Tragic Downfall of Antony in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

Year 2019, , 746 - 758, 31.12.2019

Abdullah Kodal

https://doi.org/10.33905/bseusbed.610180

Abstract

Although there have been lots of debates about the reason of downfall of the great Roman general Antony, there is exactly one forefront reason in his destruction, it is Cleopatra herself. Her subversive power over Antony together with her manipulative and seductive power leads to the gradual breakdown of the male protagonist Antony and his destruction at the end. Thus, to understand the full aspect of his downfall as one of the triumvirs of the great Roman Empire, we have to know exactly, who Cleopatra is and what role her characteristics played in Antony’s downfall as a woman. Shakespeare’s Cleopatra even today regarded by some as the source of beauty and by some as the source of manipulation but the common point for most people; it would not be possible to describe her within the limited definitions of woman in patriarchal society and one would need more than these, at least, for Cleopatra. Regarding the different approaches and criticisms about the downfall of the protagonist Antony, my aim in this article is to show how Cleopatra as an outstanding female model in ancient ages led to the downfall of the male protagonist of Shakespeare’s play the great Roman general Antony by using her special feminine characteristics such as her beauty, her tempting words and speeches and also her seductive wiles against patriarchal assumptions that leads her to being condemned as a femme fatale. In this perspective, in the play of Shakespeare Cleopatra’s character is worth being analyzed whether she plays a submissive or a subversive role in the collapse of Antony.

Keywords

Antony, Cleopatra, Submissive, Subversive, Power

Shakespeare’in Antonius ve Kleopatrasında Antonius’un Trajik Çöküşü

Abstract

Büyük Romalı General Antonius’un çöküşü hakkında her ne kadar çeşitli tartışmalar olsa da öne çıkan ilk sebeplerden biri Kleopatra’nın kendisidir. Kleopatra’nın Antonius üzerindeki yıkıcı gücünün yanında manipülatif ve ayartıcı gücünün de etkisiyle erkek başkahraman Antonius’un yavaş yavaş çöküşüne ve sonunda yok oluşuna neden olmuştur.  Bu sebeple Büyük Roma İmparatorluğunun üç kurucu hükümdarından biri olarak Antonius’un çöküşünü tam olarak anlayabilmek için Kleoptra’nın tam olarak kim olduğunu ve Antonius üzerinde hangi karakteristik özeliklerinin etkili olduğunu bilmek gerekir. Sheakespear’in Kleopatrası bugün bile bazıları için güzellik kaynağı olarak görülürken bazıları için ise manipülasyon kaynağıdır. Fakat çoğu insan için ortak nokta ise onu ataerkil toplumdaki kadının sınırlı tanımıyla ifade edebilmenin mümkün olmadığı ve en azından Kleopatra için bu tanımlardan fazlasına gereksinim duyulmasıdır. Bu makalenin amacı Shakespeare’in oyunundaki başkahraman Büyük Roma İmparatoru Antonius’un çöküşü hakkındaki farklı yaklaşım ve eleştirileri dikkate alarak eski çağlarda sıra dışı kadın örneği olarak Kleopatra’nın kendine has kadınsı güzellik, ayartıcı söz, konuşmaları ve Ataerkil değerlere karşı sergilediği ayartıcı tavırlarıyla nasıl Antonius’un çöküşüne zemin hazırladığı ve nasıl entrikacı bir kadın olarak kınandığını göstermektir. Bu bakımdan Shakespeare’in oyununda Keopatra’nın Antonius’un çöküşünde yıkıcı ya da itaatkâr bir rol oynayıp oynamadığının incelenmesi araştırmaya değer bir konudur.

Keywords

Antonius, Kleopatra, İtaatkâr, Yıkıcı, Güç

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