Betrayal in Antony and Cleopatra Essay

Betrayal in the play ultimately leads to the downfall of many main characters weather it be betrayal of companions or of their cowcatcher ideals and morals. If we take the example of Enobarbus case, his decline from the strict roman print ethics into the looser morals that symbolise more Egyptian ideals, leads him to betray his general and friend, Antony. Enobarbus then goes onto to die of the unrighteousness and broken heartedness he experiences as a result of his treachery towards Antony and his own moral compass. It is however arguable that Enobarbus traitorous nature is only an outcome and upbraiding of Antonys own crumbling roman beliefs. If we take the exchange between Cleopatra and Enobarbus in Act 3, scene 12 lines 2- 12 we can see that Enobarbus lays absolutely no(prenominal) of the blame on Cleopatras shoulders but instead tears the Antony to shreds, at one point saying The itch of his affection should not then construct nicked his captainship, at such a point when h alf to half the world opposed, he being the mered question.In these lines Enobarbus says that Antony should not have let his starve (an Egyptian quality) destroy his ability as a general and his duty to his men, at such an incredibly crucial juncture in the battle, especially when the wager were so high and he was such a key component in the outcome. Shakespeare uses the word affection, which can be read to mean impulse. Lust is a trait that Shakespeare lists as an Egyptian quality, and it is vital to note his choice in diction to stress that the action was not disciplined and Roman but a betrayal of Antonys Roman nature. There is no mention of the love Antony has for Cleopatra. He like voguish allows us to see Enobarbuss view that nothing somewhat this was justifiable or right, and that there were no higher motives moving Antony, rather he was pushed into actions by his baser and more primitive emotions such as cowardice and lust saying Antonys reasons, whatever they may have b een, were trivial and unacceptable.The hyperbole in line 9 when half to half the world opposed also stresses this point because it creates a sense of how indubitably important this battle was. This fight was a touchstone of legend one obviously still remembered in Shakespeares time, and still in ours a war between two of the greatest empires the world has seen to date, the stakes of which were incredible amounts of power, influence, land, and money more than enough motive to turn thumbs down for. And yet the mered question the person who this whole war was based on who these men were fighting this battle for men without experience or training, against the greatest martial empire of the ancient world this man they were fighting for ran away. Enobarbus dialogue describes how utterly base and treacherous Antonys actions have been in terms of the values of the Roman Empire.This supports the argument that Antonys betrayal of his Roman ideals lead to Enobarbus also betraying his Roma n nature by defecting to Caesar. These betrayals lead to both their deaths, though if they had stuck to the Roman tenets of societal building they would not have gone against their own nature actions such as retreating from the sea battle (Antony) or defecting (Enobarbus), and the play could have had a very unalike ending. It is these faults of betrayal that set the characters up for their downfalls, echoing Antonys belief in the doctrine of Ate, which he expresses by saying, when we in our viciousness grow hard the wise gods seel our eyes (Act 3, Scene 13, 114-18).