Objectives

• Analyse how Shakespeare uses Philo's opening speech in Act I, scene i to frame the Rome/Egypt binary and position the audience's first view of Antony and Cleopatra.
• Explain how Enobarbus's barge speech (Act II, scene ii) constructs Cleopatra as a figure who exceeds Roman categories of power and femininity.
• Trace how Shakespeare dramatises the consequences of Actium across Act III, showing how military failure is inseparable from erotic obsession.
• Evaluate how Act IV's farewell scene and Antony's botched suicide reveal Shakespeare's treatment of heroic identity in collapse.
• Write a sustained, evidenced analytical paragraph that argues a clear interpretive claim about love and power in Antony and Cleopatra, selecting and embedding quotations from at least two acts.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Rome vs Egypt: Framing the Lovers in Act I

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without opening the play, I can imagine a Roman soldier saying something like, "What a foolish move for our general to fall for a foreign queen! This could weaken our position and morale among the ranks." Then, when you open to Act I, scene i, lines 1–13 (Philo's speech beginning 'Nay, but this dotage of our general's'), underline every word that carries military or physical judgement.

   Teacher input

   Here's a humanized version of your request:

   ---

   Analyze Philo's opening thirteen lines (Act I, scene i, 1–13) closely. Consider how terms like 'dotage,' 'o'erflows the measure,' 'tawny front,' and 'strumpet's fool' set up a Roman perspective before either Antony or Cleopatra speaks. Notice how the word 'behold' at line 11 transforms Philo's speech into a stage direction, prompting the audience to see the scene from his viewpoint. Then, examine how Cleopatra's first line, 'If it be love indeed, tell me how much,' challenges that established perspective right away.

   ---

   Summary of changes made:

   • Replaced "show how" with "consider how" for a more conversational tone.
   • Used "set up" instead of "establish" for simplicity.
   • Changed "evaluative framework" to "perspective" for clarity.
   • Made slight adjustments to phrasing for a more natural flow while preserving the original meaning.

   Independent task

   Read Act I, scenes i and ii (from the opening to the end of Cleopatra's exchange with Charmian about her past with Julius Caesar). Write one PEEL paragraph discussing whether Shakespeare aims for the audience to align with Philo's perspective on Antony at this stage in the play. Your paragraph should include at least two quotes from Philo's speech and one quote from either Antony or Cleopatra in scene i. Be sure to underline every quote you use. Your paragraph should be 150–200 words.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, state what Philo's word 'dotage' tells us about the Roman attitude to Antony's relationship with Cleopatra, and in a second sentence explain whether the staging of the lovers' entrance confirms or challenges that attitude.

2. Lesson 2: Exceeding Nature: Enobarbus and the Barge Speech in Act II

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Look at Act II, scene ii, lines 191–201 (Enobarbus begins with 'The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne'). Without any input from a teacher, circle every noun and underline every verb. Then, in one sentence, answer: whose perspective is this speech delivered from, and why is that significant?

   Teacher input

   Model how to read Enobarbus's barge speech (Act II, scene ii, 191–228) as a blend of political and erotic rhetoric. Focus on lines 234–238 — 'Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale / Her infinite variety' — and explore how the word 'infinite' positions Cleopatra beyond the Roman framework of measurement and containment that Philo referenced in Act I. Show how Enobarbus, a cynic and soldier, unexpectedly becomes a vehicle for Cleopatra's power: his admiration signifies that she transcends even the most skeptical Roman perspectives.

   Independent task

   Read Act II, scene ii, lines 191–245 (the whole of Enobarbus's description, ending with 'she makes hungry / Where most she satisfies'). Write one analytical paragraph explaining how Shakespeare uses Enobarbus as a narrator to make Cleopatra's power credible to a Roman — and therefore to the audience. You must quote and analyze the words 'infinite variety' and at least one other phrase from the speech, commenting on the specific effect of Shakespeare's word choices. Your paragraph should be 150–200 words and must include a topic sentence that presents a clear interpretive claim.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why it is significant that it is Enobarbus — not a lover, not an Egyptian — who delivers the most celebrated description of Cleopatra in the whole play.

