Quotes

Question 1

‘glowed like plated mars’

Answer 1

deification of antony - elevates A. The Roman god of war symbolizes strength, military dominance, and masculinity, emphasizing his reputation as a formidable warrior. The adj conveys a sense of radiance, warmth, and vitality

Question 2

‘Demi atlas of the Earth’ -

Answer 2

the deification of Antony, realises his burden - duty to Rome. Elevates Antony to a near-mythic status, portraying him as a figure of immense importance and responsibility, central to the balance of the world - role as a leader in the Roman Triumvirate.

Question 3

deification of antony - elevates A. The Roman god of war symbolizes strength, military dominance, and masculinity, emphasizing his reputation as a formidable warrior. The adj conveys a sense of radiance, warmth, and vitality

Answer 3

‘glowed like plated mars’

Question 4

the deification of Antony, realises his burden - duty to Rome. Elevates Antony to a near-mythic status, portraying him as a figure of immense importance and responsibility, central to the balance of the world - role as a leader in the Roman Triumvirate.

Answer 4

‘Demi atlas of the Earth’ -

Question 5

‘O’erpicturing Venus’

Answer 5

Deification of Celopatra’s otherwordly beauty. This hyperbolic language underscores her extraordinary magnetism. Cleopatra’s beauty and allure are not just physical traits but tools of power. her beauty and charm transcend natural bounds

Question 6

‘Though he is painted one way like a Gorgon, the other way’s a Mars’

Answer 6

Cleopatra juxtaposes these two figures, presenting Antony as a man of dualities. The Mars imagery ties Antony to his Roman identity as a powerful general and a figure of heroism. Gorgon suggests Antony’s capacity for ruin—both his own self-destruction and the harm he brings to others

Question 7

My salad days, When I was green in judgement, cold in blood’

Answer 7

green symbolizes inexperience and naivety - sexually unsatisfied, lack of strong emotion or passion in youth - Cleopatra did not feel the intensity of desire or love that now defines her relationship with Antony.

Question 8

‘The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry, Where most she satisfies.’

Answer 8

food imagery - sexual appetite, Her allure is inexhaustible, creating an endless cycle of attraction and desire. Cleopatra satisfies the physical or emotional desires. Cleopatra embodies a love that is consuming and never fully satisfied.

Question 9

‘for what his eyes ate only’

Answer 9

phrase portrays Antony’s fascination with Cleopatra as a sensory experience dominated by sight. The metaphor suggests an insatiable appetite for Cleopatra’s beauty. deliberate and powerful tool she uses to influence

Question 10

He will to his Egyptian dish again.’

Answer 10

Cleopatra as an exotic and indulgent delight, highlighting Antony’s sensual and hedonistic attraction to her. Objectifies her and emphasizes the Roman perception of her as a source of pleasure rather than a complex political figure.

Question 11

‘Spots of heaven, more fiery by night’s blackness’

Answer 11

Antony’s former greatness likened to Stars which symbolize brilliance, guidance, and constancy, sharp contrast between Antony’s past glory and his current perceived moral decline.The imagery suggests that Antony’s current behavior is eclipsing his former virtues.

Question 12

Deification of Celopatra’s otherwordly beauty. This hyperbolic language underscores her extraordinary magnetism. Cleopatra’s beauty and allure are not just physical traits but tools of power. her beauty and charm transcend natural bounds

Answer 12

‘O’erpicturing Venus’

Question 13

green symbolizes inexperience and naivety - sexually unsatisfied, lack of strong emotion or passion in youth - Cleopatra did not feel the intensity of desire or love that now defines her relationship with Antony.

Answer 13

My salad days, When I was green in judgement, cold in blood’

Question 13

Cleopatra juxtaposes these two figures, presenting Antony as a man of dualities. The Mars imagery ties Antony to his Roman identity as a powerful general and a figure of heroism. Gorgon suggests Antony’s capacity for ruin—both his own self-destruction and the harm he brings to others

Answer 13

‘Though he is painted one way like a Gorgon, the other way’s a Mars’

Question 13

Celestial and metaphoric imagery to emphasize themes of rivalry, destiny, and the tension between Antony and Caesar - “Thickens”: Suggests that Antony’s brilliance becomes obscured or diminished. cosmic imagery underscores the inevitability of Caesar’s dominance and Antony’s waning influence.

