Antony & Cleopatra, Shakespeare - Anthony's Suicide

« ANTONY & CLEOPATRA », SHAKESPEARE
Act IV, Scene 14
This tragedy, “Antony and Cleopatra”, written by William Shakespeare, was first printed in 1623. The title itself already announces some information: first of all, that these two are great characters; one is a Roman triumvir, the other is the most famous queen of Egypt. The second main information is the duality, which announces a great theatrical theme and the variations between a duel and a duo. Having previously defeated Caesar in a land battle, Antony is again defeated at sea. He blames Cleopatra. Because the play’s dramatic structure suggests that the battle in Act IV will be climactic and probably result in Antony’s death, Antony’s victory in these scenes is surprising and makes the plot much less predictable. After Antony’s flight from battle in Act III, and after Cleopatra’s apparent willingness to betray her lover, all seems lost for them. Indeed, the opening scenes of Act IV confirm and build upon this impression.
I – GAME 1: DESPERATE ANTONY COMPLAINS ABOUT TREACHEROUS CLEOPATRA a) Loss of Antony’s identity as a soldier

In this scene, Shakespeare explores the ultimate deconstruction of Mark Antony’s identity. Eros comes upon Antony, who’s philosophizing on nature – exactly what you might expect from a suicidal guy that’s just lost a great battle and is convinced that the woman he sacrificed everything for has betrayed him to his enemy. Antony likens his shifting sense of self to a cloud that changes shape as it tumbles across the sky. Just as the cloud turns from (l.3) “a bear or lion, a towered citadel, a pendent rock”, Antony seems to change from the reputed conqueror into a debased victim. When he asks Eros (l.1) “thou yet behold’st me?”, he wonders if he is still visible and recognizable in spite of his faded figure. As he says to Eros, his uncharacteristic defeat, both on the battlefield and in matters of love, makes it difficult for him to remain the legendary Antony.

b) Cleopatra described as being THE manipulative queen

Loyalty is central to a lot of the relationships in the play, but betrayal always hangs near as a frightening fact when so much power is at stake. In Antony’s mind, (l.18) “she has packed cards with Caesar” : Cleopatra, supposedly Antony’s partner in the game, is suspected of having arranged and played her cards in such a way as to leave Antony at a loss. “Knave” (l.14), “queen” (l.15) and “heart” (l.16) are card terms that probably suggested the metaphor. She robbed him of his masculinity, took away his prowess as a soldier: (l.23) “she robbed me of my sword”. This indicates that he feels emasculated both politically and psychically. Characters’ loyalty to one another is constantly called into question by their quick betrayals of one another, and the question of whether loyalty is an enduring feeling is raised as a result. When finally, Antony learns that Cleopatra has not betrayed him, he is again betrayed by her supposed suicide. Cleopatra is never loyal to Antony, even though she claims to kill herself over him. Her constant willingness throughout the play to manipulate him is an indicator of the fact that she’d betray him as soon as it was convenient for her, either politically or emotionally.

c) Eros: Antony’s real true ally

At the beginning, Antony uses Eros as a naïve audience for his meditations on dissolution. He points out Eros as he discusses his self-dissolution with the shifting cloud metaphor than (l.10) “even with a thought / the rack dislims”. But as a true devoted knave, Eros would rather kill himself, indeed, than kill Antony or even live to see Antony's death. By killing himself at the end of the extract, Eros thought also about his place in the record of history: (l.98) “by brave instruction got upon me a nobleness in record.” Moreover, the language in which Eros addressees to Antony shows his deep respect for him: “my captain” (l.90), “my emperor” (l.90).
II – GAME 2: MANIPULATIVE CLEOPATRA PRETENDS TO BE DEAD

a) Cleopatra is no longer living (supposedly)

Then, Mardian arrives with the false news of Cleopatra’s suicide. She tells that Cleopatra (l.23) “my mistress [who loved thee]” is dead and that the last words she spoke were (l.30) “Antony! Most noble Antony!”. Cleopatra’s attempt to learn how Antony would react to her “death” is, at best, immature. She should have known that her scheme might cause him to commit suicide. A more psychologically mature woman would have realized instantly the possible disastrous consequences of such a plot, rather than telling dramatically that she had died with his name upon her lips.

b) Antony’s blindness

Talking to Eros about Cleopatra’s love, and the battles he fought in its name, Antony uses the metaphor of the desert mirage, (l.8) “black vesper’s pageants”: he feels that his vision of his honor and of Cleopatra is comparable to an oasis, a false effect on the sense of sight caused by the imagination. Besides, “pageant” is a synonym of “spectacle”, of the theatrical representation or “masque” in Shakespeare. Cleopatra has been central to his vision, and with his opinion of her, of a manipulative queen, his entire system now begins to evaporate. But when he learns that Cleopatra has supposedly committed suicide, he is once again left in the dark for his “torch” (l.46), that is to say the life of Cleopatra is not by his side anymore.

