Classical Masculinity in Shakespeare���s Antony and Cleopatra

This analysis uses the formula of classical masculinity to examine Marc Antony’s value as a Roman man in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Examining Antony’s history as a Roman hero I distinguish how his reputation is destroyed through his romantic involvement with Cleopatra. Furthermore I consider the divine representations of Cleopatra and Octavian Caesar as they oppose each other and how Antony’s role within their conflict defines his value as a classical Roman man. I then deliberate his sexual fetishism for the matriarch pharaoh and how their relationship functions as sadomasochistic defining Antony as the masochist and Cleopatra as the sadist. In conclusion I focus on Antony’s suicide and determine the masculine value of his final moments within the play.