Men want to be him and women envy her, I introduce to you Antony and Cleopatra. Queen of the Nile and The Mighty Warrior of Rome. A power couple or a power struggle? Shakespeare’s play isn’t as feminist as it seems to be. Antony and Cleopatra was more controversial during the Elizabethan era than this day and age. Primarily because it was about a woman being more masculine than the man of the relationship. Women in such a powerful roles caused a lot of anger amongst men in government. It’s a possible reflection of what Queen Elizabeth had to go through. A woman being masculine during the Elizabethan era was unheard of and Antony and Cleopatra isn’t a love story but a power struggle between genders and role reversal. I will be writing on how modern the play Antony and Cleopatra really is, if it’s really a love story or a calculative power play in disguise and why Cleopatra shouldn’t be considered a modern day feminist.
Antony and Cleopatra was a pretty controversial play during a time when women were not known to have a voice, let alone a crown or men doing whatever they want. Cleopatra was an anomaly and Antony was considered a fool. Basically a deviant match made in heaven. Now what makes the play so controversial isn’t the fact that their relationship was an affair. It’s because Cleopatra didn’t act like a renaissance lady and Antony made decisions based on love. Both are unheard of during a time when being a strong independent leader is like walking on eggshells. From my point of view, Shakespeare could have possibly based Cleopatra’s character off of Queen Elizabeth herself. Although Elizabeth only needed her title and was known as the virgin queen, she still had the power of any man. Cleopatra used her sensuality to get what she wanted, even though she too was a queen (Capik). This brings into question, why is power divided, either by gender or by social construct of a monarchial society?
Elizabeth is portrayed to have had more respect than her counterpart because Elizabeth didn’t use her womanhood to influence men. Cleopatra of course was the complete opposite. Although different in many ways, Elizabeth and Cleopatra are the same when it comes to being monumental in changing the monarchy. Neither need a king and both made decisions or have influenced men when it was unheard of. Men didn’t need to use their sensuality or knowledge to make decisions. Simply because they’re men, their word was enough. It sounds ridiculous, I know. Cleopatra really only needed her words and sensuality and she had Antony in the palm of her hand. This actually doesn’t shine a good light on women. She actually ridicules Antony for being a servant to Cesar in Act one Scene one “Perchance? Nay, and most like…You must not stay here longer. Your dismission Is come from Caesar.. Therefore hear it, Antony…Where’s Fulvia’s process? Caesar’s, I would say—both? 30 Call in the messengers. As I am Egypt’s queen, Thou blushest, Antony, and that blood of thineIs Caesar’s homager. Else so thy cheek pays shame when shrill-tongued Fulvia scolds.” Cleopatra is calling Antony a servant and servants roles were for women only at the time. Even though Cleopatra was a woman she had more power than Antony. It shows we only to need to look pretty and sleep with a man to get what we want (Verma). A good example would be how women are dependable on men for everything that’s considered “masculine”. Times have changed to where there are less women getting married and settling down but focusing on their careers and being independent. In some cases women have used their sexuality and sensuality to get what they want in life. The gender roles have flipped compared to when Antony and Cleopatra was written. Tv show example would be How to get away with Murder with the main character being Annalise Keating is a strong independent political science professor/lawyer who has used her sexuality to get what she wants when it comes to cases. Her husband is also a professor but is having an affair. This as a power struggle between the both of them. The husband cheating is his cry out to his failing marriage and Annalise not willing to reign in her career in order to save her marriage. This role of Cleopatra would have been playing devil’s advocate in today’s society. A lot like Annalise. There are feminist who believe women should be viewed as more than their bodies and then there are feminist who take pride in their sexuality and sensuality because it makes them women (Verma). This makes me question whether or not Cleopatra loved Antony or was it just a ploy to gain something from him?
