History: The history involved in this play is incredibly dense, but would have been well known by Elizabethan readers. Here’s a quick run-down. Cleopatra is the queen of Egypt due to the death of her brother Ptolemy to whom, by Egyptian tradition, she was married. Her subsequent lovers included Pompey and Julius Caesar, rulers of Rome. The first was killed by the other. After the death of Caesar (killed by Brutus who was then killed by Antony) a triumvirate was set up by which the known world was divided in three parts. At the start of the play Antony, Octavius Caesar (Julius’s nephew and adopted son) and Lepidus make up this ruling body. Antony is married to Fulvia, but has deserted her to be with Cleopatra in Egypt. Pompey’s son (also named Pompey) raises an army against the triumvirate. Antony returns to Rome and marries Caesar’s sister Octavia to seal their friendship. Peace with Pompey and the triumvirate is made momentarily. Caesar than turns on Pompey killing both him and, later, Lepidus. He then raises an army to depose Antony and thus become sole ruler of the Roman world. Whew!

1. Love. A main focus of this play is love and its place in the world and in people’s, especially powerful people’s, lives. What role does love play for Antony and Cleopatra? Lepidus? Enobarbus? Caesar? What kind of priority should be placed on love?
2. Lust. The seamy side of the coin, but also the most vital. In what ways do Antony and Cleopatra recast the meanings of lust and adultery? Is their physical obsession ridiculous or enticingly attractive? How does their age fit into this?
3. War. The back story of this tragedy focuses on the wars to control the Roman empire. At question is what is most important to a man, power or love. Also contested is whether the battlefield is a place for women (think Fulvia and Cleopatra). Why is it important that Antony is not himself defeated in battle (though his troops have lost)?
4. Politics. Besides a focus on war and the soldier’s role, their is a second question of one’s role as politician and statesmen. Which characters show the greatest political acumen? This is also generally seen as a man’s domain. What kind of politician is Cleopatra? Notice both her history and her actions in the final act.
5. Enobarbus. Enobarbus seems to be one of the most rational characters personally, politically, and in his understanding of military strategy. His is often the voice of reason and truth in several of the scenes. Why does he finally betray Antony? Why does he repent his betrayal? What does this mean for the way the reader is to understand reason? What does his death mean?
6. Gender Confusion. Often in the play the reference is made to making men women and women men by placing them in the wrong spheres of dominance (in love and war) or by their general character (boldness in action versus words). There is also the character of the Eunuch who stands between these two extremes, being neither strictly man or woman. How does gender function here? Are assumptions and stereotypes upheld or subverted?
7. Jealousy and Distrust. Both Cleopatra and Antony experience moments of sexual and passionate jealousy as well as distrust. This often exposes an unsteady sector of their relationship.Why don’t they fully trust one another? What problems does this cause?
8. Age. As I have said before, both Cleopatra and Antony are not spring chickens, both in their forties or early fifties. Antony makes various references to his brown and gray hairs, and Cleopatra to her long history and her fading beauty. How does the age of the characters change our association with them? What does it lend to the understanding of their love. Caesar is much younger than either of them (his uncle was Cleopatra’s third powerful lover). What does his age tell us?
9. Death. Another tragedy, another rash of deaths. Pay attention to the characters who die. What leads to their deaths? Why does Antony seem to completely forgive Cleopatra as he is dying? What does Cleopatra’s suicide mean? Is it politically or personally motivated?
10. Common People. As in the earlier plays, we see several scenes in which the common people and common soldiers express their views about how the world is being run and what these things mean. What do we make of these scenes here?