Antonys Sword, his delight and his destruction A discussion of Shakespe bes Antony and Cleopatra         In Shakespe bes Ro adult male tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, we are told the invention of two passionate and power-hungry sleep withrs. Both are characters that possess a beau ideal- realityage status. Antony is often associated with Mars (1.1.4; 2.2.6; 2.5.117), the god of fight, and, Cleopatra with Venus (2.2.210), the goddess of love, or damp said, the goddess of partiality and passion. Through knocked out(p) the undefiled receive, Antony finds himself torn amongst a desire to be with Cleopatra and an equally fast desire to render and maintain power in Rome. The romish leader becomes a virtual pris one(a)r of lechery and has to choose betwixt an pudding stone and love. However, the goddess of love overpowers the god of war. Antony himself says: My stain made weak by my affection (3.11.66). This statement establishes an primary(prenominal) issue of the tour: the struggle in the midst of passion (love) and power (war). It is obvious that Antonys steel, a act of both his disposition and being a coarse warrior, leads the play to its climax.         Antony is a clear example of a ruler who has impel away a kingdom for lust. He thrusts himself upon his sword, a bet of his manhood. From the moment they met, Antony was enchanted by Cleopatras extraordinary optical aspect: when she first base met Mark Antony, he pursed up his heart upon the river Cydmus (2.2.197-198). He submits himself dangerously to the seductive Egyptian poove and, the latter is fully aware of her sexual dominance. She makes this clear to Charmian, her servant, by boasting or so the way she had captured Antony:                 That time? O times!                 I laughed him out of patience, and that night                 I laughed him into pat ience, and contiguous mourn,    Â!             Ere the ninth hour, I intoxicated him to his bed,                 Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst                 I wore his sword Philippan                                 (2.5.18-23) It is manifest that the charms and sexual delights of the cunning Cleopatra outfox blinded Antony completely.         Antonys change magnitude adoration of Cleopatra to a fault affects the opinion of his subjects. From the beginning of the play, his fellow sol fall apartrs usher their undisguised discourtesy for the passionate relationship surrounded by their customary and his Egyptian Monarch. Philo, in particular, is worried about this dotage (1.1.1) his usual has for Cleopatra. He believes that Antonys passion oerflowes the measure (1.1.2.). Philo fears that Egypts mysterious lust and passion has turned his fier ce warrior into a common man addicted to love. He worries that the tripple pillar of the reality (1.1.12) has been transformed into a strumpets fool (1.1.13). The first act indicates that Antonys interests are only(prenominal) foc use of goods and servicesd on his gypsys lust (1.1.9). So, in this part of the play, Antonys sword is apply as an instrument of sexual delectation. It is his utensil to let Cleopatra die (1.2.145). In simple words this mode that Antonys sword, a symbol of his manhood, enables Cleopatra to experience sexual climaxes.         In Act III, the pleasure loving Antony is transformed into a bitter, get the better of warrior. He blames Cleopatra for his defeat: O, wither has thou led me, Egypt? (3.11.51). You did chicane how a great deal you were my conqueror, and that my sword, made weak by my affection (3.11.65-66). Here, Antony admits that his passions for Egypt have modify his position as a fierce warrior. The lecherous moments between him and his Egyptian Conqueror have resulted into a ! great liberation: his loss of power. But, since Cleopatra k forthwiths how to twist Antony around her little finger, he submits erstwhile again to her love. He buries his sad thoughts and thinks only of what he has gained:                 Fall non a tear, I say; one of them place                 And that is won and lost. Give me a kiss.
                                                (3.11.69) Now Antony is set(p) to defeat Octavius Caesar, who unbroken his sword een like a pr ofessional dancer (3.11.35), in the next battle. Antony believes that he is a greater warrior than Caesar, and, therefore, challenges him: sword against sword (3.13.27). In this scene, Antony tries to prove that his sword is not only a symbol of his manhood, but also a type of being a courageous fighter.         Unfortunately, Antony withdraws from the sea battle when Cleopatra has fled. This is an denotation of his dependence on the Egyptian Queen, and, it is this dependency that leads him to lose the closing battle. It is therefore not strange that Antony blames Cleopatra in one object lesson again for his great loss: She has robbed me of my sword (4.14.23). It is obvious that Cleopatra not only possesses his body, but also his soul. The god of war is outright forced to confront his tragic situation. The only way to expert his face is to fall on his face (4.14.104), his ultimate effect to prove that he is a courageous warrior. The sword that was once his symbol of delight turns out to be his destruction. !         Noce Te Ipsum, go to bed Thyself, the wise Socrates has proclaimed. In Antony and Cleopatra we get acquainted with Antony, a man who does not know how to live by this by this important rule of life. He is trapped in the pshychomachia, the war between passion and priming coat. In this play, passion is unquestionably the victor of the battle. Antony proves to be a real Elizabethan man, a passionate lover. harmonise to Shakespeare, however, his role as passionate lover cannot be combine with that of an ideal ruler. An ideal ruler is a passionless man, so, reason should prevail. Therefore, one may conclude that in Shakespeares opinion, Antony did not use his sword properly and that is why he became a victim of his own fault. If you want to get a full essay, line of battle it on our website:
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