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Antony and Cleopatra
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Character Analysis
Mark Antony
Mark Antony is the protagonist and tragic hero of Antony and Cleopatra. He is a middle-aged Roman general renowned for his skill as a soldier. Antony is a former ally of Julius Caesar who is now a member of the Second Triumvirate—an alliance between himself, Octavian, and Lepidus to govern Rome. Entrusted with defending the eastern provinces under Rome’s control, Antony has fallen in love with the Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra, and begins to neglect his duty.
Antony is consistently characterized as a man who embodies Roman greatness and masculinity, but his fellow Romans frame his love for Cleopatra as a fatal flaw that drives him to act against his nature. At the beginning of the play, Philo, one of Antony’s Roman soldiers, laments his pleasure-seeking and decadent life in Egypt, referring to him as “the triple pillar of the world transformed / Into a strumpet’s fool” (1.1.13-14). Philo contrasts Antony’s strength as a triumvir, capable of holding up the whole world like a pillar, with his romantic love for Cleopatra, suggesting that it turns his greatness into something ridiculous. Caesar expresses similar distaste for Antony’s behavior in Egypt, deriding him for his luxurious lifestyle and for allowing a woman to manipulate him into forsaking his alliance.
However, Lepidus pushes back on this interpretation, arguing, “His faults in him seem as the spots of heaven / More fiery by night’s blackness, hereditary / Rather than purchased, what he cannot change / Than what he chooses” (1.4.14-17). Lepidus praises Antony by claiming that Antony’s faults only stand out so much because he is otherwise so magnificent. Similarly, Lepidus excuses Antony’s behavior by claiming that his flaws are inherited and therefore cannot be helped. The duality between Antony’s military nobility and his romantic debasement indicate how Antony is caught between the Roman system of values and the contrasting culture of Egypt.
Throughout the play, Antony is portrayed as a generous leader, a passionate lover to Cleopatra, and a sympathetic husband to Octavia. He often treats his allies well, even when he knows they will abandon him to side with Caesar—a trait that is particularly notable when he sends Enobarbus’s chest of treasure to him after his betrayal. His actions inspire admiration in his followers, but also their disdain when they see how his decisions are often impacted by Cleopatra’s actions, such as when he flees the Battle of Actium to follow her instead of remaining with his men to fight. Antony loves Cleopatra despite this defeat, although he does turn on her when he believes that she has also betrayed him to Caesar. His death by suicide in Act IV enables him to recover something of his lost honor, granting him a measure of agency and dignity even in defeat.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra is another protagonist of Antony and Cleopatra. She is the Queen of Egypt and the former lover of Julius Caesar. Cleopatra is known for her beauty and for the luxurious lifestyle that she leads.
William Shakespeare characterizes Cleopatra as an inconsistent and mutable woman, constantly shifting and changing as she seeks to get what she wants from Antony. She is often manipulative, attempting to get Antony’s attention or gauge his mood through deception. At the beginning of the play, she feels jealous that Antony is hearing messengers from Rome and commands her servants to find Antony, saying: “If you find him sad / Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report / That I am sudden sick” (1.3.4-6). Enobarbus suggests that this trait, while outwardly negative, does not dissuade men from falling in love with her. Instead, he argues that Cleopatra’s inconsistent nature ironically causes men to desire her even more:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety. Other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies. For vilest things
Become themselves in her, that the holy priests
Bless her when she is riggish (2.2.276-81).
Throughout the play, Shakespeare makes Cleopatra’s loyalty to Antony ambiguous. While she is jealous of Octavia and eager to see Antony return to her, she appears somewhat tempted by Caesar’s offer to betray Antony in exchange for maintaining her power in Egypt. Other characters mention that Cleopatra has had many other prior lovers, including Julius Caesar, suggesting that her romantic relationships are also her tools for securing influence over Rome.
