Antony and Cleopatra

Discuss Shakespeare's portrayal of Time and Egypt in Antony and Cleopatra

Ρ

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

Shakespeare constantly juxtaposes the world of Egypt with the world of Rome. The leaps in space are greater here then in any Shakespearean play: we move from Egypt to Rome to Athens to other parts of the world in a matter of moments. Shakespeare uses Rome and Egypt to deal with a number of themes, organized in terms of oppositions: change versus the status quo, martial values versus self-indulgence, masculine authority versus feminine authority, the values of an erstwhile Republic versus the values of despotism