LOVE IN “ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA”

Abstract

Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most mature of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. As such, it is arguably one of his finest and deepest works. Pride, love, and the Fall all factor into the play as much as does the contest between temporal politics and eternal love. Antony and Cleopatra are passionate and energetic and are in full bloom beside each other; Octavius is cold and calculating and works through intermediaries throughout the play. But why is Antony and Cleopatra such a tragedy given the vanity that our titular protagonists display? It is, of course, nothing short of the fact that they were lovers in a world that cannot allow love to coexist alongside it.