Vocabulary in Antony and Cleopatra

A state of foolish, excessive devotion or infatuation, especially one that clouds a person's judgment and causes them to neglect their duties.

Goes far beyond what is reasonable or acceptable; exceeds all proper limits. Here it means Antony's obsession has passed every normal boundary of self-control.

Ordered, organized, and spread wide — describing an empire whose territories stretch out in a vast, structured arrangement.

A state of poverty or pitiful smallness. In this context it means a love that can be counted or measured is a poor, meager thing — not truly great.

Counted, calculated, or measured exactly. Here it implies that true love is too vast to be tallied up like a sum of money.

Habitual familiarity; the dulling effect of seeing or experiencing something so often that it loses its appeal.

To make something seem dull, worn-out, or no longer fresh or exciting through repeated exposure.

A person's brightness, brilliance, or impressive quality — the glow of their reputation or personal power.

Grows stronger and more concentrated. Said of a person's brilliance, it means their light becomes richer and more intense by contrast with a rival's presence.

To rebel openly against authority. Here Antony's white hairs and brown hairs are personified as soldiers rising up against each other in protest.

To scold or criticize someone for doing something wrong. Here the white hairs rebuke the brown hairs for acting recklessly.

Acting too quickly without thinking of the consequences; reckless impulsiveness that leads to poor decisions.

The steering device at the back of a ship that controls its direction. Used here as a metaphor for control: Antony says Cleopatra steered him wherever she wished.

Full of flaws or weaknesses that cannot be stopped up; here used to describe a person so broken and unreliable that they are beyond saving, like a sinking ship.

To abandon or desert someone entirely. Here it means even those who loved the person most have left them.

To beg or plead urgently with someone. Here Antony asks death to wait a little longer so he can share one last kiss with Cleopatra.

Truly and genuinely faithful and honorable — not just appearing loyal but having been so in a deep, sincere way throughout one's service.

Defeated in battle but with great courage and honor. Antony means that being overcome by a fellow Roman is itself a noble end.

A deep, burning desire to leave the mortal world behind and pass into something eternal — here Cleopatra's yearning to die and join Antony beyond life.

A small, venomous snake native to Egypt and North Africa, whose bite causes a swift death. Cleopatra uses it as her instrument of suicide.

Proper and appropriate to the occasion or to a person's rank and character; exactly what the situation calls for.

A formal Roman victory procession in which a conquering general paraded captives through the streets of Rome as public trophies of war.

One of three men who jointly hold supreme political and military power over a state. Rome's triumvirate divided rule among Antony, Caesar, and Lepidus.

Here used in the political sense of a negotiated settlement or alliance secured through marriage, not simply the absence of war.