Lecture 13. 1. William Shakespeare. Roman plays.pdf

7/27/2019 Lecture 13. 1. William Shakespeare. Roman plays.pdf

1/24

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

THE ROMAN PLAYS


2/24

Titus Andronicus date of composition: probably shortly before January 1594;

written (most likely) in collaboration with George Peele.

sources: no direct sources. Portraying events supposedlyderived from the history of the late Roman empire, but whichare entirely fictitious, the play may be labelled a history playand Roman play. It also combines elements of tragedy,

without, however, offering its audience catharsis.

a revengetragedy(very popular in the 1590s).

characters: Titus Andronicus, a Roman general; his brother,Marcus Andronicus; his sons Lucius, Quintus, Martius, Mutius;young Lucius, Tituss grandson; Lavinia, Tituss daughter;Tamora, Queen of the Goths; her sons Alarbus, Demetrius,Chiron; Aaron, the Moor; Saturninus, son of the late Emperorof Rome; his brother Bassianus, Lavinias husband.


3/24

Titus Andronicus the contest for power: The opening speeches of Saturninus andBassianus represent a Rome that is deeply divided between tradition(Saturninus) and virtue (Bassianus). Titus steps in on the side of

tradition, but in doing so he explicitly refuses to set a head on headlessRome (I.1.186). Romes fractious status is matched by the subsequentdismemberment of the characters (e.g. see Lavinias case inparticular). If the play is understood as a systematic deconstruction and

critique of Roman society and ways, then this act displays the firstcrack.

the contrast between Roman civilization and Goth barbarism:Roman rituals are considered the bulwark of civilisation. Yet, whenTamora pleads for her sons life, Titus does not hesitate to slay him;moreover, later on, he kills his own son, Mutius, in the name of honour.The seemingly simplistic distinction between the Romans as civilisedand the Goths as barbarous is thus complicated, and the play questionsthe violenceat the heart of the Roman civilisation.


4/24

Titus Andronicus the revenge feud between Titus and Tamora: The scenes that present themurder of Bassianus and the rape of Lavinia by Tamoras sons concentrate onthe mechanism of revenge. Significantly, Aaron, the villainof the play, is shownas the foremost agent of vengeance. Much of what happens in the play is a

direct result of Aarons scheming. Unlike Titus and Tamora, who are givenample reasons for their actions, Aaron is all action and no motivation. Suchrepresentation is consistent with the racial stereotype of the Moor.Diabolical vengeance is linked to the wilderness. As opposed to the distinctlyfactionalized Rome where Bassianus and Saturninus staged their civilised warof rhetoric, the wilderness is a place without walls or dimensions, where desires

and motives take on a fluid freedom. What was constrained by the rigidity of thecourt is given full villainous run here. In pursuing their black ends, humans slidethrough bestial forms as easily as their desires are realised; this is symbolised inthe words of the panicking Lavinia, who sees her attackers as lions, tigers, andravens.

When Titus prostrates himself and makes a plea for his sons life to a non-

existent audience, he represents the ultimate demise of Rome. Together withthe consuming sorrow (III.1.61) of the abused Lavinia, this lays the foundationfor a plot that increasingly concentrates on a circle of revenge that is rapaciousand all-consuming. This all-consuming cycle ultimately finds concrete form inTituss final scheme for retribution, in which the consuming of men istransformed from the metaphorical to the literal, and Tituss enemies are forced

to eat their offspring.


5/24

Titus Andronicus the pit: Aarons bag of gold (later on taken as proof that

Tituss sons were going to pay a huntsman to kill Bassianus)is buried underground; Bassianuss corpse is thrown into a

pit; Quintus and Martius are trapped in the same pit; andLavinia has her hole violated. The play draws, paradoxically,on two meanings of the hole: as a mark of death, a sign ofthe tomb, and as a mark of fertility (Tamora seduces Aaron;Lavinia is raped). There is a certain misogynistic

identification of women and their sexual appetites with themysterious and wild terror of the earth. The terror of thehole, embodied in the earth as a grave, and in the body as asign of feminine danger, is continued throughout the play,

and culminates in the killing mouth of the mother whodevours her own sons, becoming the grave and negatingher fertility all at once.