3. Lesson 3: Actium and Its Aftermath: Passion as Military Catastrophe in Act III

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   Read Act III, scene x, lines 1–23 (Scarus's account of the battle of Actium, starting with 'I am full sorry / That he approves the common liar'). List every image Scarus uses to describe Antony's retreat. Then write one sentence: does Scarus hold Antony, Cleopatra, or both responsible, and what evidence supports your conclusion?

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of Act III, scene xi, lines 1–29 (Antony's speech beginning 'Hark, the land bids me tread no more upon't'). The repeated self-address — 'I have fled myself', 'I have lost command' — shows the breakdown of a heroic identity once rooted in Roman self-possession. This scene directly responds to Philo's opening speech: Philo predicted Antony would lose himself; here, Antony acknowledges this loss in his own words, expressing a grief that Philo's contempt could not have foreseen.

   Independent task

   Read Act III, scene xiii, lines 1–10 (Enobarbus's soliloquy starting with 'I will seek / Some way to leave him') and Act III, scene xi, lines 55–71 (Antony's speech to Cleopatra starting with 'Fall not a tear'). Write a comparative paragraph discussing whether Shakespeare portrays Antony's choice to forgive Cleopatra after Actium as a reflection of love, weakness, or a combination of both. Be sure to include quotes from both passages, analyze the language of at least one quotation in depth, and conclude with a sentence that connects your argument to the play's broader theme regarding the price of passion. Your paragraph should be between 180 and 220 words.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain what Antony means when he says 'I have lost command' (Act III, scene xi) and identify one other moment in Acts I–III where the same idea — that Antony is losing his Roman self — has already been signalled.

4. Lesson 4: The Soldier Unmade: Antony's Farewell and Death in Act IV

   60 min · ch. 4

   Do now

   Read Act IV, scene ii, lines 9–23 (Antony's farewell supper speech to his servants, beginning 'I wish I could be made so many men'). Without any guidance, write two sentences: what does Antony want his servants to feel, and what does his language suggest he already knows about his own future?

   Antony wants his servants to feel a sense of loyalty and camaraderie as he shares his farewell. His language indicates that he is aware of the impending dangers he faces, suggesting a resigned acceptance of his fate.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of Act IV, scene xiv, lines 35–54 (Antony's speech beginning 'Eros, thou yet behold'st me?'), focusing on the cloud simile at lines 2–14 of the same scene ('Sometimes we see a cloud that's dragonish'). Explore how the shifting, formless imagery of the cloud — 'a bear or lion, / A towered citadel, a pendant rock' — illustrates through syntax and metaphor the dissolution of identity that has been the play's central concern since Philo's opening speech. Show how the lack of a stable noun to ground the sentence reflects Antony's struggle to maintain a consistent sense of self.

   Independent task

   Read Act IV, scene xiv, lines 1–54 (from 'Sometimes we see a cloud that's dragonish' to Antony's command to Eros to kill him) and Act IV, scene xv, lines 39–68 (Antony's death in Cleopatra's monument, from 'I am dying, Egypt, dying'). Write one analytical paragraph arguing how Shakespeare uses imagery of dissolution and transformation in these two passages to present Antony's death as both a personal tragedy and a comment on the impossibility of being both a Roman soldier and Cleopatra's lover. Quote and analyze at least two specific images, one from each passage, and make sure your paragraph opens with a clear claim and closes with a sentence that expands your argument to the play's treatment of heroic identity.

   ---

   Shakespeare employs vivid imagery of dissolution and transformation in both passages to depict Antony's death as a profound personal tragedy while simultaneously highlighting the conflicting demands of his roles as a Roman soldier and Cleopatra’s lover. For instance, in the earlier passage, Antony describes the cloud as “dragonish,” evoking a sense of foreboding and suggesting that his noble aspirations have been twisted into something monstrous and threatening. This image reflects his internal struggle, caught between his martial identity and his passionate love. In the later scene, as he declares, “I am dying, Egypt, dying,” the repetition not only emphasizes his physical decline but also signifies the irrevocable merging of his identity with Cleopatra and the world she represents. Through these images, Shakespeare illustrates how Antony's tragic end is not merely a personal failure but also a commentary on the broader conflict inherent in striving for both heroic masculinity and romantic devotion. Ultimately, this tension challenges the notion of heroic identity throughout the play, revealing the fragility of such ideals in the face of human desire and vulnerability.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence identifying the single image from Act IV, scene xiv that you find most powerful in conveying Antony's loss of self, and one sentence explaining precisely what the language of that image does.

