The purpose of this text is to analyze the first exchange of the fourth scene of Antony and Cleopatra’s first act.
In this scene, the scenario is shifted to Rome, so the reader expects to hear the Roman’s point of view on the previous events.
This expectation is confirmed by Caesar’s opinion. He opens the scene telling his point of view about Antony’s behavior.
His speech is structured in three sequences: first he opens it telling Lepidus that his point of view is due to a rational reflection, then he lists Antony’s improper actions, telling about his feminine behavior and the way he treated messengers and partners, and concludes telling that he represents all men’s faults.
A perfect general, indeed, had to be manly, so he had to condemn all emotions and all behaviors that weren’t useful to politics, as Caesar is doing.
Antony, on his opinion represents everything a good general isn’t. He only cares about fulfilling his pleasures, in particular “he fishes, drinks, and wastes the lamps of night in revel”, even Cleopatra is more manly than him and he doesn’t care about political issues, not listening to messengers or partners.
Lepidus response is doubtful. He isn’t as radical as Caesar, who identifies Antony with all vices. To Lepidus, it’s impossibile that a perfect general as Antony was before, can suddenly become the exact opposite of it.
He opposes to Caesar, saying that his faults are probably “hereditary rather than purchased”. Conveying that Antony isn’t behaving as himself, as other Roman characters had said in the previous scenes.
Every Roman character in the play condemns Antony’s behavior, but everyone blames a different character for it. Some blame Cleopatra for it, Caesar blames Antony himself, while Lepidus blames Antony’s ancestors.
However, all of them create a contrast between Antony’s past self and his present self. While, according to the Roman characters, first he praised Roman values, taking care of politics and war and being a perfect manly general who doesn’t care about emotions, now he’s become the opposite, embracing Egyptian values as pleasure, because of Cleopatra’s absorbing passion.