6/24

Titus Andronicus Lavinia attacker/victim of rape?: Considering that Lavinia spends

most of the play mute, the few words she addresses Tamora when shediscovers her in the arms of her lover Aaron are particularly harsh.Some critics even believe that her rape is fitting retribution for the insults

she unleashes on Tamora. However, others argue that her behaviour iscompletely in keeping with the standards and behaviour of ladies duringthe Elizabethan era, and that taking offence at her coarseness is justthe prudish reaction of a contemporary reader. That leads to an overallcontradictory representation of Lavinia, as victim and as attacker.

Some of the stage directions of Act II read as follows: Enter...Lavinia,her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out, and ravished. If one adds tothis the horrifying effects of the literal dramatizations in Elizabethantheatres (with fake blood and stumps), it is easy to see why critics decryTitus Andronicus as a play of uncontrolled and unnecessary excess.Not only is there excess in the atrocities committed upon Lavinia, but

this excess is also manifested in the text: the physical body of Laviniaas testament to the rape;the gloating insults of Chiron and Demetrius;the moving speech of Marcus when he encounters his niece. Therefore,there is an excess of languageat work which glazes over the horrificeffects of this rape.


7/24

Titus Andronicus The scene in which Titus feeds the crippled Lavinia completes thetextualisation of her body begun by Marcus in Act II as she is describedas a map of woe (III.2.12), whose sign language must be interpreted.Lavinias role is very important and can be considered as a symbol oftheatricalityin the play. She becomes central to the play (as a reasonfor revenge) just when she loses her ability to speak and is left with nocommunicational means but her gestures. This draws our attention tothe fact that this is a play to be staged, and that Lavinia is to be looked atand not just heard.

The opening scenes of Act IV show how words are used as tools andweapons in the play. The dramatic disclosure of Lavinias rape marks theclimax of the concept of her body as text. Her signs are too confusingfor her father and uncle, and she must resort to the words of Ovids

Metamorphosesto tell the truth. In essence, words and a knowledge ofthe myths they spin allow the characters to communicate, and thereby toattack, in a world of deceit. In a sense, if heroismis based on anythingin this play, it is based on wit and knowledge of the classical texts.


8/24

Titus Andronicus racial difference: Aarons statement that he will have his soul black

like his face (III.1.204) can be read in two contrasting ways. It can beseen as locating Aarons evil within his blackness, as popularlyaccepted in racial stereotypes. Or, it can be taken as proof that hisvillainy is a deliberate choice rather than the natural characteristic of a

Moor. Either his soul is inherently black because he is black, or hedecides to make his soul black because he has been treated so badlyfor simply having black skin.In defending his son, Aaron defends the colour that has for so longcaused him to be ostracized: Coal-black is better than another hue / In

that it scorns to bear another hue (IV.2.99-100). These lines revealAaron as the victim of a racially biased society, and give a possibleinsight as to why he is set on a path of evil. His immediate attachment tohis son, his new and only bond with the rest of the world, proves justhow alone he has been throughout the play. Although he has been alover to the queen, a coach to her sons, and a foe to the Andronici, hehas committed his acts solely for his own pleasure. In a sense, there ishonour in what he says about the honesty of the black hue: it is onething that, by its nature, remains itself. While all the other characters areconstantly in disguise, shifting alliances for their own interests, Aaronwears his villainy on his sleeve, and is loyal, at least, to that.


