"Antony and Cleopatra" Character Analysis: Various

LEPIDUS

Lepidus is the third member of the Roman triumvirate, the eldest and clearly  the least dominant of the three. When we first meet him, he shows great understanding for Antony, naively refusing to think ill of him; he states that,  “his faults in him seem as the spots of heaven, more fiery by night’s blackness, hereditary rather than purchased” (Act 1, Scene 4). Lepidus avoids confrontation; he does not actively become involved in political debate and his nature proves him no match for the other contenders. In his first meeting with the other triumvirs he is mostly silent and only shares short interjections to either compliment  or soothe the tension. In the galley scene with Pompey, Lepidus becomes  so intoxicated that he is carried off by a servant and proven a sight of public mockery. By Act 3, Octavius eradicates Lepidus altogether by falsely  accusing him of abusing his power, an extremely unlikely story.

ENOBARBUS

Enobarbus is Antony’s most loyal supporter and advisor, and begins the play  in Egypt by his side. He acts as a kind of omniscient chorus, who oversees the action of the play, travels with ease between Egypt and Rome and is afforded great insight into the decision making of the heads of state. He reports much of the action to both the audience and other characters and is thus given some of the most lyrical passages in the text. He has the right to speak freely to Antony, and as he manages to see what Antony doesn’t, he tries to steer him through the action. For instance, in the first Act, Enobarbus schools him on how to react to the death of his wife Fulvia and then later tries to warn Antony against his most fatal mistake, choosing to fight at sea.

Cleopatra also confides in Enobarbus after their first military loss, asking, “Is Antony or we in fault for this?”, to which he openly and freely answers “Antony only” (Act 3, Scene 13). As Enobarbus is also privy to the intimate relations between Antony and Cleopatra he reports these to the Roman court. However, unlike Octavius he seems to respect and revere Cleopatra’s glory and magnificence and its effect on Antony, rather than reducing her to a seductress. He states, “That she did make defect perfection, and breathless, power breathe forth” (Act 2, Scene 2). Unlike most characters in the play Enobarbus’ skill lies in the fact that he isn’t seduced by either love or power, yet the ease with which he shifts between Rome and Egypt will prove his downfall. After supporting Antony through several reckless actions, he eventually deserts him when his war efforts are waning. When Antony nobly sends Enobarbus’ wealth after him, Enobarbus realises his mistake and subsequently dies of a broken heart.

POMPEY

Pompey is the son of a great Roman general and a young and powerful military man himself. He is well loved by the Roman people and thus poses a legitimate threat to the triumvirate. Despite previous tensions Pompey prevents his man Menas from harming Lepidus, Antony and Octavius when they are his guests in Act Two.

CHARMIAN

Charmian is Cleopatra’s main female companion. There is a great love and trust between the pair, which allows Charmian to counsel Cleopatra with an honesty that would otherwise not be tolerated from a lesser. Charmian assists Cleopatra  in her performative antics with Antony, and patiently soothes her when she mourns his absence, but is quick to scold her when she goes too far. For instance, she downplays Octavia’s beauty to appease Cleopatra’s ego saying  she is “nothing madam”, but does tell her to be patient and pleads “Good madam, keep yourself within yourself”, when Cleopatra cannot control her anger. (Act 2, Scene 5). Charmian stays by Cleopatra’s side until her death in the monument, and only takes her own life once her great mistress has fallen.

OCTAVIA

Octavia is Octavius Caesar’s sister and a widow. She represents all that a Roman woman should; she is submissive, honourable and loyal. She marries Antony to ensure allegiance between the two triumvirs, and thus becomes a political pawn. She is young and naïve and falls for Antony’s antics, but soon learns the ways of the world when he deserts her and returns to Cleopatra.

THE SOOTHSAYER

The Soothsayer is an Egyptian fortune teller. In the second scene of the play he foreshadows Cleopatra’s downfall by telling her female companion Charmian that she “will outlive the lady whom” she serves. He then follows Antony to Rome and informs him that Octavius Caesar’s fortunes shall rise higher than his. These two short scenes could be seen to have an important impact of the audience’s experience of the play, much as the Soothsayer did in Shakespeare’s earlier work Julius Caesar when he warned the title character to “beware the ides of March”. The audience are of course well aware of these age-old stories and their endings,  but dramatic tensions arise when we watch a character blindly ignore information that we know we prove their downfall.

MENAS

Menas is a young and loyal soldier that serves under Pompey and wishes for his leader’s success. He tries to convince Pompey to attack the triumvirs when they are Pompey’s guests at a peaceful dinner but his master puts him in his place.