Antony and Cleopatra, Lecture4

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Junior Drama, 2nd Semester Teacher Rami-

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Damascus University, Daraa Campus,Drama, Third Year, Teacher Rami Abu Zarad-Monday, March 24th 2014. Lecture, 4.____________________________________________________________________

Treatment of Act I, Scene 1

It should be interesting for us to learn that Philo appears in here for the first AND the last time.

This play is known for the big number of minor characters.

This is a dramatic technique by Shakespeare to make such characters serve his dramatic purpose.

Again, this is a mature play by Shakespeare, and we can contrast it with what we had in Hamlet.

We had a smaller number of characters, and the way we felt towards them was somehow

influenced by what Hamlet himself felt about them.

*We have now a value system which is different between Egypt and Rome.

During our reading, we should detect the difference between history and art.

We should notice how the artist presented the story outside of the historical narrative.

We started the Egyptian scene through the Roman eyes.

Antony and Cleopatra see something that Philo, and all of Rome, doesn’t see.

Nay, but this dotage of our general's O'erflows the measure.He disapproves of his behavior, but still he uses his military title “general.”

Notice the power relationship.

Those his goodly eyes,That o'er the files and musters of the warHave glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now turn,The office and devotion of their viewUpon a tawny front.

Goodly eyes = handsome eyes that used to shine [not just look] on his soldiers.

Like Mars: the Roman god of war.

Antony was like a god. He led his army like a god.

“This, all of this used to be,” in contrast with now.

His eyes are now fixed at tawny front.

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Tawny means dark-skinned. Front = face.

There is a pun here. Front also refers to the front of the army.

Right now Antony, the great leader, fixes his eyes on a different front, on the face of a dark-

skinned “lady.”

This is a racist remark about Cleopatra, referring to the color of her dark skin.

His captain's heart,Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burstThe buckles on his breast, reneges all temper,And is become the bellows and the fanTo cool a gipsy's lust.

Philo is saying that because of his Antony’s passion during war, the buckles of his armour would

burst!

There is an idea of lamentation for the loss of that great army leader, Antony.

He is lamenting the passionate Antony about war.

For Rome, this is the O.K. kind of passion: passion during war, but other kinds of passion are

frowned upon.

reneges all temper,

His bravery resisted all control. If he charges/attacks during battle, nobody can stop him; nobody

can stand in his way.

And is become the bellows and the fanTo cool a gipsy's lust.

“Is” means has. He has transformed into a pleasure tool to satisfy a gypsy’s lust.

The word gipsy originally comes from “Egyptian.” This is because of the mistaken European idea

that gypsies come from Egypt.

Gypsies are people who have no fixed place to stay: they travel all the time, drink all the time,

and dance all the time.

Here goes another racist remark about Cleopatra and her race.

“Gipsy’s lust.”

So, love in the Egyptian definition is translated as lust in Rome.

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In Rome, the idea of love is reduced to a base sense: lust.

Flourish.Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, her LADIES, the train, with eunuchs fanning her

Their arrival serves dramatically as juxtaposition to Philo’s exposition.

Juxtaposition means: placing two things/elements next to each other to highlight their differences.

This is the work of the artist, Shakespeare. He presents you with all the elements of the story, and

it is up for you to decide whose side you want to take, if you are to take sides.

Now we have the Roman accusation VS. Egyptian reality. We say in English, seeing is believing.

How you see something influences your attitude towards it.

Philo gave us an exposition of the story, and now we see for ourselves.

Look where they come!Take but good note, and you shall see in himThe triple pillar of the world transform'dInto a strumpet's fool. Behold and see.

Strumpet’s fool = whore’s fool.

CLEOPATRA. If it be love indeed, tell me how much.

“Dear Antony, if you really love me, tell me how much.”

This could be shallowness in Cleopatra’s character. This could be natural, or silly on her part. In a

sense, she is insecure about this relationship because this is the second Roman general who falls

in love with her.

ANTONY. There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd.

“A love that can be measured is not love.” This is a beautiful line coming out from a fool!

But she insists, and insistence is a characteristic in Cleopatra. She keeps nagging.

She wants to be loved, and wants to see how much she means to her lover.

And sometimes she will go to extreme measures to verify Antony’s love of her.

ANTONY. Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.

“You must find a new heaven and a new Earth to measure how much I love you.”

Oh, and by the way, this is Shakespeare talking

You would never read such lines in a Roman historical narrative.

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Antony is somehow leaving the Roman camp with this kind of answers/philosophy.

Love does not count for the Romans. What matters is loyalty and allegiance.

*Antony wins hearts, but Caesar wins minds & loyalty.

The heart belongs to the Egyptian camp, & the mind belongs to the Roman camp.

We will see who is driven by the heart, and who is driven by the mind.

MESSENGERNews my lord, from Rome.ANTONY. Grates me the sum.

“It annoys me, give me the summary.”

For Antony, to hear about Rome in this atmosphere of love & pleasure ruins the moment.

Cleopatra now playing one of her games:

CLEOPATRA. Nay, hear them, Antony.Fulvia perchance is angry; or who knowsIf the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sentHis pow'rful mandate to you:

Fulvia is Antony’s wife. “Maybe she is angry. Maybe the boy Caesar [who barely has a beard]

sent his orders to you!”

