Antony and Cleopatra Group

Question:


chloemink
Student

Why are there so many scenes in "Antony and Cleopatra"?

Rate question:

Posted by chloemink on Friday January 26, 2007 at 11:42 AM and tagged with antony and cleopatra, number of scenes, structure.

Answers:


  1. hosni Student
    College - Senior

    One of the reasons is a rebellion agaisnt the Aristotelian unities (unity of time, place and action) During the renaissance, Classicism flourished and drama was mainly shaped after the Greek model. By multiplying scenes hence locations, Shakespeare openly defies the great master of drama and his poetics. Thus, we see in Antony and Cleopatra a rapid transition from Egypt to Rome. Such thing is absolutly dismissed by classicists since it tresspasses the unity of place but Shakespeare did it. Hence, he participated in liberating drama from a classical shackle.

    And it is not the only play where Shakespeare defied tradition. He did the same in Hamlet by deconstructing the very nature of action. It is not a uniform straightforward action as in the Greek tragedies ("every action is an arrow pointing at another action") but its fulfilment is postponed for 5 acts and nothing seems to happen.

    He defied also tradition in As You Like It. In that comedy, the bard attacked the pastoral tradition via Jacques, a melancholic character, and by portraying pastoral life as bitter. 

    You can find the contrary procedure with some modern playwrights. Miller, for instance, respected the unities in All My Sons or A View from The Bridge. But no matter who does it, it is always done to criticize what that tradition stood or stands for.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by hosni on Tuesday August 26, 2008 at 12:24 PM

  2. revolution
    revolution Teacher
    Doctorate

    It was to give an impression that the audience receiving in this play is of historical acts flying at a very fast pace and with a global scope as the action shifts from many countries, including Egypt, Rome and Greece. It is trying to give brief details and not give a long, drab dreary details that would bore the audience to death but give summary to keep their attention. If they give long details, it may lead up to 101 acts and that would be too long to savour

    Rate answer:

    Posted by revolution on Monday July 20, 2009 at 6:48 AM