John Dryden's Presentation of Cleopatra - Book Report/Review Example

All for Love, or the World Well Lost (1677) is John Dryden's depiction of the tragic love story of Antony, a Roman general from the 2nd Triumvirate, and the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. The famous affair that sealed the fall of Egypt into Rome's mighty hands has been the subject of many dramatizations and thus, the work is often compared to Shakepeare's and other writers' renditions of the ill-fated romance. However, Dryden's piece affirmed its uniqueness through the development of various emotions confined in a single setting. Moreover, the story is built on the ironies of the powerful status of the lovers that succumbed to their weak love for each other. In this tragic play, the Egyptian queen is portrayed as a meek character who has nothing to boast but her charms while her lover is depicted as a man torn between love and responsibility. The play which consists of five acts represents a turning point in John Dryden's career as a playwright and (esteemed) dramatist. This artistic piece is impressive in creating genuine emotion and dramatic tension within the rigorous strictures of the neoclassical theatre. Here, the unities of time, place, and action are strictly observed, but the story loses none of its power as a result (Byrne, 2004). Unlike other plays that revolve around the same love story, Dryden's setting is restricted to the Temple of Isis in Alexandria during the time when Antony's rival, Octavius Caesar, is on his unopposed advances toward Egypt. Depictions of naval powers, Rome's increasing empire and the rich Roman culture are all lacking in the play. However, the constraints on the play's setting are overcame by the emotional depth of the drama and the well-developed interactions among the characters. Aside from the lovers' interactions, the play was also enlivened by the polished characters of Octavia, the wife of Antony and Caesar's sister; Ventidius, the lieutenant of Antony's troop in the East who remained loyal to his friend's cause; and Alexas, Queen Cleopatra's eunuch and ill-tongued adviser. The focus on the weakness of the lovers and their voluntary crimes of passion is another notable deviation of Dryden's work from other portrayals of Antony and Cleopatra. Through numerous affluent lines, the writer implied that a person's passion ought to be always within his/her power. By presenting his main characters to be voluntarily immersed in sin, the writer was able to gather sympathies for the characters of Octavia and her children and other innocent sufferers in the play. Historically, Queen Cleopatra is known as one of the few female and yet, the most famous ruler of Egypt. She was famed for her intelligence and timely wit, inasmuch as her charm and beauty. Timeless anecdotes of her depicted her as a ruler who is gifted with a sharp mind inasmuch as she is well-endowed in her outer appearance. However, in Dryden's play, she was illustrated to be clinging to nothing but her charms. Her famed wit had taken backseat to her charismatic beauty and her confidence that she is in possession of all Antony's love. The mental prowess that was said to be allied with her beauty to win Julius Caesar and Antony's hearts is not evident in the said play. Unlike the intelligent heroine portrayed in other plays, Dryden's Cleopatra is shown as a woman who has forgotten all her reasons because of the strong feelings that she felt for the Roman Antony. All the arguments that came out of her mouth seemed to be woven by her much troubled and despairing heart. In All for Love, Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt is depicted as a woman who has lost all her battles with love. Though the love in question is well-reciprocated by her chosen man, the appalling situation in the face of war is highlighted by the fact that her lover's wife is no less than the sister of Octavius, Antony's former ally in the Second Roman triumvirate who turned into his bitter enemy. Perhaps, this is the reason why the proud queen of Egypt readily succumbed to her defeat. More surprisingly, she had added to her unbecoming in the eyes of the other characters by referring to herself as a mistress. Though this is what she really is according to Roman law, it is still quite unnerving to hear the label from the mouth of the once-proud queen, herself. Thus, this goes to show that the love she felt for Antony has surpassed her value for the throne and power that she (once) held. Comparison with Shakepeare's portrayal of Cleopatra In comparison with the strong character of Shakespeare's heroine, Dryden's Cleopatra is portrayed as someone who is weakened by her sins of passion and yet, is made strong