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Do you agree that this is essentially how Shakespeare presents the opposition between East and West in 'Antony and Cleopatra?'
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| Submitted: Wed Sep 17 2003
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Shakespeare used as his source for the play North's translation of Plutarch's 'Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.' Plutarch, along with other Greek and Roman authors, saw an opposition between the conquering West, standing for moral and political virtue, and the conquered East, representing luxury and decadence. Do you agree that this is essentially how Shakespeare presents the opposition between East and West in 'Antony and Cleopatra?' 'Rome' and 'Egypt' have significance far beyond physical locations; they symbolize two oppositional value systems essential within both society and the psyche. The world of 'Antony and Cleopatra' is riddled with polarised opposites, such as civilisation and nature, public and private, and, perhaps most importantly, passion and honour. The inability of the East and West to reconcile their values inevitably causes conflict, forcing Antony, the tragic protagonist, to choose between the spheres. In suicide, he transcends the limitations the world...
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