Antony and Cleopatra

By: William Shakespeare

About the Author:

William Shakespeare
Shakespeare is widely considered the world’s greatest dramatist. He was born on
April 26, 1564 at Warwickshire, England. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. He was an
English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the
English language. He is often called England's national poet.

Full title - The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra

Author - William Shakespeare

Genre – Romance, Tragedy

Language - English

Time and Place written - 1606–1607, London, England

Date of first publication - Published in the First Folio of 1623

Characters

Mark Antony
- Main protagonist of the story.
- Fierce soldier who is one of the Triumvirs that rule the Roman empire.
- He has a love affair with Cleopatra.

Cleopatra
- The Queen of Egypt.
- Lover to Antony, formerly lover to Caesar and Pompey
- Highly attractive woman

Octavius Caesar
- One of the Triumvirs of Rome.
- He is very ambitious and extremely practical.
- He disapproves of everything Antony stands for

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus

- He is the third member of the Triumvirate.
- He is the weakest among the three.
- Always trying to make friends instead of war.

Sextus Pompey
- He seeks to avenge his father's death to the new triumvirate and
 - He leads a popular rebellion against the triumvirate that it forces Caesar and
Antony to make a truce.

Octavia
- Caesar's sister
- Cool quiet woman, opposite of Cleopatra
- Marries Antony to try to fix the friendship between Antony and Caesar

Plot

Setting (Time) - 40–30 b.c.

Setting (Place) - The Roman Empire and Egypt

Exposition - Antony is torn between his duties as a Roman ruler and soldier and his
desire to live in Egypt with his lover, Cleopatra. This inner conflict leads him to become
embroiled in a war with Caesar, one of his fellow triumvirs.

Rising Action - Caesar lures Antony out of Egypt and back to Rome, and marries Antony
to his sister, Octavia. Antony eventually returns to Egypt and Cleopatra, and Caesar
prepares to lead an army against Antony.

Climax - Antony disgraces himself by fleeing the battle of Actium to follow Cleopatra,
betraying his own image of himself as a noble Roman.

Falling action - Cleopatra fakes her death and a messenger told it to Antony.

Resolution – Antony took his sword and ended his own life. After that, Cleopatra also
commits suicide because she doesn’t want to fall under the hands of Caesar.

Summary

After defeating Brutus and Cassius, following the assassination of Julius Caesar,
Mark Antony becomes one of the three rulers of the Roman Empire, together with
Octavius Caesar and Lepidus, and is responsible for the eastern part of the empire. He
falls in love with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and settles in Alexandria. However, he
is compelled to return to Rome when the empire is threatened by the rebellion of Sextus
Pompey, the son of Pompey, who had been defeated by Julius Caesar.

As his wife has just died Antony marries Octavius’ sister, Octavia, in an attempt
to heal the rift between the two emperors. They make peace with Pompey. When
Cleopatra hears about Antony’s marriage she flies into a jealous rage but knows that
Antony does not love Octavia. Antony goes to Athens but when war breaks out between
Caesar and Pompey, Antony sends Octavia back to Rome and returns to Egypt.

Caesar is incensed with Antony’s behavior and he declares war on both Antony
and Cleopatra. When the Romans arrive Antony is offered a choice of how to fight and,
despite being renowned as the world’s greatest soldier, he chooses to fight on sea. The
Egyptian navy is inadequate and when Cleopatra’s navy turns and flees, Antony follows
them and Caesar defeats him.

Convinced that his lover has betrayed him, Antony vows to kill Cleopatra. In
order to protect herself, she quarters herself in her monument and sends word that she has
committed suicide. Antony, racked with grief, determines to join his queen in the
afterlife. He commands one of his attendants to fulfill his promise of unquestioned
service and kill him. The attendant kills himself instead. Antony then falls on his own
sword, but the wound is not immediately fatal. He is carried to Cleopatra’s monument,
where the lovers are reunited briefly before Antony’s death.

Caesar takes the queen as prisoner, planning to display her in Rome as a testament
to the might of his empire, but she learns of his plan and kills herself with the help of
several poisonous snakes. Caesar arrives just after her death and orders that the two
lovers be buried together.

Prepared by: Marvin L. Barroga

Submitted to: Mrs. Imelda N. Binay-an