However, Shakespeare also shows that Cleopatra is a great woman and a fitting match for Antony’s noble character. Rather than preserving her own life by bargaining with Caesar, Cleopatra dies by suicide. Caesar views this as a noble choice, as she dies in a position of glory without ever having to endure the humiliation he planned for her during his triumphal march through Rome. As he observes her crowned and enthroned corpse, he remarks, “Bravest at the last / She leveled at our purposes and, being royal, / Took her own way” (5.2.400-2). Cleopatra’s refusal to be lowered or debased motivates her to emulate Antony, suggesting that they are kindred spirits despite their different gender roles and cultural values.
Octavius Caesar
Octavius Caesar, also known as Octavian, is the primary antagonist of Antony and Cleopatra. He is one of the three triumvirates of Rome and the great-nephew of Julius Caesar. He is much younger than Antony and an inferior soldier, but his fate leads him to eventually become the first Roman Emperor and gain the title of Augustus. While Shakespeare hints that Caesar is not as great of a man as Antony, his destiny causes him to defeat Antony in battle despite his shortcomings.
While Caesar is a less-skillful soldier and less beloved than Antony, his enemy Pompey does suggest that Caesar is superior to his fellow triumvirs in raising money. Pompey claims that “Caesar gets money where / He loses hearts” (2.1.16-17), suggesting that Caesar’s followers are loyal to him because of his riches rather than his inspiring leadership. Throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays Caesar as using subterfuge and underhanded tactics. He attacks Pompey’s navy after making a treaty with him and imprisons Lepidus without cause. Caesar tells Cleopatra that he is not interested in raiding her treasury, insisting, “Caesar’s no merchant to make prize with you” (5.13.219), when he does indeed intend to display her as a prize of war in his triumph back in Rome. Cleopatra distrusts him, suggesting that he is duplicitous in his speech when she says, “He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not / Be noble to myself” (5.13.230-31). Caesar’s verbal manipulations set him apart from Antony, who is far more direct in his tactics. In the context of Shakespeare’s other tragic plays, Caesar aligns more with the Machiavellian rulers such as Richard III, Claudius, and Macbeth.
However, Caesar is shown to be very loyal and caring toward his own family. Pompey notes that Caesar took great measures to avenge the death of his uncle, Julius Caesar. Similarly, Caesar is very protective of his sister, Octavia. When she marries Antony, he warns Antony, “You take from me a great part of myself. / Use me well in ’t” (3.2.29-30), and he appears upset to the point of tears as they part. While Caesar has sought Antony’s destruction throughout the play, he does also mourn Antony’s loss after learning of his death by suicide and allows Antony to be buried in glory beside his lover. Despite his cunning military tactics, Shakespeare portrays Caesar as more sympathetic and human than a traditional antagonist, hinting that Rome is not entirely doomed by his leadership at the end of the play.
Enobarbus
Enobarbus is a friend and trusted confidant of Mark Antony. He is a secondary character who often serves as a comic relief figure until the end of the play, when he becomes a tragic antagonist. Enobarbus often advises Antony to reject the influence of women on his military ambitions, warning him by expressing misogynistic stereotypes. This serves to provide the audience with commentary about how the Romans view Antony’s actions in Egypt. Enobarbus is critical of Cleopatra, and he eventually becomes so disenchanted by her influence over Antony that he decides to side with Caesar instead.
However, after Enobarbus abandons Antony’s camp, Antony generously sends him his treasures that he left behind, causing Enobarbus to experience a crisis of conscience. Enobarbus laments, “I am alone the villain of the Earth / And feel I am so most” (4.6.34-35). His guilt prevents him from helping Caesar but also from returning to Antony’s side, and so he declares: “I will go seek / Some ditch wherein to die; the foul’st best fits / My latter part of life” (4.6.42-44). Enobarbus is then found wandering by Antony’s camp guards and he collapses and dies. This sudden shift from comedic to tragic signals the changing tone of the play in the final two Acts.
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By William Shakespeare
