Antony and Cleopatra Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 2, Scene 6 Summary

Act 2, Scene 6 Summary

Pompey and Menas meet Caesar, Antony, Lepidus, Enobarbus, Maecenas and Agrippa near Misenum. They talk of finding a resolution to their dispute, and are all invited to Pompey's ship for further talks. Menas and Enobarbus talk apart from the crowd. Menas asks if Antony is married to Cleopatra, and Enobarbus tells him of the marriage to Octavia. Menas asks whether this binds Antony in allegiance to Caesar, and Enobarbus says that it is a marriage of convenience, but that it will bring greater division between the two.

Act 2, Scene 6 Analysis

The new order of Roman society, defined by political networking and arranged marriages, takes over from the traditional culture of military honor and glory. As Enobarbus points out, this new system is not without its flaws: the union between Antony and Caesar is unstable, because the marriage is no more than a token, and the match unsuitable. As Enobarbus says in line 122,...
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