After Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus leave the stage, Enobarbus (Antony’s man) speaks with Agrippa and Maecenas (the men who serve Octavius). Enobarbus describes to them his life in Egypt. In addition, he describes the occasion when he and Antony first saw Cleopatra. He begins by describing the beautiful barge or ship that carried her up the river. The deck of the ship is gold, the sails are purple, and the oars of the rowers are silver. It is fine-looking and magnificent, the splendor of which Enorbarbus had never seen before. And then he begins his description of Cleopatra:
For her own person.
It beggared all description. She did lie
In her pavilion – cloth of gold, of tissue –
O’er-picturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature.
(203-07)
The word tissue suggests a fabric or cloth woven with golden thread. And the word fancy means imagination. Enobarbus is comparing Cleopatra to a marvelous portrait of Venus, the goddess of beauty. He is declaring that the remarkable artist surpassed the beauty of nature in creating such a magnificent image. Yet, the beauty of Cleopatra surpasses the beauty of this wonderful painting. Thus, Cleopatra’s beauty surpasses art that, in turn, surpasses nature.
Cleopatra, then, is more beautiful than the best that either art or nature can create. Her beauty surpasses anything the imagination or nature can produce.
This passage, which is among the best passages of poetry that the play offers, is, to a certain extent, a digression. Enobarbus’ description lasts for nearly fifty lines, and Shakespeare could certainly have described Cleopatra’s beauty in far fewer lines. Yet the imagery of the passage, of this poetry, is remarkable and fine. It recreates the beauty of Cleopatra for the reader. More importantly, it indicates what Antony finds so rare and amazing about her. And, so, this lengthy passage also has a very direct purpose. It allows the reader to see Cleopatra from Antony’s eyes (via Enobarbus’ eyes). And because Antony sees Cleopatra as something more than woman and even something more than goddess, he is unable to leave her permanently. He will be unable to stay away from Egypt for very long.
When Maecenas hears the description of Cleopatra, he says, perhaps with a sigh, “Now Antony must leave her utterly” (238-39). But Enobarbus tells him that Antony never will leave Cleopatra (line 239). Enobarbus knows, and now the reader realizes it too, that such an act would be impossible for Antony. Maecenas hopes that the virtues of Octavia will cool Antony’s passion for Cleopatra (lines 246-48). Yet, as Shakespeare often expresses in his plays, such a hot and violent passion never subsides until an equally hot and violent event occurs first. Fate is not only against Pompey. It is also against Antony.