9/24

Titus Andronicus parents and children: The play invites comparisons between Aaron,Tamora, and Titus in the matter of parenthood. Tamora wants her lovechildwith Aaron eliminated, while Titus has killed some of his children with hisown hands. In comparison, Aarons fierce love for his child seems to mark

him as a much better parent than both Titus and Tamora.In Act V, Aaron gets an opportunity to flaunt his evil through long,uninterrupted speeches that reveal his blasphemy, his absence of scruples,and his utter lack of regret about anything he has done. Not only does heexplain his own part in every atrocity that has been committed, he heapsinsult on injury by describing how much he delighted at the suffering of his

victims. The excess of his violence is matched by the voracity of hisappetite for wrongdoing. This scene can only inspire horror in an audience,effectively erasing any sympathy one might have mustered for Aaron as apaternal figure.

the play-within-the-play: Tamoras little costume-show for Titus functions

as a play-within-a-play, drawing attention to the theatricality of Titus. Whatis interesting here is that, in disguising themselves as Revenge, Rape, andMurder, Tamora and her sons in fact assume the abstract roles they haveoccupied throughout the play. In taking on disguises, Tamora and her sonsreveal their true selves, while Titus proves himself a master at hiding hisintentions.


10/24

Titus Andronicus the final scene: The last scene is filled with an almost obscene numberof corpses, but every one of these deaths is necessary to clear the wayfor a new Rome. At the end of this scene, Titus is replaced by his eldestson Lucius as the possible new emperor, and the most serious conflicts

(Bassianus/ Saturninus and Titus/ Tamora) are no more. Rome hasbeen blasted clean, and the cycle of revenge seems to have destroyeditself. Still, it is hard to tell if Shakespeare means to suggest a positiveconclusion or not. Marcus says, O let me teach you how to knit again /This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf, / These broken limbs againinto one body (V.3.69-71). This implies that the Rome of this play hasbeen one fragmented body throughout. Does a new Rome empty ofbody fragments symbolise an intact and complete Rome, or a Romethat has lost its most important parts? Various critics have takenLuciuss lines to herald a better age for Rome, but also asacknowledgement that this is a Rome founded on rape and murder, a

recognition that even Young Lucius has been tainted by all the crimeshe has witnessed. Luciuss last words, after all, are still concerned withexecution.


11/24

Julius Caesar (1599-1600) historical context: In 44 B.C., though the centre of an empire

stretching from Britain to North Africa and from Persia to Spain,Rome suffered from constant infighting between ambitious

military leaders and the far weaker senators to whom theysupposedly owed allegiance. The empire also suffered from asharp division between citizens, who were represented in thesenate, and the increasingly underrepresented plebeianmasses. A succession of men aspired to become the absolute

rulers of Rome, but only Julius Caesar seemed likely to achievethis status. Those citizens who favoured more democratic rulefeared that Caesars power would lead to the enslavement ofRoman citizens by one of their own. That led to Caesarsassassination, which, however, failed to put an end to the power

struggles dividing the empire; so, civil war broke out shortlyafterwards.


12/24

Julius Caesar In an age when censorship would have limited directcommentary on the English peoples worries related toElizabeth Is nearing death and the lack of any heirs,Shakespeare could nevertheless use the story of Caesar tocomment on the political situation of his day.

sources: Thomas Norths translation of Plutarchs Lives of

the Noble Greeks and Romans; possibly, the anonymousdrama The Tragedy of Caesar and Pompey(1595).

characters: Julius Caesar; the Triumvirs Octavius Caesar,Mark Antony and Lepidus; the Senators Cicero, Publius and

Pompilius Lena; the conspirators Marcus Brutus, Cassius,Casca, Trebonius, Ligarius, Decius, Metellus Cimber andCinna; the Tribunes Flavius and Marullus; Cinna the poet;Pindarus, servant to Cassius; Calphurnia, Caesar's wife;

Portia, Brutuss wife; a Soothsayer.


