Tension in Antony and Cleopatra - Literature Essay Samples

In his play Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare develops a constant theme of clashing duty and desire that can be seen throughout the entirety of the work; this theme is most potently exemplified through the actions of the main characters, and the overall characterization of said characters. Shakespeare wastes no time establishing this theme, as it is seen in the very first line of the play. The play opens on a monologue from Philo, a character who is critical of the actions of Mark Antony, referring to him as â€Å"a strumpets fool.† Through this monologue, Shakespeare introduces to the audience that Antony’s â€Å"heart which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst† has now â€Å" become the bellows and the fan to cool a gypsy’s lust.† With this statement, Shakespeare reveals to the audience that Antony used to be fond of war, but is now more fond of Cleopatra. Philo’s criticism of Mark Antony establishes a precedent that is seen t hroughout the entirety of the play and through this, the audience is made aware that the clash between duty and desire is most prevalent in the character of Mark Antony. Shakespeare’s presentation of this feud is more concerned with the tension itself, rather than one aspect winning over another. The first act of Antony and Cleopatra plays a crucial role in developing this tension between duty and desire. This is most prevalent through the character of Mark Antony, as he is torn between these tensions in a multitude of ways. This is first introduced when news â€Å"from Rome† arrives. While conversing about this news from Rome with Cleopatra, Antony proclaims that Egypt is â€Å"my [his] place.† Because of this scene, the audience is also given insight that Mark Antony has a wife, and due to his status in Egypt, Antony is unable to uphold his duties as a husband, therefore succumbing to his desires with Cleopatra. In doing this, Shakespeare presents Antony as being an disloyal character. Soon after this, Antony exclaims that he wishes â€Å"Rome in Tiber melt† and that the â€Å"empire fall.† The reason that this is significant is because Antony rules over one third of the Roman Empire. Through this, the audience is made aware that Antony is so con sumed by this pursuit, that he is willing to watch his fortune â€Å"melt.† The presentation of duty and desire in Antony and Cleopatra ultimately provides the basis for the major conflict of this play. This is first noted in Act 1 Scene 4, when Octavius Caesar is having a conversation with Lepidus. In this conversation, Caesar reveals that he feels â€Å"hate† in the fact that Mark Antony â€Å"hardly gave audience, or vouchsafed to think he had partners.† In this sense, Caesar feels betrayed in Antony’s prolonged stay in Egypt In doing this, Shakespeare is able to quickly lay the foundation for the main conflict of the play. Moreover, Caesar continues that Mark Antony chooses â€Å"to confound such time† in a manner that it jeopardizes â€Å"his [Mark Antony’s] state and ours.† Through this, Caesar reveals that he is upset by the fact that Mark Antony is wasting time and resources vital to their cause, therefore endangering the position of Rome. This further develops main conflict of the play, and thus adds to the omnipresent feud between duty and desire in the play. In an attempt to restore his authority in Rome, make amends with his fellow triumvirate members, and begin to pursue duty as opposed to desire, Mark Antony decides to return to Rome and marry Octavia Caesar, the sister of Octavius. The motivating factor behind this undeniably diplomatic move was to unite Caesar and Antony, as â€Å"brothers,† with Antony claiming that their â€Å"their heart of brothers govern in our [their] loves, and sway our [their] great designs.† The marriage occurred primarily for Antony to solidify his responsibilities to Rome. With this, Shakespeare is able to temporarily restore the friendship of Antony and Caesar, and demonstrate Antony’s choice to place duty above desire. Soon afterwards however, Antony wrongs Caesar by returning back to Egypt. Thus abandoning his duty in two manners: to his new wife, and to his country. Because of this intentional decision, Caesar goes to war with Antony and Egypt. The battles of this war are another example of Shakespeare presenting duty and desire in this play. Shakespeare makes both Cleopatra and Caesar present in the battles, therefore placing duty and desire in direct conflict. The play makes several mentions of Antony’s superiority as a soldier over Caesar. Once Antony’s forces begin to take an advantage over Caesar’s navy, all sixty of the Egyptian ships began to â€Å"fly and turn the rudder.† Here, Antony chooses to follow Cleopatra into retreat, again symbolizing his choice to pursue desire over duty. The two countries being representative of Antony’s two choices Egypt being desire, and Rome representing duty. At this point, even Enobarbus who is Antony’s most loyal soldier begins to blame Antony for this defeat. Claiming that the defeat was the fault of â€Å"Antony only†, due to his decision to â€Å"make his will lord of his reason.