by the fact that not even death can separate her from her true love. Though the strength that she showed in ending her life was not apparent until the drama's end, it is still noteworthy, even only to counter all the weakness that her character has displayed throughout the play. Shakepeare had depicted Cleopatra as a queen who is full of strength, wit and charm. Her esteemed fame is attributed to her intelligence inasmuch as it is attributed to her beauty. Moreover, since the play written by Shakepeare had spun a great length of time and a number of places, the bravery of Egypt's monarch surfaced in her lines that showed her conviction of fighting against the mighty Roman power (Clark, 2001). On the contrary, the meek character in Dryden's dwelled on her misfortunes and her loss. While only half of the queen's spectrum was covered in Dryden's play, the writer made up with a greater degree of a woman's emotional intensity. Interaction with other Characters from the Play Antony and Cleopatra. The mere exchange of lines between the main characters were enough to send emotional waves to the audience. However, Dryden personalized his play by invoking a more powerful character to his hero rather than to his heroine. Most stories woven from Antony and Cleopatra's love affair often feature the latter with more depth; but in All for love, the internal conflict within the Roman general who is also a man who loved so much is given much details. Moreover, the play made use of people who served as Antony's different inner voices. First of all, there is Ventidius, his military ally and conscience, who reminded him of all the responsibilities that he had left behind and all the opportunities that he had forsaken for the sake of a forbidden love. Also, his wife Octavia and their children, opened his eyes to all the negligence that he had imparted to his much enduring family. Lastly, there is Dolabella, a former friend, yet at that time was at the employ of Octavius, who shared his passions for Queen Cleopatra. On the other hand, Cleopatra's thoughts are often voiced out by Alexas, who seemed to be more troubled for his sake than for the sake of Egypt and/or his queen. Thus, the eunuch often gave out misguided thoughts between the lovers. To give justice to Cleopatra's character, the writer then implied the queen's innocence to be marred by nothing but her strong love. Here, when the confrontation between the lovers took place, Cleopatra argued that of Cleopatra surfaced in Dryden's work to excuse her from all the wrongdoings caused by her love for a married man. With regards to their affair, Cleopatra seemed to be desperate to keep Antony from leaving her. Thus, this led to desperate actions and pleadings that characterized insensitivity, ignorance and innocence all at the same time. Needless to say, the play depicted Antony as having the upper hand in their relationship. However, this did not lessen his illustrated love for Cleopatra since he was willing to forgive her even after all the evidences against her were presented before him. Cleopatra and Octavia. By virtue of the Roman law, Octavia, the sister of Octavius Caesar, is the wife of Antony. In the play, she was summoned by Antony's military ally to offer emotional pleas for their cause. Two of the strongest scenes in Dryden's play involved her claims to the husband (Antony) who left her; and her face to face encounter with the woman (Cleopatra) who stole him from her. While the scene is probably not backed up by any historical evidence, the powerful artistry behind it rendered it excusable and faultless. In John Dryden's own words: "The greatest error in the contrivance seems to be in the person of Octavia; for, though I might use the privilege of a poet, to introduce her into Alexandria, yet I had not enough considered, that the compassion she moved to herself and children was destructive to that which I reserved for Antony and Cleopatra; whose mutual love being founded upon vice, must lessen the favour of the audience to them, when virtue and innocence were oppressed by it." (1677) However, he later on rationalized the probability of the confrontation and the cold civilities that passed between the two women by arguing for the possibility that Octavia, proud of her new-gained conquest, would search out Cleopatra to triumph over her; and that Cleopatra, thus attacked, was not of a spirit to shun the encounter. Moreover, he added that it is not unlikely, that two exasperated rivals should use such satire; for, after all, though the one was a Roman, and the other a queen, they were both women. (Dryden, 1677 ) While it was not hard to find fault in the Egyptian queen actions and underlying decisions, the audience/reader's feelings