13/24

Julius Caesar Brutus. Brutus emerges as the most complex character in Julius Caesar and is

also the plays tragic hero. In his soliloquies, the audience gains insight into thecomplexities of his motives. He is a powerful public figure, but he also appears as ahusband, a master to his servants, a dignified military leader, and a loving friend.The conflicting value systems that battle with each other in the play as a whole are

enacted on a microcosmic level in Brutuss mind. Even after Brutus got involved inCaesars assassination with the other members of the conspiracy, questions remainas to whether, in light of his friendship with Caesar, the murder was a noble,decidedly selfless act or proof of a truly evil callousness, a gross indifference to theties of friendship and a failure to be moved by the power of a truly great man.Brutuss rigid idealism is both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw. In the

world of the play, where self-serving ambition seems to dominate all othermotivations, Brutus lives up to Antonys elegiac description of him as the noblest ofRomans. However, his commitment to principle repeatedly leads him to makemiscalculations: wanting to curtail violence, he ignores Cassiuss suggestion thatthe conspirators kill Antony as well as Caesar. In another moment of nave idealism,he again ignores Cassiuss advice and allows Antony to speak a funeral oration

over Caesars body. As a result, Brutus forfeits the authority of having the last wordon the murder and thus allows Antony to incite the plebeians to riot against him andthe other conspirators. Brutus later endangers his good relationship with Cassius byself-righteously condemning what he sees as dishonourable fund-raising tactics onCassiuss part. In all of these episodes, Brutus acts out of a desire to limit the self-serving aspects of his actions; ironically, however, in each incident he dooms thevery cause that he seeks to promote, thus serving no one at all.


14/24

Julius Caesar Julius Caesar. The conspirators charge Caesar with ambition, and hisbehaviour substantiates this judgment: he does vie for absolute power overRome, revelling in the homage he receives from others and in hisconception of himself as a figure who will live on forever in mens minds.

However, his faith in his own permanencein the sense of both his loyaltyto principles and his fixture as a public institutioneventually proves hisundoing. At first, he stubbornly refuses to heed the nightmares of his wife,Calphurnia, and the supernatural omens pervading the atmosphere.Though he is eventually persuaded not to go to the Senate, Caesarultimately lets his ambition get the better of him, as the prospect of being

crowned king proves too glorious to resist.Caesars conflation of his public image with his private self helps bringabout his death, since he mistakenly believes that the immortal statusgranted to his public self somehow protects his mortal body. Still, in manyways, Caesars faith that he is eternal proves valid by the end of the play: in

Act V, scene 3, Brutus attributes his and Cassiuss misfortunes to Caesarspower reaching from beyond the grave. Caesars aura seems to affect thegeneral outcome of events in a mystic manner, while also inspiringOctavius and Antony and strengthening their determination. As Octaviusultimately assumes the title Caesar, Caesars permanence is indeedestablished in some respect.


15/24

Julius Caesar Mark Antony. Antony proves strong in all the ways in which Brutus

proves weak. His impulsive, improvisatory nature serves himperfectly, first to persuade the conspirators that he is on their side,

thus gaining their leniency, and then to persuade the plebeians ofthe conspirators injustice, thus gaining the masses political support.Not too scrupulous to stoop to deceit and duplicity, as Brutus claimsto be, Antony proves himself a consummate politician, usinggestures and skilled rhetoric to his advantage. He responds to subtlecues among both his nemeses and his allies to know exactly how he

must conduct himself at each particular moment in order to gain themost advantage. In both his eulogy for Caesar and the play as awhole, Antony knows how to tailor his words and actions to hisaudiences desires. Unlike Brutus, who prides himself on actingsolely with respect to virtue and blinding himself to his personal

concerns, Antony never separates his private affairs from his publicactions.


