All For Love is set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra in the city of Alexandria. The play specifically focuses on the downfall of her reign and her tragic, doomed relationship with Mark Antony. Although the drama takes place mostly after Antony and Cleopatra suffer military defeat at the hands of Octavius, Dryden intersperses bits of historical information throughout the play to contextualize the events: characters reference battles that have already occurred and characters that only exist offstage.
The figure of Octavius in particular looms over the narrative as an ominous presence, despite never appearing in the play. Despite the play’s foreign setting, because Dryden’s play is a retelling of both an ancient classic tale and a story that has previously been adapted for the stage by other famous playwrights (most notably, Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra), the locations and events that appear in the drama would likely have been familiar to his audience.
All for Love was written in 1677 and published in 1678, during a period known as the Restoration. The return of a king to the throne of England had a significant effect upon Dryden, who became staunchly pro-monarchist and anti-rebellion following the turbulence of the changing governance structures from monarchy to the republican interregnum and back to monarchy again. Dryden’s emphasis on the importance of honor and duty throughout the play is indicative of his firm moral views, even as he expresses sympathy for the love shared between his two protagonists.