with regard to the forsaken wife did not find it hard to gather sympathy since between the two, Octavia proved to be more enduring. This is even heightened by the fact that she who was more willing to endure is a Roman. Significantly, Rome is at the peak of world power during that time and thus, it is but natural for her people, moreso for the sister of her ruling man, to carry a talisman of self-importance and a sense of self worth. However, all these are neglected by Octavia in place of her role as Antony's wife and the mother of his children. In addition, the meeting of the two women of Antony is a clear illustration of the contrast between the Egyptian charm and the Roman virtue (Byrne, 2004). While Cleopatra presented her claims on the Roman general by virtue of love, Octavia argued that his responsibilities as a Roman husband and father to their children maintained him bound to her. Cleopatra and Ventidius. The play gives a rich description of the feelings of Antony's colleague and subordinates toward Cleopatra. The well-developed character of Ventidius, Antony's lieutenant in the East/general, generalizes the ill feelings of Roman soldiers for the queen of Egypt. To justify the revulsion of Antony's ally, the writer hinted of the happenings at Actium where Antony and Cleopatra's combined naval forces were made to face the fleet led by Octavius. Historically, Cleopatra's ship fled in the middle of the battle and when this news reached Antony, the Roman general followed his lover, thus leaving the rest of his troop to battle Octavius on their own. The offer of Octavius to Cleopatra (behind Antony's back) to leave Egypt in peace was the purported reason of the queen's deceitful actions. Though Egyptians left in the battle can see justice in their queen's deed, the act is nothing short of treachery in the eyes of Antony's comrades. As a great friend and military ally of Antony, Ventidius also served as the armed conscience of Cleopatra's lover. In the play, his hatred towards the queen of Egypt is extensively portrayed. Thus, it is not surprising that the best reference that he used for the queen was the term "mistress". Though the label is lowly, this by far is better than when he referred to her as the cause of Antony's ruin. Moreover, he went as far as implying that Cleopatra is a faithless woman who does not deserve Antony's love and greatness. As a Roman, Ventidius also supported the claims of Octavia on his friend. When the scene went as far as comparing the two women, he argued that "Justice and pity both plead for Octavia; / For Cleopatra, neither." Ventidius' aversion for Cleopatra can also be justified by his deep concern for Antony. In all his words and actions, it is very evident that his friend and master is foremost in his thoughts. Even in his death, he proved his affection and loyalty to Antony by taking his own life because he can not force his nature to kill the friend and leader that he esteemed above all. Cleopatra and her Egyptian allies: The play was set during the near fall of Egypt into Octavian's hand and Cleopatra's declining status even in the eyes of other people is obvious. Though she is still revered as a queen by most of her subordinates, it can be noted that their submission can be attributed to their loyalty and her charisma more than her authority. In the case of Alexas, it is evident that he is not acting for his queen. Rather, his acts maintained the fact that he wanted to save his life and his status in Egypt. His position in Cleopatra's court granted him the queen's proximity and in consequence, Cleopatra's ears were often audience to his cunning and self advises. Though his acts may be justified by the fact that he was made to witness the diminishing grandeur of his Egypt because of the forbidden love between his queen and the Roman, Antony. In effect, Alexas can be viewed as a person who is resolved to do anything to cling to his power for himself and arguably, for Egypt. If his ill-tongued advises came across, it was because his queen was already weakened by her passions that she was already unable to control her rule. Thus, this left her subordinates (Alexas, included) to find new tactics of saving Egypt and to hatch plans to keep it from falling apart. Reference: J. Dryden. 1677. All for love; or, The world well lost. The Harvard classics, edited by Charles W. Eliot. Vol. 18, Part 1, of 51. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909-14. C. E. Ward. 1961. The Life of John Dryden. J. A. Winn. 1987. John Dryden and His World Peter Byrne, 2004. All for Love, or The World Well Lost. The Literary Encyclopedia. 6 Nov. 2004. Robert Clark, 2001. Antony and Cleopatra. The Literary Encyclopedia. 8 Jan. 2001. Read More