Antony and Cleopatra key quotes

Key quotes based on themes: 1. Love, pleasure and decadence 2. Honour, loyalty and betrayal 3. Strategy, manipulation and power 4. Gender roles 5. Messages, warnings and omens. 6. Antony and Cleopatra 7. Imagery and symbolism 8. Enobarbus.

Love, Pleasure and Decadence

• "A gypsy's lust"

• "The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet's fool"

• "Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall."

• "The nobleness of life" - Antony's view of love

• "We stand up peerless" - Antony

• "Stirred by Cleopatra" - A like Cleo

• "Eternity was in our lips and eyes" - love/romance/power

• "By this great marriage" (everything will be solved)

• "Let her live to join our kingdoms and our hearts"

• "My heart was to thy rudder tied by the' strings" - Antony's love for her

• "Sword made weak by my affection"

• "I dreamt there was an emperor Antony" - Cleo

• "Husband, I come!" - Cleo to A

Antony’s love for Cleopatra:

• "The nobleness of life" - Antony's view of love

• "We stand up peerless" - Antony

• "Stirred by Cleopatra" - A like Cleo

• "Eternity was in our lips and eyes" - love/romance/power

Love as Power and Strategy:

• "By this (Octavia and Antony’s) great marriage" (everything will be solved)

• "Let her live to join our kingdoms and our hearts"

• "My heart was to thy rudder tied by the' strings" - Antony's love for C

• "Sword made weak by my affection"

• "I dreamt there was an emperor Antony" - Cleo

• "Husband, I come!" - Cleo to A

Negative perception of A/C’s love:

• "A gypsy's lust"

• "The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet's fool"

• "Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall."

Betrayal and mistrust

• "Never was there a queen so mightily betrayed" - hyperbole

• "Who have been false to Fulvia" - Cleopatra undermining Antony

• "No more" - Antony as commander

• "My most wronged sister" - C to O

Honour and loyalty (Antony, Eros, Enobarbus)

• "If I lose mine honour, I lose myself" - Antony

• "Thus I do escape the sorrow of Antony's death" - Eros kills himself

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

• "Thrice nobler than myself" - Antony about Eros

• "I will go seek some ditch wherein to die" - Enobarbus

A’s betrayal of Rome for Cleo

• "He hath given his empire up to a whore" - Roman view of their romance

• "Our terrene moon is now eclipsed and it portends alone the fall of Antony"

• "Take from his heart, take from his brain, from time what should not then be spared" - E telling Lepidus what C takes from A

Political Strategy and Rivalries:

• “In me 'tis villainy; In thee't had been good service" - nuance of honour

• "Wilt thou be lord of the whole world" - Menas to Pompey

• "It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate our great competitor" - third person, superiority complex

• Pompey states that Antony's 'soldiership is twice the other twain'"

• "You were the word of war" - Caesar to Antony

Cleo’s power

• "Give me good fortune" - Charmian, powerful Egyptian women enjoying men

• "Great serpent of Old Nile"

• "Or I'll unpeople Egypt" - if Cleopatra doesn't write a letter to A everyday

• "She has robbed me of my sword" - Cleo emasculated him

Manipulation

• "His sons he there proclaimed the king of Kings" - Antony's insult to Caesar- more powerful.

• "The universal landlord" - Caesar depicted as sole ruler of Rome

• "Tell him I am prompt to lay my crown at's feet"

• "Give me good fortune" - Charmian, powerful Egyptian women enjoying men

Female power and femininity:

• "Give me good fortune" - Charmian, powerful Egyptian women enjoying men/ making demands

• "Great serpent of Old Nile"

• "Or I'll unpeople Egypt" - if Cleopatra doesn't write a letter to A everyday
  “goddess Isis”

Misogyny and the negative view of women:

• "Let witchcraft join beauty" - Pompey comments on the negativity of femininity

• "Transform us not to women!" - Enobarbus - negative attitude

• "Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness I'th' posture of a whore" - Cleo owning it

• "Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch" - Charmian, negativity of being a Witch

Prophecies/ warnings:

• "Soothsayer, 'thou art sure to lose'" - against Caesar

• "Music i'th' air Under the earth" - supernatural/foreboding

• "'Tis the god Hercules whom Antony loved now leaves him" - classical allusion

Omens/ signs of Doom/ omens:

• "Eros! Mine armour, Eros!" - god of love, juxtaposition with war

• "Perchance tomorrow you'll serve another master" - A, proleptic irony

• "There is goodness in the worm" - clown

Hedonistic symbols:

• "He fishes, drinks, and wastes the lamps night in revel" - Antony as reckless

• "Bacchus" - at the meeting - god of wine, hedonistic approach to politics

• "Epicurean cooks sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite"- never enough

Tragic symbols about A’s death

• "thick cloud, and rain, that I may say The gods themselves do weep" - pathetic fallacy

• "High order in this great solemnity" - final line, Caesar - Roman way of respecting

Cleopatra symbols:

• "My nightingale" - A to Cleo

• “My enchantress”

• “Goddess isis

  vs

• “tripled-turned whore”

• “foul Egyptian”

• “Gypsy”

Enobarbus' critique of Antony:

• "Your ships are not well manned" - critique from E

• "Here comes the Emperor" - sarcastic critique from E

• "I have no ears to his request" - C ignoring A

Enobarbus’ tragic ending

• "Poor Antony"- betrayed by Enobarbus

• "Oh, my fortunes have corrupted honest man!" - Antony's mistake, pathos, appeal to sympathy

• "Rather a ditch in Egypt Be gentle grave unto me!" - echoes Enobarbus' death, presents loyalty

