Friday, August 16, 2019
East and West in Antony and Cleopatra Essay
Shakespeare used as his source for the play Northââ¬â¢s translation of Plutarchââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËLives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.ââ¬â¢ Plutarch, along with other Greek and Roman authors, saw an opposition between the conquering West, standing for moral and political virtue, and the conquered East, representing luxury and decadence.à Do you agree that this is essentially how Shakespeare presents the opposition between East and West in ââ¬ËAntony and Cleopatra?ââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËRomeââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËEgyptââ¬â¢ have significance far beyond physical locations; they symbolize two oppositional value systems essential within both society and the psyche. The world of ââ¬ËAntony and Cleopatraââ¬â¢ is riddled with polarised opposites, such as civilisation and nature, public and private, and, perhaps most importantly, passion and honour.à The inability of the East and West to reconcile their values inevitably causes conflict, forcing Antony, the tragic protagonist, to choose between the spheres. In suicide, he transcends the limitations the world thrusts upon him; joined later by Cleopatra, who finally discovers the significance of Western values, in a triumphant death. The notion of either sphere having moral superiority to the other is moot; Shakespeare passes no concrete judgement, and no simple platitude of ââ¬Ëgood and evilââ¬â¢ could suffice to explain the complex behaviour of the principal characters.à Neither Egypt nor Rome seems to be truly virtuous, despite the moralising of the Roman characters. In Rome the traditional system of honour is rapidly being subjugated beneath Caesarââ¬â¢s cold quest for individual supremacy. Loyalty now belongs only to the winner, and individuals such as Lepidus and Pompey are sacrificed in the imperialistic drive of Octavius. A certain misogyny is Rome, with women denounced as ââ¬Ëwhores,ââ¬â¢ and the harsh treatment that Cleopatra would have faced as a captive indicates the presence of violence in the Roman psyche. Nor is Egypt an ideal of purity. A society ââ¬Ëwrinkled deep in timeââ¬â¢, its preoccupation with emotion leads it to recklessness (such as when Cleopatra flees the Battle of Actium). Theatrical and dramatic, the lifestyle at court is extremely decadent, often approaching vulgarity. Cleopatra is cosseted by her courtiers, and encouraged towards vanity, narcissism, pettiness and self-indulgence,à The notion of a duality is more important than the probity of either force; by being opposites, ââ¬ËEastââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËWestââ¬â¢ become inextricable. Without ââ¬ËEastââ¬â¢ there would be no concept of ââ¬ËWest,ââ¬â¢ and vice versa, and this pattern is applicable to all the converses that the antithetical spheres represent. Both are equally important in the development of full humanity ââ¬â the values that ââ¬ËWestââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËEastââ¬â¢ represent should be in harmony within both society and the human psyche. In ââ¬ËAntony and Cleopatraââ¬â¢ they seem to be inherently conflicted, and the subsequent polarisation causes the demise of the lovers, which allows them to, paradoxically, conquer the hearts of a world that has tried to conquer and restrict them. The structure of the play serves to highlight the antithesis, with frequent changes between the machinations of Rome and the hyperbole of Cleopatraââ¬â¢s court emphasizing both the opposition of the value systems and the effect that exposure to both has upon Antony.
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