Answer 13

‘Thy lustre thickens/When he shines by’

Question 13

Kingdoms are Clay, our dungy earth’

Answer 13

This imagery emphasizes the impermanence of political power and human achievements. Antony’s dismissal of kingdoms aligns him with the Egyptian worldview, where pleasure, love, and emotional fulfillment take precedence. Antony’s sentiment reflects an Epicurean rejection of materialism in favor of sensual and emotional fulfillment. Antony elevates his relationship with Cleopatra, framing it as more meaningful and enduring than the pursuits of earthly power. The play’s global dimensions and vast scale demonstrate the magnitude of Antony’s risk and subsequent fall

Question 13

‘Let Rome in Tiber melt’

Answer 13

duty diminished and Rome dissolved - Antony’s complete infatuation with Cleopatra. hyperbolic imagery demonstrates how his Roman identity consumed by his passion for her. Antony’s dismissal of Rome symbolizes his prioritization of personal pleasure over roman duty, a choice that defines his tragic arc. conveys dissolution and impermanence, reinforcing the idea that Antony is abandoning the rigid structure of Rome for the fluid and sensual world of Egypt.

Question 13

Act 3 Scene 13: ‘when my good starts that were my former guides/has empty left their orbs and shot their fires/into th’abysm of hell’

Answer 13

stars symbolize Antony’s former virtue which once guided him in life. The reference to celestial bodies emphasizes the grandeur of his past greatness, Current state as one of complete moral and personal failure, equating it with a fall into hell, collapse of his political and military power - Antony’s self-awareness of his tragic arc.

Question 14

Eclipsed moon symbolizes Antony’s decline as preordained by fate. The moon, often associated with instability, mirrors Antony’s inner turmoil between Rome and Egypt, duty and desire.

Answer 14

‘our terrene moon is now eclipsed/and it portends alone the fall of Antony’

Question 14

uncontrollable and consuming nature of Cleopatra’s allure, Enobarbus’ description is laced with admiration. Cleopatra’s influence transcends the human realm and reaches into the natural world.

Answer 14

‘winds were lovesick with them’

Question 15

‘burned on the water’

Answer 15

“burned” suggests intense heat and passion - consuming sensuality. Cleopatra’s beauty is both beautiful and destructive, like fire on water. elements as enslaved to her - beauty, and allure are so immense that they transcend the ordinary,

Question 16

Act 2 Scene 5 - ‘Melt Egypt into Nile and kindly creatures/ Turn all to serpents’

Answer 16

apocalyptic, hyperbolic image - convey devastation, desperation- dissolution of her kingdom. emotional response to Antony’s betrayal is not only destructive but also venomous and all-consuming. Despite her anger, Cleopatra’s is unable to escape her love for Antony

Question 17

losing his grip on both his political power and his sense of self.This line conveys a sense of helplessness and resignation. Antony is not actively choosing to relinquish power, but rather it is slipping away. his identity as a Roman leader is being eroded

Answer 17

Act 3 Scene 13: ‘authority melts from me’

Question 18

tension between duty and desire,, natural imagery - hedonistic lifestyle - loss of roman identity, weeds - distraction of desire and pleasure, Antony’s loss of self-control.

Answer 18

Act 1 Scene 2 - ‘forth weeds/when our quick minds lie still’

Question 18

Cleopatra’s magnificence is so overwhelming that it creates an unnatural break in the world around her. presence commands the awe and adoration transcends natural boundaries. elements as enslaved to her, even nature entrapped by her

Answer 18

‘made a gap in nature’

Question 19

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety’

Answer 19

This idea elevates her above the mortality, where physical beauty inevitably fades with time. unique and incomparable appeal - unique and incomparable appeal. symbol of eternal allure and power, both physically and emotionally. caesura emphasise finality/ truth

Question 20

drab undesirable to new, sexually appealing, sensual Cleopatra.

