Cleopatra's side and stop him from leaving her. The plan includes giving Antony and his commanders some jewels as gifts, including a ruby bracelet for Antony. The ruby bracelet symbolizes Cleopatra's hold of Antony's heart and mind.

Antony eagerly accepts the gifts, but he seems to have trouble fastening the bracelet around his arm, which is when Alexas tells him that Cleopatra is the only who can help him with that, cleverly prompting him to meet with her once again. Naturally, Antony agrees, and once the two meet, he sees that Cleopatra's love for him is as deep as his love for her. He learns that Cleopatra refused to join forces with Octavius (much to his joy), and he realizes that he can't leave her because he's too in love with her.

In this context, the bracelet symbolizes the unbreakable, passionate, and dangerous bond between Antony and Cleopatra. Ventidius, Antony's closest friend, sees the reality of the situation and the potential dangers of Antony and Cleopatra's love, but he also understands that no matter what he says, he won't be able to convince his friend to see reason. The two lovers simply fail to realize how their powerful and blind love is affecting them and how it might jeopardize the power of the two empires (Egypt and Rome). Thus, the bracelet also symbolizes the destructive power of love.

The dark omens mentioned at the beginning of the play by the priests Serapion and Myris are also an important symbol. In these omens, the priests say how they saw the Nile retreating and causing devastating problems for Egypt, which is why they believe that they signify the fall of Egypt. In the end, these omens become true, as Egypt does indeed fall—a catastrophic consequence of Antony and Cleopatra's strong but unreasonable love. Thus, the omens symbolize disaster and the uncertainty of life.

John Dryden's play All for Love retells the story of Antony and Cleopatra but with a few twists that help make the play very much Dryden's own creation. Two of these twists are the imagery and language that Dryden uses. Let's look at each of these.

In terms of imagery, Dryden distributes it thickly throughout the play. Already in the prologue, for instance, we read about half-wits being like fleas. They are “so little and so light” that no one pays much attention to them until “they bite.” These people of small wit must find fault “to show that they can think at all.”

Also, Dryden compares errors to straws; they float to the surface and are easy to find. But if someone wants pearls, or truths, they have to “dive below” and search deeply for them. Images like this stimulate the audience’s imagination and help them see common things in new and creative ways.

Larger images also extend throughout the play. The imagery of omens and prophecies, for instance, takes center stage, especially at the beginning of the play. Whirlwinds, sea creatures, and floods are described in detail, and they point forward to the fall of Antony and Cleopatra. Further, Cleopatra's method of suicide is filled with imagery. Her maids bring her poisonous snakes as the instrument of her death, and she dresses in her royal finery and sits upon her throne with the dead Antony propped up beside her. This presents a dramatic picture indeed, and it indicates Cleopatra's pride and tendency toward passion and theatrics. Strong imagery also occurs as Cleopatra and Octavia literally face off over the man they both claim to love.

Now let’s talk about Dryden’s language. As filled with imagery and deep meaning as it is, Dryden actually writes in a fairly simply, clear style that is easily accessible to his audience. This is largely in response to the ornate and difficult language choices of Dryden’s literary ancestors. For example, Serapion is describing the portent he has witnessed, and while his language is vividly descriptive, it is also clear and not overly ornate: “A whirlwind rose, that, with a violent blast / Shook all the dome: the doors around me clapt.” We can easily picture the scene. The language allows us to do that through its directness and flowing simplicity.