Imagining Cleopatra: Performing Gender and Power in Early Modern England

by Yasmin Arshad, Douglas Bruster (Editor), Lisa Hopkins (Editor)

Shakespeare's characterization of Cleopatra may dominate the collective consciousness, but he was only one of several 16th-century writers fascinated by the enigmatic queen of Egypt. Early modern conceptions of Cleopatra offer a rich, complex, and variable set of models for understanding the period's responses to race, female sovereignty, and classical antiquity. This interdisciplinary study investigates images of Cleopatra in the early modern period and examines how her story was mediated and used – from drawing lessons from history to being a symbol of female heroism. It draws on early historiographical works, political and philosophical treatises, coterie dramatic productions, and gender, race and performance studies, as well as evidence from material culture, to consider what was known and thought about Cleopatra in the period

This book provides a new literary and cultural history of one of the world's most contested and politically-charged iconic female figures. It combines a close reading of literary and dramatic works with historical and political contexts, paying particular attention to the three major early modern Cleopatra Mary Sidney's translation of Robert Garnier's Marc Antoine , Samuel Daniel's The Tragedie of Cleopatra , and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra . By examining these conflicting historical and fictional identities, Yasmin Arshad offers a diverse and ground-breaking study of Cleopatra's 'infinite variety'.

360 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2021

Reviews

[Florence Ridley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that Arshad harped on the Elizabeth I - Cleopatra comparison a bit much and seemed to examine everything through a lens of direct political allegory rather than approaching the text with a mind open to aspects of Cleopatra's presentation influenced by indirect social forces. I also found the chapter on staging Cleopatra disconnected and awkward in the middle of the book. It was, however, a sound scholarly analysis and often convincing.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read and one that challenges previously held assumptions about Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Arshad unravels the sources Shakespeare used for his version of Antony and Cleopatra, discussing how Shakespeare's version took elements of Plutarch's Lives, the Sydney-Garnier Antonie, and the Samuel Daniel Cleopatra. I found it useful and interesting to discover how Cleopatra has been used for political commentary throughout history and this is particularly evident in Daniel's Cleopatra and can also be traced back to Mary Sydney's version. But this legacy continues today as Cleopatra was compared to Donald Trump to make a political statement. However, Arshad argues that Shakespeare is responsible for the negative perception that has been carried forward of Cleopatra and embedded in British culture. This is a common argument that academic Islam Issa also made but Stacy Schiff challenged the view in her 2011 biography on Cleopatra. Schiff instead argued that the actress Elizabeth Taylor is responsible, but everyone is responsible for the judgments made about Cleopatra, and it's those in positions of power, such as academics, actors, directors, film producers, whose judgments become ingrained. Therefore, it's the people in power who need to be more careful about the language they are using and take responsibility for their own actions.