Antony and Cleopatra · Chapter
Scene XV explained
Cleopatra, in her monument, refuses to leave and prepares for the worst.
What happens
Cleopatra, in her monument, refuses to leave and prepares for the worst. Diomedes announces Antony is dying, and Antony is brought in by his guard. They hoist him up to Cleopatra, where he dies in her arms, urging her to trust Proculeius. Cleopatra mourns profoundly, then resolves to bury him and follow a noble Roman death.
Themes in this chapter
Death and Transcendence
Antony's death and Cleopatra's resolve to die 'after the high Roman fashion' emphasize transcendence through noble death.
Love vs. Duty
Cleopatra's love for Antony clashes with her duty to survive; she ultimately chooses love and death.
Honor and Reputation
Antony insists he dies 'valiantly vanquished' by a Roman, and Cleopatra seeks a noble end to preserve their honor.
Characters to notice
- Cleopatra
Grieves over Antony, refuses comfort, and resolves to die nobly after burying him.
- Charmian
Tries to comfort Cleopatra and assists in drawing Antony up.
- Iras
Assists Cleopatra and mourns with her.
- Diomedes
Brings news of Antony's condition and directs the guard.
- Mark Antony
Brought dying to Cleopatra, speaks his last words, and dies in her arms.
Key passages
“O sun, Burn the great sphere thou movest in! darkling stand The varying shore o' the world.”
Cleopatra calls on the sun to go dark, expressing her despair at Antony's fall.
Her grief is so immense she wishes the natural order to collapse.
“Not Caesar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.”
Antony says he was not defeated by Caesar but by his own hand.
He claims a kind of victory in self-inflicted death.
“The crown o' the earth doth melt. My lord! O, wither'd is the garland of the war, The soldier's pole is fall'n.”
Cleopatra laments that the greatest man and warrior is gone, leaving the world diminished.
She sees Antony's death as the end of all greatness.
“We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's noble, Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, And make death proud to take us.”
Cleopatra decides to bury Antony and then die in a noble Roman manner.
She resolves to meet death with dignity and courage.