Antony and Cleopatra (The New Folger Library Shakespeare) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Series: The New Folger Library Shakespeare | Publication Date: August 1994

The play that scholars see as a forerunner of the less comedies that followed, The Two Gentlemen of Verona remains one of the early Shakespeare finest achievements. A romp between two Veronese friends of this title, this classic romantic parody leaps to life. In Antony and Cleopatra, a grand drama of love and war, Shakespeare presents one of his greatest female characters -- the beautiful and cunning Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

The New Folger Library editions feature introductions to Shakespeare's language, illustrations from the Folger collection, scene-by-scene plot summaries, and explanatory notes. Exhibiting a profound concern for stimulating a popular interest in the Elizabethan period, the esteemed and accessible Folger Library Shakespeare editions are favored by teachers, students, and scholars alike.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

ILLUSTRATED WITH MATERIAL IN THE FOLGER LIBRARY COLLECTION

"It's hard to see how the New Folger Library's section on Shakespeare's language could be much better. An exceptionally good choice for an introductory text".

-- The Shakespeare Newsletter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Washington Square Pr (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671477110
• ISBN-13: 978-0671477110
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The intoxicating paradox of love and power, January 5, 2003

By 

Chris Salzer (Gainesville, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antony and Cleopatra (New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

Neither the absolute and utter despondency of sheer and impending defeat nor the the deposition of his honor and place in Roman society can deter the once-revered Marc Antony from his insatiable, yet ill-fated longing to be with the sultry and divine demigodess that is Cleopatra.

Having just read the incomparable Julius Caesar and longing for more of the same after Antony & Octavius Caesar's sound defeat of the "noble" Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, I ordered Antony & Cleopatra. Although in some respects it is similar to its predecessor, Antony & Cleopatra, having been written by Shakespeare much later in life after the tragic death of his lone son Hamnet and a turbulent relationship with his wife, brings forth a much more cynical and wily Bard than the young and idealistic one who wrote Caesar. This disillusionment can be witnessed not only in the tragic deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, but moreso subvertly in the incongruity and disingenuousness of their supposed driving impetus - their love for one another. Both Antony & Cleopatra continuously and almost purposefully betray each other throughout the play - undermining their ability to lead and therefore leading to their tragic and untimely demise.

I recommend this to those who adored Julius Caesar as well as those Shakespeare aficionados who simply cannot get enough of The Bard. Antony & Cleopatra proves a lucid, enjoyable, and easy read, although somewhat longer, but with less substance than Julius Caesar. Enjoyable nonetheless.

"Make not your thoughts your prisons." - Octavius Caesar

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When love and fate mean death or power, January 29, 2002

By 

Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antony and Cleopatra (New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

Shakespeare in this play shows how love is not human but surrealistic. Love does not answer reasonable questions. It is a fundamentally unreasonable attitude that brings the lovers to absurd behaviours negating all logical, political and historical values. Love has no limits even if history will prove stronger and the lovers will be destroyed. Shakespeare beefs up this theme with a language that is so rich that we are fascinated by the words, the symbols, the symbolic value of words and acts. He is particularly rich in his style that is entirely, words, poetry, actions, and even feelings, organized following some simple symbols, particularly numerical symbols. In this play Cleopatra appears as being the core of the symbolism and she carries with her the number eleven that comes from the old English runes with the meaning of fate, of fatal defeat, of a flaw that cannot be corrected or escaped. It is her destiny to bring Antony to his defeat and death, just as it is Antony's fate to be governed by this woman and led to his own destruction because of his love for her. It also shows how the Emperor is able to use this fatal situation in order to capture all powers and to impose his absolute will on the Roman Empire. He seems to be the one who plays not well but with all the assets of the game up his sleeves, and he takes them out one at a time when the situation is ripe for these assts to become the key to is ascension to absolute power by defeating those who may oppose him.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Politics, Suicide. What More Could You Want?, February 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Antony and Cleopatra (New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anthony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's difficult plays, and so I suspect the ratings on the play are low because it's a more mature play than Romeo and Juliet. Here we have two middle age lovers who part of the time are foolish with lust/love and the rest of the time are tough minded heads of state. The "tragedy" is that they can't be both and survive. This is not a play for the young folks, I'm afraid. But if you want some heavy drama where the characters are spared nothing and given no slack, read Anthony and Cleopatra (hint: Cleopatra's suicide is more political statement than a crazy wish to die with Antony). Better yet see it performed by some real actors some time.