Antony converses with Enobarbus in the final section of the second scene. Enobarbus is Antony’s officer and a loyal follower, and he has been enjoying the time they have spent in Egypt as much as Antony has. Enobarbus has been enjoying the companionship of the Egyptian women. There is a bawdy undercurrent – a use of double entendre – in most of Enobarbus’ comments. Enobarbus is thinking about sex. For example, after Antony tells him that they will be leaving Egypt immediately, Enobarbus comments that the women will die of sadness if they leave. He says, “then we kill all our women” (121). The word kill was occasionally used in the Renaissance to refer to an orgasm. Thus, Enobarbus is also suggesting that, before they leave, they will need to have sex once again with their women.
A few lines later Enobarbus jokes about Cleopatra, who will “die twenty times” with very little cause (129). His line again has a double meaning: (1) Cleopatra will be overemotional and extremely sad about Antony’s leaving; and (2) Cleopatra is extremely sexual and can have twenty orgasms in one night. Enobarbus, so it seems, does not really want to leave Egypt; and he is then using Cleopatra’s sexuality and charms to convince Antony to remain.
The finest lines in this scene are Enobarbus’ description of Cleopatra:
Her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove. (134-37)
Ignoring that these lines are in prose and ignoring the probable use of double entendre (the word nothing in the Renaissance can refer to female genitalia), these lines are quite magical and poetical. Shakespeare begins with two common similes used in Renaissance love poetry: sighs are great winds or storms, and tears are heavy rains or tempests. In fact, these similes were even clichés in Shakespeare’s time. But in the manner that Shakespeare uses them, they no longer appear as clichés. Enobarbus compares Cleopatra’s passions and emotions, her earthly or physical nature, to pure or spiritual love. He is indicating that her body and spirit (soul) are united as one. Cleopatra is more than human. She is a goddess. Enobarbus believes that there is not trickery or “cunning” in Cleopatra. She is not faking or pretending when she is emotional. Her emotions are genuine. They are real. The simile comparing tears to rain is amplified or enhanced by the comparison to Jove (a nickname for the Roman god Jupiter – the Greek Zeus). Jupiter is the god of thunder and rain. Enobarbus is indicating that her tears are too plentiful or abundant to be faked. In doing so, he is also suggesting the godlike or supernatural ability that Cleopatra appears to possess.
Despite Enobarbus’ attempt to persuade
Antony to remain in Egypt, Antony is not convinced. He indicates that urgent business in Rome demands their immediate return there. The reader should note that Antony’s final response is in poetry (iambic pentameter – beginning in line 160). The dialogue shifts from prose to poetry because the conversation shifts from bawdiness and emotional topics to rational topics and the serious business of conducting the affairs of state.
In these final lines, Antony explains to Enobarbus that a Roman named Sextus Pompeius has a command of a large navy – a large fleet of ships – and that he is challenging Octavius Caesar for rule and power. The reader may remember that Julius Caesar, the great Roman leader, was once part of an earlier Triumvirate with Pompey the Great and another Roman named Crassus. But, later, Julius Caesar defeated both Pompey and Crassus and became the sole leader of Rome. The opening scene of Julius Caesar begins with a festivity honoring Caesar’s victory over the oldest son of Pompey.
Sextus Pompey is a younger son of Pompey the Great.
History, thus, repeats itself: the older son of Pompey challenged Julius Caesar and the younger son is now challenging Octavius Caesar. And in these two contests or conflicts, the two Caesars are victorious. In Antony’s lines, he makes a comment that should remind the reader of that first scene in Julius Caesar. Antony states, “Our slippery people, whose love is never linked to the deserver till his deserts are past, begin to throw Pompey the Great and all his dignities upon his son” (169-73). The word slippery means fickle. Antony is essentially stating that the people, who disliked Pompey when he was alive, now like Pompey after he is dead. In that earlier play, the reader should also recall, Mark Antony was well aware of just how fickle the people could be. And he used that quality of fickleness in his great speech before the Romans when he spoke about the death of Julius Caesar. That speech caused the people of Rome to turn against Brutus and the other conspirators. Antony realizes that he needs to leave Egypt and to return to Rome to convince the fickle people to change their minds once again. Antony needs to use his gift of oratory (public speaking) once again.
