The First scene of the first act of Antony and Cleopatra opens in one of the room of Cleopatra’s palace in Alessandria. Demetrius and Philo, two Antony’s friends and followers, are discussing their general ‘s “dotage” for the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. They describe Antony as if he has been turned from a mighty warrior into a “strumpet’s fool”. Antony and Cleopatra enter, with the queen's ladies-in-waiting, and they start talking about their love, whose strength is unknown. But this love, that seems to be more intense than any other feeling, will be the cause of the protagonists’ death. Shakespeare knew he had to capture the audience’s attention and interest right from the beginning of the play. In order to do that in the first scene he introduced the contrast among love and war, war that will turn in death in the second scene of the tragedy, when a messenger enters and gives Antony a letter telling him that his wife, Fulvia, is dead. Shakespeare decided to create a opening scene using this conflict, because it is what keep the audience “on the edge of their seats”, curios to know what will happen next. In addition in the second scene there is an explicit reference to the cultural and historical period in which the play is set, namely a period of civil wars. So Shakespeare uses this tragic image to anticipate the coming catastrophes.