Blog 13: Antony and Cleopatra

It’s been a while, I know! But with a couple of weeks to go before exams start, at all levels, I’ll be looking at a text which is used at both (I)GCSE and A Level: Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.

With all of these blog posts, in the last few days before exams, I’ll be highlighting three important things on which to focus in order to boost your grade.

Key Character

Antony. As much as this is an historical piece about Roman politics at the turn of the first millennium, this is also a very modern (well, Jacobean) exploration of male hubris, and the decision to value the self above the political: a choice which still has resonances today (Harry and Meghan, anyone?).

Key Theme

Aforementioned pride, and wilful ignorance: as Antony ignores his advisors to play games (quite literally, in some cases) with Cleopatra. Like all of Shakespeare’s tragedies, there is a figure at its centre who is undone both by others and by his own inherent flaw (hamartia): in Antony’s case, his belief that it is possible for him to stop being the general and politician at the heart of the Roman military and social establishment.

Key Quotation

‘Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall!’ Spoken by Antony at the beginning of the play, this sets out his stall, showing his belief that it’s possible for Rome to ‘melt’: his use of synecdoche (‘Rome’ for ‘the Roman Empire’) shows the extent to which he is already thinking about abnegating his responsibilities to this institution, which will be the couple’s ultimate downfall.

📌 EXAMS ARE GETTING CLOSE! If you want more of this focus on character, theme, language, and context to prepare you, do get in touch.