The battle of Actium is one of the crucial moments of Antony and Cleopatra. Mark Antony, after losing the battle, goes through a period of self-reflection and emotional trauma that changes our perception of the character. The analysis of the extract attempts to discuss the dramatic meaning present in the extract and how Shakespeare conveys it to the audience. After the Battle of Actium, Antony experiences severe emotional distress and is different from the Antony in previous scenes, which adds another layer to his character for the audience to reflect on. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Most notable in this regard is Antony's admission that "I have fled from myself," which can be read literally as Antony fleeing from the battle that will follow Cleopatra, or figuratively as Antony fleeing from himself as Roman general, despising virtue by fleeing from battle and pietas for leaving his navy in Caesar's hands. Antonio's inner turmoil is also expressed through the use of antithetical imagery regarding the color of his hair ("Why do white people reproach brown people for recklessness, and they for fear and dotage."). However, in the midst of his inner turmoil, Antonio reveals his softer side. The repetition of the word "friends" that he addresses to his followers indicates that Antony genuinely cares about the well-being of his followers by asking them to no longer follow him, which highlights the contrast between him and Caesar, who has a more clinical approach to leadership. . He also proved incredibly generous to his followers during this period, imperatively telling them to take his treasure ("My treasures in the harbor. Take it.") and writing letters to set them on their way. The repetition of the word “pray” also suggests that he is pleading with his followers about this, as he does not want them to follow their master to ruin. The phrase "I have lost command" has a duality in meaning that he has lost command of his troops or that he has lost command of himself, which he uses to persuade his followers to leave him. This, along with his previous repentance towards his mistakes, helps present Antonio as a more likable character and somewhat redeems him in the eyes of certain people. The exit of Antony's followers follows the entry of Cleopatra. Antonio at this point is in total desperation, which can be shown scenically by him sitting dejectedly alone with his head in his hands. Eros, Iras and Charmian's persuasion towards Cleopatra is readily apparent in their verses which contain a high amount of positive diction towards Cleopatra ("Gentle madam", "dear queen"), and also function as internal captions ( “No, kind lady, console him.”) However, Cleopatra is also self-centered in her dramatic sadness and does not seem to really consider Antony. Perhaps Cleopatra feels left out since all the attention is focused on Mark Antony and not on her, thus also leading his acting to feel melancholic. His exclamation of "O Juno!" is echoed by Antonio through a series of repetitions of the word "no." be read as if Antony notices Cleopatra and does not want to be near her due to her cheating, or that Antony is stuck in his storm of negative emotions and has not yet noticed Cleopatra. The latter hypothesis is more possible as the internal captions seem suggest this, as Eros repeatedly tries to attract Antony's attention (“See you here, sir?) while Charmian and Iras also attempt to lure Cleopatra to Antony (“Lady!, O good.