Shakespeare portrayed Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, as a commanding presence. She controlled Egypt, Antony and even Caesar. Her feminine capabilities affected love, relationships and the decisions that governed both Rome and Egypt. In act 2, scene 5, Cleopatra brags of her control over Antony.

Why did Shakespeare find Cleopatra’s inspiration?

Shakespeare’s primary source for Antony and Cleopatra was the Life of Marcus Antonius contained in Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans, which was translated into English by Sir Thomas North in 1579. Antony is clearly much older than he was in Julius Caesar, and his political instincts seem to be waning.

What type of character is Cleopatra?

Cleopatra is the Queen of Egypt. Notoriously one of the most difficult characters to play in all of Shakespeare, she is deeply erotic, charismatic, theatrical, volatile, temperamental, and generally unclassifiable. She seems to seduce every man she meets, leading her to be considered both an enchantress and a whore.

Is Cleopatra black in Shakespeare?

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of Antony and Cleopatra will, for the first time in its history, feature a black actress, Joaquina Kalukango, as Cleopatra.

How does Cleopatra manipulate Antony?

Cleopatra often tries to manipulate Antony ( sending him a false message that she is dead, for example, in order to see his reaction), and Antony strategically marries Octavius’ sister Octavia. From the battlefield to the bedroom, Antony and Cleopatra is full of plotting characters striving against one another.

How did Cleopatra betray Antony?

The Egyptian navy deserts, leading the defeated Antony to believe that Cleopatra has betrayed him to Octavius. She is so angry that she retreats to her monument and sends false word to Antony that she has committed suicide. Antony then attempts suicide but fails, leaving himself badly wounded.

Who is Cleopatra and what did she do?

Cleopatra VII, often simply called “Cleopatra,” was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. She was also the last true pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East.

Was Cleopatra a dramatic?

Cleopatra knew how to make an entrance. A famous example of her flair for the dramatic came in 48 B.C., when Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria during her feud with her brother Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra later employed a similar bit of theater in her 41 B.C. encounter with Mark Antony.

Who said age Cannot wither her?

A sentence from the play Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare. A friend of Mark Antony says that Cleopatra is overwhelmingly attractive to men not so much because of her beauty as because of her fascinating unpredictability and range of moods.

Was Cleopatra actually beautiful?

More than 2,000 years after her death in 30 BCE, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra still looms large in the popular imagination. While Roman historian Dio Cassius described Cleopatra as “a woman of surpassing beauty,” a number of modern historians have characterized her as less than exceptionally attractive.

Was Cleopatra’s eyes blue?

She wore golden- flecked bright blue eye shadow on her top eyelids and green paste on her lower eyelids. She used deep black kohl to make her eyelashes longer, darken her eyebrows, and accentuate her eyes.

Was Cleopatra a good ruler?

She was a great politician who knew how to show off her and her country’s power and influence. At the height of her rule more than two thousand years ago, she controlled Egypt and other lands including most of the eastern Mediterranean coast. She was also one of the richest people in the world.

Was Cleopatra a manipulator?

Therefore, although she is an effective manipulator and fearsome in her displays of dominance and power, she does not always use these powers to her benefit. She allows herself to be blindsided by her need for power and her emotions.

What is Cleopatra’s flaw?

Cleopatra: Immature, manipulative, lacks foresight of the consequences of her actions.

Is Antony and Cleopatra about love or politics?

In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare uses the story of the two lovers to dramatize the tragedy of politics. The excessive love of self that characterizes the two serves as a metaphor for the larger story of Rome’s descent into tyranny. The tragedy of politics lies in the opposition of these two loves.