(Antony and Cleopatra. Painting by Willem Van Mieris - 1662-1747)
After having published the review on the
play, I realised not everything had been said about it, and particularly
about Cleopatra. Sometimes Shakespeare has that effect on me...I keep on thinking about what I've just read.
‘‘Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt--
beautiful, wealthy, sexy, charismatic.'' “Her
conversation, her charm, her wit, her sexiness draws him back.'' Besides, she
is an “enchanting queen” (Act I,
scene II) and in her person ‘witchcraft’ can “join with beauty, lust with both” (Act II, scene I). Cleopatra's
excess of 'everything' must have stirred the audience's imagination when
listening to the piece of poetry. I know it does stir my imagination, to say
the least. Having spent some time in the company of Bacchus this evening, I
decided that I would not express my initial thoughts on this play’s focus on
the “madness of lust”, because I was afraid I’d say improper things, but
Bacchus being what Bacchus is, my resolve lost the battle. Shakespeare has
again cut to the chase on one of the most wonderful and also most destructive
traits of our species, the exhilarating and destructive force of infatuation.
For Antony the “playing away” for
Cleopatra “the stranger in town” deep
down knowing that the madness is never going to see the celebration of any of
the wonderful milestones of long term relationships but powerless to fight the
need to be with the object of that madness, no matter what the consequences. It
is Shakespeare's genius that on an almost bare stage, he was able to conjure
the dazzling scene of stunning Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, in her beyond
luxurious barge entirely with words.
Cleopatra is a complex character
of constantly changing moods, she has got an intellectual ease for learning and
a political awareness along with her personal attributes, such as her suggested
“beauty” or captivating presence which led her to be viewed in equally positive
and negative ways. Sensuous by nature, Cleopatra has had many lovers. Firstly,
she belonged to the Ptolemy Family, a royal family notorious for incest and
vicious infighting. Cleopatra was one of the most powerful leaders of that
time, so unavoidably people either held her in esteem or disliked her
intensely.
Cleopatra was believed to be
highly regarded socially unlike her family was. Famous historian Plutarch says
that she was to be of a rather “exalted” position. Knowing several languages,
being very intelligent and being able to captivate her listeners when she spoke
would have intimidated the Romans because she had the ability to influence
Rome‘s men and use them for her benefit.
Because she toys with him, Antony
is never sure of her devotion, although she swears her love to him. But when he
grows angry with her, after his defeat at Actium, Cleopatra always wins back
Antony's love by begging for forgiveness.
On a comparative note....since England
was just coming out of the "Tudor" age with King James; I was
fascinated to read the marginal note in Plutarch regarding a further
description of Cleopatra's beauty in which he says her beauty was not
unmatchable; rather her company and conversation were such as to keep men's
admiration and attraction...this sounds very like the descriptions of Anne
Boleyn. Her beauty was not "beauty" as such- but her attraction was
her intelligence and personal wit and trait.
NB: Picture in this post taken from my Rowse.
