Cleopatra is not at a disadvantage in a male dominated world. To what extent do you think Shakespeare elevates Cleopatra over the other characters in the play.
Cleopatra is Shakespeare’s greatest invention; a masterpiece full of colour and vitality. All of Shakespeare’s female characters provide vivid contrast to Cleopatra. Juliet, the young naïve girl and Lady Macbeth the powerful figure, are no match for the engaging and intoxicating Cleopatra. Juliet and Lady Macbeth seem to affect little control over their destiny but Cleopatra clearly asserts power over her own fate. She is so much the consummate actress that it is extremely difficult to define her true personality from the façade she adopts. She is a dominant and sensual character who …show more content…
The unapologetic openness of Cleopatra’s sexuality stands to threaten the Romans, however they are equally obsessed with the power of Octavia’s sexuality. In beauty and temperance she is the opposite of Cleopatra however, she is thought to possess the power to mend the damaged relationship of the triumvirs. Because of Octavia and Antony’s marriage the future of the Roman Empire has narrowed down to a dependence on Antony’s treatment on Octavia. Octavia is used to cement the Roman world and to ‘knit your hearts with an unslipping knot.’ This is the opposite of Cleopatra due to the fact that she would always want to be the most assertive partner in the relationship and she would not allow herself to be overpowered or be manipulated by a …show more content…
She never gives him any clues to the fact that she will not follow through with her promise that she will kill the one that she loves. She also conquers him at the end of her life when she is able to smuggle in a basket full of asps without the Roman guards noticing that something is not right. She chooses the noble way to die and her righteousness is shown through her death. The phrase ‘I hear him mock/the luck of Caesar’ shows us that Cleopatra feels that Caesar will be mocked because of the death of Antony and Cleopatra. It is at this moment in the play that Cleopatra is elevated over both the men and the woman within the
Cleopatra is Shakespeare’s greatest invention; a masterpiece full of colour and vitality. All of Shakespeare’s female characters provide vivid contrast to Cleopatra. Juliet, the young naïve girl and Lady Macbeth the powerful figure, are no match for the engaging and intoxicating Cleopatra. Juliet and Lady Macbeth seem to affect little control over their destiny but Cleopatra clearly asserts power over her own fate. She is so much the consummate actress that it is extremely difficult to define her true personality from the façade she adopts. She is a dominant and sensual character who …show more content…
The unapologetic openness of Cleopatra’s sexuality stands to threaten the Romans, however they are equally obsessed with the power of Octavia’s sexuality. In beauty and temperance she is the opposite of Cleopatra however, she is thought to possess the power to mend the damaged relationship of the triumvirs. Because of Octavia and Antony’s marriage the future of the Roman Empire has narrowed down to a dependence on Antony’s treatment on Octavia. Octavia is used to cement the Roman world and to ‘knit your hearts with an unslipping knot.’ This is the opposite of Cleopatra due to the fact that she would always want to be the most assertive partner in the relationship and she would not allow herself to be overpowered or be manipulated by a …show more content…
She never gives him any clues to the fact that she will not follow through with her promise that she will kill the one that she loves. She also conquers him at the end of her life when she is able to smuggle in a basket full of asps without the Roman guards noticing that something is not right. She chooses the noble way to die and her righteousness is shown through her death. The phrase ‘I hear him mock/the luck of Caesar’ shows us that Cleopatra feels that Caesar will be mocked because of the death of Antony and Cleopatra. It is at this moment in the play that Cleopatra is elevated over both the men and the woman within the