Read_the_Following_Passage_Carefully._What_Does_It_Tell_Us_About_Plutarch’S_View_of_the_Relationship_Between_Antony_and_Cleopatra_

Read the following passage carefully. What does it tell us about Plutarch’s view of the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra' It has to be remembered that Plutarch’s Life of Antony was written one hundred years after the event in an era when Rome was at the top of its game. It is well known that ‘Cleopatra she lost and, as the winners in conflicts tend to write history, it is their images of the losers that prevail.’ (Fear, 2008. P.7) Plutarch wrote the ‘Life of Antony’ in a Roman context. He was a moralist of the old school and although he was well read and well bread, he was a garrulous, sententious and not interested in evolution of civilisation. This is very clear in this extract. Romans believed that romantic infatuation was a weakness of character. Plutarch manifests this with ‘Antony’s involvement with Cleopatra becomes a sort of parable of how the great can be destroyed by their moral flaws’ (Fear 2008. P.14) From the beginning of this extract it seems like any normal courtship between two people. With the help of emotive words such as, ‘Fresh delight’ and ‘Charm,’ arousing feelings using imagery, that she can deliver solace to him. He then brings in a negative tone, especially with Cleopatra, by saying, ‘kept him in constant tutelage and released him neither night nor day.’ It characterises her as having an unnatural hold over. Cassius Dio states, ‘Antony is characterised as a shadow of his former, manly Roman, self. He has.... and become bewitched and enslaved by Cleopatra.’ (Fear 2008. P.7) Plutarch’s hostility continues with letting the reader believe that, she is just a woman of no great importance so, wearing the garb of a serving maiden, and passing for one is easy where a Roman general would not be able to pass himself off as a servant because of the air of nobility he carries. Calling her the ‘Egyptian’ is used in a negative way taking away her individuality undermining her as a person and Queen. ‘The notion of a ‘queen’ was even worse; ... For a society such as Rome’s in which women generally had no role... a female head of state was abhorrent.’ (Fear 2008. P.13) Martinez research showed, how clear it seems ‘that the Romans had been intent on depicting her ...... in a desperate bid to preserve Egypt’s autonomy.’ (Brown, July 2011) This is evident in lines 11 – 23. Plutarch made it look like she was laughing at his attempt to fish, mocking his manhood and worse, telling her friends, inviting them to watch him fail. She helped his failure by getting her own attendant to fasten a salted pontic. It seems to suggest that by implying he is an imperator, not a fisherman, was to her own advantage. Plutarch’s intention was to portray Cleopatra as a sexually gluttonous whore who used her body to get her own way. She has been seen differently over each passing generation. She would be a strong and courageous woman nowadays. ‘Plutarch does not preclude there being genuine feeling.... Cleopatra was simply another indication to Plutarch of self-indulgence and a lack of self-control.’ (Fear 2008. P.11) Part 2 of Assignment 1 Look carefully at Plate 1.3.24, Cezanne’s Jug and Fruit (1885-87) and plate 1.3.30, Zurbaran’s still life with lemons, oranges and a Rose (1633). In no more than 500 words, outline what you think are the main differences between them. Looking at both these oil paintings the difference is very notable due to the fact that both artists have their own unique styles. Also, the techniques of the two artists are different due to the eras in which they were painted. Cezanne’s Jug and Fruit was painted in the 19th Century which was known as Impressionism. ‘The guiding principle of Impressionism was to achieve a kind of realism in the visual effects of nature and of modern life.’ (Harrison 2008. P.73) In contrast, Zurbaran’s still life with Lemons, oranges and a Rose was painted in the 17th Century. This era was known as the Spanish Baroque. ‘This was a profoundly realistic art, preferring a broad visual synthesis with a predominance of pictorial over tactile values.’ (Febrero 2008). Cezanne’s painting gives the impression of a jug and fruit on a table in front of a blue wall as this is what the eye sees. This is called the picture plane. The shading of the picture to give a 3D feel is the Picture Space. ‘Impressionist applied their paint with.... square-ended brushes, leaving.... coloured touches often unblended on the surfaces.... one effect.... for the spectator to ignore the coincidence of the literal surface with the picture plain.’ (Harrison 2008, p.66). Cezanne’s palette was very rustic and this helps the picture to be more natural and realistic of a pure and simple life. Harrison says, ‘Cezanne’s work was devoted to the rural scenery of Provence which.... appeared largely untouched by the Social and.... of modernisation,’ (Harrison 2008, p.73). With only a few colours used this helps give the painting a feel of calmness, the technical term for which is ‘temperature’. The multi-directional brushstrokes provide the viewer with the sense the fruit is real and all the objects are solid. The wall in the background with its blue, grey and white colouring, coupled with the heavy brushstrokes, helps to give the wall texture and a natural, typical Provence kitchen style of the time. The lighting of the painting appears to be a reflection from a window situated behind the artists’ right shoulder. The light emanates off the clay jug on to the nearest fruit therefore leaving the farthest fruit in shadow. Zurbaran’s still life gives the impression of three collections of objects set on a table (the picture plane). The difference between this picture and Cezanne’s is the literal surface of this painting appears as the whole picture. ‘The objects on it are set off in sharp contrast to the dark, blurred backdrop and radiate with clarity and luminosity against the shadows.’ (Agricola 2009). Where Cezanne’s palette is rustic, Zurbaran’s palette is one of dark colours with yellow, hints of green and russet tones. The use of dark and light colours helps to give the still life a more dramatic effect. The brushstrokes have deliberately been smoothed over and are very neat. This is called ‘Minimal’ or ‘Linear’. In the ‘Arts Past and Present Book 1 Transcripts for inside arts,’ it states that you would have to stand very close to the picture in order to see the brush marks. This style gives the objects their human like quality. The shadows on the right hand side of the objects show the light source is coming from the upper left. In conclusion, both paintings have many differences but are of supreme quality. Bibliography Agricola. (2009) Zurbaran – two views of still life with lemons, oranges and a rose, available from http://thusagricola.com/2009/02/22/Zurbaran_two_views_of_still_life_with_lemons_oranges_and_a_r ose/ (Accessed 15 October2011) Brown, C. (2011) The search for Cleopatra, available from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/cleopatra/brown_text (Accessed 27 September 2011) Channel4. Cleopatra, available from http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/rome/cleopatra1.html (Accessed 27 September 2011) Cleopatra – Image of Cleopatra (2008) (AA100 DVD) Milton Keynes, The Open University. Encyclopedia (2004) Plutarch, available from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Plutarch.aspx (Accessed 27 September 2011) Encyclopedia (2004) Zurbaran, Franciscode (1598 – C.1664) available from http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Francisco+de+Zurbar%C3%A1n (accessed 15 October 2011) Fear, T. (2008) Cleopatra, Mochan, E. (ed) Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 3-28. Febrero, M. (2008) Spanish Baroque Painting available from http://mfresnillo.blogspot.com/2008/02/Spanish_baroque_painting.html (accessed 15 October 2011) Harrison, C. (2008) Cezanne, in Moohan, E. (ed.) Reputations (AA100 Book 1), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 55-84. Mason, A. (2002) The Alliance between Marcus Antonious and Cleopatra VII, available from http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article_028.html (Accessed 27 September 2011) Plutarch, Life of Antony, -29-30; reprinted in AA100 Assignment Booklet (October 2008), Milton Keynes, The Open University, p.17. Shakespeare online study tools (2009) Antony and Cleopatra, available from http://www.britaininprint.net/shakespeare/study_tools/sources_antony.html (Accessed 27 September 2011) The arts Past and Present (AA100) Book 1: Reputations (2008) Transcripts for ‘inside art’, available from Learn.opem.ac.uk/file.php/8244/!via/resourcepage/9255063/8244/moddata/resourcepage/ebook_aa100_transcript_book1_inside_art_13.pdf (Accessed 15 October 2011) The Open University (2008), AA100 Illustration Book (Plates for Books 1 and 2), Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Times (2004) Cleopatra and the asp, available from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article392038.ece (Accessed 27 September 2011) The worldwide art gallery, Paul Cezanne (1839 -1906) available from http://www.theartgallery.com.au/cezanne.html (Accessed 15 October 2011)