16/24

Julius Caesar fate versus free will. Cassius refuses to accept Caesars rising power and deems abelief in fate to be nothing more than a form of passivity or cowardice. He urges a

return to a more noble, self-possessed attitude toward life, blaming his and Brutusssubmissive stance not on a predestined plan but on their failure to assertthemselves. Ultimately, the play seems to support a philosophy in which fate andfreedom maintain a delicate coexistence. Caesar recognizes that certain events liebeyond human control; to crouch in fear of them is to enter a paralysis equal to, ifnot worse than, death. It is to surrender any capacity for freedom and agency thatone might actually possess. Indeed, perhaps to face death head-on, to die bravelyand honourably, is Caesars best course: in the end, Brutus interprets his andCassiuss defeat as the work of Caesars ghostnot just his apparition, but also theforce of the peoples devotion to him, the strong legacy of a man who refused anyfear of fate and, in his disregard of fate, seems to have transcended it.

public versus private. Julius Caesar is a political tragedy exploring the relationbetween public and private virtue, between personal morality and political efficiency,between innocence and action. Much of the plays tragedy stems from thecharacters neglect of private feelings and loyalties in favour of what they believe tobe the public good. Similarly, characters confuse their private selves with their publicselves, hardening and dehumanizing themselves or transforming themselves into

ruthless political machines. Brutus rebuffs his wife, Portia, when she pleads with himto confide in her; believing himself to be acting on the peoples will, he continues toconspire against Caesar, despite their close friendship. Brutus puts aside hispersonal loyalties and shuns thoughts of Caesar the man, his friend; instead, he actson what he believes to be the publics wishes and kills Caesar the leader, theimminent dictator.


17/24

Julius Caesar Cassius can be seen as a man who has gone to the extreme in

cultivating his public persona. Caesar, describing his distrust of Cassius,tells Antony that the problem with Cassius is his lack of a private lifehisseeming refusal to acknowledge his own sensibilities or to nurture hisown spirit. Such a man, Caesar fears, will let nothing interfere with hisambition. Indeed, Cassius lacks all sense of personal honour and showshimself to be a ruthless schemer.Ultimately, neglecting private sentiments to follow public concerns bringsCaesar to his death. Although Caesar does briefly agree to stay home inorder to please Calphurnia, who has dreamed of his murder, he gives

way to ambition when Decius tells him that the senators plan to offer himthe crown. Caesars public self again takes precedence. Tragically, he nolonger sees the difference between his omnipotent, immortal publicimage and his vulnerable human body. Just preceding his death, Caesarrefuses Artemidoruss pleas to speak with him, saying that he gives last

priority to his most personal concerns. He thus endangers himself bybelieving that the strength of his public self will protect his private self.


18/24

Julius Caesar inflexibility versus compromise. Both Brutus and Caesar are stubborn, ratherinflexible people who ultimately suffer fatally for this. In the plays aggressivepolitical landscape, individuals succeed through adaptability, bargaining, andcompromise. Brutuss rigid though honourable ideals leave him open formanipulation by Cassius. He believes so thoroughly in the purpose of theassassination that he does not perceive the need for excessive politicalmanoeuvring to justify the murder. Equally resolute, Caesar prides himself onhis steadfastness; yet this constancy helps bring about his death, as he refusesto heed ill omens and goes willingly to the Senate, into the hands of hismurderers.

Antony proves perhaps the most adaptable of all the politicians: while hisspeech to the Roman citizens centres on Caesars generosity towards eachcitizen, he later searches for ways to turn these funds into cash in order to raisean army against Brutus and Cassius. Although he gains power by offering tohonour Caesars will and provide the citizens their rightful money, it becomesclear that ethical concerns will not prevent him from using the funds in a more

politically expedient manner. Antony is a successful politicianyet the questionof morality remains. There seems to be no way to reconcile firm moral principleswith success in politics in Shakespeares rendition of ancient Rome; thus eachcharacter struggles towards a different solution.


