These_Egyptian_Fetters

These Strong Egyptian Fetters I Must Break or Lose Myself in Dotage” The ideal Roman soldier was strong, brave, and ruthless in battle. Honour was exceptionally important to the Roman soldier.Antony was considered by all, the epitome of the Roman warrior, winning many battles and slaying the killers of Julius Caesar. Honour was important to him and he says to his new wife Octavia “Without my honour I am nothing” Antony equates death with honour, suggesting that, to the Roman soldier, this is the way to achieve it and the play seems to verify this.Although Antony and Cleopatra kill themselves for different reasons they both seem to feel that the act gives them the dignity and honour in death. Throughout the play Shakespeare shows us different definitions of honour. While Antony’s is related to duty and death, Enobarbus’s belief of honour is loyalty to his friend. When he abandons Antony, he dies from a broken heart.Pompey shows his honour by refusing to agree to Menas plan to kill the Triumvirate because he has principles. Cleopatra shows honour to herself when she refuses to allow Octavius to parade her through Rome... Antony’s soldiers feared and respected him as a great General. This was shown when Silius urges Ventidius to fight on for more glory and Ventidius refuses, citing the reason. “I could do more to Antonius good but ‘twould offend him and in his offence should my performance perish” Even Cleopatra, when chiding him about lack of grief for Fulvia, mentions that he is the greatest soldier of the world .In the opening scene Philo shows how Antony’s soldiers feel about him when he describes Antony’s captains heart and how he is being turned into a fool through love.We learn from Philo’s speech how Antony has degenerated from a respected Roman soldier to a love-struck fool. I believe Antony did lose himself in the relaxed less regimental atmosphere of Egypt when he let his infatuation for the much younger Cleopatra override his Roman decorum and military attitudes. If Antony is the great military hero and disciplined soldier that Caesar and the Romans think he is then he seemed to happily give it up in order to live the pleasurable lifestyle. He knows he should do his duty to Rome and protect it from invaders but his passion leaves him feeling pulled between conflicting identities. When in Rome Antony’s life would have been ruled by politics and talk of wars, with company in the form of Lepidus and Caesar.Though the climate was as warm as Egypt it gave the impression of a cold formal place with male domination where duty and reason were more important than emotion or desire. (These were kept for the leisure activities). Power and allegience were bought with brute force and tears were a sign of weakness.This was shown when Enobarbus chastises Antony for turning him “onion eyed” and reducing the men to women after his speech when running from the first battle. While in Rome Antony’s position was secure as he behaves in the Roman way, but he was astute enough to know that the Roman populace was slippery and would side with whomever was most powerful.We see this when the people greet Pompey warmly though he wages war on their country.