Complex Fusion of Virtues and Faults: Shakespeare’s Antony as a ‘Manliest’ Man

Abstract

Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra presents a rigorous challenge in terms of character analysis since the central characters of the play, Antony and Cleopatra, are not unified figures acting in accordance with a recognizable personality. The characters’ complexity is enhanced by their limited action and reliable words. The words in the play are hardly trustworthy and the characters are too sophisticated to conceive as such making the interpretation of the characters more difficult. Thus, arguing that Mark Antony who can be praised or attacked remains questionable, this paper deals with the conflict between what Antony thinks about himself, what he does, and what the others think about him in order to demonstrate the multiplicity and complexity in his character.

Keywords

• Antony and Cleopatra, multiplicity of character, manliness

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