Antony & Cleopatra

Act 5, scene 2 - lines 149-191

Cleopatra is a notoriously difficult character to interpret and perform. At the end of the play, the audience has seen many different facets of her personality. In Act 5, scene 2, she comes face to face with Caesar for the first time. In the following questions, we will explore possible interpretations of Cleopatra’s speech.

1a. Which of the adjectives below best describe Cleopatra during these lines? You may wish to record your choice on paper or in your own work area, so that you can refer to them later.

1b. Focus on the use of the exclamation mark in the above extract. What can you say about the impact of these nine exclamation marks? Do they influence your judgement of Cleopatra? Did they influence your choice of adjectives?

Look at the 1623 printed version, which has eight fewer exclamation marks. How does this change your reading of these lines? Would you change your choice of adjectives? Again, you may wish to write down your own ideas.

Antony & Cleopatra Introduction | Study Tools | Shakespeare Introduction | Britain in Print