Antony and Cleopatra Companion
(William Shakespeare’s)

Pronunciation Key for Vowels

The intended sound is to the left; examples of words containing the approximate sound are to the right. The relevant sound is underlined in examples with more than one syllable.

In the actual character examples, stressed syllables are indicated by the use of capital letters (for example, AN-tuh-nee for “Antony”).

Sounds are not exact, and the same letter grouping may vary slightly from one character to the next.

ah (ah or fa-ther)

a (hat)

ee (see)

ey (hey or say)

e (set)

ay (eye or right)

i (sit)

oh (oh or so)

aw (saw or caught)

oo (too)

u (book)

uh (other or blood) Exception: “us,” which is pronounced as it is in English

er (other or fur)

Character Descriptions

The following list of character descriptions is provided in order by main characters first, followed by lesser characters, most of whose roles are nevertheless vital to the story as a whole. Most of them have specific historical precedents that function as a basis (though not the limit) for Shakespeare’s ideas. Depending on the character, they are mentioned in more or less detail in the Roman historian Plutarch’s “Life of Antony,” from his larger text of famous Greek and Roman biographies, Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, also known as The Parallel Lives.

Mark Antony

Based on the historical Roman political and military leader who was one of the three rulers who formed the Second Triumvirate, Mark Antony, also referred to as Antony, is portrayed by Shakespeare as powerful, magnanimous, vital, passionate, skilled, and at times out of control. Like many of the world’s movers and shakers, he worked hard and played hard, and his playing sometimes aided and sometimes interfered with his working. By the time the play opens, his fortunes are already waning: his adulterous love affair with Cleopatra and his generally dissolute lifestyle have strained his relationship with Caesar and are feeding the gossip mills in Rome. Though he tries at first to patch things up, his passion for Cleopatra and her unhealthy influence on him, coupled with his Roman sense of honor (or perhaps, more accurately, his pride and desperation), ultimately result in his total undoing.

Cleopatra (Klee-o-PA-truh)

The character Cleopatra is based on Cleopatra VII, last of the Ptolemaic dynasty and of the entire line of Egyptian pharaohs. Known for her charm and extravagant displays, Cleopatra made political and sexual alliances, first with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony after Julius Caesar’s death. As with Antony, Shakespeare portrays her as possessing extraordinary vitality and a large personality. In addition, she is enchanting, passionate, ambitious, willful, and manipulative. It is clear from the start that she has captivated Mark Antony with her allure, but by the time their fates unwind utterly at the end of the play, it is also obvious that she was utterly taken by him. Like him, she kills herself in the end, the victim of her own extravagance, willfulness, ambition, and pride; but perhaps the most potent motivation for her death, as portrayed by Shakespeare, was her passionate love for Antony.

Octavius Caesar (Oc-TEY-vee-us SEE-zer)

Octavius Caesar, also known as Octavian and, later, Augustus, was Julius Caesar’s legal adopted heir and the founder of the Roman Empire in 27 B.C. Shakespeare portrays him as being both rational and seemingly merciful (at least, on the surface) as well as cold, callous, and calculating, depending on the situation. Underlying all of this actions, however, was the welfare of his rule, including his rejection of Antony’s request to live as a private citizen; his execution of Caesarion, Cleopatra’s young son, after her death; his merciful approach to Cleopatra if she was willing to comply with his wishes (although historically, his real motives were money and power); and his placement of Antony’s former soldiers in the front lines to be shot at and killed by their former leader. Caesar’s survival as the sole ruler of the Empire, along with the fact that Shakespeare gives him the play’s final speech, seems to suggest that reason, calculation, and self-control are victorious over passion and lack of moderation, no matter how much they are backed by power and skill.

Lepidus (LE-pi-dus)

Based on the historic Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, a Roman statesman and, like Mark Antony, a former ally of Julius Caesar, Lepidus was the third member of the Second Triumvirate. His portrayal in the play, which mirrors history to some extent, shows him to be the most diplomatic of the three rulers, as demonstrated by his constant attempts to balance his relationships with both Octavian and Antony, who were often at odds. However, he was also considered the weakest of the three, and towards the end of the play, he is deposed (as in life) and thrown in jail by Caesar, which is the last we hear of him. In real life, he spent the remainder of his days in relative political retirement.

