Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare’s best known later tragedies. The most geographically sweeping of the Bard’s plays, its setting is the entire Roman Empire, and its backdrop, the well-documented history of Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra. Drawing upon the ancient Roman historian Plutarch’s Lives, the play portrays actual events and persons from Roman history, and also embodies the legendary love story of its title characters. In Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavius Caesar, Shakespeare depicts characters that are larger than life, commanding “planetary” status as rulers of the world and instruments of its destiny. The rapid shifts between Cleopatra’s palace in Alexandria, Egypt and Antony’s homeland in Rome, along with the relentless movement in the middle of the play creates dramatic tension and reinforces the global scope of the play.