1) There are
some pretty good minor character speeches in the latter half of All for Love. Take a look at Alexas’s
speech at 3.430-442, or Octavia’s at
4.480-493, or Dolabella’s at 4.49-58, or at 4.211-222 and 4.231-236. Choose one
of these and comment on it, particularly if it seems significant to the rest of
the play.
or
2) Examine the
following brief quotation. Comment on its use of the natural world, regional
differences (real or supposed), and degrees / hierarchy.
Th’original villain sure no god created;
He was a bastard of the sun by Nile,
Aped into man, with all his mother’s mud
Crusted about his soul. (5.174-177)
Th’original villain sure no god created;
He was a bastard of the sun by Nile,
Aped into man, with all his mother’s mud
Crusted about his soul. (5.174-177)
or
3) What sense
of ending do we get from Dryden in All
for Love? Concentrate on either Antony’s end, or Cleopatra’s. What is the
nature of their tragedy, in this version?
or
4) Discuss another part of today’s reading that
seems to be in need of exploration, elucidation, or comment.
I love Octavia's parting speech, where she finally lets Antony know that she won't stick around while he chases Cleopatra. I just wish she'd made this decision sooner. I have a very hard time relating to most of the characters in this play, since I can't get over the fact that Antony is cheating on his wife. More than Antony's betrayal of Octavia, what really bothers me is Cleopatra's attitude and those of her attendants, who help her woo Antony. She acts as if she has every right to Antony, and is utterly remorseless - even when she meets Octavia face to face. At the end of the play, Cleopatra goes as far as to call herself Antony's wife. I don't understand how she can call herself that after years of destroying Antony's marriage. From what we said about Dryden, I'd thought he would take a firmer stance against immorality. This wasn't the impression I got, especially after Antony and Cleopatra were portrayed as valiant, tragic lovers in the last scene. Cleopatra's actions are described as "well done, and like a queen", as if she hadn't just betrayed the interests of her country for the pursuit of another woman's husband. I had a similar problem with Margery's pursuit of Horner, but she at least had the excuses of an abusive marriage and a low IQ. Cleopatra is a smart, capable sovereign, and Antony has a bright, devoted wife. I don't understand how so many of the characters in this play (chiefly Cleopatra's attendants) just condone this crazy relationship.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I found Octavia's speech so refreshing. She did her best to get her marriage back together, making excuses for her husband's (in my opinion) inexcusable actions. Finally, she admits to herself that Antony isn't going to reform and that she has better things to do with her life than wait for him. My only complaints are that she didn't come to this conclusion a little sooner, and that she still seems to be attached to him. She calls him a "poor cozened man" when he was really a willing and active participant in the relationship with Cleopatra, and "my lord", promising that "my duty shall be yours". Still, I think this is the most clearheaded and "normal" speech in the play, when someone finally stands up and says that "my just sense of wrong forbids my stay" - and gets on with her life.
Cleopatra’s confrontation with Octavia is vaguely reminiscent of Mariam’s with Herod’s first wife. In fact, the back-and-forth motion, the coming and going and debates of faithfulness (or lack thereof) reminds me quite a bit of The Tragedy of Mariam. I wonder if this is because Cary and Dryden worked with original texts, and that those histories, as transcribed in Latin were told in such a fashion.
ReplyDeleteI also recall discussion in the context of Cary’s tragedy as to whether or not Mariam is a characteristic opposite of Cleopatra.
Interestingly enough, the tragedies happen at roughly the same time (as the Octavian who presumably killed Herod is the same Octavian with whom Antony is fighting?).
Antony’s wavering loyalties are more stark in this play, as opposed to Shakespeare’s, yet also more… believable, perhaps. He has a bit more of a personality in Dryden’s version, as do his complimentary characters like Cleopatra, Octavia, Dollabella and Ventidius (the last two being unique to this play?). The play itself is about relationships in general-- “All for Love” doesn’t just refer to Antony and Cleopatra’s love, but also to his stale relationship with Octavia, and his more advisory and companionable relationships with Dollabella and Ventidius. If anything, I find his relationship with Cleopatra to be the least compelling of the lot, not because the romance is unappealing or told in a non-compelling way, but because I feel that platonic relationships aren’t emphasized in such a way in most plotlines in the era. Nor does Antony fly into a jealous rage at the drop of a hat-- nearly every reaction comes as a response to compelling and seemingly incriminating evidence that his loyalties deserve to change. It is Cleopatra who is almost petty, or at least the least noble-minded of the cast. Her reactions within the confines of the play seem to be based on jealousy alone, and despite her regal bearing--especially in the last, iconic scene--she seems to have the least to lose in terms of “The World Well Lost.” Of course, a lover and a kingdom is a lot to lose, but it seems somewhat trivial in the face of the other, somewhat more earnest relationships that are broken in death and conquest in the play.
Something that I feel definitely deserves comment is the theme of extreme loyalty. Both Antony's and Cleopatra's servants are willing to die with their masters, with seemingly no second thought. Many times while reading dramas, I wonder how it can be that people would throw away their lives so easily. I am trying to understand the motive behind the suicides of the servants. Ventidius says that he would rather die than kill Antony. Yet, Antony was so lovesick anyway that Ventidius probably could have escaped and left Antony to kill himself without Ventidius having to join in the suicide. Perhaps he felt he would have no value without his master, especially with the rise of a new emperor. In addition, both Iras and Charmion choose to follow their queen to the death. Iras even says "more should fear to live without you." This case is more understandable, I suppose, because Egypt would be conquered and the servants would not be able to return to the lives they once had. Though, Antony, even without Cleopatra, had so much to live for. He would be Emperor, have his wife (although that relationship was a bit rocky), and his children. Yet, he chose to give it ALL up, to maybe see his lover in the afterlife. It just makes me wonder why life was taken so lightly (and I am aware that this is still a work of fiction) and it also makes me wonder what effect these types of plays had on the psyche of the audience. Was this viewed as heroic, or were people as astonished and upset at all of the suicides as I am.
ReplyDeleteBoth Antony and Cleopatra's end is tragic. It isn't only tragic though, it happened based on something that wasn't true. When Alexas comes in and tells Antony that Cleopatra is dead, he isn't really saying the truth, so while this causes Antony a great deal of pain because he obviously wasn't whole with his decision to leave with Octavia, he still feels the need to kill himself because he can't live in a world where Cleopatra doesn't. It sounds romantic, but when Cleopatra comes in, alive and well, it's somewhat frustrating to the reader. They could have both found a way to live and be with each other, but the drama of the tragic ending prevents that from happening. Cleopatra then kills herself when she sees that Antony is dying (and eventually dies in front of her) because she then cannot bear to live when he doesn't.
ReplyDeleteWhat adds to the tragedy is the fact that Ventidius and Cleopatra's servants all kill themselves as well out of loyalty to their masters, showing that they will suffer with them and there will be no reality where they don't share in their master's tragedy. This only adds to the sad ending of Antony and Cleopatra, but is somewhat honorable as well.