Answer 20

old smock brings forth a new petticoat

Question 21

moment of intimacy - a potent symbol of Antony’s martial prowess and his identity as a Roman soldier. His love for Cleopatra is eroding his masculinity,

Answer 21

I wore his sword Phillipa

Question 22

image of bravery acting like a predator, consuming reason and rationality. tension between Roman ideals of reason and Egyptian ideals of passion and indulgence. courage or bravery is not tempered by rational thought, it becomes reckless and self-destructive.

Answer 22

‘When valour preys on reason/it easts the sword it fights with’

Question 23

to express Lepidus's reliance on those around him for support and survival. This imagery portrays Lepidus as powerless and dependent, highlighting his lack of true agency or authority within the triumvirate - imbalance of power

Answer 23

Act 3 Scene 2: ‘They are his shards and he their beetle’

Question 24

incredibly soft, light, and delicate, symbolizing Octavia's fragility and innocence in the world of power politics. grace and purity, aligning with Octavia's dignified and loyal nature, especially in contrast to the chaos and manipulation that define the other characters.overwhelming political and personal pressures that Octavia faces

Answer 24

Act 3 Scene 2: ‘the swansdown feather/than stands upon swell at the full of tide’

Question 25

Act 3 Scene 10: ‘doting mallard/leaving the fight in height, flies after her’

Answer 25

foolish infatuation with Cleopatra - lack of rationality, animal imagery - naturally driven by desire, by passion rather than reason. prioritization of personal desire over duty and responsibility.

Question 26

Antony's decision to “contend” suggests that he will fight not only to preserve his life but to preserve his dignity and honor. This conveys Antony’s stubbornness and his desire to control

Answer 26

Act 3 Scene 13: ‘I’ll make Death love me, for I will contend/Even with his pestilent scythe’

Question 27

line conveys his desperation and determination to push through his challenges, a physical act of resolve or determination, emotional volatility, pride, and an intense desire to maintain control of his fate.

Answer 27

Act 3 Scene 13: ‘I’ll set my teeth/and send to darkness all that stop me’

Question 28

Act 3 Scene 11: ‘My very hairs do mutiny, for white/ Reprove the brown for rashness’

Answer 28

Antony feels that even his very physical being is in rebellion against him, emphasizing his deep internal conflict. Antony feels that even his very physical being is rebelling against him, emphasizing his deep internal conflict. white symbolises wisdom, age, and rationality, while brown represents youthful impulse, rashness, and passion. growing regret and recognition that his impulsive actions have led him into a perilous situation.

Question 29

Act 3 Scene 2:‘Betwixt us as the cement of our love/To keep it builded be the ram to batter’

Answer 29

The word “cement” also hints at the fragility of the bond between them. Cement can break if not carefully maintained, implying that their love is not indestructible.

Question 30

The world is metaphorically split apart by the violence and rivalry between the two men, leading to chaos and destruction. destructive nature of the war between Antony and Caesar. apocalyptic image

Answer 30

Act 3 Scene 4:‘The world should cleave, and the slain men /should solder up the rift’

Question 31

apparent unity is illusory - ultimately fragile - underlying tension between them. inevitability demise doomed by their incompatible desires and ambitions. Foreshadowing violence

Answer 31

Act 2 Scene 6: ‘ But you shall find the band that seems to tie their friendship together will be the very strangler of their amity’

Question 32

mental shift that aligns Antony with the values and responsibilities of Rome. moment of self-awareness - instantaneous and perhaps jarring realization

Answer 32

Act 1 Scene 2: ‘A roman thought hath struck him’

Question 33

Antony's failure to recognize his strategic errors. Antony's obsession with Cleopatra and the indulgent lifestyle in Egypt has caused him to neglect his duties as a leader of Rome. the tension between personal desires and political responsibilities - detsructive impact of ignorance

Answer 33

Act 3 Scene 7: ‘The greater cantle of the world is lost with very ignorance’

Question 34

Antony has relinquished his control over the Roman Empire in favour of his relationship with Cleopatra. Cleopatra in a degrading and dismissive way - Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra becomes a symbol of indulgence and lack of control, making him seem unfit to lead.

