The division of the Roman Empire – after the fall of Julius Caesar – between two strong-willed and powerful military men
(Antony and
Octavius Caesar) is an inherently unstable arrangement; an arrangement that is bound to fail sooner or later. Both men are aware of this situation, and that adds to the impending tragedy of their narrative.
There are three factors that hold the twain together (for about half the play):
i) The first is Lepidius; as the third of the triumvirs, he is friendly to – and respected by – both Antony and Octavius Caesar.
ii) The second is Pompeius; as long as Pompeius is a common threat to both Antony and Octavius Caesar, they will not war.
iii) The third is Octavius; as wife to Antony – and sister to Octavius – she is a bond that they have in common.
iv) The last (and unstated) reason is the common love they bear to the departed Julius Caesar.
However, as fate would have it, these factors unravel one by one. Lepidius is given to drink, and dissipates the respect he has earned. Pompeius is killed at Sicily, and is no longer a threat. Octavia returns to Rome, and Antony turns to his mistress
Cleopatra, thus adding a personal element to what is essentially a political struggle for supremacy between the heirs of Julius Caesar. As for Julius Caesar, his memory is a far and distant thing, and binds no longer.
Antony and Cleopatra can best be described as a “sequel” to Julius Caesar, for it carries on the story where the story of Julius Caesar ends. Though both may be classified as tragedies, no two plays can be more unlike. Antony and Cleopatra is essentially a love story between the two main protagonists (Mark Antony and Cleopatra); with the struggle for supremacy between the triumvirs only serving as a backdrop to the play.
Does she – or doesn’t she (love Mark Antony)? There is no doubt that Mark Antony is madly in love with Cleopatra, but Cleopatra seems to be more concerned about losing her man. The tragedy is that her actions help to bring about that very loss. Mark Antony’s fame and reputation rests as an intrepid soldier – not as a lover. In fact, his overbearing love for Cleopatra clouds his better judgment in matters of statecraft and war. His concern for Cleopatra prevents him – at crucial moments of the play – from adopting that course of action that would best advance his own cause.
Mark Antony, it is said, is a man with both faults and virtues in equal measures. But, for a leader, he seems to be lacking in ruthlessness and is a poor judge of character and of men. Throughout the second half of the play, his own allies and generals desert him when the fortunes of war turn against him. Though his valor is not in doubt, his leadership qualities are called into question. He fails to take the advice of his generals, and acts impulsively when a more reasoned approach was called for.