Cleopatra, knowing that Antony has received messages from Rome, is worried that Antony will return to his home and his wife. She does not yet know that Antony’s wife, Fulvia, is dead. Cleopatra is also well aware that the political affairs of Rome demand Antony’s attention and that, eventually, he will have to leave her. But, she does not want him to go.
Cleopatra is emotional and irrational. She does not know how to keep Antony with her, and she is desperate to find some way to prevent his leaving. So, she decides to act contrary with him. She thinks, perhaps, that if she can make him upset, then he will feel guilty or hurt and then will decide to stay. Cleopatra orders her servant Alexas to tell lies to Antony. Alexas is to tell Antony that Cleopatra is happy if Antony looks sad, but he is to say that Cleopatra is unhappy or sick if Antony looks happy (lines 3-5). Thus, Antony will feel foolish or guilty about whatever emotions he may be having.
Charmian, Cleopatra’s attendant, tells
Cleopatra that being contrary to Antony is the fastest way to lose him. Rather, Charmian advises,
Cleopatra should “cross him in nothing” (9). In other words, Charmian is suggesting that Cleopatra should always try to please Antony and never argue or fight with him. Cleopatra, however, feels that this advice is foolish. But Charmian disagrees and adds, “In time we hate that which we often fear” (12). Charmian makes a valid point. If Antony is always fearful about upsetting Cleopatra, he may grow resentful and end up hating her. But Cleopatra is not necessarily wrong here. A woman who is always agreeable and fawning (submissive) on a man may become tiresome or irksome to that man. He may become bored with her. One thing is certain: Antony will never be bored by Cleopatra.
When Antony does enter, he tries to tell Cleopatra his news; but Cleopatra interrupts him several times (at lines 23, 26, and 31). Cleopatra is jealous about Fulvia and is sad that Antony is leaving. She is too emotional to listen like a rational creature. Eventually, though, she finishes her railing (her harsh and bitter language). Antony then explains about the political problems in Rome and also informs her that Fulvia is dead (lines 41-56).
Cleopatra then realizes that she has been behaving immaturely. She comments, “Though age from folly could not give me freedom, it does from childishness” (56-57). The word age here means getting older, and the word childishness here actually means being a child. So, Cleopatra is saying that although in getting older she is no longer a child, she is still foolish (like a child). Thus, Shakespeare is stating quite clearly here that even older people, even intelligent and noble people, are capable of acting foolishly. And this is especially so if they are in love.
Both Cleopatra and Antony have become immature, foolish, and irrational because of their love for one another.
But the foolishness does not end there. It cannot, because Antony and Cleopatra are still very much in love. Cleopatra, noticing that Antony does not cry upon talking about Fulvia’s death, accuses Antony that he also will probably feel no emotion when Cleopatra herself dies (lines 64-65). She is still upset that Antony is leaving her, so she also tells Antony to go and at least pretend to be sad about his wife’s death (lines 76-80). Antony becomes angry when he hears this (line 80). Both Antony and Cleopatra are actually unhappy because they have to separate, and their emotions reveal themselves in this irrational (and humorous, from the audience’s point of view) manner.
During the argument, at one point, Cleopatra forgets what she wants to say (line 90). She stops for a moment, and then says the following:
O, my oblivion is a very Antony.
And I am all forgotten. (91-92)
The second line has a double meaning: (1) Cleopatra has forgotten what she wants to say, and (2) Cleopatra thinks Antony is completely forgetting her. Likewise, the word oblivion also has two meanings: (1) it suggests that Cleopatra’s mind is a blank, and (2) it suggests that Antony’s mind will no longer have any thoughts about her. Cleopatra is afraid that once Antony leaves, he will forget her. And that thought makes her angry and sad and entirely irrational.
Antony also feels strong emotions about leaving. Neither he nor Cleopatra can say what he or she truly feels. And so they depart from one another in anger. They exit the stage on opposite ends – never saying or admitting what is really in their hearts.