Answer 34

Act 3 Scene 6: ‘he hath given his empire/up to a whore’

Question 35

Act 3 Scene 13: ‘thou art so leaky/That we must leave thee to thy sinking’

Answer 35

metaphor suggests that Antony’s authority and ability to govern have been compromised, with his weaknesses exposed. Antony’s leadership is unsustainable because he is distracted by his personal relationships and emotional turmoil. Enobarbus’ statement shows his disillusionment with Antony, whom he once admired as a great leader.

Question 36

role reversal where Antony, once a powerful Roman general, is now being controlled by Cleopatra, loss of Antony’s autonomy, The line highlights Antony’s emasculation, as he is now in a position of weakness and subservience.

Answer 36

Act 3 scene 7: ‘so our leader’s led/And we are women’s men’

Question 37

implying that Antony has abandoned his responsibilities, his identity, and his core values. He is estranged from his former self, unable to reconcile the man he was with the defeated and humiliated figure he has become.

Answer 37

Act 3 Scene 11: ‘I have fled myself’

Question 38

love for Cleopatra, has become the dominant force in his life, overriding his professional responsibilities as a soldier and a leader, loss of masculinity, rationality, roman identity. increase in power of Shakespeare's female characters necessitates a parallel decrease in power, or emasculation, of male characters

Answer 38

Act 3 Scene 12: ‘My sword, made weak by my affection, would obey it on all-cause’

Question 39

Personify fortune injured or damaged - military career and political position are in serious jeopardy. his suggests Enobarbus is caught in a battle between his reason and his loyalty to his friend and leader.

Answer 39

Act 3 Scene 10: ‘The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason/Sits in the wind against me.’

Question 40

he fishes, drinks, and wastes ... is not more manlike /Than Cleopatra,'

Answer 40

Caesar views antony as corrupted by the Egyptian lifestyle and views Antony as a betrayal of Roman values and duties. a metaphor for indulgence in pleasure and, hedonistic lifestyle, Antony has lost his Roman masculinity and identity. Become effeminate or weak, abandoning the virtues that once defined him as a Roman leader.

Question 41

‘ Leave thy lascivious wassails’

Answer 41

directive , order = frustration, means indulgent in or driven by lust, sexual desire, or immoral pleasures. (sense of moral condemnation), drunk revels as wasteful and beneath the dignity of a Roman leader - caesar sees himself as morally superior, holding onto Roman virtues of restraint and responsibility

Question 42

'throw between them all the food thou hast, they'll grind the one the other'

Answer 42

The grinding imagery metaphorically represents the conflict between Antony and Caesar that will inevitably lead to destruction, regardless of external efforts to appease them. The "food" represents attempts at reconciliation or shared resources, symbolizing efforts to maintain peace or unity.

Question 43

Sowerby:

Answer 43

Antony is rendered subjectless by the greater magnetism of the strange power of Cleopatra's attractiveness

Question 44

Kilcour

Answer 44

'All Caesar has is a political conscience'

Question 45

Wilders

Answer 45

the magnetism of Cleopatra is shown to be disastrous politically

Question 46

Quint

Answer 46

to love one another in spite of public opinion and political consequence

Question 47

Davis:

Answer 47

Indulgence is an Egyptian vice...maturity is a Roman value

Question 48

Smith

Answer 48

throughout the play, Antony vacillates between an Egyptian and a Roman sense of self

Question 49

Holland

Answer 49

The conflict of Rome and Egypt mirrors the conflicts within the two main characters "who become at war with themselves"

Question 50

we'll spill the blood, that has today escaped

Answer 50

- brutal and relentless nature of war. It suggests Antony's adoption of Roman values of vengeance and his determination to eliminate - Antony's rising spirit - Antony believes has control over the battle, assuming he will complete his victory - Dramatic Irony - The audience understands the inevitability of the negative fate and tragic demise as a tragic hero

Question 51

'O infinite virtue.. thou smiling from/The worlds great snare'

Answer 51

- Hyperbolic Apostrophe - Cleopatra exalts Antony’s strength and nobility - However, the dramatic irony is that this moment of triumph is fleeting—his ultimate fate is one of downfall. - treacherous nature of political and military struggles.

