Anthony and Cleopatra essay

“If you don’t know your history ”“ you’ll never be able to build your future”, – said the Classic. If we try to analyze the world history we’ll see that world sets on two foundations: Power and Love. Very often they combined and consequences were different.

Power has been attracting man from the ancient times. And there is no difference in times, religions, sex or political situation. Man always wants to be the main, to control the majority. In Ancient World brother and sister should marry to keep the Crown. Nowadays methods are not so barbarous but they have not changed in the best way.

Power always influences on the man’s mind and feelings but it can’t change one of the strongest senses ”“ Love.

Sometimes it can unite the whole peoples but sometimes it can be the reason of war and hatred. Power passes through the human history like a red line and left the indelible sign.

From ancient times the human feelings are reflected in literature. Owing to it we can consider some historic events from the emotional point of view, watch the heroes, condemn or countenance them. This can be seen in Shakespeare’s tragedy “Anthony and Cleopatra”. This couple was quite unique. Each of them had a power. But what kind of power”¦

Anthony had a big army and ponderable authority in Rome and consequently in the whole Empire. Cleopatra was also quite powerful. She was the Queen of Egypt and craving for the power was the main part of her life. She had not only juridical power as a queen, but she had wonderful gift to subdue men. Cleopatra fought for the power on a par with men and there is a question: who was the weaker?

She loved only the winners: Caesar, Anthony, Octavianus”¦ Cleopatra changed love into the powerful weapon for the fulcrum. Anthony loved her and he was ready to do anything for the sake of Cleopatra, but she was interested only in power. She committed a suicide, because she understood that her ruthless politics and its cruel laws certainly will kill her.

Generally, the concept of power was rather interesting in Ancient Egypt and whole Ancient World.

A pharaoh was thought as “God-human” and his human origin which was containing in him drew the ruler together with mere mortals. As a mere mortal he depended on gods and needed their help. In the prayers pharaohs underlined constantly, that they are “obedient” the gods’ will. Another very interesting fact: in provincial centers the pharaoh’s “father” was considered the local supreme god. Along the whole length of Egypt history there was the absolutely observed inviolable “agreement” between gods and pharaohs, based on principle “Do ut des” (“I give you to give me”). Gods granted pharaoh longevity, personal and state prosperity; pharaoh, from his side, provided gods the observance of cult, temples building etc. Naturally, he did not do it himself – there was a mutual exchange by services “between the world of gods and Egypt as a whole”, however to carry out the mission of mediator between gods and people a pharaoh was called ”“ “God-human”.

Now we understand why on her way to the power Cleopatra went through marriage with her brother, sham marriage, love, passion, envy and hatred.

Events in “Anthony and Cleopatra” took plays in 31 B.C. Shakespeare wrote his work in 1605. Almost one and a half thousand years passed but problems were the same ”“ power, love and human lives. The types of power are also stayed without any change. We can see it in “Anthony and Cleopatra”: the power of love, political power and power of imagination.

The power of love forced the sternest man to tremble for the little delicate woman. Cleopatra had even the power over the life. As everybody knows she was the great lover and admirer had to die after night of love with her. But this fact didn’t stop men.

The political power is not a new thing for us. It is the key for all locks but at the same time the source of numerous human disasters. Power of imagination is one of the most unbelievable things. The human mind can make the miracles. Without imagination there wouldn’t be any crazy actions and so courageous decisions which can help to come true the most unrealizable dreams.

History is a mirror of world events, but literature is the world mirror, where all our events and emotions are reflected. Time has no control upon it, because nobody can give orders to the human heart. Power left a great vestige in literature and this theme is always urgent.



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