ANTONY

&
CLEOPATR
A
Character Analysis
& Thematic Prompt
Isaac Bekee, Juanita Antwi, Makaila Nantogmah,
Nicole Tetteh, Ayeyie Andoh, Kayleb Asare
 Introduction:Sum
mary
Antony and Cleopatra, a tragic love story
between Roman leader ,Mark Antony, and
Egyptian queen, Cleopatra .

● The play begins with Antony’s infatuation

with Cleopatra, leading him to neglect his
roman duties.
● As political tensions rise,Antony marries
Octavia to secure an alliance, but he
ultimately returns to Cleopatra igniting
jealousy and war.
● As the conflict reaches its climax, Antony
falsely believes Cleopatra has died and
tragically takes his own life. Cleopatra,
 01
Character
Analysis
Analysing the character of Mark Antony
What does Shakespeare portray
Antony as?
Point 1 Point 2
A man deeply torn
between the demands
1 2 Preserves Antony’s
image as a noble,
heroic soldier,
of Roman duty and the
emphasizing the tragic
intoxicating power of
dimension of his fall
personal desire
from grace.

Point 4
Point 3 intense
Antony’s
emotional depth and 3 4 Shakespeare presents
Antony as a tragic
impulsiveness define figure struggling to
him as a lover whose assert his identity in
passion is as much a the face of political
source of strength as of humiliation and
destruction. personal betrayal.
Shakespeare portrays Antony as a man deeply
torn between the demands of Roman duty and
the intoxicating power of personal desire

Early in the play, Antony’s declaration, “Let Rome

in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the
ranged empire fall!” reveals his willingness to
forsake his political obligations and Roman identity
for the sake of his love for Cleopatra.
—Act 1 Scene
1
 Shakespeare portrays Antony as a man deeply
torn between the demands of Roman duty and
the intoxicating power of personal desire
● Shakespeare presents Antony as a man caught between Roman duty and personal
desire, symbolized by the metaphor of Rome “melting,” which shows how his passion
for Cleopatra erodes both his political responsibilities and public identity.

● Through Antony’s internal conflict, Shakespeare explores the destructive tension

between reason and emotion, suggesting that unchecked passion can unravel not only
a man’s life but also the political order he upholds.

● Antony’s divided loyalties embody the tragic consequences of balancing opposing

forces—the disciplined world of Rome and the intoxicating allure of love—making him a
symbol of human vulnerability and foreshadowing his inevitable downfall.
 Shakespeare Preserves Antony’s
image as a noble, heroic soldier,
emphasizing the tragic dimension of
his fall from grace.

Philo’s sharp observation, “This dotage of our

general’s / O’erflows the measure…”, captures
the widespread perception of Antony’s decline from
a once-great leader to a man consumed by passion
—Act 1
and recklessness.

Scene 1
 Shakespeare Preserves Antony’s
image as a noble, heroic soldier,
emphasizing the tragic dimension of
his fall from grace.

Shakespeare portrays Philo’s use of the Despite this

Antony as a noble word “dotage” emotional captivity,
and heroic soldier conveys Antony’s Antony’s repeated
whose tragic downfall love as a form of efforts to restore his
is driven by the senility or irrational honour on the
intense conflict weakness that battlefield reveal a
between his compromises his persistent heroic
obligations as a military judgment, impulse, presenting
Roman leader and his evoking sympathy for him as a multi-
overpowering a once-powerful man dimensional
passion for whose decline character struggling
Cleopatra, illustrating highlights the to reconcile his
the destructive vulnerability of even divided identity,
tension between the greatest leaders which deepens the
Antony’s intense emotional depth and
impulsiveness define him as a lover
whose passion is as much a source of
strength as of destruction.

Antony’s admission, “There's beggary in the love that

can be reckoned,” exposes his belief that true love is
limitless, uncontrollable, and ultimately ruinous.
Antony’s intense emotional depth and
impulsiveness define him as a lover
whose passion is as much a source of
strength as of destruction.
Shakespeare portrays Antony as a deeply
emotional and impulsive figure, whose
passionate nature fuels both his strength as a
leader and the reckless decisions that contribute
to his tragic downfall.

The metaphor of “beggary” highlights how

Antony’s love for Cleopatra depletes his
emotional and mental energy, showing that his
intense desire leaves him weakened and
vulnerable, ultimately undermining his
disciplined Roman identity and authority.

By depicting Antony’s gradual surrender to

overwhelming passion, Shakespeare critiques
traditional ideals of masculine control,
presenting him as a profoundly human character
whose tragic flaw is his inability to balance
 Shakespeare presents Antony as a
tragic figure struggling to assert his
identity in the face of political
humiliation and personal betrayal.

Following the public humiliation of Cleopatra

entertaining Caesar’s envoy, Thyreus, Antony’s
emotional state erupts into chaos. He violently
assaults the messenger and shames Cleopatra,
then turns inward, proclaiming: “I am Antony
yet.”

—Act 3 Scene 13
 Shakespeare presents Antony as a
tragic figure struggling to assert his
identity in the face of political
humiliation and personal betrayal.

