Upon learning of the death of his cohort and foe, Augustus Caesar says of Antony's demise:

The breaking of so great a thing should make
A greater crack: the round world
Should have shook lions into civil streets,
And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony
Is not a single doom; in the name lay
A moiety of the world.
(V.i.14-18)

A politician by trade and heart, Caesar's words resound with Mark Antony's own funeral orations over the deaths of Julius Caesar and Brutus in the earlier Shakespearean tragedy Julius Caesar. But while Caesar is not to be taken at his word and is given to borrowed rhetorical exaggeration in service of his own advancement, here his words ring true. Above all, the dominant sense of the play is not so much a product of thematic content as it is of the sheer scope of the events taking place. Antony, Cleopatra, and Augustus Caesar are all giants, historical heroes whose lives ripple throughout the world for centuries. They are world rulers of unsurpassed historical importance, "planetary" characters with the power, will and talent to shake heaven and earth.

As Caesar's use of the word "moiety" connotes ("moiety" means "half"), the world of Antony and Cleopatra is divided into two, contrasting but complementary spheres. There is the Roman world from which Antony hales and in which Caesar ultimately triumphs. This is a world of rational politics, of reason, and of personal (especially military) honor, all of these being attributes of a western and "masculine" society. Cleopatra's world in Egypt is dominated by passion, by sensory pleasure, and by an "eastern/feminine" weakness associated with deception.

While each of these sides—Roman and Egyptian—has its virtues and its failings, Fortune is on the side of the former. In Act II, scene ii, the soothsayer predicts that Caesar will rise higher than Antony, and we know from history that this proved true. On a dramatic level (without the benefit of historical chronicles), we are told that Rome will defeat Antony and Cleopatra because Fortune demands it. On the cusp of his final battle with Antony and his Egyptian queen, Caesar proclaims that "the time of universal peace is near" (IV.vi.4). Shortly thereafter, Antony sees the writing on the wall and allows that "Fortune and Antony part here" (IV.xii.18). From Shakespeare's standpoint, Rome must triumph so that the historical destiny can be fulfilled, including the coming of Christianity to the West under the reign of Caesar. Cleopatra also acknowledges that Fortune is against her cause; in the final scene of Act IV, the vanquished Egyptian Queen vents her anguish with the statement, "let me rail so high / That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel" (IV.xv.42-43). In the end, even so mighty a couple as Antony and Cleopatra cannot oppose historical Fortune. Still, Cleopatra derives some solace from the fact that it is destiny, not Caesar, that conquers, saying in the last scene of the play: "'Tis paltry to be Caesar; / Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave, / A minister of her will" (V.ii.2-4).

Loyalty, personal honor and individual identity comprise another thematic cluster in the play. "If I lose mine honour, / I lose myself" (III.iv.22-23), Antony says to his Roman wife Octavia, and it is within Antony that this connection between integrity and selfhood is played out to the fullest. After abandoning Octavia and his first defeat at the hands of her brother, Antony summons his inner resources to assert "I am Antony yet" (III.xiii.92). But in Act IV, scene xiv, after all is lost, Antony recognizes: "Here I am Antony; / Yet cannot hold this visible shape" (ll.13-14). Antony retains his noble stature for us, but in his own mind, his identity as Antony is annihilated by his defeat by Caesar and, more pointedly, by Cleopatra's treachery.

In addition to such obvious symbolic associations as that of Antony with Mars and Cleopatra with Venus, the text of Antony and Cleopatra is rich with recurrent images. One salient thread is that of "food," "eating" and "sensory consumption." Here the nexus of association lies with the Egyptian Queen. Cleopatra is described by Enobarbus as Antony's "Egyptian dish" (II.vi.123), and he earlier elaborated that "Other women cloy / The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry / Where she most satisfies" (II.ii.235-37). After their first defeat at Actium, an angry Antony says to Cleopatra, "I found you as a morsel cold upon / Dead Caesar's trencher" (III.xiii.116-17). These "cold dish" images converge with numerous references to serpents, snakes, and crocodiles—cold-blooded creatures of cunning that are also associated with Cleopatra.

Language and Imagery
Antony and Cleopatra stands out among Shakespeare's works for its rich and evocative language. Some critics even argue it should be categorized with Shakespeare's long poems rather than his plays. Scholarly discussions often center on Enobarbus's detailed description of Cleopatra on her barge and the lovers' constant use of hyperbole to describe each other and their affection.

Some critics contend that the exaggerated language in Antony and Cleopatra makes it challenging to stage. For instance, what actor is fit enough to portray Antony, whose "legs bestrid the ocean" and whose "rear'd arm / Crested the world"? What actress is charismatic enough to embody Cleopatra, who is described as more seductive than Venus, the goddess of love? Other critics note that Shakespeare was aware of this disparity between language and reality, highlighting this in Act V when the defeated Cleopatra imagines that Roman plays about the lovers will depict Antony as a drunk and herself as a "whore," played by a "squeaking . . . boy," as was customary in Renaissance England.