Pompey (Sextus Pompeius) (Pawm-PEY or Pahm-PEY) (SEX-tus Pawm-PEY-us)

Sextus Pompeius, or simply Pompey, was the son of Pompey the Great (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus), a member of the First Triumvirate and thus an ally of Julius Caesar until their later competition for rulership led to war between them. The youngest of Pompeius Magnus’ sons, Sextus Pompeius saw his father murdered upon their arrival in Egypt as refugees from Julius Caesar after he defeated Pompeius Magnus at Pharsala. In Antony and Cleopatra, Sextus Pompeius is portrayed as the leader of a great sea power that begins as the enemy of the Second Triumvirate but then makes peace with them, though the treaty is broken again later.

Octavia (Oc-TEY-vee-a)

The sister of Octavius Caesar, Octavia was modeled after her historical precedent as being the opposite of Cleopatra—modest, virtuous, quiet, noble, and moderate in her actions. Octavius Caesar arranged for her to marry Mark Antony in order to improve their difficult relationship and seal their alliance, but Antony’s passion for Cleopatra and the strain of his untrusting relationship with Caesar ultimately led him back to Egypt. Because of Caesar’s love for Octavia, this made things even worse between them than before. In real life, Octavia bore two daughters by Antony and after his death also raised the children he had sired through Fulvia (his previous wife) and Cleopatra.

Domitius Enobarbus (Do-MI-shus Ee-nuh-BAR-bus, or Do-MI-tee-us E-nuh-BAR-bus)

The character Domitius Enobarbus bears some resemblance to the historical figure Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a Roman general and consul. In Shakespeare, Enobarbus is a valued soldier, friend, and supporter of Mark Antony. He is honest to the point of being blunt, and the combination of that with his comic streak gives his role many of the qualities associated with the courtly “fool” characters, whose job it was to tell the king the truth, no matter how uncomfortable. Like the historical person, Shakespeare’s Enobarbus, who has been one of Antony’s bravest and most loyal supporters, deserts Antony for Caesar and dies only a few days later.

Agrippa and Maecenas (uh-GRI-puh) (May-SEE-nus or Mee-SEE-nus)

Agrippa and Maecenas are Octavius Caesar’s two main companions and advisors in Antony and Cleopatra, and both played significant historical roles in relation to the real Octavius Caesar. Their speaking roles in the play are not large, but they are a constant presence on stage with Octavius. Being Roman military men in the play, like Caesar, they both have a strong pragmatic streak. Historically, Agrippa was a general and statesman, and a long-time friend of Octavius. In the play, though diplomatic, he seems more direct and down to earth than Maecenas, and he is the one who suggests Antony’s marriage to Octavia to potentially seal the alliance with Caesar. Maecenas, on the other hand, is portrayed as consistently diplomatic and somewhat philosophical, which may have been in keeping with his historical role as a patron of the arts and a prudent statesman and administrator.

Menas, Menecrates, and Varrius (MEE-nus) (me-NE-cruh-teez) (VA-ree-us)

Of Pompey’s three friends and supporters, Menas has the most important role. His primary distinction, which is also historical according to Plutarch’s “Life of Antony,” is that he offered to assassinate the three triumvirs when they were conveniently on board Pompey’s ship as guests, the occasion being a feast in honor of their recent truce with Pompey. Pompey’s reply was that Menas should have simply done it and not asked but that now it was too late since he (Pompey) was bound by his honor. Disgruntled, Menas’ loyalty for Pompey weakened, and in real life he switched sides several times between Pompey and Caesar. According to Plutarch, Menas was a pirate, and Menecrates, who has only a bit part, is mentioned in conjunction with Menas. Varrius, also a bit part, appears to mainly be a messenger.

Ventidius and Canidius (Ven-TI-dee-us) (Kuh-NI-dee-us)

Ventidius, one of Mark Antony’s generals, has a small but significant role in the play. His character represents the historical figure by the same name who effected several decisive and impressive victories against the Parthians (Persia or, currently, Iran). He is in only one scene in Antony and Cleopatra, and his role serves mainly to narrate the historical action that ties the scenes together as well as to provide a little more insight into Antony’s character.