† Through this, Shakespeare is able to make it evident that even the people who are most close to Antony see that he continually chooses desire over duty. Although Shakespeare makes it evident that the tension between duty and desire is most prevalent in the character of Mark Antony, it is not limited to his character alone. The suicide of Enobarbus is a direct consequence of Antony’s lack of self-control, and serves to augur the suicide of Antony himself. As the war wages between the two forces, the odds do not appear to fare in the favor of the favor of Mark Antony, Enobarbus deserts Antony and goes to the side of Caesar. By doing this, Enobarbus betrays his duty to Antony. After Enobarbus realizes his fault, he decides to kill himself. At this point, Shakespeare makes it clear that Enobarbus has realized his sense of duty, and ultimately chooses this sense over his desire to flee. Shakespeare also uses the character of Pompey to convey duty and desire. Although Pompey is presented with an opportunity to be â€Å"lord over the whole world,† he declines because he feels that it â€Å"tis not my profit that does not lead mine honor.† In this case, Pompey’s inclination to be true to his honor indicates that he has chosen duty over desire. Cleopatra is another example of Shakespeare’s presentation of duty over desire. Throughout the play, Cleopatra puts her country at risk in an attempt to follow Mark Antony into battle. Furthermore, she is willing to watch her soldiers die so that she may be with Antony. Ultimately by ending her own life, Cleopatra is choosing her desire to be with Antony, and to not be a war trophy over her duty to her country. In these ways, William Shakespeare develops a constant theme of clashing duty and desire in his play Antony and Cleopatra; these instances are a few of the manners that Shakespeare is able to accomplish creating this theme. Through the utilization of characterization, along with the deliberate actions of the characters, Shakespeare is able to effectively establish a continual pattern of clashing duty and desire that is seen throughout the entirety of the play.

We Should Lower The Drinking Age Essay - 1806 Words

The use of alcohol has been dated back thousands of years past the Egyptians and Greeks, drinking wine or beer was not an uncommon sight to see thousands of years ago and although times have changed its still not uncommon to see someone drinking today. Fermenting grains or fruits simplifies the processes of making the substance we call â€Å"booze†. Drug-Free World’s â€Å"The Truth about Alcohol† provides information to anyone free on the Internet about alcohol, the drug, we commonly consume today. It not only tells us that alcohol is a depressant but explains to us a depressant is a drug that slows down our bodily function systems. Drug-Free World also explains why people drink, the reactions that happens to these people, and tells us that†¦show more content†¦Having the states pressured into raising the legal limit from 18 to 21, all states increased the MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) and all still abide to drinking minimum with little exceptions o n alcohol such as the drinking with parents, in certain places, and/or for specific events or holidays. Having the decreased percentage of funding so high would make some citizens think that regardless of what the states actually wanted a 10% decrease would make a to big of an impact on funding the state needed. Looking at statistics from the ICAP organization, Aside from a few other countries with it being illegal, the USA shares the highest drinking age requirement across the world with some, but few other countries except for India having a range of age from 18-25 depending on the state within that country. This puts the US tied in second for the highest MLDA across the globe and forces the citizens to wonder why we are so high compared to other finically alike countries. The US having a high MLDA poses many different cons to the â€Å"protection† of our youth. The youth is currently set to the age below 18, where any person in the country is not considered an adult until then. After this point of years on our world one can be charged as: an adult, sign contracts, legally work, vote,Show MoreRelatedWhy Lowering The Drinking Age Is A Good Idea?. Lowering1627 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Drinking Age is a Good Idea? Lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States has been a source of controversy in recent years. It has been a controversial topic because many people disagree, while many agree with the topic. 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Binge Drinking is whenRead MoreLowering Legal Drinking Age Essay1417 Words   |  6 PagesLowering the Drinking Age Half the United States population starts drinking at the age of 14.When you are 18 you have privileges like joining the army. (Mitch Adams Lowering the drinking age page 1) You can go to war and die for your country but you still can not enjoy an ice cold beer. (Mitch Adams Lowering the drinking age page 1) How is being 21 different from being 18? How does three more years of not drinking make you mature enough to drink? The longer you drink the more you start toRead MoreLowering The Alcohol Drinking Age1602 Words   |  7 Pages Lowering The Alcohol Drinking Age Now a day’s teens that are under the age of twenty-one are out in trouble and drinking. They know that they are not old enough to drink and that is what makes them want to drink even more. Teens drink when they are not suppose to, but they know that when they drink, they must stay out of trouble. Lowering the alcohol drinking age will keep a bunch of teens out of trouble. If teens can stay safe while drinking then they should allow eighteen year olds to drinkRead MoreEssay about Why the Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18872 Words   |  4 PagesLowering the drinking age to 18 would make a lot of sense in the world. