Themes

Abstract

It is easier to say what Antony and Cleopatra is not, rather than what it is, about. We find no clash of good and evil, no metaphysical soul-searching, no vision of terror; instead, the play shows two conflicting modes of life, summed up in the words ‘Roman’ and ‘Egyptian’, each with its defenders and detractors. As spectators or as readers, we experience both modes; and the play’s meaning derives from the total impact of that experience, which has been carefully guided by the dramatic techniques of structure, characterisation, and language. (In the theatre, the actors also act as our guides.) These techniques force us to take in opposing viewpoints, to consider what there is of value in them, and to suspend easy judgements. The Critical Commentaries on each scene have explored in some detail the connexion between themes and techniques; however, it seems appropriate to bring together, in this section and in the next, the ideas traced earlier so that from the tangle of forty-two scenes we can come to a more focused and comprehensive view of the play. One can approach the matter of themes from other perspectives, such as: the question of greatness, the power of love, and the matter of empire. ‘Rome’ and ‘Egypt’ are meant to be only suggestive.