c) Another lovers’ adversary: time

Time here is crucial: Cleopatra’s second set of messengers arrive but too late, after the death blew has been dispatched, but before Antony is dead, to give maximum heart wrenching tragic impact. It may seem unreal that Antony takes so long to die; most people who kill themselves don’t make long speeches about it. However, in opera and Shakespeare’s dramas, this is very often the case. Another connotation of time is when Antony says (l.46): “All length is torture”, meaning that life without Cleopatra is not worth living. Antony can only regain his Roman identity by literal self-destruction as “A Roman by a Roman / Valiantly vanquished” (l.57)
III – WINNER OF THE GAME: SUICIDE

a) Suicide viewed as being the only outlet left

Cleopatra can be blamed for Antony’s suicide: one can assume it was her own fault… or was it simply a matter of fate, in which neither person can be blamed? Antony, who has been betrayed by his lover and has lost the war to Caesar, offers one of the play’s most profound reflections on the connection between character and circumstance: (l.13)“Here I am Antony, / Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave”. As his fortune changes from good to bad, so, he believes, his character slips from honorable to dishonorable. Even Antony’s last act betrays him. He can’t have himself killed by his man: Eros kills himself rather than Antony. In desperation, Antony falls on his own sword but doesn’t aim correctly. Antony came to commit suicide because, according to him, he has no other possible solutions. Antony is accustomed only to victory, and his understanding of self leaves little room for defeat, either on the battlefield or in terms of love. As a Roman, Antony has a rigid perception of himself: he must live within the narrowly defined confines of the victor and hero or not live at all. Left without military might or Cleopatra, Antony loses his sense of who he is. Rather than becoming an Antony conquered, he chooses to end his life. In the end, he clings to the image of himself as the unvanquished hero in order to achieve this last task: (l.21) “there is left us ourselves to end ourselves”.

b) Staging of Eros and Antony’ suicides

Shakespeare drag out the matter of the death of Antony quite long but we can assume that the same effect could not have been produced with fewer lines. In Elizabethan times, suicide was considered as an honorable act; thus, Antony in making and carrying out his determination, exhibits a maturity that has been severely lacking and reproached in his character up to this point. For doing so, he calls Eros and commands him to kill him. Eros hesitates, and Antony pleads with him, saying that surely Eros would not wish to see him a captive of Caesar, defeated and shamed. Eros agrees, and he asks Antony to turn the other way so that he will not see Eros's sword. Antony does so, and Eros kills himself instead, after saying farewell to Antony. This scene is extremely scripted. Indeed, Eros insists on Antony to turn from him and takes the time to say “farewell” (l.91-93) twice to him: once again, the “great chief” (l.93) Antony is blind and can’t see what is happening.

c) The eternity, through suicide, will win over Caesar

Antony is totally shocked and instantly regrets his mistrust of her. When he hears that she has supposedly committed suicide, however, he is again instantly reconciled: (l.44) “I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and weep for my pardon”. The expressions of adoration of Cleopatra by Antony throughout the play and especially in the culmination scenes, suggest his motivations to die beside his love. Antony addresses the queen, whom he believes to be dead, and promises to join her quickly in death, after which they’ll roam together through the hereafter. It suffices to cool Antony’s temper and returns him to thoughts of reconciliation. By killing himself, Antony envisions joining his love in the afterlife: (l.50) “I come my queen, stay for me, where souls do couch on flowers we’ll hand in hand, and with our sprightly port make the ghost gaze”. Neither Cleopatra nor Antony view their death as a permanent end and therefore, the ending of this play is not tragic. Instead, death leads to a more felicitous existence where they will reunite in heaven and regain the sublime happiness they experienced on earth. This consummation in death of their love moves the couple towards its ultimate victory over Caesar and the Roman Empire.
CONCLUSION
In this scene, we now see the consequences of Antony's poor judgment and mistrust. Having believed that he had lost everything, his valor as a soldier and his beloved Cleopatra, he attempted to kill himself, learning too late that he acted too rashly. Cleopatra, not fully understanding the agony of her Roman lover, precipitated his death by her melodramatic, manipulative playacting. However, Cleopatra is psychologically less vulnerable and still strongly motivated by a narcissistic sense of survival. This is evident in her final betrayal of Antony when she feigns death to shock him into forgiving her even though she did not betray him in the final battle. But she realizes too late the state that Antony has regressed to and that her actions have motivated Antony to the self-annihilation of suicide. The scene of Antony's suicide is the most tragically presented of the play, partly because of the futility of this action.