Friday, March 8, 2019
Antony and Cleopatra Essay
Octavius Caesar has a pivotal role to play in Antony and Cleopatra as a member of the triumvirate (the ruling council of the Roman Empire, composed of threesome members, the others being Lepidus and Antony), he has the responsibility to run part of Empire, he excessively has a long-standing rivalry with Antony, and dis manage Antonys relaxed mood, especially his affair with Cleopatra.We start see Caesar towards the end of scene one, where he is criticising Antony for spending too frequently condemnation with Cleopatra. Two common habits of Caesar are shown in the first a couple of(prenominal) lines of this sceneIt is not Caesars natural vice to hate our cracking competitorAntony he fishes, drinks and wastes the lamps of night in revel.(I.iv.2-3a, 4b-5a)Not only does Caesar like to himself in the third person (Caesars natural vice) he to a fault has a tendency to criticises anyone who likes to enjoy themselves this is seen again at the festival on Pompeys ship. Caesar then go es on to list more of Antonys faults, as Lepidus, ever eager to stop any arguing, tries in conceited to excuse Antony, and calm Caesar downLepidus I must not regain that in that respect areEvils enough to darken all his Antonys goodness.Caesar Lets grant that it is notAmiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy,To preserve the turn of tippling with a slave and stand the buffetWith knaves that smells of sweat.(I.iv.10b-11, 16b-17, 19, 20b-21a)Caesar again complaints that both(prenominal) Antony and Cleopatra are committing adultery, and then says that Antony has been drinking too much, and fighting with knaves, which means that he is not focusing on running the Empire, as he should be, and also that it gives a bad impression of the triumvirate and Caesar especially something that Caesar himself is very worried about, as is seen later.However, Caesar changes tack later on, after his messengers bring word that Pompey is growing in strength, and also that two famous pirates, Menecrates and Menas, are also acting on Pompeys behalf. Caesar apostrophises Antony, in a scene that is thought by umteen to be highly significant, as it one of the very few measure that Caesar is seen, in the play, to pay a genuine complement to someone. Caesar remembers a time when Antony slewst Hirtius and Pansa, consuls of Rome. Although the imagery that Caesar uses is not specially pleasant, (stale of horses and eat hostile flesh,) it is the fact that Caesar praises someone, especially a person that he does not particularly like, which is important. At the end of scene four, Lepidus and Caesar are talking about acquiring more information about what is going on in the world, giving the current problems that t they are havingLepidus What you shall know meantimeOf stirs abroad, I shall contract you, sir,To let me be partaker.Caesar Doubt not, sir, I knew it for my bond.(I.iv.83b-86)This short dialogue, containing some instead harsh-sounding phrases for people are that are meant to b e friends, shows that there might be a small rift growing between these two men, in addition to the disagreements between Antony and Caesar. Lepidus asking for information about what is going on, from Caesar shows that there might be an issue of a lack of trust developing, whilst Caesars rebuttal of doubt not, sir, I knew it for my bond, shows that Caesar could be losing patience with Lepidus, who is always visualised as being quite a weak and unimportant display case anyway.
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