For its original audience, experiencing political change as James's new rule led to the expansion of the British Empire, Antony and Cleopatra resonates with the "infinite variety" they were experiencing and the great mutability of the modern world. While the imagery of water running through the play illustrates the concept of paradox, Shakespeare then subverts his own assertion that wild contradictions are innate by bestowing a shared humanity on all of the play's characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Cleopatra's constantly fluctuating personality, along with the antithetical imagery associated with her, create a character of exceptional complexity. His mood swings wildly, as in the first act when he has a moment of introspective regret when he talks wistfully about his "salad days". Moments later, thinking of Antony and her desire for him, she hyperbolically declares that she will “depopulate Egypt,” quickly moving from self-reflection to irrational threats and displaying her ability to present a myriad of very different emotions. Later in the play, the audience discovers that the paradox within her is not simply limited to her emotion when she expresses her opinion that Antonio is "painted one way a gorgon / the other way he is a Mars." She sees others in contradictory terms similar to those she displays herself, reflecting the extent to which she cannot be clearly defined; the Romans, who prefer a clear definition, label her nothing more than a “gypsy whore.” Cleopatra is perpetually engaged in a histrionic performance, indicated in the second act by the "cloth" and "handkerchief" that adorned her "barge" and the "pretty boys with dimples" who waved her. This creates a contradiction in how she is viewed by audiences, as they struggle to highlight her moments of authenticity while at the same time being tricked into believing her convincing performances. Many images are associated with Cleopatra varying violently in her nature, further illustrating the paradox. rooted within her. Both the snakes and the food follow her through the work, with the "strange snake" reflecting her ability to be cunning and cunning and the "moody food" implying her sensual decadence, the images are in stark contrast to each other in their connotations. However, each image can be viewed in multiple ways. The "strange worms" may also represent her skill as an actress of formidable range as both shed their skin and are adaptable to land and water, while the "feeding" images could act to emphasize the ultimately perishable relationship between Antony and Cleopatra . despite its seemingly cosmic grandeur. Cleopatra herself possesses an antiquity, a fixed and immortal quality that is juxtaposed and accentuated by her suicide. She is the "serpent of the old Nile", this image accompanies a multitude of associations throughout the play between her and the unstoppable forces of nature - her barge "burns on the water" and she declares herself to be "fire and air" a few moments before his death. The dash that ends with her final words, "What should I remain?", suggests the celestial and transcendent virtue that exists in Cleopatra, even as the act of dying demonstrates her extreme mortality and disconcerting humanity. A significant image that constantly flows through the game is that of water, with the “flows” and “flows” of human nature being perfectly encapsulated by this essential element. “Water” is unpredictable and has the ability to both provide life and fertility, but it has theequally likely to cause damage due to drowning or flooding. The “sea” fluctuates in an infinite variety of patterns and can take on a multitude of different forms, consequently acting as a powerful symbol of humanity's ability to imitate such qualities in personality. Water permeates a series of paradoxical events, the main one being the sea battle between Antony and Egypt. Antony appears both affectionate and valiant, determinedly insisting on fighting "at sea, at sea" at Caesar's request, his courage indicated by monosyllabic repetition. Moments later the conflicted ruler “kisses(s) away/Kingdoms and provinces” as he directs his fleet away from the battle, following the example of the Egyptians. Cleopatra's motivations in this case could be said to be equally contradictory, as the proud and cunning queen first asserts her love for Antony by pooling her country's resources for him, then abandons him in the midst of battle and thwarts the his political sustenance. as he struggles to balance his valiant, politically minded Roman side and his forgiving Egyptian side, he reflects the power that antitheses can exert on an individual's personality. In the second act, a few moments after “shaking hands” with Caesar, a direction that indicates that the two are politically linked together by the “beautiful” Octavia, he declares that he “will go to Egypt” where his “pleasure” lies, his sense of political responsibility quickly "melts away". His language is also polar in its nature: when a "Roman thought struck him" iambic pentameter dominates his dialogue, but when he converses with his "Egyptian dish" he switches to prose, as in his first line: "There it is begging in love that can be counted.” The fact that his first line is unstructured and languid in language perhaps foreshadows that “the East” will eventually consume him. Similarly to Cleopatra, the images associated with Antony are of nature