
We see also the way Antony treats Cleopatra and the way he feels towards her change throughout the course of the play. The ultimate sacrifice that Cleopatra makes for Antony is at the end of the play when she doesn’t join Caesar, but instead kills herself to be with her true love, but we have to think is this to be with Antony or to escape humiliation? From the start when he considers her almost as a thing for him to entertain him when he is away from home through until he sees her not only as a mistress but also as someone whom he loves. At all points throughout the play, like the way she goes into battle just to see Antony, how she forgives him when he is dying, how she doesn’t really respect him or his obligation to duty. All show us that the character of Cleopatra is portrayed to the audience as not always good, even when he is away for a short period of time she misses him greatly. By the end of the play we can see that she genuinely cares for Antony and can’t live without him. (Shakespeare 233)
Marc Antony – Self-Deluded Lover
There are times throughout the play when Antony does think that she isn’t treating him well and in one instance calls her a ‘foul Egyptian’, then later on, he refers to her as ‘triple-turned whore’ although this is when Antony is at his lowest so there is question whether he really meant it. Romans see Cleopatra as a temptress who is taking away their leader and they know this will lead to the downfall of their army, however in this instance I felt that Cleopatra had betrayed Antony but that was only because like Antony we did not know the truth about what had really happened.
After the battle of Actium when Antony appears to a defeated man, he says the that he alone and isolated in the world that he has drifted away from his way for ever, it is not the appeal of suicide that overpowers him but the burden of his loyalty to Cleopatra.I think that as the main character Shakespeare wants us to side with Antony and view Cleopatra more as a ‘triple-turned whore’ although this makes us feel more sympathetic towards her. In the end it seems that cleopetra is to be blamed because the reason Antony kills himself is because of her and the reason of the dispute between him and Caesar is her. (Shakespeare 245)
In spite of the fact that i am a female, I am drawn to Antony for his loyalty and blind trust that he shows Cleopetra, while she is very conniving and manipulative, this nature of hers ultimately leads to Antony’s death. Antony’s character draws sympathy and gives me a feeling that he never truly knew Cleopetra, and never tried to explore her personality. It also helps me realise that men are much more strainghtforward, while women, though not conniving like Cleopetra, are more complex and have several facets to their personalities that cannot be deciphered by men as was the case of Antony.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in the play Antony and Cleopatra, Caesar has possesses all of the power and control whether it is manipulative, sexual, or political, Cleopatra is in love with Antony and he is in love with her, Cleopetra thinks that killing herself is the ultimate sacrifice she can make to show her love and commitment. She is always doing things to try and make him like her more or to make him jealous, although this is the case Antony and Cleopatra are the characters who end up having the decisive power which stops Caesar from having crucial political and military power over Rome, as it can be seen that Cleopetra in fact is a remarkable woman, who matured before her time. I believe that she is not a ‘Triple-turned whore’ but definitely a tragic heroine. Antony on the other had gains most of his power through the use of strategic thinking which links to the inspiration of military power, she dies in order to be with the man she loved, and if we review the play we see that although a lot of the time her actions are not very honorable to Antony, we but her actions cannot be questioned, because she loved him dearly and for this she eventually committed suicide. Through her reign came beauty, mystery, love, hate, passion, all things that being human and being part of humanity makes her intreguiging and facinating.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra (Cambridge School Shakespeare), Paperback, ISBN: 0-521-44584-1 / 978-0-521-44584-9, Cambridge University Press, 1994, p157-256.