19/24

Julius Caesar rhetoric and power. Julius Caesargives detailed consideration to the

relationship between rhetoric and power. The ability to make thingshappen by words alone is the most powerful type of authority. Early inthe play, it is established that Caesar has this type of absolute authority.Words also serve to move hearts and minds. Antony cleverly convincesthe conspirators of his desire to side with them: under the guise of agesture of friendship, Antony actually marks the conspirators forvengeance. In the Forum, Brutus speaks to the crowd and appeals to itslove of liberty in order to justify the killing of Caesar. He also makesample reference to the honour in which he is generally esteemed so as

to validate further his explanation of the deed. Antony likewise wins thecrowds favour, using persuasive rhetoric to whip the masses into afrenzy so great that they dont even realize the fickleness of their favour.

women and wives. Calphurnia and Portia function primarily as symbolsof the private, domestic realm. Both women plead with their husbands to

be more aware of their private needs and feelings. Caesar and Brutusrebuff the pleas of their wives, however; not only do they prioritize publicmatters but also actively disregard their private emotions and intuitions.As such, Calphurnia and Portia are powerless figures, willing thoughunable to help and comfort Caesar and Brutus.


20/24

Julius Caesar misinterpretations and misreadings. Much of the play deals with the

characters failures to interpret correctly the omens that they encounter.Thus, the night preceding Caesars appearance at the Senate is full ofportents, but no one reads them accurately: Cassius takes them to signifythe danger that Caesars impending coronation would bring to the state,when, if anything, they warn of the destruction that Cassius himselfthreatens. There are calculated misreadings as well: Cassius manipulatesBrutus into joining the conspiracy by means of forged letters, knowing thatBrutuss trusting nature will cause him to accept the letters as authenticpleas from the Roman people.

The circumstances of Cassiuss death represent another instance ofmisinterpretation. Pindaruss erroneous conclusion that Titinius has beencaptured by the enemy, when in fact Titinius has reunited with friendlyforces, is the piece of misinformation that prompts Cassius to seek death.Thus, in the world of politics portrayed in Julius Caesar, the inability to readpeople and events leads to downfall; conversely, the ability to do so is the

key to survival. With so much ambition and rivalry, the ability to gauge thepublics opinion as well as the resentment or loyalty of ones fellowpoliticians can guide one to success. Antony proves masterful atrecognizing his situation, and his accurate reading of the crowds emotionsduring his funeral oration for Caesar allows him to win the masses over tohis side.


21/24

Antony and Cleopatra (1607) main characters: the Triumvirs Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar, and Lepidus;Sextus Pompeius; Antonys closest friend, Enobarbus; Caesars friends,Mecaenas, Agrippa and Dolabella; Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt; Octavia,Caesars sister and Antonys wife; Charmian and Iras, Cleopatras attendants.

Antony: The movement to and fro between Rome and Egypt (with Athens inbetween), the devices Shakespeare uses to suggest that the whole Romanworld is involved in Antonys struggle between Roman loyalty and Egyptianmagic, the evocative suggestions of the old Antony (in Julius Caesar)contrasting with the Antony in this play the nemesis of the sensual man

(Granville-Barker) demonstrate, among other features of the play,Shakespeares superb craftsmanship. From the very beginning, the contrastbetween the Roman and the Egyptian view is emphasised: seen throughRoman eyes, Antony once ourgeneral and the triple pillar of the world transformed/ Into a strumpets fool. When summons comes from Rome and he

learns of Fulvias death and the coming war, Antony is again struck by aRoman thought and returns to Rome, sealing his alliance with Octavius Caesarby marrying his sister Octavia. Yet, once the military conflict ends in cynicaltruce, Antony will come back to Egypt: the sensual man belongs in Alexandria.


