8220;…her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can re- port. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a show’r of rain as well as Jove” (1.2 153-158). In this quote, Enobarbus shows great respect and admiration towards Cleopatra. Not only does he defend her from Antony’s statement, but also he regards her with such high esteem that he compares her to Jove, the ruler of the gods in charge of rain, thunder, and lightning. In the latter part of the play, Cleopatra affirms the claim made by Enobarbus stating that her powers are greater that nature’s. Cleopatra states, “Ah, dear, if I be so, From my cold heart let heaven engender hail, And poison it in the source, and the first stone Drop in my neck;” (3.13 161-164). In her discussion with Antony, Cleopatra is openly asserting her “supernatural” powers that she believes she has. Not only does she believe she has supernatural powers, but she also believes that she is Egypt. Throughout the first act, various characters claim and make references to Cleopatra as being “Egypt” itself. These claims are later affirmed several times towards the end of the play. In his discussion with Lepidus and Pompey, Antony states, “The higher Nilus swells. The more it promises,” (2.7 20-21). In referring to Egypt and its conditions, Antony has made the comparison between Cleopatra and Egypt. In this quote, Antony states two things: That Egypt rises and falls along with Cleopatra, and Cleopatra is comparable to the nature of Egypt. This statement not only makes the comparison between Cleopatra and Egypt, but by Antony thoughtlessly stating that Cleopatra “is Egypt”, he reaffirms Cleopatra’s great natural strength. In Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, nature, the elem...