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make more sense. It would be better for the teens that drink on college campus. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because you can vote at eighteen, buy tobacco, it’ll reduce the thrill of breaking the law, evidence supports that early introduction of drinking is the safest way to reduce juvenile alcohol abuse, and college people that are not 21 drink also. If teenagers that are nowRead More18 vs. 21: Drinking Age1389 Words   |  6 Pagesdo people only want to change the drinking age from 21 to 18, when there are other activities that have limit of age such as marriage at 18, driving at 16 and 35 to be a president? Alcohol plays a major role in today society, which becomes a controversial issue among teens. Alcohol is a mind-altering chemical that is potentially more dangerous than any other drug and can be very destructive. For past few years, many people are trying to lower the drinking age without knowing the negative effectsRead MorePersuasive Essay On Underage Drinking1291 Words   |  6 PagesUnderage drinking is one of the largest problems that we have in the United States. This is a problem because alcohol is an item that nobody under twenty-one years of age is allowed to purchase or consume. People who are underage are punished by law when they consume or attempt to purchase alcohol illegally. This makes people under twen ty-one want alcohol even more. In other countries where the drinking age is lower, there are less problems because it gives parents the push to teach their childrenRead MoreThe Minimum Legal Drinking Age1594 Words   |  7 PagesThe Drinking Age is Safer than You Thought As Americans, we are always wondering what we can do to save lives. We suspect cancer, disease, suicide, violence, and distracted driving as taking the lives of our fellow Americans. What you may not know, is that we are already saving lives, and we have been since 1984 because of one simple law. The Uniform Drinking Age Act of 1984 moved the minimum legal drinking age from 18 to 21. Lowering the drinking age is a step backward for our safety and ourRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?875 Words   |  4 Pages Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered? Should the legal drinking age be lowered to age 18? Recently people have been debating whether If the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Some people think 18 is a better age but others think it’s outrageous to lower the drinking age to 18. After much reading and observing, I myself think the drinking age should be kept at 21 years old,because young adults who drink while they re underage make poor decisions and majority of the young adults are in collegeRead MoreThe Case of the Drinking Age Essay544 Words   |  3 PagesCase of the Drinking Age Do you think young ones should drink alcohol? Mostly the percentage the people drinking in America. Can we stop young people from drinking? Yes, because it’s illegal for young age to drink. This topic isn’t everyone agreed of. The enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prompted states to raise their legal age. Purchase or public possession of alcohol to 21 or risk losing millions in federal highway funds (GPO Access). We should stay the high age to drink

English Coursework Essay Thesis Example For Students

English Coursework Essay Thesis Nearing the end of WW2, in 1944/5 J. B Priestly wrote a revolutionary play called An Inspector Calls. This play in its own particular way would raise high questioning to the prejudice in Britain during the pre WW1 period. In this essay you will be informed about the detail that Priestly goes into show the massive change in mood and tension from when the Birling family sit down to dinner after a pleasant evening to when the infamous inspector Goole dramatically enters the play causing great tension within the family and towards the inspector himself. Firstly, nearing the beginning of the play, the Birling family are enjoying a pleasant evening, after having an adequate meal; the well-respected family are sitting by a cosy, inviting fire and absorbing the light conversation within the room. There is a sense of a positive vibe ammonised the characters and despite the diminutive disputes between Eric and the alluring Sheila Birling. Secondly, Priestly very much portrays the Birling family, and Mr. Birling in particular to be exceedingly blind sighted to not only the events happening in the country at the time, but also to the outcome of these events. It quotes, I say