[alert-success] All for Love by John Dryden [/alert-success]
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John Dryden bases All For Love on the Antony and Cleopatra affair. As Shakespeare's play had already been inspired by Antony and Cleopatra, Dryden was less trying to tell a new story than putting his own spin on it. In his preface, he says he'll tell a different kind of story, introduce new characters, and focus on a specific part.
Serapion, Myris, and Alexas, Cleopatra's eunuch, discuss dramatic omens. They discuss how Egypt's political and romantic turmoil affects nature. Dryden plunges the audience into the drama rather than building to it. This differs from Shakespeare's version.
Antony and Cleopatra's romance is framed as political from the start. Antony's relationship with Cleopatra in Egypt has hampered his career as a general, and the characters frame him as having been seduced by both Cleopatra and Egypt. His affair with Cleopatra caused his political downfall.
Ventidius must convince him to believe in himself, fight for his reputation, and end his affair with Cleopatra. Ventidius tells Antony that 12 loyal legions will only fight with him if he denounces Cleopatra and stops fighting for Egypt. He describes the political implications of their affair: "Why fight to make her victorious/And you a slave? You'll sell her kingdoms for a kiss at your next midnight feast. Then she renames her jewels: each earring pendant is a province."
Antony is described by Dryden and Ventidius as a virtuous but misguided man. Ventidius tells an Antony's man, "Virtue's his path, but sometimes it's too narrow/For his vast soul; and then he starts out wide/And bounds into a vice that carries him far/From his first course and plunges him in ills." Antony's "vast soul," boldness, and bravery define him, but so do his inconsistencies.
Antony's decision to leave Egypt breaks Cleopatra's heart. The play's main conflict is Antony's conflicting duties to Cleopatra and his country. Cleopatra's introduction shows how well-matched the two lovers are; she's just as prone to drama and self-doubt as Antony, and their affair is defined by both passion and melodrama.
Cleopatra knows her love for Antony transcends politics. "My love is a noble madness," she says when told to be more rational. She knows that loving so fiercely is illogical, but she's powerless to stop her feelings and can't return to reason. She cares only about her heart, and Antony returns them.
Alexas, Cleopatra's eunuch, influences the conflict between Cleopatra and Antony. When Cleopatra is down, he offers to find Antony and bring him to her. He offers to "work him first" to soften and weaken Antony. Dryden portrays Alexas as a strategic meddler who exploits weakness.
Cleopatra's and Antony's love quickly overpowers his plans to leave Egypt. Antony is rendered powerless when Cleopatra declares her love for him and rejects Octavius' offer to join forces. Antony and Cleopatra's passionate affair causes them to act impulsively and emotionally, to Ventidius' dismay.
The play examines how love and passion are often more complex and impure than they appear. In Cleopatra and Antony's eyes, their affair is pure-hearted and unavoidable. On the world stage, the affair is destructive and irresponsible and threatens Antony's general power. Unchecked passion's disorganizing and destructive effects are explored.
Act 3 begins with Antony becoming a stronger warrior for Cleopatra. He returns to Cleopatra's court having defeated Octavius. This seems to disprove Ventidius and others' assessment that Antony's love for Cleopatra has weakened him; instead, it motivates him to fight more fiercely and effectively.
Ventidius sees Antony as his old friend and invokes his character in this act. In a short soliloquy, he says, "His virtues are so mixed with his crimes that punishing one would be illogical." In this, he raises the idea that Antony's good and virtuous qualities—his tendency to feel things strongly and pursue them with passion—are also what unravel his character and lead him to make grave mistakes as a ruler.
Ventidius brings Dolabella, his wife, and children to Cleopatra's court to convince Antony to end his affair. Antony is happy to see Dolabella, but he and Rome are disappointed that he abandoned his family and sacrificed armies for love. Octavia asks Antony to return home, but he refuses.
Antony's many chances to return to Rome are a major source of conflict in the play. In the previous act, his army waits for him to leave Cleopatra behind. Dolabella, Antony's best friend, and Octavia, his wife, beg him to return to Rome. They ask without malice. Despite Antony's actions, characters keep giving him second chances.
Cleopatra and Alexas, the eunuch, devise many plots to keep Antony from leaving Cleopatra. Alexas advises Cleopatra to seduce Dolabella to make Antony jealous before he leaves for Rome. Just when Antony seems free, Cleopatra devises a deceitful plan to keep him. The play's dramatic arc portrays the queen and her eunuch attendant as scheming villains.
Ventidius is the play's only objective character. He often witnesses the inconsistency and machinations of other characters and bemoans the fact that he can see what's happening sooner than others. In this section, he watches Cleopatra seduce Dolabella and feels helpless. While the other characters are swayed by their passions, Ventidius remains firm, if hard-hearted.
Dolabella and Cleopatra can't deceive each other during their meeting. As soon as Cleopatra seduces Dolabella, Antony feels so guilty that he admits he still loves her, and Cleopatra admits she hoped to lure him back by making him jealous. Ventidius suspects both of dishonesty, but neither can participate.
