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Mark Antony, one of the three men who rule the Roman world, has abandoned his duties in Rome for a life of pleasure in Alexandria with Cleopatra, Queen of…
Mark Antony, one of the three men who rule the Roman world, has abandoned his duties in Rome for a life of pleasure in Alexandria with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Called home by war and politics, he marries Octavia, the sister of his rival Octavius Caesar, to keep the peace, but he cannot stay away from Cleopatra. The quarrel between the two great men ends in war, the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra's fleet at Actium, and the lovers' deaths in Egypt.
Context and significance
Written around 1606, the play follows Plutarch's life of Antony closely, and the soldier Enobarbus's description of Cleopatra on her barge, with its line 'Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety', is among Shakespeare's most famous passages. It is a vast, sensual tragedy that moves between Rome and Egypt. Compare Romeo and Juliet, and see Shakespeare's life.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.