Enobarbus and Antony Essays

Enobarbus and Antony Essays Enobarbus and Antony Essay Enobarbus and Antony Essay In this extract Enobarbus is relishing the attention of his fellow Roman soldiers as he recounts the spectacular first meeting between Cleopatra and Antony. He chooses a highly poetic, descriptive vocabulary to paint a picture of the extravagant sight of Cleopatras barge on its stately voyage down the river, bringing the sights, sounds and colours vividly to life for his spellbound audience. The opening lines of the extract show the dominant position Cleopatra holds in his memory: she pursued up his heart. The verb suggests that Cleopatra was the active participant in the love affair with Antony, revealing her predatory sexuality and supreme confidence in her own power and attractions. Agrippas interjections take the form of awestruck exclamations, revealing the extent of curiosity about the exotic lifestyle in Egypt that the Roman soldiers can usually only speculate about. Enobarbus swells with importance as he begins his account, and the line I will tell you is both a reminder of his own participation in the events, and a way of heightening expectation. The potent imagery of his speeches portrays Cleopatra as a rival to the goddess Venus, an apt role model for a woman who wields her sexuality as a weapon in her fight for power and status. Gold is the prevalent colour of the costumes and decoration of the procession, a burnishd throne, which is a symbol of great wealth and majesty. Clearly Cleopatra has chosen the allegorical role of Venus as a way of asserting her own divine status, both to her people who the city cast upon her, and to Antony. Not immune to the spell Cleopatra cast, Enobarbus hyperbolically personifies the very elements to suggest the sexual magnetism of the great queen: so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them Cleopatra has the universe itself at her feet. In a time when gender roles were far more limiting for women than today, especially in Roman society, the strength and superiority of Cleopatra in her relationship with Antony is a source of wonderment, admiration and anxiety for the Roman soldiers. Enobarbus makes it clear that Antony was slighted by Cleopatras highly theatrical entrance, and the triumvir actually comes across as a pathetic figure, sitting alone in the market place during the celebrations when even the air itself had gone to gaze on Cleopatra. She took the dominant role in their relationship by refusing Antonys invitation to dine, and the fact that Enobarbus makes no effort to hide this from Caesars loyal followers, suggests both his respectful attitude to the power Cleopatra exerts over all men and his pained contempt for Antonys weakness which eventually leads to his defection.