Cleopatra Character Analysis in All For Love

Cleopatra is the queen of Egypt and the lover of Antony. She is famously beautiful and charismatic, and by her own account has received many marriage proposals. But although she has been involved with other men before—most notably Julius Caesar, before the events of the play—she is unshakably loyal to Antony, whom she regards as her great love. For instance, although she toys with the possibility of flirting with Antony’s friend Dollabella in order to make Antony jealous, she ultimately can’t go through with it because she loves Antony too much. She is jealous of Antony’s legal wife, Octavia, and frequently laments her socially degraded status as Antony’s mistress. She is tempestuous, passionate, and self-dramatizing. For example, she alternatively rages and cries in order to stop Antony from leaving Egypt. And she is theatrical to the end of her life, when she commits suicide dressed in her crown and royal robes. She dies in order to avoid humiliating capture by Octavius, demonstrating her pride in her royal lineage as well as her romantic devotion to Antony. Seeing that he is dead, she declares that her life is no longer living. She hopes they will meet in heaven and be waited on by many loving couples—demonstrating that she sees herself as a great success as a romantic heroine, if not as a ruler.

Cleopatra Quotes in All For Love

The All For Love quotes below are all either spoken by Cleopatra or refer to Cleopatra. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

[T]he crimes of love which they both committed were not occasioned by any necessity or fatal ignorance, but were wholly voluntary, since our passions are, or ought to be, within our power.

Related Characters: Antony, Cleopatra

Page Number and Citation: 32

Explanation and Analysis:

Dryden explains that he has depicted Antony and Cleopatra in a sympathetic light in this play, highlighting their admirable qualities as well as their flaws. However, he stipulates that Antony and Cleopatra are not tragic protagonists in the sense that they have no control over their fate. Rather, they chose to let their passion for each other overrule their reason. In other words, it wasn’t “necessity” or “fatal ignorance” that led to their tragic double suicides. No one forced them to choose their disastrous love affair over their political responsibilities. Rather, their decisions were “wholly voluntary.” They knew right from Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam con

Can any Roman see and know him now,

Thus altered from the lord of half mankind,
Unbent, unsinewed, made a woman’s toy,
Shrunk from the vast extent of all his honours,
And cramped within a corner of the world?

Related Characters: Ventidius (speaker), Cleopatra, Antony

Related Symbols: Cleopatra’s Ruby Bracelet

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 52

Explanation and Analysis:

Ventidius, Antony’s old friend and general, has known Antony for a long time. He sees a great change in Antony from what he was before, arguing that Antony has metaphorically “shrunk” from the great emperor and “lord of half mankind” that he was before. He attributes this change to Cleopatra, who he blames for Antony’s dramatic personality change and loss of his military “honors” and glories. Before, Antony ruled half the world; now he’s “cramped within a corner” of it, the kingdom of Egypt. This is because Antony prefers to spend his days with Cleopatra rather than ruling Rome. For Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offic

But I have lost my reason, have disgraced
The name of soldier with inglorious ease[.]

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Cleopatra, Octavius, Ventidius

Page Number and Citation: 58

Explanation and Analysis:

Antony explains that his love for Cleopatra is so excessive that he has “lost [his] reason.” He has no explanation for his seemingly irrational decisions except his all-consuming love for her, which causes him to lose his military power and position as ruler of Rome. For example, he explains to Ventidius here that he lost the Battle of Actium against Octavius’s forces because he followed Cleopatra when she fled the battlefield. Unable to put aside personal considerations, he preferred to disgrace himself in battle rather than risk her safety. This is how he has “disgraced / The name of soldier,” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut ven

And I will leave her; though, Heaven knows, I love
Beyond life, conquest, empire, all but honour;

But I will leave her.

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Cleopatra, Ventidius

Page Number and Citation: 58

Explanation and Analysis:

Throughout All for Love, Antony wrestles with the question of whether he values love more than honor. Here he concedes that he loves Cleopatra more than anything else he has: his empire, his conquests in battle, and even his own life. However, he claims that he loves Cleopatra more than everything but honour. This is why he tells Ventidius that he will leave Cleopatra, in order to command his army in Lower Egypt (who will follow Antony but not Cleopatra). For Antony, a seasoned commander with many military victories, loss in battle would mean humiliation and loss of honor. He Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.

Moderate sorrow
Fits vulgar love, and for a vulgar man;
But I have loved with such transcendent passion,
I soared at first quite out of reason’s view.

