3 h 3 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can love demand from a general whose duty belongs to Rome and whose heart belongs to Egypt?
In William Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, Mark Antony stays in Alexandria while Rome watches with alarm. A great commander and one of Rome's three rulers, he is drawn to Cleopatra, Egypt's clever, proud queen. She wants both his love and her throne. Neither can keep politics outside their bond.
In Rome, the cool, patient Octavius Caesar wants to rule alone. His sister Octavia marries Antony to hold a fragile peace, but duty and desire pull in opposite directions. The play races between Rome and Alexandria, setting feasts beside armies and private feelings against public power. Love, comedy and grief share the stage.
What you’ll discover
- A queen of contrasts Meet Cleopatra in her changing moods, where pride, wit and fear crowd together.
- Love against duty Follow Antony as his bond with Cleopatra strains his place in Rome.
- Peace aboard a galley Enter Pompey's loud, drunken feast, where a treaty brings no sense of safety.
- A friend's clear eye Hear Enobarbus speak bluntly about the people and powers that claim Antony's loyalty.
- An empire on stage Move through swift scenes across the Mediterranean, where intimate choices carry vast political stakes.
Is it for you?
This summary suits readers who like stories where love and politics pull against each other, and anyone who wants to approach Shakespeare's Roman world with a map in hand. It may suit you less if you want a tight, single-plot drama.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Rome Watches Antony Lose Himself
- Egypt and Rome Pull in Opposite Ways
- A Marriage Is Made to Keep the Peace
- Pompey, Politics and a Fragile Peace
- Antony Returns to Cleopatra and Pays for It
- Loyalty Breaks and Honour Is Tested
- What the Play Says About Love and Power
- How Shakespeare Tells It: Speed, Poetry and Contrasts
Who’s who
- Mark AntonyA Roman general and one of three rulers of Rome, torn between his duty and his love for Cleopatra.
- CleopatraQueen of Egypt, clever, proud and changeable, who wants to hold Antony and keep her throne.
- Octavius CaesarYoung Roman ruler who is cool and patient, and who wants to rule the empire alone.
- EnobarbusAntony's blunt, witty officer and friend, who sees Cleopatra and Rome clearly and speaks his mind.
- OctaviaCaesar's sister, who marries Antony to keep peace between the two men.
- CharmianCleopatra's loyal attendant, who shares her jokes and her fears.
- LepidusThe weakest of the three Roman rulers, who tries to keep Antony and Caesar friendly.
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Antonio y Cleopatra
by William Shakespeare· 1623
A Roman general’s love conflicts with his duties to Rome.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 8
Rome Watches Antony Lose Himself
The play opens in Alexandria, where Philo, a Roman soldier, complains about his general. Mark Antony, once a great commander, now seems to be a servant to the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Philo says Antony has turned from a warrior into a lover who has no mind for his duties.
Antony and Cleopatra then enter, and the scene proves Philo half right. They tease each other and speak in huge terms about love. Antony refuses at first to hear messengers from Rome, as if the empire were a minor matter.
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The author
William Shakespeare
1564–1616 · English playwright and poet
William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet, born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. He worked in London as an actor and playwright. He wrote plays, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, and published sonnets in 1609. He died in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616.
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.”
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What is Antony and Cleopatra about?
It is about the love between the Roman general Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and how it clashes with Roman politics and the rivalry between Antony and Octavius Caesar.
Is Antony and Cleopatra a true story?
It is based on real history. Shakespeare took the story from Plutarch's life of Antony, in Thomas North's English version, and shaped it into drama. He changed and compressed events for the stage.
When was Antony and Cleopatra written?
Scholars usually date it to around 1606 or 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623, after Shakespeare's death.
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