Shakespeares Use of Language in Antony and Cleopatra Essay

Shakespeares Use of Language in Antony and Cleopatra Enobarbus uses the phrase infinite variety to describe the beauty and wonder of Cleopatra to Agrippa and Maecenas in Act 2 Scene 2. In the context of the whole play I believe it is a perfect description of how Cleopatra uses the different aspects of her character. Shakespeare uses language, imagery and structure to show the different sides of her personality. This allows Cleopatra to be interpreted in many ways by the actress and the audience. One of the ways Shakespeare presents Cleopatra throughout the play is as a queen. Cleopatras language emphasises her royal status in Act 3 Scene 7 when she says as the president of my kingdom to†¦show more content†¦The structure of the play encourages the audience to compare the two death scenes. This emphasises Cleopatras royalty as the royal aspects of her death are accentuated in contrast with Antonys farcical death scene. However Cleopatra is not always content to fill her role as queen and this continues the theme of identity that runs throughout the play. In contrast to her death scene there are times in the play where Shakespeare presents Cleopatra as being no different to any other woman. As Antony prepares for his second battle with Caesar in Act 4 Scene 4 he refers to Cleopatra as my chuck and Dame which are colloquial terms of address. This makes Cleopatra and her relationship with Antony seem very typical as he is using the same everyday language as normal people. The way Antony leaves her with a soldiers kiss increases the sense of normality in the scene. This is because the language suggests he is leaving her as a simple soldier would leave his wife or lover. Shakespeare does not give Cleopatra a special farewell from Antony and as I read the scene I could imagine a similar goodbye happening across Egypt from Antony and Caesars men. Cleopatras persona is hard to define as Shakespeare changes the audiences perception of her as the play develops. In Act 4 Scene 15, after Antonys death,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Ant ony And Cleopatra A Different Kind Of Dynamic Emerges1545 Words   |  7 PagesLove, as an enduring theme in Shakespeare’s work, is often represented in a particular way. Oppositions between passion and reason, romance and reflection, emotion and renitence all facilitate a necessary expressiveness. It tends to result in a carpe diem approach with a focus on intensity and openness, the representation of love and the way lovers interact in the plays is rarely blunt or stale. However, in Antony and Cleopatra a different kind of dynamic emerges. This new dynamic conveys a senseRead MoreAntony And Cleopatra Critical Analysis921 Words   |  4 PagesAntony and Cleopatra opens with a scene in which Antony professes his unfathomable love for Cleopatra and, while the play covers much of the political drama surrounding the crumbling of the Roman republic and creation of the Roman Empire under Octavius, it is also centrally about the romantic relationship between Antony and Cleopatra (after all, it’s not entitled Antony and Octavius). Antony tells Cleopatra that his love has no bounds, and often it certainly does seem excessive. It keeps him fromRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Presentation of Domitius Enobarbus in Antony and Cleopatra1206 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Presentation of Domitius Enobarbus in Antony and Cleopatra Traditionally Shakespeares use of the role of a chorus is seen to have been used as an insight for the audience into the prophesy of future events and what to expect throughout the play, usually by a secondary character. In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare expands the role of the chorus within his presentation of Enobarbus. Enobarbus does not merely illustrate what consequences AntonysRead MoreEssay on Antony and Cleopatra1655 Words   |  7 Pagesgreatly influenced by Roman genealogy-ancestors that were god-like (Mars), superhuman (Hercules), fearless warriors (Pompey) who flourished in a patriarchal society (ancient 4). I would like to discuss how Shakespeare uses these characteristics in his Roman tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, as a means to express sixteenth century Englands cultural upheavals, one of which was the transformation of masculinity defined in terms of power to masculinity rooted in humanism. Traditionally, the monarch ofRead MoreShakespeare vs Dryden3975 Words   |  16 PagesSEMINAR ANTONY CLEOPATRA AND ALL FOR LOVE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Introduction:- The following study is based on the plays Antony and Cleopatra which is written by William Shakespeare and All for Love which is written by John Dryden. Both writers are the most prominent playwrights in the history of English literature. We can see that both writers through their respective works have focused on the relationship between two prominent charactersRead MoreAntony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare Essay1194 Words   |  5 PagesAntony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare Antony and Cleopatra is a play in which the balance of power swings interestingly between two lovers. It is set in the First Century BC between Rome and Egypt. Antony is one of the three members of the second triumvirate who jointly rule the Roman Empire. Antony is the eponymous tragic hero, who allows his love for Cleopatra to cloud his judgement. According to Aristotle this is hamartia, an error of judgment caused by fateRead MoreExplore Shakespeares Presentation of the Three Great Leaders: Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Through the Changing Fortunes of Acts Iii and Iv. Explain How the Balance of Audience Sympathy Shifts1721 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the scenes depicting the Battle of Actium, Shakespeares presentation of Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra cause the balance of audience sympathy to change between the three great leaders. Audience sympathy never lies by any real amount with Caesar, and in Acts III and IV, the audience feels increasingly alienated from him. This is largely due to his calculated, ruthless style of leadership, which becomes more evident during the battle. Caesar judges wisely, and is successful becauseRead MoreRenaissance Literature - Romeo and Juliet1835 Words   |  8 Pagesis ‘the other’ explored in two of the plays studied in Semester 1? Shakespeare’s plays have always had a hard-hitting effect on their audiences as they are often used as a vehicle to explore fears or concerns of the time. In the two tragic plays, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’, Shakespeare uses mythology, issues of power and sexuality and in particular concentrates on the concept of ‘the other’. In this use of the term ‘the other’ we are referring to foreign elements, people orRead MoreEssay on Opposites Attract in Antony and Cleopatra2750 Words   |  11 PagesOpposites Attract in Antony and Cleopatra      Ã‚   William Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra is a play that is centred around a pair of historical lovers from two distinct cultures, Mark Antony from Rome and Queen Cleopatra from Egypt. The Roman and Egyptian cultures have vastly different norms and social ideas that are almost complete polar opposites in nature. These conflicting views are instrumental in the way that Cleopatra and Antony act. These two characters are so great in their respectiveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Presentation of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra2014 Words   |  9 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Presentation of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra The presentation of Cleopatra in Act three Scene thirteen is quite ambiguous. Her presentation in the rest of the play is also very contrasting and distinct. I believe Shakespeare concentrated on demonstrating Cleopatras personality and ambiguity to emphasise that, being the only central female in the play, it is even more surprising that she manages to act the way she does, with such an alarming range