Related Characters: Cleopatra (speaker), Antony

Page Number and Citation: 64

Explanation and Analysis:

Like Antony, Cleopatra describes their love as a passion that transcends and defies reason. Many might regard the choice of passion over reason as a moral failing. Cleopatra, however, sees her passionate nature as an indication of her nobility. She argues that her “transcendent passion” that “soar[s]…quite out of reason’s view” is fitting for a great queen like herself. She says that only low-born (or “vulgar”) people have “moderate sorrow,” thus associating temperate, restrained emotions with people who have low stakes in their lives. By contrast, she regards the greatness of her passion as an index of the greatness of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut o

[W]e have loved each other
Into our mutual ruin.

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Octavius, Cleopatra

Page Number and Citation: 73

Explanation and Analysis:

After the Battle of Actium—when Antony and Cleopatra are decisively defeated at sea by Antony’s rival, Octavius—Antony tells Cleopatra they have “loved each other” into their “mutual ruin.” By this he means that their love for one another has been destructive to their lives, honor, and political fortunes. Had Antony not fled to Egypt to live with Cleopatra and insulted Octavius’s sister Octavia, this battle would never have come to pass. For Cleopatra’s part, her love affair has sacrificed the independence of Egypt, which has now been invaded by a foreign power and faces annexation to the Roman empire. The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae vo

But yet the loss was private that I made;
’Twas but myself I lost: I lost no legions;
I had no world to lose, no people’s love.

Related Characters: Dollabella (speaker), Cleopatra, Antony

Page Number and Citation: 89

Explanation and Analysis:

Antony’s old friend Dollabella is guilty of the same fault as Antony: he, too, has fallen in love with Cleopatra. However, he points out an important distinction between the two of them. Antony’s love for Cleopatra has had disastrous consequences because Antony is a public figure, a ruler of Rome and a military commander. By loving Cleopatra and choosing to live in Egypt, Antony loses “legions” of his army, his “people’s love,” and even the “world”—which is to say, the “all” of the play’s title, All for Love. Dollabella, by contrast, is a “private” figure, and so his losses are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusa

For I can ne’er be conquered but by love,
And you do all for duty.

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Octavia, Cleopatra

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

Antony admits many times throughout the play that the more reasonable choice for him to make would involve returning to his wife Octavia and their children. The dignified Octavia seems exceptionally generous, offering to return to marriage with him (a loveless marriage on Antony’s part) in order to preserve the peace in Rome. This seems like a persuasive argument, but Antony is too infatuated with Cleopatra to take advantage of it. His statement here provides some explanation for why Antony is unable to make the “rational choice.” He explains that he can never love Octavia because she does everything for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus c

Nature meant me
A wife, a silly, harmless, household dove,
Fond without art, and kind without deceit;
But Fortune, that has made a mistress of me,
Has thrust me out to the wide world.

Related Characters: Cleopatra (speaker), Antony, Octavia

Page Number and Citation: 102-103

Explanation and Analysis:

Cleopatra laments her degraded status as Antony’s mistress rather than his wife. She is jealous of Octavia, recognizing that Octavia has the protection of Roman law and the socially-sanctioned status of Antony’s wife. By contrast, without the authority and protection of marriage, Cleopatra is treated as an outcast. In this sense, she is quite literally choosing love over honor. Under Roman standards of propriety, it is honorable to be a wife and dishonorable to be a mistress. Cleopatra admits that she could have accepted proposals of marriage and become a wife, but seems to accept that “Fortune…has made a mistress Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor

My Queen is dead.
I was but great for her; my power, my empire
Were but my merchandise to buy her love,
And conquered kings, my factors.

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Cleopatra, Ventidius

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 131

Explanation and Analysis:

When Antony hears (falsely) that Cleopatra has committed suicide, he is devastated. He explains to Ventidius that he has nothing more to live or fight for, because Cleopatra inspired all of his conquests, glory, power, and even the founding of an empire. This is a striking revision of the depiction of Antony’s character earlier in the play. Ventidius had argued that Antony was fatally changed from who he once was by his disastrous affair with Cleopatra. To Ventidius, Cleopatra was the cause of Antony’s military defeat and humiliation. However, Antony offers a very different reading of what has changed and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mo

Ten years’ love,
And not a moment lost, but all improved
To th’utmost joys: what ages have we lived!
And now to die each other’s; and so dying,
While hand in hand we walk in groves below,
Whole troops of lovers’ ghosts shall flock about us,
And all the train be ours.

