Summary At the beginning of the scene, in Rome, Lepidus meets briefly with Antony’s friend Enobarbus. He asks Enobarbus to suggest to Antony that he exercise some tact and gentleness when he meets with Caesar. But Enobarbus, who is aware that Antony will not accept any suggestion that would make […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act II: Scene 2Summary and Analysis Act II: Scene 1
Summary In this scene, set in the insurrectionists’ camp, Pompey (Sextus Pompeius), a rival general of the Triumvirate, plans his strategy with two of his officers, the sea pirates Menas and Menecrates. Pompey brags that he shall do well. Menas, however, is cautious and tells Pompey not to be overconfident, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act II: Scene 1Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 5
Summary Again we return to Alexandria; Cleopatra is in her palace with her attendants, Charmian and Iras, and Mardian, a eunuch. Now that Antony has departed, Cleopatra is at a loss for something to occupy her time. Primarily, she spends most of her time thinking of him and worrying about […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 5Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 4
Summary The scene now shifts to Rome and focuses on a discussion between Antony’s co-triumvirs as they discuss the problems facing the empire. Here we have our first glimpse of Caesar Octavius and Lepidus. Although the subject of their discussion is Antony, their criticisms of him reveal a good deal […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 4Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 3
Summary The scene opens with Cleopatra instructing her attendants, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras, to aid her in a plan. They are to find Antony and observe what sort of mood he is in. If he seems to be happy, they are to tell him that Cleopatra is ill. But if […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 3Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 2
Summary This scene also takes place in Cleopatra’s palace in Alexandria. Cleopatra’s servants are talking to a fortuneteller (a soothsayer) and are trying to get him to predict how they will all fare in love. Charmian and Iras, two of Cleopatra’s attendants, and Alexas, one of her male attendants, are […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 2Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 1
Summary The play opens in Alexandria, in one of the rooms of Cleopatra’s palace. Two of Antony’s friends, Demetrius and Philo, are discussing Antony’s increasing fondness for Cleopatra. Philo, in particular, is worried about “this dotage” that his general has for the Egyptian queen; to him, Antony’s passion “o’erflows the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Act I: Scene 1Character List
Mark Antony A middle-aged Roman general who rules the Roman Empire along with Lepidus and Octavius Caesar. He is torn between his desire for Cleopatra and the demands of his position as a world ruler. Octavius Caesar The adopted son of Julius Caesar, his grand-uncle, he is only in his […]
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Act I This act serves to introduce the main characters — Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavius Caesar; it also outlines the main forces which motivate each of them. The first scene is set in Alexandria, where two of Antony’s men, Demetrius and Philo, describe the lovers’ relationship. Caesar appears in a […]
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