Scholars have identified various reasons for the heightened language and vivid imagery in Antony and Cleopatra. Some suggest it helps to highlight the changing moods or fortunes of the characters. For example, Antony's men express their disappointment and note his transformation when they lament that he has gone from acting like the god of war to behaving like the servant of a lustful woman. Similarly, while Antony uses hyperbole to describe his love for Cleopatra, he does not lose sight of his political importance. Even as he declares that his love makes everything else insignificant, he demands that the world take note of his love or face his wrath. This introduces the conflicting emotions—romantic love versus honorable renown—that torment Antony and ultimately lead to his downfall.

Several critics suggest that the hyperbolic poetry in Antony and Cleopatra reflects the play's paradoxes: love versus death and immortality versus aging. Scholars have noted the frequent use of images linking death, love, and immortality. The prevalence of death imagery intensifies the tragic nature of Antony and Cleopatra's love and underscores their aging. Aging and death are shared by the extraordinary Antony and Cleopatra with ordinary people, who must all confront their mortality. Some critics conclude that the imagery and hyperbole in Antony and Cleopatra serve to reinforce the notion that all human beings are inherently extraordinary.

Dualism
A significant portion of the analysis of Antony and Cleopatra has focused on the play's many thematic pairings: Antony and Cleopatra; love and war; Antony and Octavius; self-restraint and indulgence; reason and passion. Scholars often argue that much, if not all, of this dualism stems from one primary pairing—Rome (under the disciplined leadership of Octavius Caesar) versus Egypt (under the flamboyant rule of Cleopatra). Antony is typically seen as the intermediary or victim caught between Rome and Egypt. Consequently, commentators note, Antony faces his own inner conflicts: his Roman honor deteriorating in Egypt; his once youthful warrior's body declining with age and excess; and his love for Cleopatra weakening his allegiance to Rome.

Conversely, numerous critics argue that the elements in Antony and Cleopatra cannot be neatly categorized into strict pairs. Just as the political alliances in the play are fluid, so too are the thematic groupings. For instance, Antony's predicament is often described as a choice between love and war—between his life with Cleopatra in Egypt and his duty as a soldier in Rome. However, critics contend that Antony's dilemma finds resolution when love and death are paired through the suicides of both Antony and Cleopatra. Observers have noted that when Octavius orders the lovers to be buried together, he acknowledges that death has immortalized the love of "a pair so famous" as Antony and Cleopatra.

Beyond thematic dualism, scholars have identified linguistic dualities within the play. Irony, for instance, is evident when the lovers use exaggerated language to express their devotion, even as the events of the play cast doubt on this devotion. Paradox is present when death becomes the solution to the problems of the living. One critic has pointed out that, paradoxically, Octavius Caesar becomes the emperor of the world at the play's conclusion, yet his earthly power is overshadowed by the transcendent love achieved through the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra.

Disagreements among critics regarding the play's meaning further highlight the dualism of Antony and Cleopatra. For example, some commentators claim that the play is about the transcendence of love, while others argue that it focuses on the moral failings of the lovers and the fatal consequences they must face for their transgressions. Critics who view Cleopatra as selfish and capricious are opposed by those who believe her actions are misunderstood. Similarly, those who see Antony as a noble figure are challenged by scholars who perceive him as weak. Today, many critics conclude that the play's dualism or ambivalence is deliberate, intended to provoke audiences to reflect on the ambiguities in their own lives.

Rome versus Egypt
Traditional academic interpretations of Egypt and Rome in Antony and Cleopatra often portray these nations as complete opposites. Rome is seen as a bastion of moral restraint, personal responsibility, social order, and military discipline. Moreover, Rome highly values honor and duty to one's country. In contrast, Egypt is perceived as a hub of decadence, sensuality, and laziness. According to this perspective, Egypt prioritizes physical pleasure and abundant fertility. Egypt is considered a place for enjoyment, whereas Rome is a place for work; Egypt represents private life, while Rome represents public life. Consequently, traditional critiques suggest Cleopatra embodies Egypt, Octavius Caesar symbolizes Rome, and Antony is caught between these two worlds until his ultimate downfall.

However, more recent critiques propose that Rome and Egypt share similarities in their mutual decline. These critics argue that the love between Antony and Cleopatra does not symbolize a clash between the two nations or Antony's internal conflict but rather the fleeting triumph of imperialism. Some scholars assert that Antony and Cleopatra's love is as authoritarian and undemocratic as Rome's emerging government. The lovers themselves describe their emotions in grand, imperial terms; for example, Antony boasts that his love can conquer entire worlds and erase geographical boundaries.

Additionally, scholars have noted that the decline of both Rome and Egypt is due to transformations within each nation: Republican Rome has become Imperial Rome, and Egypt is governed by an unpredictable and aging queen. Rome suffers from shifting alliances and political betrayals by Octavius, who quarrels with one triumvir (Antony) and imprisons another (Lepidus). Egypt faces the unpredictable flooding of the Nile and the volatile nature of Antony and Cleopatra's relationship. As one critic has observed, both Egypt and Rome are pagan nations that will soon be replaced by Christianity. Ultimately, commentators suggest that it is more productive to view Rome and Egypt not as "separate" entities but as dynamic and intermingling centers of rising and falling power that influence and are influenced by the two lovers.