The text I’m going to analyze is the tragedy of Antonio and Cleopatra, wrote by William Shakespeare. The two protagonists are Antony, who belonged to the roman culture and Cleopatra, who belonged to the Egyptian culture. The tragedy is organized into five acts and in particular the first act is organized into five scenes.

The first act is set in Alexandria, in Cleopatra’s palace. The speakers of the first scene are Demetrio and Philo, who are Antony’s friends and they are two secondary protagonists. Shakespeare decided to open the tragedy with a dialogue from Philo and Demetrio. In particular Philo is speaking and Demetrio is listening and they are expressing an opinion about Antony. The natural response of the audience expects that the opinion is positive because Philo is Antony’s friend. But the opinion expresses a negative one because Philo says that Antony isn’t focused his attention on political objects and he forgotten the military reasons.

The language also conveys the negative opinion, in particular the word “o’erflows” conveys the idea of excess. The subject of “o’erflows” is the measure. It tells us a very important aspect of the roman culture indeed the roman culture expected the equilibrium.

Philo underlines Antony’s qualities before met Cleopatra. Antony was very motivated to winning battles, but now Antony’s behavior is in excess.

Shakespeare referred to Mars because he was the god of the war. Shakespeare created a mouth speaker in the figure of Philo to convey to the audience a judgment of the protagonist.

Shakespeare wants the audience to make up an opinion about Antony and he uses literature to describes the protagonist.

Now Philo’s eyes bend and turn to a woman. Shakespeare also describes Antony’s heart and he says that Antony is become a “toy” because he lost his self-control.

So the audience can understand that ratio and emotion make this tragedy a Renaissance’s tragedy.

Antony professes his love for Cleopatra and he is concerned with her that he neglects his duties in Rome. So the audience understands that Antony was a great general before he met Cleopatra, but now he is only concentrate on his lover.

After that, Antony and Cleopatra come in a room and a messenger brought to Antony news from Rome. Cleopatra supposed that could be something from Caesar who could order something to her lover. The audience can suppose that Cleopatra didn’t see under a good eye the Romans because they ordered to Antony how to govern Egypt. So, the audience can understand that Antony didn’t see very well what Caesar tell him to do and that there is a conflict between Antonio and the Romans.

In the second scene Shakespeare presents the secondary characters with a dialogue between some Cleopatra’s servants and a soothsayer. In the scene there is a monologue by Charmian, who is praying Iras to give Alexas luck.

The rivalry with the Romans is remembered in the words of Antony when he is speaking with a messenger who is bringing him news from Rome. Antony hears the messenger: his wife, Fulvia, and his brother have united in a war against Caesar, and have been driven from Italy. The other news is worse: Rome's most powerful adversaries, the Parthians, have overrun the territories of the Near and Middle East. A second messenger delivers another important news to Antony: his wife Fulvia is dead.When Antony knew that, he started to see Fulvia under a different light.

He summons Enobarbus, and informs him that they'll have to leave. Enobarbus talks about how their departure will shatter Cleopatra.

Antony has learned that Sextus Pompeius, the son of Pompey the great, now rules the seas in defiance of the triumvirate. Lepidus and Caesar will have need of Antony if they are to overcome him.