Canidius, also an historical figure, is Mark Antony’s lieutenant. He lost faith in Antony after his flight at the Battle of Actium, in particular because he had advised Antony to fight by land, which was his greatest strength. When Antony chose to do battle by sea and then followed Cleopatra’s lead in fleeing the battle site, Canidius defected to Caesar. This is the last we hear of him in the play; in real life, he was executed—ironically, on Caesar’s orders.

Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and Mardian

(CHAHR-mee-uhn or SHAHR-mee-uhn) (AY-rus) (Uh-LE-ksus) (MAHR-dee-uhn)

Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and Mardian the eunuch are Cleopatra’s primary attendants. Except for Charmian, their speaking roles are relatively small but significant, and the women in particular accompany her in virtually every scene. Charmian seems to play a close, advisory role that goes beyond the part of an ordinary servant and might be better expressed as “lady-in-waiting.” Their general high spirits, directness (even with the queen), humor, and flippancy are in many ways a reflection of Cleopatra’s own style—emotional, vital, and high-spirited. Like most of the other characters in the play, all of them have historical precedents that provided a starting point for Shakespeare’s imagination.

Eros and Scarus (EE-raws) (SKA-rus)

In both history and in the play, Eros was Antony’s faithful slave attendant who had sworn an oath that, should the time ever come, he would kill this master. When the time did come, however, Eros found himself incapable of performing the deed and instead killed himself. Scarus, the valiant soldier who fought impressively in one of Antony’s final battles, is Plutarch’s unnamed soldier, who was commended by Antony to Cleopatra. More generally, he represents the archetypal soldier, as he questions his leader’s declining judgment yet fights with all his strength to the bitter end.

Thidias, Proculeius, and Dolabella (THI-dee-us) (Proh-koo-Lee-us) (Daw-lah-BE-la)

Thidias, Proculeius, and Dolabella were all messengers sent from Caesar to Cleopatra in an attempt to convince her to side with him. The first, Thidias, is significant from a dramatic point of view because of the mistake he made in kissing Cleopatra’s hand just as Antony walked in the room. Enraged at both Thidias and Cleopatra, who would stoop so low as to flirt with a servant, Antony had Thidias whipped and sent back to Caesar. The scene serves to demonstrate how Antony’s passions have gotten the better of his reason.

Proculeius is the second messenger sent from Caesar to Cleopatra when the queen is already at her tomb. Although Antony advised Cleopatra that Proculeius was trustworthy, she did not believe him, and her suspicions were proved when she found herself suddenly captured by Caesar’s guards in spite of Proculeius’ reassuring words.

The last of Caesar’s messengers, Dolabella, who subsequently took Cleopatra into his benign custody, did prove trustworthy when, at her request, he informed the queen of Caesar’s true intentions to use her as a trophy in his victory parade. That knowledge clinched her decision to kill herself, which she did between the time that Dolabella left, and Caesar and his men arrived.

Soothsayer

A small but important role, the soothsayer (literally, “truth teller,” also known as a “fortune teller”) appears twice toward the beginning of the play. Soothsayers were common throughout the ancient world, and this one, who happens to be Egyptian, is portrayed as being authentic. He is able to see not only the future but other dimensions as well, as when he speaks of the relationship between Antony’s and Caesar’s guardian spirits. In Antony’s case, he is more direct and urgent with his message, but with Cleopatra’s attendants, he relates only as much as they can hear.

Countryman (Clown)

The countryman, or clown, as he is called in some versions, was the person who brought Cleopatra the asps in a basket of figs. He is not a clown in the sense that we normally use that term. Rather, his character is more like a country bumpkin, and along with his obviously noteworthy job of transporting the asps, his role provides some comic relief before the play’s final tragedy. He does this by bumbling about and repeating himself endlessly until Cleopatra finally manages to shoo him out. It is just one of many instances in the play that show Shakespeare’s deft ability to mix comedy and tragedy.

Messengers

The messengers, who include a soldier and the schoolmaster of Antony’s children, act out one of the most prominent functions in the play. Their role is similar to that of a narrator: they bring us news of events occurring throughout the realm, thus linking one scene to the next. Because their function is relatively neutral, they also act as a backdrop for the larger, more varied and sometimes unpredictable personalities of the major characters, thus giving us a glimpse into their idiosyncrasies and the differences that drive their fates and lead to the play’s final outcome.