Honour, loyalty and betrayal:

• "Never was there a queen so mightily betrayed" - hyperbole

• "Who have been false to Fulvia" - Cleopatra undermining Antony

• "The strong necessity of time commands our services a while"

• "No more" - Antony as commander

• "If I lose mine honour, I lose myself" - Antony

• "My most wronged sister" - C to O

• "He hath given his empire up to a whore" - Roman view of their romance

• "Take from his heart, take from his brain, from time what should not then be spared" - E on Cleo distracting A

• "Our terrene moon is now eclipsed and it portends alone the fall of Antony"

• "Thus I do escape the sorrow of Antony's death" - Eros kills himself

• "Thrice nobler than myself" - Antony about Eros

• "The breaking of so great a thing so make a greater crack"

• "My oblivion is very Antony" - proleptic irony

• "It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate our great competitor" - third person, superiority complex

• "Pompey states that Antony's 'soldiership is twice the other twain'"

• "You were the word of war" - Caesar to Antony

• "Wilt thou be lord of the whole world" - Menas to Pompey

Gender Roles:

• "Give me good fortune" - Charmian, powerful Egyptian women enjoying men

• "Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch" - Charmian, negativity of being a Witch

• "Great serpent of Old Nile"

• "Or I'll unpeople Egypt" - if Cleopatra doesn't write a letter to A everyday

• "Let witchcraft join beauty" - Pompey comments on the negativity of femininity

• "Transform us not to women!" - Enobarbus - negative attitude

• "Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness I'th' posture of a whore" - Cleo owning it

Strategy, Manipulation, and Power:

• "My oblivion is very Antony" - proleptic irony

• "It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate our great competitor" - third person, superiority complex

• "Pompey states that Antony's 'soldiership is twice the other twain'"

• "You were the word of war" - Caesar to Antony

• "Wilt thou be lord of the whole world" - Menas to Pompey

• "In me 'tis villainy; In thee't had been good service" - nuance of honour

• "Bacchus" - at the meeting - god of wine, hedonistic approach to politics

• "His sons he there proclaimed the king of Kings" - Antony's insult to Caesar

• "The universal landlord" - Caesar depicted as sole ruler of Rome

• "Tell him I am prompt to lay my crown at's feet"

• "She has robbed me of my sword" - Cleo emasculated him

• "I will go seek some ditch wherein to die" - Enobarbus

• "Give me good fortune" - Charmian, powerful Egyptian women enjoying me

• "Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch" - Charmian, negativity of being a Witch

• "Great serpent of Old Nile"

• "Or I'll unpeople Egypt" - if Cleopatra doesn't write a letter to A everyday

Omens:

• "Soothsayer, 'thou art sure to lose'" - against Caesar

• "Music i'th' air Under the earth" - supernatural/foreboding

• "'Tis the god Hercules whom Antony loved now leaves him" - classical allusion

• "Eros! Mine armour, Eros!" - god of love, juxtaposition with war

• "Perchance tomorrow you'll serve another master" - A, proleptic irony

Antony’s nuanced view on love:

• "Taunt my faults" - Antony realises his own failings

• "These strong Egyptian fetters I must break, or lose myself in dotage"

• "My dearest queen" - A to Cleo

• "I have lost my way forever" - Antony, dramatic, failure

Cleopatra’s view A’s death:

• “our lamp is spent”

• "They had stolen our jewel" - Cleo on A

• "She shall be buried by her Antony. No grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous"

Messages, warnings and omens:

• "Soothsayer, 'thou art sure to lose'" - against Caesar

• "Music i'th' air Under the earth" - supernatural/foreboding

• "'Tis the god Hercules whom Antony loved now leaves him" - classical allusion

• "Eros! Mine armour, Eros!" - god of love, juxtaposition with war

• "Perchance tomorrow you'll serve another master" - A, proleptic irony

• "There is goodness in the worm" - clown

• "Taunt my faults" - Antony realises his own failings

• "These strong Egyptian fetters I must break, or lose myself in dotage"

• "My dearest queen" - A to Cleo

• "The demi-Atlas of this earth" - Cleopatra's view of Antony

• "I have lost my way forever" - Antony, dramatic, failure

• "I am dying, Egypt, dying" - Egypt personified

• "They had stolen our jewel" - Cleo on A

• "She shall be buried by her Antony. No grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous"

Imagery and Symbolism:

• "He fishes, drinks, and wastes the lamps night in revel" - Antony as reckless

• "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety"

• "My nightingale" - A to Cleo

• "Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain, that I may say The gods themselves do weep" - pathetic fallacy

• "High order in this great solemnity" - final line, Caesar - Roman way of respecting

Enobarbus:

• "Your ships are not well manned" - critique from E

• "Here comes the Emperor" - sarcastic critique from E

• "I have no ears to his request" - C ignoring A

• "Poor Antony"

• "Oh, my fortunes have corrupted honest man!" - Antony's mistake, pathos, appeal to sympathy

• "Rather a ditch in Egypt Be gentle grave unto me!" - echoes Enobarbus' death, presents loyalty

“I am dying Egypt, dying”

antonomasia

Enobarbus’s death-

“The hand of death hath raught him”

“he may recover yet”

“find a ditch wherein to die”

Serveral famous 19th century plays omitted his death entirely.

C’s perspective on Antony

‘The demi-Atlas of this earth’ - Cleopatra's view of Antony

Lepidus

‘Lepidus was grown too cruel”- Caesar’s justification- lies.

‘Lepidus of the Triumvirate should be deposed’