Antony and Cleopatra: Eno. as a Choric Figure
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Enobarbus
English Literature Coursework
In “Antony and Cleopatra” Enobarbus’s function as Choric figure is to guide our responses; as a character in the play he reminds the audience of how ordinary people suffer because of the behaviour of their leaders.
By examining Shakespeare’s’ methods of presenting Enobarbus in the extract (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 200-250) and in other appropriately selected parts of the play, give your response to the above statement.
Shakespeare uses Choric figures in his tragedies as a device, by which he can inform the audience of matters that may be unbeknown to the other characters in the play, or give the audience a better insight into the background of the play than that which they get from the dialogue of the characters. The Greek Chorus would either speak directly to the audience by addressing them, or through soliloquy. Enobarbus has a double function, as he is not just a commentator, but he is also an actor. This allows him to comment on the events in the play, whilst being an important part of them.
In ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, it is apparent that Shakespeare uses Enobarbus in the same fashion as a Greek Chorus, as he interprets and remarks on the play, he even tells of future events, such as the return of Antony to Cleopatra, “Antony will do his Egyptian dish again”, and he foretells the friction that Antony’s marriage to Octavia will cause between Caesar and Antony, “Then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Caesar”. Enobarbus is also used as a very important, key character in the play, as Antony’s best friend and military subordinate. He is unlike other Romans, such as Philo and Demetrius, as he can appreciate and even enjoy the comforts of Egypt, and he therefore does not scorn Antony for doing so. He does, on the other-hand, not appreciate Cleopatra’s rule over Antony, for what it does to his men, “to make his followers weep”, but he does not appreciate her enigmatic allure, asserting, “Age cannot whither her,...
English Literature Coursework
In “Antony and Cleopatra” Enobarbus’s function as Choric figure is to guide our responses; as a character in the play he reminds the audience of how ordinary people suffer because of the behaviour of their leaders.
By examining Shakespeare’s’ methods of presenting Enobarbus in the extract (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 200-250) and in other appropriately selected parts of the play, give your response to the above statement.
Shakespeare uses Choric figures in his tragedies as a device, by which he can inform the audience of matters that may be unbeknown to the other characters in the play, or give the audience a better insight into the background of the play than that which they get from the dialogue of the characters. The Greek Chorus would either speak directly to the audience by addressing them, or through soliloquy. Enobarbus has a double function, as he is not just a commentator, but he is also an actor. This allows him to comment on the events in the play, whilst being an important part of them.
In ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, it is apparent that Shakespeare uses Enobarbus in the same fashion as a Greek Chorus, as he interprets and remarks on the play, he even tells of future events, such as the return of Antony to Cleopatra, “Antony will do his Egyptian dish again”, and he foretells the friction that Antony’s marriage to Octavia will cause between Caesar and Antony, “Then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Caesar”. Enobarbus is also used as a very important, key character in the play, as Antony’s best friend and military subordinate. He is unlike other Romans, such as Philo and Demetrius, as he can appreciate and even enjoy the comforts of Egypt, and he therefore does not scorn Antony for doing so. He does, on the other-hand, not appreciate Cleopatra’s rule over Antony, for what it does to his men, “to make his followers weep”, but he does not appreciate her enigmatic allure, asserting, “Age cannot whither her,...