Joshua

Cleopatra: The Egyptian Venus

 

Above is Boticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” painted in 1486. It is a revolutionary painting that in many ways marked the beginning of the Renaissance. The painting demonstrates an awareness of depth, long lost during the medieval era and last seen during the classical age. The subject of the painting is Venus (a female nude, which again was something that was never seen) – the goddess of love and beauty being born out of an oyster. The imagery of Venus is central in presenting Cleopatra’s characteristics. Shakespeare uses it to present not just Cleopatra’s personality but also the ostentatiousness of her role as Queen of Egypt. The motif also plays a key role in presenting the audience her relationship with Antony.

Continuously throughout the play Cleopatra is explicitly described as the goddess “Venus.” Shakespeare displays no intention in hiding or even suggesting the imagery, instead he presents to the audience Cleopatra not like “Venus” but as “Venus.” The result is that Cleopatra and the goddess Venus are brought closer together. Just as Venus is the goddess of beauty and love by making the comparisons the audience is led to believe that Cleopatra epitomises such qualities and perhaps more. In the mythology Venus is born out of a sea shell and in the play Cleopatra is referred to as the “treasure of an oyster” therefore once again bringing the motif into the play. The motif is also what give Cleopatra her exotic quality and what allows Egypt to be seen as the mysterious, distant land of pleasure. Within in this oyster becomes the “orient pearl” Cleopatra is described as. The Romans saw Egypt as the land of the orient and during Shakespeare’s era the Age of Discovery introduced the Europeans to the Eastern World, in many ways there Egypt.

The motif also helps to exemplify Cleopatra’s powerful role as an Empress. Unlike the typical female of her age, Cleopatra is not passive (like the cold and brash Octavia). She holds real power, both politically over Egypt and emotionally over her seduction of Antony, similar to goddesses of Mount Olympus like Venus. Cleopatra declares she will “unpeopled Egypt” showing her followers the full extent of her power. Many of Venus’ exploits correlates with that of Cleopatra’s. For example; Venus in her wishes to be named the most beautiful goddess of all offers the decider Paris the most beautiful woman on earth thus leading to the Trojan Wars, in the play Cleopatra in her hopes to keep Antony for herself leads to a great war. Another example Venus turning Smyrna into a myrrh tree because she was rumoured to be more beautiful. The same way Cleopatra continuously asks questions over rumours about Octavia. Questioning her age, the messenger answers “And I do think she’s thirty.” This seven syllable line creates a pause at the end that shows Cleopatra is in fact older than Octavia, and her assumptions are false. Cleopatra retaliates the same way Venus does, by verbally cursing Octavia’s beauty.

As Cleopatra is described as the beautiful Venus, Antony takes the place of Mars. Note that Mars is the god of war who was a god of duty but falls for the seductive Venus and submits all sense of reason for passion, just as Antony does for Cleopatra only bringing the similarities between Antony and Mars and Cleopatra and Venus closer together. Just as with Cleopatra, Antony is explicitly described as Mars. Mardian compares Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship as “What Venus did with Mars.” The two are involved in an intensely passionate relationship, it is almost irresistible and a love they find only in each other. Antony and Cleopatra confide in each other but in the end it is this passion that is their undoing. It creates a constant void between the two of them when they are not around in each other. Their behaviour is almost child-like the way in which two powerful, grown leaders have to constantly be around each other and relying upon each other to function properly. This is especially shown by Cleopatra during her melodramatic scenes where she confesses her love for Antony but insists that she doesn’t need him. This passionate relationship is also constantly disturbed by the outside world. In the mythology Venus’ husband Vulcan exposed their affair to the gods therefore ridiculing them, Caesar almost plays this part. Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship is almost reliant on public displays of affection and the public’s approval of it. When it is removed the relationship becomes careless and it is during these times Antony returns into the dutiful Roman he is. Their relationship, just like Venus and Mars, could be seen as fabricated and not actual love – it just fills empty space. Almost similar to the ways Egypt fills the pleasure the Romans are lacking after all for Antony Egypt isn’t about love it is just where the “pleasure lies.”