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759 reviews for:
Antony And Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Tale of fiction Drama By William Shakespeare (Annotated)
William Shakespeare
3.56 AVERAGE
759 reviews for:
Antony And Cleopatra: An Extraordinary Tale of fiction Drama By William Shakespeare (Annotated)
William Shakespeare
3.56 AVERAGE
Antony, a close General of the Emperor, leaves home and is both physically and emotionally captivated by a woman who is a self serving actor. The depth of her acting is displayed by interrupting the dying words of Antony to finish her own silique. The relationship causes Antony to ignore duty and separate from the Emperor. The results are tragic for the main characters and those who are and were close to them. Antony and Cleopatra seems more contemporary than other Shakespearian tragedies and sounds like a modern day royal drama.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting, unconventional tragedy with over dramatic characters that you can't help but root for and love. After all, Cleopatra is iconic.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was honestly kinda boring. Maybe I'm just tired of all the war talk, but I don't think that Octavius needed to be so malevolent. Did he need to want to parade the couple off in Rome to showcase his victory? I'm glad the two committed suicide to save themselves from the embarrassment. Cleopatra is smart, beautiful, and fierce. She played to her strengths and took the love of many men. Everyone adores her. Including myself. Also, Antony is real asf. He completely ditched his empire for a woman. People would come to him asking him to address Rome and he would tell them to go away. He would not deal with anything unless it had to do with Cleopatra. He got into a WAR, over this woman. Respect.
I didn't really remember anything from my prior reading. This play is more about war than love. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the words are lovely. And I enjoyed reading aloud with the group.
"You shall be more beloving than beloved." (Soothsayer, Act I, Scene II)
"I love long life better than figs." (Charmian, Act I, Scene II)
"The nature of bad news infects the teller." (Messenger, Act I, Scene II)
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. Other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where most she satisfies. For the vilest things become themselves in her, that the holy priests bless her when she is riggish." (Enobarbus, Act II, Scene II)
"But there is never a fair woman has a true face." (Enobarbus, Act II, Scene VI)
"You shall be more beloving than beloved." (Soothsayer, Act I, Scene II)
"I love long life better than figs." (Charmian, Act I, Scene II)
"The nature of bad news infects the teller." (Messenger, Act I, Scene II)
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. Other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where most she satisfies. For the vilest things become themselves in her, that the holy priests bless her when she is riggish." (Enobarbus, Act II, Scene II)
"But there is never a fair woman has a true face." (Enobarbus, Act II, Scene VI)
This is one of those plays that gets better as you get older. I don't know if anyone's ever coined the term 'tragedy of errors,' but this play could be a case study in the genre. The events would be utterly absurd if they weren't so goddamn sad.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Read for a class in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.
Not my favorite of his plays. Didn’t find myself compelled by any of the characters, and spent most of my time confused by the plot.
Not my favorite of his plays. Didn’t find myself compelled by any of the characters, and spent most of my time confused by the plot.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A perplexing little play - neither fully one thing nor another which makes it interesting to discuss! Cleopatra's final speech is glorious but I wish there was so much more of her throughout. There were some really comic moments here in between very historic and political scenes and really not as much tragic elements as I expected given the title. Really enjoyed looking at the different ways people betray and the way the concept of loyalty manifests, but not a play I can say I truly love.