‘Antony and Cleopatra’, a tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in 1606–1607, is considered one of Shakespeare’s richest and most moving works. The principal source of the play was Sir Thomas North’s ‘Parallel Lives’ (1579), an English version of ‘Plutarch’s Bioi parallēloi’. The story concerns Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is in love with Cleopatra, queen of Egypt.
The main theme of this play is the enduring nature of love. In spite of all the difficulties, the pair are united eternally in death. Another major theme is personal development, loyalty, friendship and judgment.
