‘In these plays the female characters function to oppose the values of a world that is
constructed as masculine.’
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In the Shakespearean times, the woman were looked at as weak and people who had no
power and were not allowed to speak out or have an opinion. It was the men who were
suppose to look masculine, tough and in everyone’s eyes, men were supposed to be the ones
who should have all the power and rule all the kingdoms.
Cleopatra, however, is looked at as the most sexual character and in some ways she
embodies a particular feminine identity. I think Cleopatra is attractive for Antony because she
is in a position of power. For all her feminine charm, the only reason she is a really remarkable
woman is because she has power as the Queen of Egypt. We see the significance of her
figure by the constant mention of her, even when she is not on the stage.
Throughout the play, the male characters rail against the power of female sexuality. Caesar
and his men condemn Antony for the weakness that makes him bow to the Egyptian queen,
but they clearly lay the blame for his downfall on Cleopatra. On the rare occasion that the
Romans do not refer to her as a whore, they describe her as an enchantress whose beauty
casts a dangerous spell over men. As Enobarbus notes, Cleopatra possesses the power to warp
the minds and judgment of all men, even “holy priests” who “bless her” when she acts like a
whore. In this way, women are saddled with both the responsibility for men’s political alliances
and the blame for their personal failures.
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The representation of Cleopatra I think is different to what the
audience might have been expected. She is the type of
woman who always wants to be centre of attention and will
use her body to get what she wants. She is looked at as being
sexy and someone who is empowered.
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Cleopatra is looked at as being different to others because
she is empowered as a woman. This is different and unusual
because it is usually the men who are empowered and are in
charge. The woman who were ‘different’ and empowered
were accused of being witches because they’re different.
(audience’s perspective)
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I think these representations are negative because the audience
would of thought that she was a bit crazy because they thought
that she was a witch. I also think this because she is so caught up
about describing her love like you would have to move the heavens
and earth. This doesn’t seem like something you would say, its seems
a bit supernatural as you can’t move the heavens and earth.
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Cleopatra's sexual control over Antony conflicts with what is
considered the unimportant role of women during the time.
Enobarbus supports the lesser role of a female by adding that there
is no reason to be sad at his wife's death because there are more
women to be found.
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I think that it challenges the role of woman in
society because she is a woman that is in charge
of a country (Egypt) and there is quite a substantial
amount of pressure on her to live up to the other
men’s standards. She takes advantage of herself
as being a woman that is running a country
because she can use her body to get what she
wants, and she knows that the men will fall for her.
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We think that they would be outraged because she is
portraying herself as a whore and she is different so therefore
they think that she is a witch. I think the audience react badly
towards Cleopatra because she is different so therefore I
think the audience feel like Cleopatra shouldn’t be acting
the way she does because in a way, it is giving the image
that all woman are like Cleopatra; voluptuous, sneaky,
always wants to be the centre of attention, dramatic and will
manipulate anyone to get her way and what she wants.