48 pages 1 hour read

William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1607

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Symbols & Motifs

Divination

The motif of divination appears throughout Antony and Cleopatra, hinting that Antony is destined to be defeated by Caesar despite his superior skill in military command. Egyptian soothsayers appear in Cleopatra’s court and one accompanies Antony on his return to Rome, repeatedly predicting that Caesar is fated to have better luck. He warns, “If thou dost play with him at any game / Thou art sure to lose; and of that natural luck / He beats thee ’gainst the odds” (2.3.30-33). The soothsayer’s predictions reinforce what the audience would already be aware of in a historical play—that Caesar will become the first Emperor of Rome and defeat Caesar. Divination is therefore a way for William Shakespeare to increase the sense of dramatic irony.

Shakespeare plays with the question of whether divination is supernatural or a form of keen scientific observation. The Egyptian soothsayer describes his powers by claiming, “In nature’s infinite book of secrecy / A little I can read” (1.2.9-10). This affiliates divination with being able to “read” and properly interpret signs in the material world, rather than communication with a deity. Similarly, Roman divination, often called augury, used the movements of birds to predict future events.

Related Titles

By William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

All's Well That Ends Well

William Shakespeare

All's Well That Ends Well

William Shakespeare

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

A Midsummer Night's Dream

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Coriolanus

William Shakespeare

Coriolanus

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

Cymbeline

William Shakespeare

Cymbeline

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Henry IV, Part 1

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 1

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

Henry IV, Part 2

William Shakespeare

Henry IV, Part 2

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Henry V

William Shakespeare

Henry V

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

Henry VIII

William Shakespeare

Henry VIII

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

Henry VI, Part 1

William Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 1

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

Henry VI, Part 3

William Shakespeare

Henry VI, Part 3

William Shakespeare

Plot Summary

logo

King John

William Shakespeare

King John

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Love's Labour's Lost

William Shakespeare

Love's Labour's Lost

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Measure For Measure

William Shakespeare

Measure For Measure

William Shakespeare

Study Guide

logo

Othello

William Shakespeare

Othello

William Shakespeare