Question 52

'O soverign mistress of true melancholy/ The poisnous damp of nigh disponge me'

Answer 52

- Sovereign mistress - moon (symbolising a sense of madness) - Imbalance of black bile: extreme sadness - depth of desire - suffocating, deadly atmosphere, metaphorical suffocation from guilt - image of darkness - manifestation of guilt

Question 53

Triple-turned whore

Answer 53

- betrayal - implies fickleness or inconstancy, reinforcing his belief that Cleopatra is faithless. - brutal reduction of Cleopatra’s identity, reducing her from a queen and lover to a figure of deception and sexual disloyalty symbolises Ant's wrath and temper

Question 54

'Fortune and Antony part here;

Answer 54

- Personified Roman goddess Fortuna, who governs luck and fate - Antony acknowledges that his fate is sealed and that he no longer has control over his destiny. - he use of his own name in the third person creates a sense of detachment - Fortune’s departure suggests a shift from active agency to passive resignation.

Question 55

'my heart/Makes only wars on thee. Bid them all fly'

Answer 55

- this is not a political or military struggle but an emotional one—his deepest conflict is now love turned to rage. - The phrase makes war evokes the idea of internal conflict; Antony has been torn throughout the play between his duty as a soldier and his passion for Cleopatra

Question 56

'The witch shall die/To the young roman boy she hath sold me'

Answer 56

- Cleopatra a witch, framing her as deceitful and manipulative. - Octavius Caesar, emphasizing the age and perceived inferiority of Antony’s rival. The phrase is dismissive, portraying Caesar as an unworthy successor to Rome’s power.

Question 57

'Yet cannot hold his visible shape, my knave'

Answer 57

- suggests an inevitable collapse—Antony realizes that he can no longer maintain his former strength or identity. - emphasizing the contrast between his once-mighty form and his current, weakened state - cannot reconcile his identity - his loss of control over his fate.

Question 58

'we see a vapour sometime like a bear or lion'

Answer 58

"Vapour - shifting, and intangible captures his uncertain and frgamented identity - animals are symbols of strength and dominance — traits that once defined Antony -> huanted by the ghost of his former glory.

Question 59

'she robbed me of my sword'

Answer 59

- his sense of powerlessness, cleopatra has weakened him, - Phallic imagery - emasculation, reduced stature - lost his Roman identity that he ties to his masculinity

Question 60

'The name of Antony;it was divided/between her heart and lips'

Answer 60

- evocative, beautiful yet false depictions of Cleo's death

Question 61

'The long day's task is done/and we must'

Answer 61

- The long day metaphorically represents welcome death's - day and night imagery: darkness and death - weary of the world , nihilism - depth and certainty of their love - sleep - comfort, restorative

Question 62

'off, pluck off'

Answer 62

- symbolic of Antony shedding of Roman identity - love is the most important

Question 63

'The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep/ The battery from my heart'

Answer 63

- military image: violent - reinforcing the theme of attack and destruction. - broken heart, loss - classical allusion: impenetrable, making him nearly invincible in battle.

Question 64

'O, cleave , my sides!/My heart, once stronger than they continent'

Answer 64

- mighty, hyperbolic images: divided self - loss of stoic roman self - violent imagery highlights the sheer intensity of his emotions - metaphor suggests that his emotions are so overwhelming that his physical body (his continent) can no longer contain them. - implicit contrast between emotional strength and physical strength, showing Antony’s tragic realization that his legendary military power is meaningless in the face of personal anguish.