She is teasing/provoking him –trying to manipulate him, and have him do what she wants him to

do. This works on him –now.

We’re going to see another incident where none of her tricks will work on him.

He tries to strike a balance. For him, there is nothing urgent at the moment.

So, he allows such tricks to be played on him.

*She continues pushing him, mentioning Fulvia and Caesar: his wife and his fellow triumvir. His

wife represents his responsibility in the bond of marriage.

Also, the mention of his fellow triumvir, young Octavius makes him feel uncomfortable.

Legally, he is cheating on his wife, and politically he is neglecting his duties.

Now, listen to the result of Cleopatra pushing him:

ANTONY. Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide archOf the rang'd empire fall

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Tiber is a river in Rome. He says, “Let Rome be destroyed, I don’t care.”

This is coming from a Roman General! For the Romans, this is treason: I don’t care about my

country! This is said by the leader! This is high treason: .خیانة عظمى

Here is my space = Egypt. A sense of belonging, “I belong here in Egypt.”

“Kingdoms are clay.”

Clay = mud. They are dirt, and can be destroyed.

You can say that this Antony delivering a speech from the heart: a speech by a fool, if you want.

A Roman general does not say such kind of things.

The idea of Rome was based on war & expansion. And now the highest ruler says this?

our dungy earth alikeFeeds beast as man. The nobleness of lifeIs to do thus

What you don’t see is that on the stage he hugs Cleopatra.

He sums up life through his partnership with this woman.

when such a mutual pairAnd such a twain can do't, in which I bind,On pain of punishment, the world to weetWe stand up peerless.

“I challenge the world to bring me two loves who are like us.

We are matchless, peerless. We are the best example of love.”

“I challenge the world” is ironic because when he says it, you think of battle.

This is a paradox over here: for the Roman eye.

When Antony challenges the world, he can deliver. He is a great general and commands a great

army. But here, he challenges the world in the topic of love

Yet, all of this does not score with Cleopatra!

CLEOPATRA. Excellent falsehood!

“Excellent lying!”

She asks, Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?

In Rome, marriage is not based on the human relationship between a man and woman.

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For Cleopatra this is hard to believe.

I'll seem the fool I am not. “I may look like a fool, but I’m not.”

Antony does not treat her as if she were a fool. Never.

“Antony will be himself.” This can have a thousand meanings.

“Himself” Roman or Egyptian or what? Not clear.

ANTONY. Let's not confound the time with conference harsh;

“Let’s not waste our time fighting.”

There's not a minute of our lives should stretchWithout some pleasure now.

We should carpe diem: seize the day; enjoy the moment.

This is what Antony inviting Cleopatra to enjoy the time they have together, and this philosophy

belongs to the Egyptian value system.

What sport to-night?

“What kind of entertainment should we have tonight?”

And she keeps pushing him, “hear the ambassadors!” So he says,

Fie, wrangling Queen!

Fie = shame! “Come on, woman!”

“Whom everything becomes” everything fits.

One line he’s angry at her, and in the next line he compliments her balance.

“Everything you do suits you.”

Whom everything becomes- to chide, to laugh,To weep; whose every passion fully strivesTo make itself in thee fair and admir'd.

to chide = scold .یوّبخ

All these contrasting element in your character, they fit you.

This is the theme of balance. He appreciates the balance in her character.

Even when she is complaining, laughing, weeping, fighting, arguing; all these elements combined

in one character, make her more beautiful and admired. This is not Roman.

The Romans see Cleopatra as an animal of pleasure, but for Antony she is human.

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The appreciation of human characteristics, feelings, and emotions belongs to the Egyptian camp.

No messenger but thine, and all aloneTo-night we'll wander through the streets and noteThe qualities of people.

Quality = characteristics.

Historically, this happened. He would go to the streets and mix with the people.

For Antony, he can be someone different from what Rome wants him to be.

He lost himself in the Egyptian value system and Egyptian culture.

“Note the quality of people.” Is there anything lustful about this? No.

This is human; this is Egyptian: to observe the characteristics of people, what makes them who

they are, what makes them the humans they are.

Rome is incapable of appreciating human characteristics.

Antony is drifting away from the Roman camp more and more.

Antony does not see himself as a man above men; he sees himself as a man among men.

You would not expect Caesar to do such things.

For the Romans, this behaviour is unacceptable and inexplicable, cannot be explained or justified.

So, such actions won Antony the admiration of the Egyptians, and at the same time, won him the

condemnation of the Romans.

They leave.DEMETRIUS. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight?

“Is Caesar not recognized by Antony anymore?” “Does he not recognize Caesar’s authority?

PHILO. Sir, sometimes when he is not Antony,He comes too short of that great propertyWhich still should go with Antony.

For Philo, when Antony is behaving like this, he is not Antony. He is someone else.

DEMETRIUS. I am full sorryThat he approves the common liar, whoThus speaks of him at Rome

“I’m really sorry that his actions prove the rumors about him in Rome.”

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Antony and Cleopatra, Lecture4

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