Antony and Cleopatra the play by William Shakespeare Introduction - The play and the image displayed in the picture
This section is dedicated to Antony and Cleopatra, the play by William Shakespeare. The picture is 18th century and image displayed represents the essence of the play which, we hope, will bring to life a famous scene or character from Antony and Cleopatra. The information provided on this section of william-shakespeare.info includes famous quotes / quotations from Antony and Cleopatra, summary of the plot or story, facts about the play, a list of the cast and characters and access to the full text of the script of the play.
Summary of the plot or story of Antony and Cleopatra
The play tells of the scandalous affair between the Roman general Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Their blind passion which leads to their ultimate downfall and deaths. The plot encompasses the strong themes of ambition, power, love, friendship, deception and disaster.
Information provided about the Antony and Cleopatra play
William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 ( a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.
Date Antony and Cleopatra was first performed
It is believed that Antony and Cleopatra was first performed between 1606 and 1607. In the Elizabethan era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and Antony and Cleopatra would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play.
Date Antony and Cleopatra was first printed
It is believed that Antony and Cleopatra was first printed in 1623 in the 'First Folio'. As William Shakespeare clearly did not want his work published details of the play would have therefore been noted, and often pirated without his consent, following a performance.
The settings for Antony and Cleopatra
The settings for Antony and Cleopatra are Alexandria in Egypt and Rome & Misenum in Italy
The theme of Antony and Cleopatra
The play Antony and Cleopatra is categorised as a Tragedy
Number of words in Antony and Cleopatra
The number of words in Antony and Cleopatra, according to the Complete Public Domain Text is 22,960
Most important characters in Antony and Cleopatra
The most important characters in Antony and Cleopatra are:
Marc Antony and Cleopatra
Famous Quotes / Quotations from Antony and Cleopatra
The quotes from Antony and Cleopatra are amongst Shakespeare's most famous including 'My salad days...'. Details of this famous quote follows, complete with information regarding the Act and the Scene, allowing a quick reference to the section of the play that this quotation can be found in. Please click here for the full text of the script of the play.
"My salad days, when I was green in judgment." - (Act I, Scene V).
History of Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra was based on the real lovers of Roman History
William Shakespeare's Main Source for Antony and Cleopatra
Shakespeare found inspiration in Plutarch's "Lives" the Roman Empire and the lives of the Caesars Inspiration from Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra has inspired other works, such as the film Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
The Cast and Characters of Antony and Cleopatra
A list of all the cast with descriptions of the characters are linked below in the Play Characters. Please click here for the full text of the script of the play.
Play Characters |
