In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare constructs conflicts between global empire and human passion. The sensual, pointless opulence of the East, where “the beds are softer,” is juxtaposed with the cold, stripped-down efficiency of the West. Egypt represents passion, sensuality and decadence, Rome duty, politics and austerity: the world of pleasure versus the world of reason. The piece as a whole embraces a paradox, the two dualities of opposing worldviews are affirmed, the boundaries of the binaries dissolved and the political is immediately made ephemeral through the lyrical flights of the verses. This is a play full of conflict and contrast – or, perhaps more accurately, contrasts leading to conflict between individuals, but in a larger context. This context pits West against East, pitting Rome (symbolized by Octavian Caesar) and Egypt (embodied by Cleopatra), with Antony caught in the middle, so to speak. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Cleopatra, often referring to herself as "Egypt", is the emblem of a fertile, rich, and free-flowing land. Its first appearance is monumental in its essence; she enters with great pomp, with ladies holding her “train” and “eunuchs fanning her”. The imagery of gender reversal, as the men are submissive and emasculated in his presence, forces the audience to be in awe of his stature, and also to sympathize with Antony's folly in falling in love with this lascivious and grandiose. In her world, males come and go at her disposal. The lines “She looks like a sleep, for she would catch another Antony/In her strong toil of grace” once again affirm Cleopatra's magnificence, exalting her position and stature in the play. The staged “Enter Demetrius and Philo” are then rendered completely colorless in comparison, highlighting the differences between Roman and Egyptian culture. The challenge that Cleopatra poses as a cultural other is evident from the beginning through Philo's description of her wearing a "tawny brow", implying the difficulty the Romans experience in trying to do so. understand his character. Philo further attempts to limit and quantify Cleopatra in a way that the Romans can easily delineate as a "trumpet" and a "gypsy"; such descriptions succumb to the Roman patriarchal archetype, which, limited in its very form; nature, scathingly rejects Cleopatra's complexity with a term that reduces her to an object of male desire. Thus, the folly and sins of Antoine's infatuation with such a character are made palpable to the audience. The dignity and powerful and determined motivation of Octave Caesar. and the Roman values ​​it represents appear as a dominant source of influence. Caesar's language is short, sharp and damning – "declare", "speak", "bring" - and his speeches are articulated with absolute authority and confidence as he pursues this unwavering and unique quest for supremacy. In Caesar's first speech of the play, he refers to Antony as "neither more masculine/than Cleopatra", "nor Ptolemy's queen/more feminine than he". Ostensibly, this speech incites the public to denounce Antony because he renounces Roman notions of valor and discipline. However, the language itself breaks and dissolves gender binaries, suggesting that man and woman, the Roman soldier and the Egyptian queen, become one. More importantly, Antoine's martial pre-eminence ("the heart of his captain...burst the curls of his chest") and the incorporeal nature and.