Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Antony and Cleopatra

Initially, I have to admit I wasn't all that intrigued by the play - oftentimes getting frustrated at the questionable decisions of some (most) of the characters, and in particular the manner in which the dialogue and retelling of events strayed so far from historical accuracy. I'm admittedly slightly averse to romance-centric stories, so I think it took some warming up for me to get used to the story - as well as understanding that this play has to be read through a more accepting rather than cynical lens.

I think honestly, the best way to read this is read the play once, read the "A Modern Perspective" essay at the end by Cynthia Marshall, and go through parts of it again. I would argue that the closing essay leaves out some details I would prefer there to be more of a focus on - including the overuse of stereotypes and how that isn't necessarily negated by Shakespeare's act of having Cleopatra "win out" over Antony in the end - but does help solidify some of the ideas that were running through my head at the time of reading better than I could've worded them.

Antony and Cleopatra , I believe, is a story that focuses a lot on comparing, contrasting, and subverting - which is definitely what I ended up enjoying most about it. The parallels between the male-dominated, very black-and-white perspectives of political strategy and public life in Rome in contrast to the way of life presented in Shakespeare's understanding of Egypt - while admittedly warranting some challenging - is nevertheless intriguing and I believe, one of the best ways to get some clarity about the characters' complex behaviors, actions, and justifications. The dialogue is undeniably clever and witty even when it may be a bit more on-the-nose, and there is something to be said about how Shakespeare completely subverts how a hero-centric story is told - which, as Marshall points out, sees Antony sharing the spotlight with Cleopatra, neglecting his duties and responsibilities in the early portion of the play, and

making rash decisions that ultimately lead to his death (which occurs an act before the play's actual end)

.

I have to admit though, at the same time, it's confusing to be entirely convinced by perspectives of this being a story about the power of "legendary love" (Marshall, pp.300). While it's undeniably astounding to know that one of history's early "power couples" saw the matching of two truly unique individuals with far-reaching and diverse impacts on geography + history, I personally find it hard to believe that outcome was the result of their love. Throughout the play, we see Antony using Cleopatra as a scapegoat for his own mishaps and blunders, including his battle strategising. In doing so, he particularly targets her womanhood and ethnicity (4.12), which I would personally hesitate to interpret as anything remotely related to love but more illustrative of Antony's lust: only recognising her worth or value when she provides for him , whether that be a leg-up on the battlefield or in their more intimate moments together. This is not at all to say that Cleopatra (both in the play and real life) was 'submissive' or an underwhelming character - in fact, the exact opposite - but rather to how I'm still hesitant to read this as entirely a "love" story as it seems that Shakespeare himself may or may not be trying to challenge the perspective of their decisions being guided by blind devotion towards one another. (I of course recognise that this play is far from being entirely accurate, but nevertheless felt it important to mention that as it was a pretty crucial part of my reading)

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this play - in some parts more than expected, in others less. The dialogue is particularly rich, and the characters multi-dimensional. I appreciate that Shakespeare's skepticism made it clear that this wasn't meant to be a wholly accurate retelling while also preserving some discussion about the mythical whimsy that a 'love in the midst of war' trope can possess. It was certainly an enjoyable story that had a continuous momentum and consistent communication of its core messaging (even if the final takeaways may be a bit blurry) while still being intriguing and unanswerable at its core - just as I like my Shakespeare to be :).

Content Warnings