Antony carries his heart on his sleeve. He does everything in his power to prove that he loves Cleopatra. During the renaissance era there was courting but in this play Antony took it to a whole other level. He allowed her to make decisions when it came to war and had him on a figurative leash (Zimmerman). Another contemporary example would be men feeling emotions. Antony is in love with Cleopatra and his empire (possibly the world) knows it. Slowly but surely in today’s society men are starting to feel comfortable showing their emotions. The saying that boys don’t cry is hard to unravel after it being told to the entire male species. It’s a sign of toxic masculinity but it’s treated as if it’s a job to not show it. Similar to Antony’s duty ruling the roman empire. Caring is considered a feminine trait yet Antony cares for Cleopatra and the psychological gender roles are reversed. A movie example would be Nobody’s Fool. The main character is an ad executive on the verge of making vice-president in the company and the guy that loves her works/owns the coffee shop next door. She flirts with him every day and gets a free rose and coffee from him. He’s very upfront about his feelings towards her but she doesn’t reciprocate them because he’s not her perfect guy. She tries to keep her life in order and still maintain her independence but realizes she’s falling in love with him but struggles with accepting it. She hurts him twice and he visibly shows and states his emotions. Usually in most cases, men won’t do that unless they love someone. It’s usually women confessing their love for the man and him not reciprocating but it’s complete role reversal. Cleopatra on the other had didn’t know if she loved Antony or not until the end of the play but we’ll get into how she’s emotionally unavailable later. Antony is controlled by a woman and that simply isn’t done. Not during Egyptian/Roman time and certainly not during the Renaissance era. But Antony knows what’s being said about him and he knows how he’s appearing to Rome. In Act One Scene Two Antony tells the Messenger “Speak to me home. Mince not the general tongue….Name Cleopatra as she is called in Rome….Rail thou in Fulvia’s phrase, and taunt my faults…With such full license as both truth and malice Have power to utter… Oh, then we bring forth weeds 110 When our quick minds lie still, and our ills told us…Is as our earing”. It’s as if Shakespeare is mocking him for being in love. Or is it Cleopatra having all the power? Throughout the play it’s as if she’s toying with him, constantly testing him to see where his loyalties lie. It’s proven that Cleopatra is willing to see how far Antony’s love goes in Act One Scene One “If it be love indeed, tell me how much….There’s beggary in the love that can be reckon’d…I’ll set a bourn how far to be loved… Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth”. Please use the word loyalty very loosely because Antony was nowhere near loyal. As I mentioned above, Cleopatra and Antony were having an affair. Antony ends up having two wives throughout the play. This would be considered normal. Cleopatra comparing herself to his wives is normal, although definitely antifeminist (Capik). Some people wouldn’t think it’s “love” though. This makes me ask the question, was it love or was it all for strategic appearance of possibly being one of the most powerful couples in history?
Love isn’t calculative, manipulative or makes you question what you lack. Would they have made an excellent power couple? Sure. Some power couples are simply together because of the status, fame and fortune. Individually they’re good, together they’re great. Take Beyoncé and Jay Z as another contemporary example. Great artist individually, together they’re the highest paying artistic couple who are worth over a billion dollars and are great business partners. To me, I don’t think that’s love. That’s tolerance. That’s what Antony and Cleopatra are portraying (Termizi). If Cleopatra was as independent as she made herself appear to be she wouldn’t have dared compared herself to Antony’s wives, let alone constantly test his loyalty. In Act One Scene Two, Enobarbus tells Antony “Alack, sir, no, her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and tears. They are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be cunning in her. If it be, she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove”. He’s never seen Cleopatra so in love but at the time Antony wishes he never met her. That being said, it seems to be a ruse to make it seem like she questioned his loyalty because she loved him, only to ensure that she has him wrapped around her finger. This allows men to think they’re in control but in actuality the women are. The gender roles are constantly switching (Ritchie). The power is constantly switching hands. It’s almost as if they’re dancing. Not to the beat of their hearts but to the sound of questionable love and toxicity. Sounds a lot like dating in 2018.
One could compare this play to how women of today technically don’t need men. Women are becoming more comfortable in taking on the responsibility of supporting themselves even though it used to be a “man’s job”. This is where we constantly see that there’s a power struggle in relationships today. Where does the separation of gender norms in the relationship start and losing your independence end? By losing one’s independence, I’m not just talking about women but of men as well. There are men that take care of themselves and as soon as they get into a relationship, the responsibility of taking care of themselves is taken by the women. Before even the play was written, it’s been drilled into each genders heads as to what their roles are, what their sexuality should be and if they really need each other. Let’s be honest, you don’t need people. Yes you need them socially (to create relationships ,etc.) but physically and economically, you don’t need anyone. Then why ,as a society, do we feel that it’s necessary to depend on another person? I can understand that during the Elizabethan era, the monarchy needed a marital society because it’s how they survived but during this century and era, is it necessary? We’re as close to getting paid the same amount as men as ever. We get the same jobs, perform the same task, etc. the only way we would need each other is to extend the human race( ex: reproduction). Now this play would receive criticism but it wouldn’t be as bad as it was when the play originated. It would be considered normal this day and age.
The gender roles of Antony and Cleopatra would have been normalized by now had society hadn’t wanted to keep a male dominated society for so long. Women are still “submissive” for their lovers/husbands. Most of society has changed greatly though. Women are as close to being equal to men than ever before. Antony would be considered a romantic player and Cleopatra would be a “Boss”. Not being in charge, that’s starting to be less rare in 2018, but a boss as in a woman who can get what she wants, whether it be by looks or cunningness. She would be applauded. Shakespeare would still be considered a genius for bringing societal gender roles to a play and breaking old fashioned stereotypes of men and women. Feminists would have a love/hate relationship with him. Politicians would curse him for giving a woman a voice, let alone a powerful role as a queen. Antony and Çleopatra and their switching of gender roles will continue to change people’s minds of what it means to be a man and woman.