Determining The Genre of Antony and Cleopatra

Categorising Shakespeare's Roman Play as Tragedy or History

Dec 12, 2008

This article considers the fluid identity of Antony and Cleopatra, and the difficulty of pigeon-holing it into a standard Shakespearean dramatic convention.

Attempting to pinpoint the place Antony and Cleopatra occupies within Shakespeare's plays proves difficult.

Romantic Tragedy

In the spirit of Romeo and Juliet, the play could be viewed as a romantic tragedy about the story of two "star-crossed lovers", whose love is unable to find fulfillment in life, only reaching its consummation in death. This might be portrayed both in the way Cleopatra calls out to him as she prepares for death: "Husband, I come." Nevertheless, the nature of their love is presented as more profound and problematic than one might expect.

Personal Tragedy

Another potential focus would be the fall of Antony, the last remnant of an ancient heroic Roman world. To Walter Cohen, "the play investigates the possibility of heroic action in a post-heroic world." Antony still strives for glory: "I and my sword will earn our chronicle", yet his personal courage is useless against Octavius’s. The loss of war is accompanied by the betrayal of Cleopatra’s fleet and also her love.

The defeated hero finally realizes his past victories are over: "Fortune and Antony part here", and his identity is also lost: "Here I am Antony,/Yet cannot hold this visible shape." For Harold Bloom, "Pathos and grandeur mingle inextricably as the prodigal Antony shatters", which perhaps best describes the effect of his fall.

History and Roman Play

Departing from previous structure, domestic tragedy in Antony and Cleopatra is portrayed alongside a broader social representation. Drawing from Plutarch's source Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes, Shakespeare continues where he left off in Julius and Caesar. The rising of a new Rome, led by Octavius Caesar, and described as calculative and political, is a key feature in the play, as an opposing force to at least four parties:

Pompey

Pompey’s rejects the offer to double cross the triumvate whom he has declared peace with. "Tis not my profit that does lead mine honour;/Mine honour, it." Octavius’s willingness presents the irony that the ruler is the one who is manipulative and efficient, rather than the pirate.

Lepidus

Lepidus is also eventually betrayed. His drunk behaviour during the celebrations is contrast with Octavius’s refusal to even drink reflect Octavius’s superior conniving nature over his other members of the triumvate.

Antony

Octavius offers his sister to Antony as a wife: "Let her live/To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never/Fly off our loves again." Far from being a bond of love, the marriage serves a utilitarian function for Caesar to keep Antony close to him. Also related is Antony’s heroism contrasting with the Octavius’ utilitarian values, contributing to his fall as a character and a representation of the old heroic ideal.

Cleopatra

Octavius tries to deceive Cleopatra that she will be cared for, while planning to display her as her captive: "an Egyptian puppet shall be shown/In Rome, as well as I." Only through death does Cleopatra manage to escape his bonds.

The presentation of Augustan Rome is not merely a backdrop for a domestic tragedy. Rather, it can be seen in its own right as a concern.

Another point to make is that although Antony and Cleopatra involves Romans, it was played for Englishmen who would manage to identify in some way with the characters on stage. Shakespeare altered historical events to create dramatic success, and it is arguably the portrayal of Cleopatra and Egypt, in relation to the West's imperial enterprise and expanstion, that contributes to the play's exotic effect and seizes the imagination.

Classifying The Play

Part of the difficulty of classifying lies in the broad scope of the play, which encompasses a sprawling storyline which spans the two geographical opposites of Rome and Egypt. Nevertheless, labelling Shakespeare has always been an elusive business; plays such as Measure for Measure are notorious for their defying of convention, yet are considered among the best of Shakespeare's plays. Hence, the attempt at classification should be used in its rightful place as an introduction to what Antony and Cleopatra has to offer, and not as the centre of attention in deciphering its meaning.

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The copyright of the article Determining The Genre of Antony and Cleopatra in Shakespeare Tragedies is owned by Jing Heng Fong. Permission to republish Determining The Genre of Antony and Cleopatra in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.