Antony and Cleopatra is an Example of One of Shakespeare’s

How and why does Shakespeare create two distinct worlds of Rome and Arab republic of egypt in the beginning two acts of the play?

Antony and Cleopatra is set predominantly in Arab republic of egypt and Rome and Shakespeare organises the plot around the conflict betwixt Eastward and West. However, information technology is not only plot that contrasts the two places but also linguistic communication and structure. Rome is portrayed as masculine, rational and political, and Roman characters’ lines are measured and calculated. Egypt is depicted in a more than feminine calorie-free, based around emotion, passion and physical sensation. The lines of Egyptians flow and are more poetic in content. Information technology is these two distinct worlds between which Antony crosses, and in forming more than Egyptian ideals and neglecting his Roman values he brings well-nigh his downfall. This essay aims to examine how Shakespeare creates ii divide worlds and his reasons for doing so.

The primary method Shakespeare uses to distinguish betwixt the two worlds is his crafting of language, with stark differences in the spoken language of Romans and Egyptians. As Philo and Demitrius talk of their captain’southward turn down they immediately establish the opposition between the two worlds. They talk of Antony serving as “the bellows and the fan/ To cool a gipsy’s lust,” indicating a split between a earth that is governed past reason, discipline, and militaristic ethics, and another ruled past passion, pleasance, and love. They meet lust and passion as a negative aspect and think of Antony every bit weak to have succumbed to the allure of Cleopatra. The measure out of a human is based on his “soldiership” and Antony is viewed as weaker due to his neglect of political matters in favor of sex.

Militarism and honor are of utmost importance to the Romans. They often use war machine and cosmic imagery in their oral communication, such equally “musters of the war” and “like plated Mars.” Pompey’south comments that his “powers are crescent” and “volition come to th’ total” reveal the typical fixation on ability and control. His resistance to Menas’ want to kill the inebriated Triumvirs demonstrates the Romans’ high esteem for honor and moral duty.

The Egyptian world is more than concerned with leisure and sex than war and might. Lines such as “Give me some music” and “Let’due south to billiards” testify how the Egyptian women indulge themselves. They dine luxuriously on “moody food” and “Egyptian dish” brought on need, as with “Give me to drink mandragora,” where every bit the Roman men never demanded nutrient and did not dine lavishly while at war.

The Egyptian women seek sexual gratification and enjoy holding ability over men. Charmian and Iras joke near an “inch of fortune” “not on my husband’south nose.” Their phrase “Must accuse his horns with garlands” references a homo who has been betrayed past his married woman and stripped of his masculinity. Cleopatra uses the prototype of line-fishing to talk of her power over men: “My bended hook shall pierce their slimy jaws.” She teases the highly masculine Antony when she talks of wearing his “sword Philippan,” a phallic symbol of his strength, and mocks the Eunuchs by saying she “take(s) no pleasure in zippo a eunuch has.” Likewise, whereas Romans use cosmic imagery to depict military ability, Egyptians utilize it to connote sex and passion in lines such as “What Venus did with Mars.”

A passage that exemplifies Shakespeare’due south utilize of language to distinguish Rome from Egypt occurs in Deed 1, Scene iv. Caesar talks of Antony mixing militaristic language such every bit, “judgement”, “noble”, “strong”, “fear’d”, “flag”, “serve” and “claret” with language associated with Egypt such as “too indulgent”, “voluptuousness”, “pleasance”, “daintily”, “patience” and “idleness.” These words demonstrate the dissimilarity between Rome and Egypt, men and women, and how the two different views cannot comfortably coexist.

Some other mode in which Shakespeare creates the two worlds is through line structure. Lines spoken in Egypt or by Egyptians are often long, drawn out and flowing, such as: “Lord Alexas, sugariness Alexas, most anything Alexas, almost most absolute Alexas”. This repetition is needless and indulgent. Past contrast, Antony talks quickly and in a strict tone: “Against my brother Lucius?”, “Ay.” The Romans’ lines are sharp and to the betoken, based on relevant information and non glorified in any way. Their lines create tension, while the relaxed Egyptians’ words create a very different feel.

The worlds are also symbolised by the characters inside them. Caesar embodies the militaristic duty of the West, while Cleopatra, in all her theatrical grandeur, represents the free-flowing passions of the E. Caesar is strict and applied, as when he realises the drunken land of his soldiers on the barge: “Allow me request you off. Our graver business organization frowns at this levity.” Using powerful, directly language he chooses duty over pleasure. Cleopatra, on the other hand, is dramatic, extravagant and passionate, as in: “Help me abroad, dear Charmian! I shall fall!” Dissimilar Caesar, she gains her power and controls the situation via drama, grandeur, and sexual allure.

Throughout the play Antony tries to strike a balance between the 2 worlds, but the effort leads to his downfall. Shakespeare needed to create the distinct worlds in order to conclude the play in this way. Nosotros clearly run into Antony condign more Egyptian in his means equally time goes on. He is seduced by the Egyptian lifestyle and queen, which leads him to first changing his linguistic communication and ideals. “I’th’ East my pleasure lies” shows that he has lost the key Roman value of control. With “The beds i’thursday’ East are soft” he reveals that Egyptian sexuality has begun to tear him abroad from his duties, though he reverts to his Roman self when Ventidius enters with a sharp, “O come Ventidius.” He had non yet entirely neglected his Roman ideals or duties. When Antony is talking with Cleopatra he is more than Egyptian, using grand gestures and hyperbole to declare his love: “Let Rome in Tiber melt.” He mirrors Cleopatra’s drama and moves farther away from Caesar’s judgment, neglecting martial duties in favor of self-indulgence.

In decision, Shakespeare creates ii distinct worlds through his use of language, line structure, and character. The differences between Rome and Arab republic of egypt are very clear to the reader and audience. Shakespeare needed to polarize the worlds both to highlight the conflict of opinions between the ii and to show how Antony declines from one articulate fix of behavior to another.