Antony and Cleopatra (New Clarendon Shakespeare) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Ralph E. Houghton (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198319290 | ISBN-13: 978-0198319290 | Publication Date: April 15, 1976

Written about 1606-7, this tragedy presents Mark Antony, the great Roman soldier and noble prince, at Alexandria, where his fatal passion for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra is in full bloom. Recalled to Rome upon the death of his wife Fulvia, he appeases Octavius Caesar by marrying Octavia, Caesar's sister. But the reconciliation between the two warriors is brife, and Antony returns to Egypt where the play's climax unfolds with the battle of Actium and its immediate aftermath.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced about 1607 and published in the First Folio, 1623; it is considered one of Shakespeare's richest and most moving works. The principal source of the play is Sir Thomas North's 1579 English version of Plutarch's Lives. The story concerns Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is desperately in love with Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and former mistress of Julius Caesar. Summoned to Rome upon the death of his wife, Fulvia, who had openly antagonized Octavius, Antony heals the residual political rift by marrying his fellow triumvir's sister, Octavia. Word of the event enrages Cleopatra. Renewed contention with Octavius, however, sends Antony back to his lover's arms. When the rivalry erupts into warfare, Cleopatra accompanies Antony to the Battle of Actium, where her presence proves controversial. She heads back to Egypt, and Antony follows, pursued by Octavius. At Alexandria, Octavius eventually defeats Antony. Cleopatra sends a false report of her suicide, which prompts him to wound himself mortally. Carried by one of the queen's messengers to her hiding place, he dies in her arms. Rather than submit to Roman conquest, the grieving Cleopatra arranges to have a poisonous snake delivered to her in a basket of figs. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 15, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198319290
• ISBN-13: 978-0198319290
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,728,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)