5. Lesson 5: Infinite Variety: Cleopatra's Death and the Whole Play's Argument in Act V

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

   Do now

   Read Act V, scene ii, lines 75–100 (Cleopatra's speech to Dolabella beginning 'I dreamt there was an Emperor Antony'). Write two sentences: what version of Antony is Cleopatra creating here, and how does this differ from the Antony we've seen throughout Acts I–IV?

   Teacher input

   Here's a humanized version of the provided text:

   ---

   Model a reading of Act V, scene ii, lines 279–312 (Cleopatra's death speech, from 'Give me my robe, put on my crown' to her death). The imperative verbs 'Give me', 'put on', and 'I have' highlight a shift from the passivity and loss of control that marked Antony's final moments. Cleopatra takes charge of her own exit. When she asserts, 'I am fire and air; my other elements / I give to baser life' (lines 288–289), she claims agency over her identity. The four classical elements—earth, water, fire, and air—reflect the Rome/Egypt divide established throughout the play. In her final moments, Cleopatra embraces the transcendent aspects of these elements, asserting her power at the moment of death.

   ---

   Summary of Changes:

   • Replaced "reverses" with "highlight a shift" for a more natural flow.
   • Modified "characterised" to "marked" to simplify the language.
   • Changed "staging" to "exit" for clarity.
   • Adjusted some phrasing for readability while keeping the original meaning intact.

   Independent task

   Certainly! Here’s the humanized version of your text:

   Compose a thoughtful analytical response of 350 to 450 words to the following question: "In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare portrays love as the sole force capable of overcoming Roman power." To what extent do you agree? Use at least two acts from the play to support your argument. Your response should begin with a clear, debatable thesis statement; develop two distinct points, each backed by a relevant quotation and an analysis of the language used; include at least one quotation from Act V, scene ii (specifically Cleopatra's death speech, lines 279–312) and one quotation from Act I, II, III, or IV; consider a counter-argument—for instance, the idea that love destroys instead of conquering; and conclude with a sentence that revisits the term 'defeat' from the question and offers a new interpretation. Please ensure your writing flows continuously without using bullet points or sub-headings.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your thesis sentence. In one further sentence, identify the single word in your thesis that does the most argumentative work and explain precisely why you chose it rather than a synonym.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket checks whether students can distinguish between Philo's framing perspective and the dramatic reality of the lovers' entrance — looking for the ability to name a specific word and comment on its effect.
• Lesson 2 PEEL paragraph checks whether students can embed and analyse a quotation rather than merely quoting it — looking for a comment on the word 'infinite' that goes beyond paraphrase.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket checks whether students can track a motif across multiple scenes — looking for a specific reference to an earlier moment (Act I or Act II) that anticipates Antony's 'I have lost command'.
• Lesson 4 independent paragraph checks whether students can sustain a comparative argument across two passages — looking for a topic sentence that makes a claim, not a statement of fact, and for analysis of at least two images.
• Lesson 5 thesis sentence workshop (formative activity before the summative task) checks whether students can formulate an arguable, specific claim — looking for a thesis that could be contested, not one that merely describes the plot.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and use evidence from the text to support and develop that claim.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases, including extended metaphors, in conveying meaning and producing effects.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how characters develop, interact, and contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view in a narrative, including how the perspective of a narrator shapes the audience's understanding of characters and events.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular reference to the effects of language, form and structure.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the work studied, including close attention to specific passages and their relationship to the whole text.
• Criterion B — Analyse the ways in which the author's choices of language, structure, technique and style shape meaning and effect.
• Criterion C — Develop and sustain a focused, well-organised argument supported by relevant textual evidence.