His taints and honours waged equal with him? Essay -- essays research

Philo, one of Antony’s loyal friend and partner in war, has seen Antony going from one respectable soldier to then abandoning his everything about the empire upon meeting Cleopatra. He is not confident into which category Antony fits into. (5.1) Many roles are played by Antony; therefore we see different sides of the argument. Antony can claim greatness for serving the needs of his country and his empire as fighter and as a leader. He can be seen as equal as Caesar, as he commits suicide, seen as a honourable thing to do. Antony’s once loyal and heroic background all changes when he comes across Cleopatra. A once great military reader is now in decline due to her charm and bewitching nature. The first sign we see this occurring is when Philo says the temple pillar of the world transformed into the strumpet’s fool (1.1). In differences between Roman and Alexandrian ways of life has a big influence on Antony’s behaviour and each view of Antony’s â₠¬Å"taints and honours† very differently. Shakespeare could be seen as using shock tactics to challenge the audiences of the time such as Antony’s suicide, which is a grave crime for the Protestant religions of that period. Different audiences will tend to view Antony’s behaviour differently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philo complains that Antony has abandoned the military endeavours. Antony was the military hero and disciplined statesman, but seems to have happily abandoned his reason in order to pursue his passion. He himself says, â€Å"here I am Antony, yet cannot hold this visible shape† (4.14). He, right after this, declares that, â€Å"let in Tiber melt and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall!†(1.1) Therefore, at this early stage, on the evidence provided, the audiences have already seen how badly Antony has switched to another side of himself. They now are aware that his taints now far outweigh his past honours in Roman eyes. Antony tried very hard to fight the conflict between public duty and private life. The fist such example one sees when Antony returns to Rome to fight against Pompey, as Antony describes it, â€Å"Our quick remove from hence†(1.2). This sense of duty creates anxiety for Cleopatra, as in the following scene we see her asking Alexas for his whereabouts, â€Å" see where he is, who’s with him, what he does†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antony falsely marries Octavia, thus bringing in another woman ... .... This will already give Antony a bad name, negative role, and identity. However Shakespeare first designed the play as, a â€Å"tragedy†. By indicating its dramatic genre, the audience will in the end see how Antony can be a hero serving his domain, country people and see to the extent his honourable death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The argument to what extent makes Antony honourable or not is extremely complex, with equal evidence on both sides. Antony as an honourable figure is backed up by his loyal soldiers at the very beginning by his closely followed friends in and out of war, Enobarbus and Philo, who speaks the quote, being two of his most trusted companions and followers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However arguments against Antony is particularly from Cleopatra and Caesar’s attendants and servants. However Caesar, to a degree, did fully support Antony before his â€Å"let in Tiber melt†, Octavia and his â€Å"hand to hand combat† and in the end, declares this (5.1). So, in conclusion, with the support of Enobarbus his loyal support and in the opposite ends of the time scale, Caesar, Antony is very much holds an admirable past rather than his apparent downfallen soldier he was.