Antony and Cleopatra is a tragic story well known throughout the world. It has a big part in historical culture. Everyone knows the famous couple who loved each other, fought the Romans and ended their relationship with suicide. The story is presented by 3 of the most important writers of their era: Plutarch, Shakespeare and Dryden. Historical narrative begins with Plutarch and what Shakespeare and Dryden introduce next are meta-narratives. However, the 3 narratives have discrepancies that reflect the different perspectives of each of them and the purpose they want to offer the audience. Consequently, the image of Cleopatra's character differs between the 3 works and provides different points of view also influenced by the use of language as will be covered in this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Plutarch in The Life of Mark Antony shows Cleopatra from an orientalist view. He sees that Cleopatra is the main reason for Antony's downfall. She is a manipulative witch who creates an atmosphere around her that makes men fall in love with her as she did with Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Antony. He describes the atmosphere when Antony meets Cleopatra by saying: “She came up the river Cydnus, in a barge with a golden stern and purple sails, while silver oars beat time to the music of flutes, fifes and harps. She herself lay all under a canopy of cloth of gold, dressed like Venus in a picture, and beautiful young boys, like painted Cupids, stood on each side to fan her. Her maids were dressed like Nymphs and Graces of the sea, some steered the rudder, others worked on the ropes. The scents wafted from the ship to the shore, which was covered with multitudes. . .” (Plutarch). Throughout the story, Plutarch does not consider Cleopatra very beautiful, however he sees her as a woman who captivates men like Antony for her own interests and to gain control and power. From her description of the moment, she highlights Cleopatra's decadence and her ways of getting what she wants, causing the audience to think she is like a prostitute. He doesn't even admit their love relationship, and defines it as a trick and a damage, saying: "The last and crowning evil that could have happened to him came in the love of Cleopatra, to awaken and furiously ignite passions that until then had lain dormant. calm down." and dormant in his nature, and to suffocate and finally corrupt every element that still resisted in him, of goodness and sound judgment. So he fell into the trap. . .” (Plutarch). The way Plutarch approaches history is a stereotype of self and other like the stereotype of East and West. He blames Cleopatra, who represents the eastern part of the world, for having influenced Antony, the representative of the West, to be able to decide and for having manipulated him against Rome. He is attacking her since she has placed Egypt on equal footing with Rome as well as declaring herself a fierce rival to the West, not to mention her ability to make two of the great Roman rulers fall in love with her. However, it appears that the situation has reversed. At first, Antony wanted to deal with Cleopatra to take advantage of her and her country by adding them to the Roman Empire, but he did not know that he would be overwhelmed by her love. Cleopatra is different from what Plutarch introduced. He was objective by presenting the Romans' opinion on Cleopatra and how Cleo was as a female leader who exploits everything for her personal interests. It filled in some gaps in Plutarch's narrative that provided a different perspective of the story's characterization, but some other gaps remained as is. His attention was focused on the momentshistorians who have left a great impact on history through language and characters like Cleo. In the opening of the opera, we begin with one of Antonio's men saying: No, but this idiot of our general is beyond measure. Those beautiful eyes of his, which on the ranks and rallies of war have shone like plated Mars, now bend, now turn the office and devotion of their sight upon a tawny front. His captain's heart, which in the brawls of great battles burst the buckles of his chest, denies all temperament and has become the bellows and fan to cool the lust of a gypsy. Cleopatra, at the beginning of the play, is described as a gypsy and treated the same way Plutarch treated her. However, Shakespeare concluded his work with Cleopatra's captivating monologue, showing the pride of the queen of Egypt by preserving her dignity and honor and giving her a voice to express herself, unlike Plutarch who judged and attacked her and did not never gave her a chance to speak. She said, Sir, I will not eat meat, I will not drink, sir. If once it becomes necessary to talk in vain, I won't sleep either. I will ruin this mortal house, Caesar do what he can. Know this, sir, that I will not wait nailed to your master's court, nor will I be punished even once by the sober eye of the dull Octavia. Will they lift me up and show me to the screaming charlatan who censors Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt Be kind grave to me. Rather, on the mud of the Nile, lay me stark naked and let the sea flies abhor me. Rather make the high pyramids of my country my gallows and hang me in chains! . . . (Shakespeare). Shakespeare balanced the comparative view of himself and others (East and West) even though he is a Western man. He did not allow himself to be prejudged and underlined the capabilities of the political intelligence of a queen in a world of kings. Many critics have seen that Shakespeare is a feminist who calls for gender equality even though he lived in a time when women were supposed to be subservient to their men. They demonstrated this in his way of presenting Cleopatra and his focus on her death at the end of the play rather than the end of Cleopatra's reign over Egypt and its takeover by Rome. One of them, Carol Cook, says in the book Shakespearean Tragedy and Gender that Shakespeare's work is not "about what can be owned and governed, but about what can be imagined and articulated." Cleopatra plays with gender, not to overcome social or familial obstacles, but to transform conventional definitions, roles and boundaries. However, Dryden's meta-narrative deals with a completely different side. He focused on conveying morals to readers through his work All for love. He changed nothing in the story and even eliminated the element of suspense in his preface to convey the message he wanted before reading the rest of the work which required logic rather than passion. According to his background, he was a Puritan and lived in the age of reason who saw reason before emotions. He described the relationship between Cleopatra and Antony as an illegal love. Passion was the flaw that affected one's ability to perform one's duties well and lead to the logical tragic end that was suicide. He said in the preface relating to what was previously mentioned: 'The crimes of love which they both committed were not caused by any necessity or fatal ignorance, but were entirely voluntary, since our passions are, or should be, in our power.' Furthermore, Dryden continued to glorify himself through the play by playing all the roles of narrator, commentator, and critic. In the prologue he states, “How many flocks of critics are prowling here today, like vultures.