“I am Antony yet” functions as a

desperate assertion of identity at Shakespeare frames Antony’s downfall as
the very moment it’s slipping away. both emotional and historical. By
The emphatic personal pronoun “I” and contrasting Antony’s impulsive, heroic
the adverb “yet” show Antony clinging masculinity with Caesar’s cold, strategic
to his former authority, turning the line diplomacy, Shakespeare suggests that Antony
into a psychological shield against is a relic of a fading world. His tragedy lies in
political humiliation — especially as it resisting change — refusing to evolve — and in
follows the public disgrace of Cleopatra doing so, losing not just power, but the core of
surrendering to Caesar’s envoy.
The irony of the line exposes the his identity.
gap between Antony’s self-image
and his reality. While he tries to evoke
his Roman legacy, his actions — violent
outbursts, emotional volatility, and a loss
of control — undermine the nobility he
claims. Shakespeare presents him as a
man trapped in the myth of himself,
0 Thematic
Prompt
2 Love and Pleasure
P.E.E.A.L EFFECT

01 02 03
Point Evidence Explain
How does Shakespeare Where in the drama do Explain how the point
convey this theme/idea? we see this? and evidence are linked

04 05
Link to
Analysis
Concludequestion
your analysis
Explain further and with
by linking back to the
more detail
question.
Colour Code

Point Evidence Explanation

Colour Code

Analysis Link to
question
Love
Antony and Cleopatra opens
with a scene in which Antony
professes his unfathomable love
for Cleopatra and, while the play
covers political drama, it is also
centrally about the romantic
relationship between Antony and
Cleopatra
 Love
Shakespeare presents love and pleasure as overwhelming forces that
destabilize Antony’s identity and honour.

In Act 3 Scene 11, Antony admits to Cleopatra, “You did know how much you
were my conqueror; and that my sword, made weak by my affection, would
obey it on all cause.”

The word “conqueror” reverses the usual power dynamic, showing

Cleopatra as dominant over Antony, the once-powerful Roman general. The
sword metaphor—symbolizing military strength and Roman honour—is
weakened by Antony’s love, revealing how passion compromises his
authority and self-control.

The phrase “would obey it on all cause” highlights his total submission to
Cleopatra, showing that love has enslaved him emotionally and politically.
Shakespeare uses this to portray Antony’s love as destructive, turning him
from a disciplined soldier into a man losing his Roman identity. His affection
is not just romantic but sensual and political, seducing him into an indulgent
Egyptian lifestyle that conflicts with Rome’s strict discipline.
Love
Shakespeare presents Antony as a larger-than-life figure through Cleopatra’s
reverent and mythological language, highlighting the overwhelming nature of
their love.

In Act 1 Scene 5, Cleopatra exclaims, “O happy horse, to bear the weight of

Antony!... The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm and burgonet of men,”
comparing Antony to the Titan Atlas, who carries the heavens, and describing
him as the very strength and armor of mankind.

This allusion elevates Antony beyond a mere mortal, portraying him as a

godlike force burdened with immense power and responsibility. Cleopatra’s
admiration suggests that Antony embodies not only physical might but also
an almost divine significance in her eyes, intensifying the scale and intensity
of their relationship.
Love

However, the military imagery of “arm and burgonet” ironically underscores

Antony’s role as a Roman warrior from which he is increasingly detached,
seduced away from his duties by his passion for Cleopatra. Shakespeare thus
uses Cleopatra’s worshipful tone to emphasize how love transforms Antony
from a disciplined soldier into a mythic but vulnerable figure, whose identity
becomes entangled with pleasure and devotion.

This portrayal encapsulates a key theme in the play: love as a force so

powerful it can elevate and destroy, blurring the lines between glory and
downfall, duty and desire.
Pleasure
Through the use of sensual language, Shakespeare vividly portrays the
theme of pleasure in the play Antony and Cleopatra.
Enobarbus says in Act II scene II “ The barge she sat in, like a
burnished throne Burned on water. The poop was beaten gold, purple
the sails perfumed that the winds were lovesick with them”. “She
makes hungry where she most satisfies”.
This exaggeration portrays Cleopatra as a figure of irresistible
attraction. It also equates Antony’s passion for her with other
forms of appetite and suggesting that her pleasures are never
fully sated and that they only create more desire.

This language of hunger, feeding and satisfaction recurs

throughout the play, linking pleasure to bodily and emotional
needs
Pleasure
Additionally, Shakespeare juxtaposes two worlds — Egypt and Rome — to
highlight the double-edged nature of pleasure.

In Act 2 Scene 1, Pompey remarks that “in Egypt sits at dinner, and will make no
wars without doors,” referring to Antony’s indulgence in Cleopatra’s luxurious
lifestyle. This line implies that Antony’s capacity for war and leadership has been
weakened by the seductive pleasures of Egypt.

Shakespeare uses imagery of feasting and music — symbolic of Cleopatra’s court

— to create a setting dominated by excess, sensuality, and distraction. This
contrasts sharply with the rigid discipline and political pragmatism of Rome,
where honour and order dominate. By staging this contrast, Shakespeare presents
Egypt not simply as a place of pleasure, but as a seductive force that destabilises
reason and corrodes identity.

Pleasure, therefore, is shown as both alluring and destructive — a temptation that

Antony, tragically, cannot resist.
Love and Pleasure
In conclusion, Shakespeare conveys the theme of pleasure
in Antony and Cleopatra through vivid imagery,
contrasting settings and characterization. Pleasure is
portrayed as alluring and transformative but also a force
that can lead to ruin when it is prioritized over duty and
reason. The play suggests that while pleasure is an
essential part of the human experience, blindly pursuing it
can have tragic outcomes.
Thanks
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