William Shakespeare in his play of Antony and Cleopatra has many suggestions on the topic of the attractions and contradictions of the political and erotic life, but also of the suggesting of a third kind of way of life that transcends the political and the erotic ones. Throughout the play Shakespeare presents the emotions between Antony and Cleopatra in many different ways that could be interpreted as love or even perhaps lust at times. Cleopatra was a woman of high maintenance, but yet she did seem to love Antony a lot as she tried everything to keep him with her. At the beginning of this play we see Cleopatra testing Antony’s love for her by saying “If it be love indeed, tell me how much.” This gives the impression of Cleopatra’s …show more content…

Yet after they leave us, or pass away we begin to notice the great impact they had on our lives, and we begin to miss them and praise them. Yet during the play we do notice that something more than politics is desired for Caesar; as there are feeling of emptiness once the conquest is finished. “I have no ears to his request. The Queen of audience nor desire shall fail, so she from Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend, or take his life there. This if she perform, she shall not sue unheard. So to them both” Caesar can’t accept his political victory, and instead must take away from Antony the one thing he loves the most. There’s a hint that Caesar dislike the love between Antony and Cleopatra. He will try his hardest to rob Antony and Cleopatra of their feelings for each other by setting them against each other. It’s clear that the power Caesar gained by a military victory is not enough and that he wishes for power over Antony and Cleopatra’s emotions, because he envies their strength in love because he seems to have no capacity to inspire such strong love himself. We learned that Caesar can’t inspire love himself from Pompey’s comment that Caesar can raise funds, but not fondness from the people. “Caesar gets money where he loses hearts.” We learn from Antony that there must be a certain balance of love and political power, as he refutes the claim that love doesn’t hinder the effects of their power. “Ah, let be, let be! Thou art the armourer of my heart. False, false;