An Affair with Death

Paper Summary:

This paper summarizes and analyzes William Shakespeare's play "Antony and Cleopatra" and looks at how the love affair between the central characters, Antony and Cleopatra, is a story of the meeting of two civilizations which are irreconcilable, where the power struggle of world powers plays out between lovers. In particular, the paper examines what the relationship is between Antony's suicide and and his affair with Cleopatra and what this says overall about love, at least when mingled with politics.

From the Paper:

"More than a pure tragic romance, Antony & Cleopatra is a play that investigates the complex relationship between love and affairs of state, including issues of manipulation, responsibility, duty, and honor. The love affair between Antony and Cleopatra is more than a story of a man leaving his wife for another woman--it is a story of the meeting of two civilizations which are irreconcilable, where the power struggle of world powers plays out between lovers. As such, the text is riddled with metaphor; this is especially visible around the character of Antony and his death scene specifically. Reading this play and focusing on a close reading of Antony's prolonged death, I started to wonder what the relationship is in the text between his suicide and his affair with Cleopatra and what this says overall about love, at least when mingled with politics."

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