Men in the play Essay

â€Å"Cleopatra is always at a significant disadvantage as a woman in a male-dominated world.† What in your opinion are the strengths and weaknesses that the Queen shows as she deals with the men in the play?  Unanimously renowned as the â€Å"harlot queen† [Stanley, 2001] and as a â€Å"lascivious courtesan† [Stanley, 2001], the mercurial Egyptian Queen is anachronistically portrayed by Shakespeare in a more sympathetic attitude than his contemporaries who had diluted her character into an object of carnality. Ostentatiously dissimilar from the female visions of constancy and chastity presented by Octavia and Fulvia, the â€Å"mature and sexual woman† is celebrated for her compassionate love which offers â€Å"the most profound vision of human constancy† [French, 1982] in the patriarchal power struggle between the three Roman triumvirs. Cleopatra, renowned for her physical beauty is shown to have an alluring effect on the men that surround her, often exploiting her appearance to ensnare powerful men to do her bidding. Te extent to her aesthetic manipulation is revealed in the lavish descriptions of her when she first met Antony, who instantaneously seemed to have fallen victim to her charms. The first encounter of the matriarch and her lover, as narrated by Enobarbus, displays the pomp and extravagance of the Queen, the grandeur of which seems to captivate the narrator himself and his Roman colleagues. The â€Å"burnish’d throne† on which she sailed displayed her regality, combining visions of â€Å"gold† and â€Å"purple† when juxtaposed with her beauty which even â€Å"age cannot wither† seemed to present her in a god-like manner that rivals the beauty of Venus. Such hyperbolic descriptions seems to justify the immediate infatuation of Antony and the extent to her physical manipulation, intended or otherwise is seen when the triumvir who is presented in the likeness of Mars and whose power was like â€Å"rattling thunder† is inevitably turned into that of a â€Å"doating mallard†. It is the fall of the General from a position of infinite power to that of a helpless boy that is repeatedly mourned in the play by Romans but also reveals the seductive prowess of Cleopatra whose presence is deemed to be â€Å"the triumph of the voluptuous† [Hazlitt, 1817]. The transformation into a â€Å"strumpet’s fool† is clearly visible in the case of Antony who willingly abandons his duties in Rome, the underlying essence of his role and power. The audience is made visible of Antony’s ensnarement into the â€Å"Egyptian fetters† which he realises he must break if he wants to ever return with honour into the presence of the other triumvirs. It is not only her ability to form unbreakable shackles around her victims but also the consequent emasculation of Antony and her former lover – Julius Caesar as revealed when she gets them to â€Å"lay [their sword] to bed† – the sword being the dominant weapon of choice and phallic symbol of the powerful men’s manliness. Simultaneously assuming the role of a metaphorical embodiment of Venus, dressed in â€Å"cloth-of-gold† but also the personification of her beloved Egypt, she is shown to be an inherently sexual character, unmatched in regality and lustre. Shadowed in political knowledge and militaristic power by the â€Å"triple pillar[s]† of Rome, Cleopatra employs her seductive beauty, enhanced by her ability to wield emotional power to ensure her continued survival. It is often suspected that despite her â€Å"infinite variety† and oscillating moods, her actions always contain a â€Å"deliberate logic† [Danby, 1952]. Her uncanny strength in mentally manipulating Antony is clearly visible in the opening scenes of the play, at the arrival of the messengers at which she suggests that Antony hear them, despite his rejection of them.