Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, Background, Characters and Summary

00:45 - Introduction; 01:06 - Background of Antony and Cleopatra; 04:26 - Characters of Antony and Cleopatra; 05:00 - Summary of Antony and Cleopatra; 08:05 - Cleopatra Betrays Antony; 12:18 - Together in Death;
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, Background, Characters, and detailed Summary. This is the story of the immense love of a brave Roman warrior Mark Anthony and an Egyptian seductress Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The subplot is the tussle and tension between Octavius Caesar and Mark Antony. Shakespeare wrote four Roman plays and he took Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's 'Life' as the main source of all his Roman plays including Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
Mark Antoni, Octavius and Lepidus, the three triumvirs resume the task of managing the Roman empire after the end of Civil War and punishing Brutus and Cassius for conspiring and murdering Julius Caesar.
Octavius had a slight grudge against Antony when Antony ordered royal and respectful last rites of Brutus who murdered his father Julius Caesar.
Antony decides to take control of the East and goes to Alexandria where he tries to gain the support of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Cleopatra also needs military support to maintain her hold on the Egyptian crown. However, they fall in love with each other. The political situations lead them to the end of their tragic love. Antony decides to marry Octavia but he continues to love Cleopatra and leaves Octavia and Rome to be with Cleopatra. To avenge the dishonour of his sister, and to establish himself as the sole emperor of Rome, Octavius then declares war against Antony and Cleopatra. Antony seeks Cleopatra's support in war and she promises to help him. However, he suffered betrayal by Cleopatra's soldiers in the battlefields twice. To avert his anger, Cleopatra fiends suicide, hoping that it will make him emotional and then she will explain her helplessness. However, Antony trusts that rumour of her suicide and tries to kill himself with his own sword. When he reaches to see her and finds her alive, he dies of the mortal wound. Before Octavius may imprison Cleopatra, she also commits suicide by the bite of her own asp, Egyptian cobra. Octavius offers royal, respectful burial for the two lovers together, near each other. Having suppressed all the rebels, including Sextus Pompey, the son of late Pompey the Great, Octavius becomes the emperor of Rome.
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00:45​ - Introduction; 01:06​ - Background of Antony and Cleopatra; 04:26​ - Characters of Antony and Cleopatra; 05:00​ - Summary of Antony and Cleopatra; 08:05​ - Cleopatra Betrays Antony; 12:18​ - Together in Death;