Other editions of book Antony & Cleopatra

William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra is considered a tragedy, though it is also referred to as historical work by some. It was first published in his "first folio" in 1623, but was reportedly first performed at either the Blackfriars or Globe theatre by Shakespeare's acting company the King's Men. Antony and Cleopatra was written about character Mark Antony, who first appeared in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, and his lover Cleopatra. Within the play the action shifts back and forth between Rome and Egypt, and the two locations seem to almost play a role. Alexandria is portrayed as a sensual and creative place while Rome is less extravagant and more pragmatic. Rome is ruled by three joint rulers called triumvirs; Mary Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Lepidus. In the play Mark Antony shirks his responsibilities in Rome after becoming seduced by Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. As a soldier he neglects his own state matters including his wife Fulvia's death after her rebellion against Octavius. Octavius calls upon Antony to return to Rome and Cleopatra implores him to stay with her. Though he swears his love for Cleopatra, he finally leaves back for Rome. Back home it is proposed that Mark Antony marry Octavius' younger sister Octavia to prove the deep bond between the two men. Enobarbus, Antony's lieutenant, describes the unparalleled beauty of Cleopatra knowing that he will not be satisfied marrying Octavia. Not wanting to anger Octavius and face political strife, Antony marries his sister. When Cleopatra finds out about the marriage she is enraged, striking out at the messenger who brought her the news. She calms down slightly when she hears that Octavia is unattractive. The leaders of Rome are not in agreement over a war with Sextus Pompey. When Lepidus and Octavius break a truce and resume battle with Sextus, Antony is not consulted and he becomes angry with the other two triumvirs. He returns to Egypt and Cleopatra and crowns himself and his lover the rulers of Egypt and a third of the Roman Republic. He demands that Octavius give him a fair share of Sextus' land. Octavius has meanwhile imprisoned Lepidus and is not pleased with Antony's actions.

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623.The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Life of Markus Antonius and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Parthian War to Cleopatra's suicide. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antony's fellow triumvirs and the future first emperor of Rome. The tragedy is a Roman play characterized by swift, panoramic shifts in geographical locations and in registers, alternating between sensual, imaginative Alexandria and the more pragmatic, austere Rome. Many consider the role of Cleopatra in this play one of the most complex female roles in Shakespeare's work. She is frequently vain and histrionic, provoking an audience almost to scorn; at the same time, Shakespeare's efforts invest both her and Antony with tragic grandeur. These contradictory features have led to famously divided critical responses.

Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623.The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Life of Markus Antonius and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Parthian War to Cleopatra's suicide. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antony's fellow triumvirs and the future first emperor of Rome. The tragedy is a Roman play characterized by swift, panoramic shifts in geographical locations and in registers, alternating between sensual, imaginative Alexandria and the more pragmatic, austere Rome. Many consider the role of Cleopatra in this play one of the most complex female roles in Shakespeare's work. She is frequently vain and histrionic, provoking an audience almost to scorn; at the same time, Shakespeare's efforts invest both her and Antony with tragic grandeur. These contradictory features have led to famously divided critical responses.

Antony and Cleopatra (First Folio title: The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around 1607; its first appearance in print was in the Folio of 1623.The plot is based on Thomas North's 1579 English translation of Plutarch's Lives (in Ancient Greek) and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Sicilian revolt to Cleopatra's suicide during the Final War of the Roman Republic. The major antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antony's fellow triumvirs of the Second Triumvirate and the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The tragedy is mainly set in the Roman Republic and Ptolemaic Egypt and is characterized by swift shifts in geographical location and linguistic register as it alternates between sensual, imaginative Alexandria and a more pragmatic, austere Rome.Many consider Shakespeare's Cleopatra, whom Enobarbus describes as having "infinite variety", as one of the most complex and fully developed female characters in the playwright's body of work. She is frequently vain and histrionic enough to provoke an audience almost to scorn; at the same time, Shakespeare invests her and Antony with tragic grandeur. These contradictory features have led to famously divided critical responses. It is difficult to classify Antony and Cleopatra as belonging to a single genre. It can be described as a history play (though it does not completely adhere to historical accounts), as a tragedy (though not completely in Aristotelian terms), as a comedy, as a romance, and according to some critics, such as McCarter, a problem play. All that can be said with certainty is that it is a Roman play, and perhaps even a sequel to another of Shakespeare's tragedies, Julius Caesar.

Excerpt from Antony and Cleopatra: With an Introduction About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.