Related Characters: Antony (speaker), Cleopatra

Page Number and Citation: 135

Explanation and Analysis:

Just before Antony dies, he tells Cleopatra that he hopes she will meet him in the afterlife, where they will walk “hand in hand” and have “troops of lovers’ ghosts” to wait on them. In many ways, Antony has died a failure: he has lost his army, his command, and his empire. However, he suggests that although he and Cleopatra are unsuccessful rulers, they will be held up as romantic models for ages to come. Although Antony has been harshly criticized for abandoning his role as ruler of Rome and wasting his time in Egypt, he points out that, in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero

Let dull Octavia
Survive to mourn him dead; my nobler fate
Shall knit our spousals with a tie too strong

For Roman laws to break.

Related Characters: Cleopatra (speaker), Antony, Octavia

Page Number and Citation: 136

Explanation and Analysis:

Throughout All for Love, Cleopatra has been jealous of Antony’s legally-wed wife Octavia and expressed her grief at her own status as mistress rather than wife. However, just before her suicide, Cleopatra increasingly confines those fears and jealousies to the earthly realm, where “dull Octavia” will mourn the now-dead Antony. With Antony dead, the world of the living seems to have little appeal for Cleopatra. Instead, her mind turns to her “nobler fate” in the world after death. She refers to her and Antony’s joint suicide as their “spousals,” suggesting that their death is a kind of wedding. Moreover, it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem

Cleopatra Character Timeline in All For Love

The timeline below shows where the character Cleopatra appears in All For Love. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...acknowledging that many people before him—including William Shakespeare—have re-told the famous story of Antony and Cleopatra. He decided to write his own version, he explains, because he thinks the play offers... (full context)

...used artistic license in making Octavia, Antony’s Roman wife, come to Egypt and (unhistorically) meet Cleopatra. He defends himself for creating this fictional meeting on the grounds that it is dramatically... (full context)

...principal characters: Antony, a decent but “somewhat lewd” man, his wife Octavia, and his mistress Cleopatra. (full context)

Suddenly Alexas, Queen Cleopatra’s eunuch, appears and accuses Serapion of making up stories and drinking too much at the... (full context)

Meanwhile, Antony has locked himself in the temple and refuses to see Cleopatra, hoping to cure himself of his love for her. Serapion and Myris fear for Egypt’s... (full context)

...Ventidius protests at the Egyptians taking a holiday at this dire moment. Alexas protests that Cleopatra loves Antony and that Antony loves her in return. Ventidius agrees but compares Cleopatra to... (full context)

...fight for Antony if he comes to them. They do not want to fight for Cleopatra in Egypt, since they think that Antony is her “slave.” Ventidius criticizes Antony for throwing... (full context)

...enough to be able to hear these hard truths. Ventidius repeats that Antony must leave Cleopatra, and Antony agrees—although he says he loves her above all else, “all but honour.” Although... (full context)

Cleopatra is in despair at the news that Antony is leaving her. Alexas counsels her to... (full context)

...him after all his help and mentorship. Alexas arrives and delivers a message (supposedly) from Cleopatra to Antony: she loves him and commends him to the care of his soldiers. She... (full context)

Cleopatra also sends Antony a bracelet made of rubies in the shape of bleeding hearts. Ventidius... (full context)

Cleopatra enters with her maids. Antony tells her that they have “loved each other / Into... (full context)

Cleopatra acknowledges that he is right to reproach her, but sorrowfully says that Antony must no... (full context)

Cleopatra swoons and protests pathetically that she only wants to die. At this, Antony embraces her,... (full context)

Cleopatra’s court performs an elaborate dance. Cleopatra crowns Antony and Antony reaffirms his love for her,... (full context)

...used to have a friend: Dollabella, a loyal soldier who was also in love with Cleopatra. Antony sent him away as a result, and now Dollabella fights for Octavius. Ventidius encourages... (full context)

...some truths of his own. He asks Dollabella to recall the first time he saw Cleopatra, sailing on an elaborately-decorated barge down the river. Although Cleopatra had collaborated in the murder... (full context)

...but also doesn’t want to treat her dishonorably. Ventidius and Dollabella urge Antony to abandon Cleopatra and take back Octavia, pointing out that “you have ruined [her], / And yet she... (full context)

...own castration—which has barred him from ever experiencing the joys of love and sex himself. Cleopatra enters and weeps at the news that Octavia has stolen Antony back. Alexas assures her... (full context)

