Inside Shakespeare's mind:

Copy-cat Shakespeare?

He is the greatest poet/playwright the world had seen and unlikely to see in a given century or two. If one was to study most of his plays that he has leaned upon, adapted, been inspired, are from the works of his contemporaries or from others who had preceded him. Apart from more writers, Shakespeare heavily leaned on historians, not being a historian himself for which we have to excuse him but with all the 'copying' done, he came out unscathed and remarkably accurate.

Yet, there are historical events that he was never cautious about such as adjusting the age an era of a king to suit his plot. He dared to it in the face of criticism levelled against his writing by the 'University Wits' of his time who just waited for an opportunity to pounce on his irregular plots and plays.

One of his irresistible historic tragedies was based on Plutarch by Sir Thomas North's translation of 1579 of Lives of The Noble Grecians and Romans. He relied on number of sources for Antony and Cleopatra that included earlier dramatization of the story by his contemporary, Samuel Daniel and the Civil Wars by the Roman historians, Appian but it was more on Thomas North that he leaned upon. Shakespeare telescopes Plutarch's narrative, limiting it to a brief period of historical events that covered many years. He heavily relied on certain passages from Plutarch, especially the famous description of Cleopatra on her barge where Shakespeare with great artfulness turns North's prose into poetry.

‘If it be love indeed, Tell me how much’ An early painting by Sir John Gilbert of ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ with her maids

Enobarbus - When she first met Mark Antony she purs'd up her heart, upon the river of Cydnus.

Agrippa - There she appear'd indeed. O' my reporter devis'd well for her.

Eno - I will tell you. The barge she sat in like a burnish'd throne. Burn'd on the water. The poop was beaten gold. Purple the sails, and so perfumed that the winds were love-sick with them. The oars were silver which to the tune of flutes kept strokes. For her own person. The water which they beat to follow faster as amorous of their strokes. For her own person......... Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety. Other women cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry where she most satisfies. ACT II, Sce II

No record survives of an early performance of Antony and Cleopatra but in two plays in 1607 there were verbal echoes audible that suggested its appearance as early as 1606, supposed to have been written soon after King Lear and Macbeth. This could have been played at the Globe. Yet a note left behind, shows Lord Chambelaine's in 1669 is to be believed, the play was acted earlier at the Blackfriars' company in the winter months of 1609.

Antony and Cleopatra was never published independently in 'quorto' form during Shakespeare's lifetime although a book titled Antony and Cleopatra was entered in 1608 with Shakespeare's Pericles in the register of the Stationer's Company where all books due for publication had to appear. Why a book should be registered and not published is something of a mystery. But it is also possible that this was a so-called 'blocking entry', a practice in the words of a recent editor of the play, designed to protect the company's investment in valuable pieces of dramatic property. The play failed to appear in print until the publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623. Many characteristics of the Folio may have been expanded or otherwise tie died up in the course of performance and this may perhaps been the basis of the text Shakespeare manuscripted rather than the company's prompt-book.

Antony's hardiness was a wonderful example to the soldiers see him, that was brought about in all the finess and superfluity as well as so easy to drink puddle water and to eat wild fruit and roots; whereas it is reported that even as they passed by the Alps, they did eat the barks of trees and such beasts as never a man tasted on their flesh before.

Now, let us take a look at Cleopatra on the Cydnus.

Therefore, Cleopatra decides to sail forward or otherwise but to take her barge in the river Cydnus where the poops were of gold, the sails of purple silk and the oars made in silver. They kept stroke in rowing after the sound of the music of flutes hautboys, citherns, viols and such other instruments as they played upon the barge, and as for herself, she was laid under a pavilion of cloth of gold of tissue - a paralled as painters do set forth Cupid with little fans in their hands with which they fanned the wind upon her.

In the end, there were innumerable multitudes of people one after the other to see her that Antony was left post-alone in the market-place in his imperial seat to give audience.

It is Cleopatra's charm and not her as it is said was not passing as unmatchable to other women and nor such as upon present view did enamour men with her but so sweet was her company and conversation that a man could not possibly but be taken. And besides her beauty, the good grace she had to talk and discourse, her courteous nature that tempered her words and deeds was a spur that pricked to the quick.

Her valour was so high she would play a dice with Antony and drink with him and hunt commonly with him and at times when he would wander up and down the city disguised like a slave in the night and would peer into poor men's windows and their shops and reprimand and brawl with them within the house, Cleopatra would be also in a chambermaid's array and amble up and down the streets with him.

Such was her glorious love for him.

Though the empire was divided, they made friends together and divided the Empire of Rome between them, making the sea lonium the bounds of their divisions.

He was so carried away with the vain love of this woman as if he had been glued unto her and that she could not have been removed without moving of him. For when he saw Cleopatra's ship under sail he forgot, forsook and betrayed them that fought for him.