In Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra there is a major struggle between Antony’s loyalty to Rome and the romantic love that he holds for Cleopatra. In the opening lines to Demetrius, Philo complains that Antony has abandoned the military endeavors on which his reputation is based for the love he holds for Cleopatra. This criticism becomes about the tension between Antony’s loyalty to Rome and his emotional feelings towards Cleopatra are a running theme throughout the play. According to the Romans and Caesar Antony is held in high regard as a military hero and a disciplined statesman, however, all of that seems to take a back seat to the feelings that he has for Cleopatra.
Also Mark Antony not only abandons his duties to Rome for Cleopatra, but also abandons his own honor. Antony betrays many of his friends and noblemen for the love of Cleopatra. ... Such a strong emotion that even when that love is riddled with tension and unease it can still drive a person away from their obligations and drive Antony into insanity through his internal conflict.
More than anything else in the play Antony is struggling between his duty to the Roman Empire and his love of Egypt. His tension is also portrayed through a need to be a military hero and his passion for Cleopatra.
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