22/24

Antony and Cleopatra The second movement of the play that follows Antonys return toCleopatra and the ultimate breach between him and Octavius Caesarshows the aging rou and the temperamental sensualist facing thevengeance of the cold and confident Octavius. There is never any doubt

as to who will win: Antony, influenced by Cleopatras foolishexhibitionism, weakly decides to fight by sea instead of on land, and whenCleopatra joins the fleet with her flagship only to flee when the battlebegins and draw Antony after, the stage is set for an explosion ofpassionate self-contempt on Antonys part which shows at last that he has

lost his grip. He gives way to self-pity and sentimental speeches to hisservants. A temporary improvement of his fortunes brings back the oldAntony, but it is short-lived. In the sea fight that follows, Antony believesthat Cleopatra has deliberately betrayed him and bursts into impotentrage, only to shift to rich poetry when he receives the fake message ofCleopatras suicide and he realizes that the end has come; in followingCleopatra to the grave he is reconciling Rome and Egypt, for suicide isthe Roman way out. When he dies at last in Cleopatras arms, he boaststhat he does not basely die,/ Not cowardly put off my helmet to/ My

countryman a Roman by a Roman/ Valiantly vanquishd.


23/24

Antony and Cleopatra Cleopatra: When first abandoned by Antony, Cleopatra tries all her tricks to

keep him in Egypt, but when she sees he is determined to go, puts on hernoblest bearing to become, no longer the shrew or the temperamental lover, buthis protecting goddess of Victory.

Her lament over Antonys death raises this passion between a middle-agedsensualist and a royal prostitute to a higher level. She realises that the world forher is destroyed and, at the same time, that she is, after all, but a mortal womanwith ordinary human passions. Her problem is how to come to terms with whatremains of life.

Shakespeare does not hurry to elevate Cleopatra to tragic stature. The finalmovement of the play is Cleopatra against Octavius Caesar: she tries every wayof finding out what Caesar means to do with her, and humiliates herself in theprocess. But at last, she learns from Donabella that she is to be taken to Romeand exhibited there; then and only then does she find the courage to followAntony in the Roman way. She has played for a while the role of the low trickster

apparently interested only in saving what she has left, but now that the game isfinally up, she does admit that, without Antony, life is impossible. In thatadmission and in the splendid poetic gesture of her suicide, she is redeemed atlast into tragedy. She finds true pride and dignity, and the quiet humour that seesover the other side of death without panic or self-pity. Yet, she does not lose her

original character: the language of her speech becomes ritualistic without losingnothing of its sensuality.


24/24

Antony and Cleopatra The theme of this tragedy is not the conflict between love and duty that John

Dryden later made of it in his All for Love. True, Shakespeare makes clear thatthe fate of the civilised world is involved in Antonys decisions, but the conflictbetween public duty and private passion is not his major interest, nor is hechiefly concerned with the conflict between the Roman and Egyptian ways oflife, though this, too, is an element in the play and one of the themes suggested

by the pattern of its imagery. Cleopatra is shown as shrewish, hysterical,sadistic, dishonest, and cowardly, as well as beautiful, queenly, and heroic.Antony is selfish and fatuous as well as generous and noble. Are they greatlovers or merely great sensualists? They are both experienced in the ways ofsexual pleasure and often talk as though that is all that love involves. Yet this isfar from being a disillusioned or a cynical play. We are continually fascinated by

the richness and variety of character and the way in which history is bound withpsychology. There is little pity or fear in the play, but rather a lively humancuriosity throughout. And the poetry keeps enlarging the moment, showingexperience as ever livelier and richer. We watch fascinated as Antony, mostRoman when most enslaved by Egypt, goes to his self-inflicted death, and thenfollow Cleopatras twistings and turnings with ever increasing interest and

wonder. We make no new moral judgment on either because that is decided atthe beginning and is never in question: they are both behaving badly, and theirsophisticated passion does not excuse them. But there is a wonder in it all, andCleopatra in her death finds the objective correlative of that wonder. Thesensual life ends in a blaze of ritual pageantry: it has its own amoral nobility.

Lecture 13. 1. William Shakespeare. Roman plays.pdf

Documents

Transcript of Lecture 13. 1. William Shakespeare. Roman plays.pdf