Octavia enters and meets with Cleopatra. Octavia brings up Cleopatra’s sexual past with Caesar in order to insult her, and haughtily... (full context)

...competing to see who has suffered the most in their relationships with Antony. Octavia accuses Cleopatra of stealing Antony’s wife, children, reputation, power, and political standing. Cleopatra says that she has... (full context)

Antony orders Dollabella to inform Cleopatra of his departure, since Ventidius would be too harsh with her. Dollabella begs Antony not... (full context)

...always made open to “the world’s open view.” Dollabella begins to contemplate trying to win Cleopatra from Antony, since he is still in love with her. Overhearing this, Ventidius gleefully hopes... (full context)

Meanwhile, Alexas urges Cleopatra to use Dollabella’s feelings for her to make Antony jealous. Cleopatra protests at the idea... (full context)

Cleopatra asks Dollabella, Iras, and Charmion what they have been talking about. Dollabella claims that they... (full context)

Cleopatra asks whether Antony sent this news regretfully. Dollabella lies and says that Antony spoke harshly... (full context)

Ventidius and Octavia spy on Dollabella and Cleopatra. They misinterpret the gesture of Dollabella taking Cleopatra’s hand, assuming that Cleopatra has abandoned Antony.... (full context)

Ventidius asks Alexas to confirm the report of Cleopatra’s unchastity, calling him a pimp and accusing him of enabling the “nightly change” to a... (full context)

...much distress at the loss of an “abandoned, faithless prostitute,” suggesting that he still loves Cleopatra more. Ventidius begs her to retire, but the enraged Octavia tells Antony that she will... (full context)

...to the world rather than concealing them. He calls Dollabella to him and asks how Cleopatra took the news of his departure. Dollabella says that Cleopatra still loves Antony, even to... (full context)

When Cleopatra enters, Antony shouts at her and Dollabella, accusing them of betraying him. He demands that... (full context)

Antony points out that Cleopatra and Dollabella’s only witnesses to prove that they’re telling the truth are each other—and the... (full context)

Antony refuses to believe it. Cleopatra begs for one more look from him, protesting that he wouldn’t even send away a... (full context)

Cleopatra is in despair at Antony’s abandonment. She tries to kill herself with a dagger, but... (full context)

...still hope: Octavia is gone, Dollabella is banished, and thus the way is open for Cleopatra to make her way back into Antony’s heart. Meanwhile, the Egyptian ships are in the... (full context)

Antony is in a rage at the Egyptian fleet’s betrayal and is apparently raving at Cleopatra. Alexas advises Cleopatra to go hide in her monument for the time being, since Antony... (full context)

...find some way to save his life. Meanwhile, Antony enters with Ventidius. They rant against Cleopatra and the Egyptians who betrayed them, and Antony asks if there is any way to... (full context)

...enters, and Ventidius draws his sword and threatens to kill him. Antony once again accuses Cleopatra of betraying him to Octavius. Alexas tells him that Cleopatra is gone, and Antony at... (full context)

Ventidius rejoices at Cleopatra’s death, only expressing regret that she hadn’t died earlier (since then Antony might have been... (full context)

...says “he’s welcome now.” He explains that all he wants now is to die, since Cleopatra was the “jewel” that made his life worth living. All his conquests, glory, and honors... (full context)

Antony then falls on his sword, hoping to join Ventidius and Cleopatra. However, he misses his heart and begins bleeding out on the floor. He hears the... (full context)

Cleopatra begs the gods to keep Antony alive, but he tells her gently that this cannot... (full context)

Cleopatra proclaims that she will die with Antony as his wife, in a bond that no... (full context)

Alone with Antony’s corpse, Cleopatra kisses his lips, observing that they are now alone again, like lovers. Iras and Charmion... (full context)

...fall gently into sleep. Serapion shouts from outside that Octavius is at the palace gates. Cleopatra quickly bares her arm and lets the snake bite her. As the guards begin to... (full context)

...priests, and Alexas (who is in chains) enter the room. Horrified by the spectacle of Cleopatra and Iras’s bodies (as Iras has also killed herself with Cleopatra), Serapion asks Charmion “is... (full context)

Serapion observes how noble Antony and Cleopatra look, as if they ruled half the world. He is glad that the lovers are... (full context)

Cleopatra Character Analysis

Cleopatra Quotes in All For Love

Preface Quotes

Act 1 Quotes

Act 2 Quotes

Act 3 Quotes

Act 4 Quotes

Act 5 Quotes

Cleopatra Character Timeline in All For Love