Summary:
In the play Antony and Cleopatra, Antony's flaw is Cleopatra, his infatuation for her and her control over him. It is through this flaw that we are audience to a side of Antony which is blinkered, immature and lacks rational judgement which inevitably leads to a downfall in his character.
In the majority of Shakespeare's tragedies the protagonist will have a fatal flaw which inevitably leads to their demise. With Antony and Cleopatra being a tragedy this characteristic of a tragedy can be seen here as well. For throughout the play we can see his down fall stemming from his flaw - his fixation with Cleopatra.
To the lead up to Act III we see Shakespeare use the other characters in the play, especially Enobarbus, to describe to the audience how the man Antony once was, 'a stag' and a 'brave Antony'. But as Philo states at the beginning of the play, to the audience Antony shows himself to simply be 'The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet's fool' throughout the play and it is in Act III that this is emphasised.
In Act III we see the lead up to and the war between Antony and Caesar. It is through the causes through the war and the outcome that we can see how he has lost his successful soldier characteristics and has become under the power of Cleopatra.
Caesar denounces Antony for bestowing upon Cleopatra and her children kingdoms in view of the public and for accusing Caesar of offences he does not believe he committed. Then when Octavia, Antony's wife and Caesar's sister, enters with only a small entourage when 'The wife of Antony should have an army for an usher', believing her husband is 'in Athens' rather than in Egypt with Cleopatra, Caesar is angered at the adulterous lying Antony which serves as added justification for war. Here we are seeing Enobarbus' prediction of Antony's treatment of Octavia and the breakdown of Antony's and Caesar's friendship in Act II become reality for 'the sighs of Octavia' have blown 'the fire up in Caesar'. The reason for this is that once again Antony has returned to Egypt and Cleopatra without thinking how this may affect others and in the long term himself. If Antony has promised himself to Octavia through marriage and in attempt to amend ties with Caesar then it is wrong of him to carry on carelessly visiting Cleopatra.
Throughout the play and especially in this act, Enobarbus is a voice of reason and truth and could be seen as a reflection of how Antony was when he was once a strong powerful leader. This reflection emphasises the change in Antony and his lose of judgement and reason. For in Act III Scene 7 we see Antony, surrounded by confusion and disagreement, make the decision to fight at sea for the childish reason, 'For that he dares us to't', against the better judgement of Enobarbus and his generals who recommend fighting on land, 'Your ships are not well manned'. Antony is not listening to rational reason and instead going with immature rivalry believing in Cleopatra's promise of 'sixty sails'. Canidius correctly remarks, 'we are women's men' highlighting Cleopatra's control over Antony and his lack of reason when she is around.
Due to the restrictions of Shakespearean theatre we do not see the battle at Actium acted out on stage, instead there would have been sounds of battle played and the Shakespeare has the characters enter and discuss the events which occurred during battle. Again it is the subordinates who speak the truth and act as narrators in Act III Scene 10 portraying the battle to the audience. Unfortunately for Antony the news is dire as we learn that his supporters are abandoning him after he fled the battle following 'like a doting mallard' the exit of Cleopatra and her ships in their 'very ignorance'. It is due to Cleopatra's fickleness and especially Antony's infatuation which is the cause of the battles undoing. Shakespeare uses animalistic imagery and disease, 'Whom leprosy o'ertake' to show the generals' contempt of Antony and by describing him as a 'mallard', a simple duck, they are showing a lose of his manhood, honour and usual leadership by taking the wrong decision again. Meaning that again in this act we are being shown what is wrong with Antony and how it is connected to his flaw.
Antony does however at least admit his mistake and regret it and how he has betrayed and defeated himself, I have fled myself'. However, instead of taking it stoically and planning a constructive way to improve the situation, he blames Cleopatra for him following her and hints at suicide. Antony's short broken sentences and reduced level of language emphasise his lack of control and state of confusion and it is here in Act III Scene 11 that we hear Antony admit his flaw,
'My heart was to thy rudder tied by th' strings
And thou shouldst tow me after. O'er my spirit
Thy full supremacy thou knewst, and that
Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods
Command me.' Act III Scene 11
Here Antony is admitting that it is his infatuation with her, Cleopatra, that has resulted in this reduction of character and her power over him which has led to rash inexcusable decisions. This is now his lowest point but even though he is honest about his actions and shows concern for what will happen to his followers, he flaw arises again and he forgives Cleopatra, Give me a kiss', and then later with encouragement from Cleopatra, 'That's my brave lord!, decides to fight on, The next time I do fight', even though he will inevitably lose the fight against Caesar as Enobarbus remarks, 'and I see still a diminution in our captain's brain restores his heart', commenting on how it is only a show of stupidity and the thought of attempting the impossible which has bought out courage in Antony.
As we have seen Antony's flaw is Cleopatra, his infatuation for her and her control over him. It is through this flaw that we are audience to a side of Antony which is blinkered, immature and lacks rational judgement which inevitably leads to a downfall in his character. This act, Act III, embodies all that is wrong with Antony by showing how his behaviour and actions lead to the war, resulted in Caesar winning the battle and the way in which he will continue.
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