Ventidius and Octavia attempt to convince Antony that Cleopatra seduced Dolabella. Ventidius and Octavia insist that Antony shouldn't trust Cleopatra, but he doesn't believe she's "tainted." The audience knows that Cleopatra is loyal to Antony and that Ventidius and Octavia misunderstand the events.
Antony's biggest flaw is his earnestness and inability to hide his emotions, according to him and others. "Why was I framed with this plain, honest heart,/Which knows not to disguise its griefs and weakness,/But bears its workings outward to the world?/I should have kept the mighty anguish in,/And forced a smile at Cleopatra's falsehood:/Octavia had believed it, and stayed." If he could lie and pretend not to love Cleopatra, he could have kept Octavia as his wife, but he can't.
Act I ends with Antony feeling betrayed by Dolabella and Cleopatra. He no longer has the promise of honourably returning to Rome with his wife, and he is heartbroken over Dolabella and Cleopatra's affair. Antony is mistrustful and unhappy, and the queen and his old friend can't change his mind.
In the fifth act, Antony's army goes to fight Caesar but refuses to fight because of Alexas' interference in the previous act. Antony's disloyalty to Rome makes him a useless general, endangering Egypt. Cleopatra must denounce Antony to save her country from invasion.
While previous acts relied on lies, deceit, and plotting, the final act shows the characters' desperation. Even scheming Alexas can't save his own life and realises his deception. Dryden makes him sympathetic as Alexas laments his fate "My gift of lying is gone, and the court-devil I've raised abandons me. I dare not stay/yet can't go far." In this moment, he says he lied for his country and will be punished for it.
Alexas' redemption story and lost lying gift are short-lived. Once Antony and Ventidius arrive, he plots again. Alexas manipulates Antony and Cleopatra's love by claiming she committed suicide. Alexas saves himself in a hopeless moment by killing Antony.
Antony tells Ventidius that all his motivation as a political and military leader came from his desire for Cleopatra. "I was only great for her; my power, empire, and conquered kings were my factors," he says. He entwines sexuality and politics more than other characters, suggesting that his love for Cleopatra is tied to their political positions and that she is the source of his power. Their relationship isn't a symptom of Antony's political machinations; it's what enabled and created his political success.
Antony and Cleopatra kill themselves as a result of dramatic irony, as expected. Alexas tells Antony Cleopatra is dead to save himself, but Antony kills himself in response. Cleopatra reveals she's alive as Antony dies. She kills herself with a poisonous snake after Antony's death rather than face Caesar.
Serapion, Myris, and Alexas, Cleopatra's eunuch, discuss dramatic omens. They discuss how Egypt's political and romantic turmoil affects nature. Dryden plunges the audience into the drama rather than building to it. This differs from Shakespeare's version.
Antony and Cleopatra's romance is framed as political from the start. Antony's relationship with Cleopatra in Egypt has hampered his career as a general, and the characters frame him as having been seduced by both Cleopatra and Egypt. His affair with Cleopatra caused his political downfall.
Ventidius must convince him to believe in himself, fight for his reputation, and end his affair with Cleopatra. Ventidius tells Antony that 12 loyal legions will only fight with him if he denounces Cleopatra and stops fighting for Egypt. He describes the political implications of their affair: "Why fight to make her victorious/And you a slave? You'll sell her kingdoms for a kiss at your next midnight feast. Then she renames her jewels: each earring pendant is a province."
Antony is described by Dryden and Ventidius as a virtuous but misguided man. Ventidius tells an Antony's man, "Virtue's his path, but sometimes it's too narrow/For his vast soul; and then he starts out wide/And bounds into a vice that carries him far/From his first course and plunges him in ills." Antony's "vast soul," boldness, and bravery define him, but so do his inconsistencies.
Antony's decision to leave Egypt breaks Cleopatra's heart. The play's main conflict is Antony's conflicting duties to Cleopatra and his country. Cleopatra's introduction shows how well-matched the two lovers are; she's just as prone to drama and self-doubt as Antony, and their affair is defined by both passion and melodrama.
Cleopatra knows her love for Antony transcends politics. "My love is a noble madness," she says when told to be more rational. She knows that loving so fiercely is illogical, but she's powerless to stop her feelings and can't return to reason. She cares only about her heart, and Antony returns them.
Alexas, Cleopatra's eunuch, influences the conflict between Cleopatra and Antony. When Cleopatra is down, he offers to find Antony and bring him to her. He offers to "work him first" to soften and weaken Antony. Dryden portrays Alexas as a strategic meddler who exploits weakness.
Cleopatra's and Antony's love quickly overpowers his plans to leave Egypt. Antony is rendered powerless when Cleopatra declares her love for him and rejects Octavius' offer to join forces. Antony and Cleopatra's passionate affair causes them to act impulsively and emotionally, to Ventidius' dismay.