there isnt a chance of war, and this shows Mr. Birlings failure to realise the major problems around him at the time. It also says, The Titanic- she sails next week, it is unsinkable this enormously shows Mr. Birlings lack of understanding to the events occurring around him. Priestly also uses this excellently to utilize dramatic irony. Also, Mr. Birling being in his financial position at the time, he talks about how the upper-class people should stay together and to leave the lower class people behind or exploit them for cheap manual labour. He even talks about how a man must only care about two things, his family, and how to get himself ahead in life if it means leaving others behind. Also, with Gerald being the son of a rivalling company to the Birlings, he talks about forging a bond between the two families and creating the Birling-Croft Co. This shows Mr. Birlings greed and desire to have everything, never come second best and making two families a little richer but to make hundreds of workers live on poor pay in horrific conditions. Next, although during the beginning of the play, everything seems bliss and in high spirits, there are borderline tensions between the shady Eric Birling and his sister Sheila. This could be down just to siblings squabbling or maybe something deeper. Although Erics played part before the inspectors arrival is somewhat under the radar, his main component is to quietly slip drink after drink swiftly down his throat like a hungry snake hunting for its prey, only Erics prey came in the form of whisky. Eric would only start to open up and share his genuine feelings and detailed participation to Eva smiths tragic death towards the end of the play, where his poisoned tongue would speak drunken words of the pain he had caused and he had burdened on himself. Now we enter the stage of where the renowned nevertheless just inspector Goole storms the play setting off emotional bombshell after bombshell within the household, slowly unwinding the complex web of lies and deceit which brutally killed the troubled Eva smith. As the inspector enters, you even in the audience can feel the iciness of the inspectors voice just as he says, Mr. Birling, my name is Goole. Even before he has reviled the death, harm or any kind of worry of anyone. He acts consistent and confident as he speaks, as if he knew something the Birlings didnt (which he did, he knew everything the Birlings didnt). This was also a fantastic use of dramatic irony and as priestly makes it last throughout the play, it keeps the suspense rising gradually like water slowly rising in a glass, but when that glass gets full and starts to spill, all the secrets come out in the household. Next, the tension between the characters after the inspector had entered had increased on a major proportion. .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .postImageUrl , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:hover , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:visited , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:active { border:0!important; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:active , .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8 .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uce60811748dae0cc74713b40cba45cb8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: None Provided47 EssayAs Mrs. Birling would accept no responsibility for Eva smiths death, clashed in masses towards say Sheila who made herself out to be the devil after what she did to Ms. Smith. Also, the tension between Mr. Birling and the inspector could be cut with a knife, as Mr. Birling talked about being knighted and that no one should be up to any scandals or mischief, after the inspectors enter and Mr. Birling had been informed in his and his families participation towards the death of a girl, his knighthood is roughly thrown away. Finally, the fact that some of the characters after being told of their participation towards Eva Smiths death didnt take any responsibility for it and even blamed it on someone else rather than to take any liability for the death. This creates great tension as while no one wants to be blamed for the death of an innocent girl, I think that deep down each of the characters knew that on some level it was there fault that Ms Smith died, and as some accepted their responsibility, others would not and blame someone else instead, creating tension between characters and blame on the less guilty people. In conclusion, I think that the inspectors entry was an obvious but cunning twist, also using dramatic irony to let the characters know that he knew the real truth all along create marvellous tension between the characters. Also, the inspectors naturally, forbidding, ice cold nature makes him a very threatening character which only creates more tension. Lastly, with the exceedingly intellectual thinking of Priestly, to make that phone ring at the end and gear that forbidding news all over again, A girl has died in the infirmary, Priestly uses this very well to create tension right to the end and only leaving the pale white shock on the characters faces as the curtain falls. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE J. B. Priestley section.