A battle-hardened soldier, Antony is one of the three leaders of the Roman world. But he is also a man in the grip of an all-consuming passion for Cleopatra, the exotic and tempestuous queen of Egypt. And when their life of pleasure together is threatened by the politics of Rome, the conflict between love and duty has devastating consequences.

'Shakespeare's play is death-haunted from the start, and its self-glorifying lovers exist in a dream of passion' Guardian

A battle-hardened soldier, Antony is one of the three leaders of the Roman world. But he is also a man in the grip of an all-consuming passion for the tempestuous and alluring queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. And when their life of pleasure together is threatened by encroaching politics, the conflict between love and duty has devastating consequences. A tragic drama of love and loss, sex and power, told in language of poetic sublimity, Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's supreme imaginative achievements.

Used and Recommended by the National Theatre

General Editor Stanley Wells
Edited by Emrys Jones
Introduction by René Weis