Shakespeare

9 Pages 2369 Words

Cleopatra’s personality can be best described as “…a pure flame driving throughout, fanned by emotion, whose heat purifies fuses and transmutes into gold all kinds of material…” (Spurgeon 349-350). It is her passionate emotions that she portrays through her love for Antony that will eventually lead to the weakening of her character.
Now it is important to become familiar with the men who weaken the female characters discussed previously. Petruchio is the man who decides he can “tame” Kathrina. He states:
“Think you a little din can daunt mine ears? Have I not in my time heard lions roar? Have I not heard the sea puff’d up with winds Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat? Have I not heard great ordnance in the field, And heaven’s artillery thunder in the skies?… And do you not tell me of women’s tongue, That gives not half so great a blow to hear As will a chestnut in a farmer’s fire?” (Act 1, Scene 2)

Petruchio believes that no woman is capable of being that horrible. He is very confident that he will be able to win Kathrina over. In Petrucio’s mind, no woman is to shrew for him. Similarly Benedick is the man who changes Beatrice. When first introduced to Benedick he believes that he will never fall in love, much like Beatrice.
“That a women conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up, I likewise give her the most humble thanks: but that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invisible baldrick, all women shall pardon me. Because I will not do them the wrong to mistrust any, I will do myself the right to trust none; and the fine is, for the which I may go the finer, I will live a bachelor.” (Act 1, Scene 1)

Antony on the other hand, does believe in love. He loves Cleopatra, however he also has a wife, ...