Question 65

'No more a soldier'

Answer 65

- Caesura - the complete erasure of his former self. -Antony was celebrated as one of Rome’s greatest military leaders. His prowess in battle defined him, making this declaration especially tragic. - emphatic statement of grief + Nihilism, finality, pursing his love - visually vulnerable

Question 65

'Where souls do couch of flowers ... Dido and her Aeneas shall want troops'

Answer 65

- romantic lang, depth of his love and strength of his resolve, envisaging his afterlife - find peace in death - idyllic, delicate, spring image - potent - classical allusion: famous underworld lovers - elevation in death to beauty - Antony finds solace in the idea that he and Cleopatra will live on as legendary lovers - immortalising their love

Question 66

'My sword ... quatered the world, and o'er green Neptune's back'

Answer 66

- Sword - phallic imagery - evokes masculinity, dominance, - militaristic imagery: former grandeur, conqueror - trimuvirate, expansive power - The contrast between his past conquests and his present impotence underscores his tragic decline.

Question 67

we had much more monstrous matter feast

Answer 67

monstrous - vast, excessive, feast - This suggests indulgence, pleasure, and consumption - food imagery symbolic of the indulgence and hedonistic lifestyle of Egypt.

Question 68

"Becomes the bellows and the fan to cool a gipsy's lust."

Answer 68

- "Gipsy” – This was a common derogatory term in Shakespeare’s time, often used to describe Egyptians as exotic or deceitful. Here, it reflects Roman prejudice, portraying Cleopatra as manipulative and morally corrupt. - “Lust” – Philo reduces Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship to mere physical desire, ignoring any deeper emotional or political aspects. - “Bellows” and “Fan” – These opposing images symbolize Antony’s helplessness; he is both igniting and soothing Cleopatra’s desires, rather than controlling his own fate.

Question 69

Your speech is passion, but pray you stir/No embers up’

Answer 69

- Suggests Antony’s emotional nature, contrasting with Octavius’s cold, political pragmatism. - A fire metaphor implying that past disputes between the Triumvirs are unresolved and could easily reignite - delicate balance of power within the Triumvirate.

Question 70

Act 1 Scene 2: ‘enchanting Queen’

Answer 70

- Cleopatra’s mesmerizing beauty and charisma, suggesting that she has the ability to captivate Antony's attention completely. - otherworldly, as though she possesses a supernatural ability to control those around her - jacobean suspicion of witches (james 1) suspicion of powerful women - reflects Cleopatra's political position as the ruler of Egypt, also reinforces her authority and majestic presence

Question 71

‘Our graver business/ Frowns at this levity’

Answer 71

- emphasizing that the matters of state and governance, which demand careful and serious attention, are being overshadowed by Antony's personal life and indulgence - personifies Caesar's political responsibilities, suggesting that the state itself is displeased with this neglect. -ongoing tension between public duty and private pleasure, which is a central conflict throughout the play

Question 72

‘To lay my crown at’s feet, and there to knee;’

Answer 72

- idea of submitting to Caesar by physically lowering herself in an act of humility - A crown symbolizes a ruler’s power, and placing it on the ground shows the willingness to give up her authority - The verb "to knee" emphasizes the physicality of submission - It could be seen as a calculated move, as she navigates the power dynamics with Caesar to preserve her life

Question 73

‘Take from his heart, take from his brain

Answer 73

- The heart represents emotion, passion, and desire - Enobarbus suggests that Antony is being ruled by his emotions, particularly love - diminishing his intellectual capacity. - inability to reconcile his Roman duty and his relationship with Cleopatra. - passion has rendered him vulnerable and ineffective.

Question 74

Act 3 Scene 12: ‘My heart was to thy rudder tied by th’ strings’,

Answer 74

- The rudder is a powerful symbol of direction and control, evokes a sense of being manipulated, yet also willing to be controlled by his love for her - hows his emotional dependency on he

Question 75

Triple pillar of the world transformed to a strumpets fool

Answer 75

- Antony’s role as one of the three rulers of the Roman world in the Triumvirate - Antony was a central and commanding figure. - Cleopatra of being promiscuous and morally corrupt. The word “fool” here emphasizes Antony’s loss of judgment, implying that he has become foolish in his devotion to her - the tragic downfall of Antony - underscores the destructive impact of Antony’s love for Cleopatra

Question 76

Beds i’th’East are soft

Answer 76

- symbolizes decadence and comfort, —a place of sensuality, pleasure, and excess. This stands in opposition to the Roman values of discipline, masculinity, and military duty. - Antony’s torn identity between Roman honor and Egyptian pleasure.

