Antony and Cleopatra · Chapter
Scene III explained
Cleopatra interrogates a messenger about Octavia's appearance and demeanor, seeking reassurance that Antony will not prefer her.
What happens
Cleopatra interrogates a messenger about Octavia's appearance and demeanor, seeking reassurance that Antony will not prefer her. She finds comfort in the messenger's unflattering description and decides to employ him again.
Themes in this chapter
Love vs. Duty
Cleopatra's jealousy over Antony's political marriage to Octavia highlights the conflict between personal desire and political necessity.
Honor and Reputation
Cleopatra's focus on Octavia's appearance and demeanor reveals her concern for her own status and honor in Antony's eyes.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“She creeps: Her motion and her station are as one; She shows a body rather than a life, A statue than a breather.”
She moves stiffly, as if she were a statue rather than a living person.
The messenger describes Octavia as lacking grace and vitality.
“There's gold for thee. Thou must not take my former sharpness ill: I will employ thee back again; I find thee Most fit for business.”
Here is gold for you. Do not be upset by my earlier harshness; I will send you again, as you seem well-suited for this task.
Cleopatra rewards the messenger and plans to use him again.