Antony and Cleopatra
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Act 1, Scene 1 Act 1, Scene 2 Act 1, Scene 3 Act 1, Scene 4 Act 1, Scene 5 Act 2, Scene 1 Act 2, Scene 2 Act 2, Scene 3 Act 2, Scene 4 Act 2, Scene 5 Act 2, Scene 6 Act 2, Scene 7 Act 3, Scene 1 Act 3, Scene 2 Act 3, Scene 3 Act 3, Scene 4 Act 3, Scene 5 Act 3, Scene 6 Act 3, Scene 7 Act 3, Scene 8 Act 3, Scene 9 Act 3, Scene 10 Act 3, Scene 11 Act 3, Scene 12 Act 3, Scene 13 Act 4, Scene 1 Act 4, Scene 2 Act 4, Scene 3 Act 4, Scene 4 Act 4, Scene 5 Act 4, Scene 6 Act 4, Scene 7 Act 4, Scene 8 Act 4, Scene 9 Act 4, Scene 10 Act 4, Scene 11 Act 4, Scene 12 Act 4, Scene 13 Act 4, Scene 14 Act 4, Scene 15 Act 5, Scene 1 Act 5, Scene 2
Themes
All Themes Love, Pleasure, and Decadence Honor, Loyalty, and Betrayal Strategy, Manipulation, and Power Messages, Warnings, and Omens Gender Roles
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Mark Antony Cleopatra Octavius Caesar Lepidus Sextus Pompey Octavia Enobarbus
Symbols
All Symbols The Changing Clouds
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Allusions Dramatic Irony Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Imagery Irony Metaphors Mood Motifs Setting Similes Soliloquy Style Tone
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Antony and Cleopatra

by

William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra: Act 3, Scene 4 Summary & Analysis

Read our modern English translation of this scene.
Love, Pleasure, and Decadence Theme Icon
Honor, Loyalty, and Betrayal Theme Icon
Strategy, Manipulation, and Power Theme Icon
Messages, Warnings, and Omens Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
Themes Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Antony and Cleopatra, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love, Pleasure, and Decadence Theme Icon
Love, Pleasure, and Decadence
Honor, Loyalty, and Betrayal Theme Icon
Honor, Loyalty, and Betrayal
Strategy, Manipulation, and Power Theme Icon
Strategy, Manipulation, and Power
Messages, Warnings, and Omens Theme Icon
Messages, Warnings, and Omens
Gender Roles Theme Icon
Gender Roles
Summary
Analysis
At Antony’s house in Athens, Antony complains to Octavia that Octavius has “waged / New wars ‘gainst Pompey,” and “spoke scantly” of Antony. Octavia tries to calm Antony and says she doesn’t want to be caught between her allegiance to her brother and her husband. Antony tells her to go to Octavius in Rome to make peace. In the meantime, he will start to raise an army.
Now that Pompey is no longer a real threat, there is nothing to keep Octavius and Antony allied and they are starting to feud for power. Unlike Cleopatra, Octavia is a passive female character, and finds herself caught between her loyalty to two different men.
Themes
Honor, Loyalty, and Betrayal Theme Icon
Strategy, Manipulation, and Power Theme Icon
Gender Roles Theme Icon
Quotes
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