Question 77

It wounds thine honour that I speak it now - was borne so like a solider

Answer 77

- Caesar implies that Antony's current behaviour is disgraceful compared to his past glory, reinforcing the idea that Antony is no longer the great general he once was. - foreshadows how Antony’s inability to reconcile love and duty will ultimately lead to his military and political downfall.

Question 78

she creeps ... a body rather than a life'

Answer 78

- Octavia - 'she creeps' - dehumanising - passive, reserved, and lacks the commanding presence of Cleopatra. - reduces her to her physical form, suggesting she lacks spirit, personality, or independence. - merely a political pawn

Question 79

make me, most weak, most weak,/ your reconcile!

Answer 79

- emotional fragility and sense of powerlessness. - Octavia's self-sacrificial nature, emphasizing her role as the dutiful wife, trying to maintain peace even at the cost of her emotional well-being. - Octavia’s weakness and vulnerability sharply contrast with Cleopatra’s powerful and commanding presence.

Question 80

'Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before/Did violate so itself (Act3 Scene 10)

Answer 80

- experience, manhood, and honour—are all qualities highly prized in Roman society, especially in a military context. - Antony’s military expertise and the accumulated wisdom he should have as a seasoned leader. - Manhood signifies Antony's courage, strength, and integrity, fundamental traits of a Roman soldier. - Scarus’ line also signals the disillusionment and loss of respect among Antony’s followers.

Question 81

'better i were not yours/than yours so branchless'

Answer 81

- Antony’s deep anxiety about his diminishing power. The word branchless suggests a metaphor of a tree that has been stripped of its limbs, symbolizing Antony’s potential loss of authority and influence. - This moment highlights how Antony is torn between two worlds: the rigid, political world of Rome (represented by Octavia) and the passionate, indulgent world of Egypt (represented by Cleopatra).

Question 82

'I'th'market-place, on a tribunal silvered Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold'

Answer 82

- judicial and administrative spaces, meant for governance, were turned into platforms for personal glorification. - reinforces the contrast between Roman and Egyptian values: Rome values duty, austerity, and discipline, while Egypt (represented by Cleopatra) is associated with luxury, excess, and spectacle. - public manufactured image

Question 83

appear there for a man/ i will not stay behind

Answer 83

- Cleopatra challenges the Roman ideal of masculinity, which associates power with masculine military strength - Cleopatra’s determination to be involved in the battle ultimately contributes to Antony’s downfall.

Question 84

'Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard/from firm security'

Answer 84

- suggests that Antony is abandoning rational strategy and instead gambling with fate. - "From firm security" implies that Antony had a strong, secure position on land, where he would have had the advantage, but recklessly discarded it. - Shakespeare frequently explores how characters bring about their own destruction through misguided choices - Enobarbus often serves as the rational, cynical observer of Antony’s decline

Question 85

"Give me my robe, put on my crown. I have immortal longings in me"

Answer 85

- "immortal" - transcendence of our earthly state, death is not a finite end but merely the passage into a new existence - Cleopatra expresses her longing for death,

Question 86

"I am fire and air; my other elements I give to baser life."

Answer 86

- Suggesting alchemical transcendence, Of the four classical or Aristotelian elements, fire and air were the more spiritual elements - assertion of her exceptionalism even in death, Cleopatra in her essence is divine - 'baser life' - common existence, Elevation Above the Mundane -> distinguishes herself from ordinary mortals.

Question 87

"The breaking of so great a thing should make/ a greater crack"

Answer 87

> elevating antony as the ideal of Roman heroism, representing passionate, charismatic, larger-than-life figure. > grandeur implied by this phrase elevates Antony beyond mere mortality > disbelief that such a monumental figure could pass with so little commotion.

Question 88

"Tis the God Hercules who loved him, doth leave him"

Answer 88

> Antony’s image as a heroic, almost demi-godlike figure - > a complete collapse of Antony’s heroic identity — not just political and military failure, but spiritual and existential ruin -> emotional vulnerability and political irrelevance.