The play examines how love and passion are often more complex and impure than they appear. In Cleopatra and Antony's eyes, their affair is pure-hearted and unavoidable. On the world stage, the affair is destructive and irresponsible and threatens Antony's general power. Unchecked passion's disorganizing and destructive effects are explored.
Act 3 begins with Antony becoming a stronger warrior for Cleopatra. He returns to Cleopatra's court having defeated Octavius. This seems to disprove Ventidius and others' assessment that Antony's love for Cleopatra has weakened him; instead, it motivates him to fight more fiercely and effectively.
Ventidius sees Antony as his old friend and invokes his character in this act. In a short soliloquy, he says, "His virtues are so mixed with his crimes that punishing one would be illogical." In this, he raises the idea that Antony's good and virtuous qualities—his tendency to feel things strongly and pursue them with passion—are also what unravel his character and lead him to make grave mistakes as a ruler.
Ventidius brings Dolabella, his wife, and children to Cleopatra's court to convince Antony to end his affair. Antony is happy to see Dolabella, but he and Rome are disappointed that he abandoned his family and sacrificed armies for love. Octavia asks Antony to return home, but he refuses.
Antony's many chances to return to Rome are a major source of conflict in the play. In the previous act, his army waits for him to leave Cleopatra behind. Dolabella, Antony's best friend, and Octavia, his wife, beg him to return to Rome. They ask without malice. Despite Antony's actions, characters keep giving him second chances.
Cleopatra and Alexas, the eunuch, devise many plots to keep Antony from leaving Cleopatra. Alexas advises Cleopatra to seduce Dolabella to make Antony jealous before he leaves for Rome. Just when Antony seems free, Cleopatra devises a deceitful plan to keep him. The play's dramatic arc portrays the queen and her eunuch attendant as scheming villains.
Ventidius is the play's only objective character. He often witnesses the inconsistency and machinations of other characters and bemoans the fact that he can see what's happening sooner than others. In this section, he watches Cleopatra seduce Dolabella and feels helpless. While the other characters are swayed by their passions, Ventidius remains firm, if hard-hearted.
Dolabella and Cleopatra can't deceive each other during their meeting. As soon as Cleopatra seduces Dolabella, Antony feels so guilty that he admits he still loves her, and Cleopatra admits she hoped to lure him back by making him jealous. Ventidius suspects both of dishonesty, but neither can participate.
Ventidius and Octavia attempt to convince Antony that Cleopatra seduced Dolabella. Ventidius and Octavia insist that Antony shouldn't trust Cleopatra, but he doesn't believe she's "tainted." The audience knows that Cleopatra is loyal to Antony and that Ventidius and Octavia misunderstand the events.
Antony's biggest flaw is his earnestness and inability to hide his emotions, according to him and others. "Why was I framed with this plain, honest heart,/Which knows not to disguise its griefs and weakness,/But bears its workings outward to the world?/I should have kept the mighty anguish in,/And forced a smile at Cleopatra's falsehood:/Octavia had believed it, and stayed." If he could lie and pretend not to love Cleopatra, he could have kept Octavia as his wife, but he can't.
Act I ends with Antony feeling betrayed by Dolabella and Cleopatra. He no longer has the promise of honourably returning to Rome with his wife, and he is heartbroken over Dolabella and Cleopatra's affair. Antony is mistrustful and unhappy, and the queen and his old friend can't change his mind.
In the fifth act, Antony's army goes to fight Caesar but refuses to fight because of Alexas' interference in the previous act. Antony's disloyalty to Rome makes him a useless general, endangering Egypt. Cleopatra must denounce Antony to save her country from invasion.
While previous acts relied on lies, deceit, and plotting, the final act shows the characters' desperation. Even scheming Alexas can't save his own life and realises his deception. Dryden makes him sympathetic as Alexas laments his fate "My gift of lying is gone, and the court-devil I've raised abandons me. I dare not stay/yet can't go far." In this moment, he says he lied for his country and will be punished for it.
Alexas' redemption story and lost lying gift are short-lived. Once Antony and Ventidius arrive, he plots again. Alexas manipulates Antony and Cleopatra's love by claiming she committed suicide. Alexas saves himself in a hopeless moment by killing Antony.
Antony tells Ventidius that all his motivation as a political and military leader came from his desire for Cleopatra. "I was only great for her; my power, empire, and conquered kings were my factors," he says. He entwines sexuality and politics more than other characters, suggesting that his love for Cleopatra is tied to their political positions and that she is the source of his power. Their relationship isn't a symptom of Antony's political machinations; it's what enabled and created his political success.
Antony and Cleopatra kill themselves as a result of dramatic irony, as expected. Alexas tells Antony Cleopatra is dead to save himself, but Antony kills himself in response. Cleopatra reveals she's alive as Antony dies. She kills herself with a poisonous snake after Antony's death rather than face Caesar.
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