In The Act 2 Enobarbus describes one of the first times that the lovers met. Antony had invited Cleopatra to dine with him, but she insisted that she provide a dinner for him. Of course, he accepted. Comparing this meal to a dinner bought in a tavern, Enobarbus comments, without exaggeration, that Antony paid the bill with his heart. Maecenas comments that it will be a sad thing indeed if Antony must now give up Cleopatra, since he is about to marry Octavia, but Enobarbus replies that Antony will never be able to leave Cleopatra, for no other woman can match her charm and beauty.
The reader known that Cleopatra is she queen of Egypt, she represents all those qualities that Octavius and the practical Romans have denied themselves — enjoyment, playfulness, sensuality, and passion. But like all the other major characters, Cleopatra is a full-dimensional, complex human being. In his portrayal of this woman, Shakespeare has taken the view of her as presented in countless legends and blended in many subtler features. She is no longer the mythical queen of a mysterious country.
Cleopatra is a monarch, but we rarely see her performing any of the functions of one. She meets Antony, falls in love with him, and she appears to be totally devoted to pleasure her relationship with him.
The reader could see that in the first exchange, Enobarbus tells to Agrippa that Cleopatra was “sat in the barge, like a burnish’d throne”. Considering the first Enobarbus’ exchange, the reader could understand that there he is underlining the same concept, which is in relation with the fire, and recalls passion and love. The words that the reader could see are: burnish’d throne, burn’d on the water, beaten gold, purple the sails. So the reader could understand that Shakespeare put in opposition fire and water.
Fire represents passion (as I have already said) while Water represents safety and femininity. In this way shakespeare make Cleopatra more powerful than nature.
The words“like a burnish’d throne”, is used to communicate the idea that Cleopatra was a Queen he underlines her royal importance, and it is underline by the words: beaten gold, the oars were silver and burn’d on the water.
In all Enobarbus’ exchange he describe all the things is in excess, out of measure, this is a negative qualities for the roman, so now the intelligent reader understand that the text was connate in a negative way.