Antony and Cleopatra's
main theme is perhaps love. The death of Antony and his lover the
queen of Egypt somehow resembles the typical love tragedy in
Shakespeare and older stories, such as Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and
Thisbe, Othello, etc. But for me Antony and Cleopatra has its own
uniqueness.
One of them is of
course, the political theme in the play. The political theme is so
intense that it blurs the theme of love at times. For example,
Antony's marriage to Octavia is actually quite a shocking choice from
the 'love' point of view, especially after his promise to Cleopatra.
But his political motive prevails over his emotional feeling, and he
chooses that path to strengthen his position in Rome. Cleopatra
forgives Antony anyway.
The ups and downs of
their relationship is also unique. They fight, and then they love
again, and fight again, none of them loves better than the other.
Their love is sometimes selfish, sometimes stupid, and it enriches
the plot of the play.
I don't know if I will
read the play again, given my dislike to tragedies (with few
exceptions), but for me the play is entertaining enough. Here below
is the list of my act-by-act review. Please enjoy.
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