paradoxical. He is compared to a multitude of gods throughout the work, the main one being Mars, which describes his mythological status and the power he possesses over the world. that pepper his dialogue, this image reflects the instability of both his relationship with Cleopatra and the political sphere in which he resides, as well as suggesting that his power will eventually erode and evaporate. Caesar is much more consistent in his carefully considered movements than most of his colleagues, postulating that although contrasts always exist in human nature, they are sometimes minuscule in their nature. He sees Octavia as the "circle" surrounding himself and Antony in a state of political stability, and it often seems that his relationships with others are based solely on his strategic maneuvering. He attends Pompey's banquet to secure their alliance and alleviate any hint of threat he presents, these motives reflected in his disapproving tone when he reminds the other heavily inebriated triumvirate that there are "graver matters" they must attend to. In describing Antony's "lascivious wassails" to Lepidus in Act 1, he complains that, although it is not his "natural vice to hate/Our great competitor," Lepidus is "too indulgent." The constant use of periods suggests the falling intonations at the ends of his sentences and the frank nature of his speech. His language is strict iambic pentameter for most of the play, underscoring his rigidity and narrow focus on political gain, a trait reiterated by the fact that his dialogue is composed of a series of statements. However, he shows a glimmer of warmth in the third act when he "farewells" to his sister three times in quick succession, implying that he possesses sincere care andconcern for her. He moves away from the cold and rigid structure characteristic of his dialogue towards the end of the play when he mourns the death of Antonio, using imagery for a brief moment when he describes the "tears" that many will shed at his passing. His human side emerges again in the final lines of the play when he boldly declares that Cleopatra "shall be buried by her Antony," recognizing the monumental nature of their love and the tragedy of their fall. While these examples suggest that Caesar has a contrasting personality, they could also be perceived as part of an ambitious and calculated ploy to achieve absolute rule as he recognizes that he must maintain a facade of compassion to appeal to the general public. The series of symbolic contrasts in the work illustrate the vast mutability and contrasts of humanity. The languid haze of Egypt at the end of the first act, while Cleopatra abandons herself to the "mandragora" to spend solitary hours, quickly dissolves into Roman anxiety when the second scene opens with the soldiers in "battle dress", a indication of strict urgency. The rush of events creates a sense of chaotic confusion that reflects the contradictions that constantly play in a person's mind. A similar representation of this exists in the very fact that the two settings of the play differ enormously in their fundamental ideals. The Roman censors condemn everything that “exceeds the measure”, this phrase alone suggests their orderly construction of political concepts and fear of the unpredictable nature of water. In contrast, Egypt's focus is on hedonism, sensuality, and flamboyant extravagance, as indicated by the prose that dominates their dialogue, the mentions of "moody food" and "music," and the sexual innuendos that litter their speeches, seen when Cleopatra mocks the eunuch Mardian in Act One by coyly suggesting that his affections are inadequate “in fact.” This example of comedy is not an isolated one: comedy and tragedy are often one in Antony and Cleopatra, a further representation of humanity's contradictions as they respond to the "ebbs and flows" of both internal and external pressures. Seconds after Demetrius and Philo harshly label Antony "the common liar," the scene shifts to Charmian and Iras mocking the soothsayers in an attempt to reveal to them "nature's infinite book of secrecy," establishing a fluctuating pattern of drama and comedy as they intertwine to create a work that effectively echoes human nature and the realities of everyday life. Although the work is characterized by polar opposites, often found within the individual characters themselves, the defining traits bind them together and demonstrate that, although contradictions are inevitable, humanity is fundamentally the same - even if their identity derives by the very fact that they are paradoxical. Despite the superficial antitheses between the decadent Cleopatra and the brusque and unpleasant Caesar, their political strategies are remarkably similar. Both are actors of formidable range, Cleopatra in that she can go from threatening to "melt and pour" gold down the "mispronounced throat" of an unsuspecting messenger to moments later complaining of being "pale" with weakness at news of the same messenger. In the fifth act, Caesar goes from mourning his “friend and companion” to fervently plotting the capture and exploitation of Cleopatra in a matter of seconds. Both use such mechanisms as a means to further their own political ambitions, carefully constructing their interactions with others. Antony and Cleopatra are similar in that they both see their love in exaggerated and cosmic terms; both compare their relationship to that of “Venus and.