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Dear vogue, please remove this ... it was intended as a post on my blog
So, so very sorry. As I was about to give a link of your page on mine, I mistakenly clicked on your comment's page and this appeared. I seem to make inexcusable mistakes so often
.
posted by
anib
on October 15, 2009 at 7:37 AM
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Cleopatra's Redemption
Inspired by vogue's "And Cleo screams some more" and her comment's page ... (click here). Sinome and Hackthorne 19 have done some marvelous job. Although different from the humor there, I enjoyed doing this one.
Shakespeare loved to show his heroes with flaws and doubts and unheroic impulses, and heroines whose chastity was at war with their carnality. The play is the story of a man (Antony) who would lose all for a woman (Cleopatra) who would take all. There obviously could be no place for moderation amidst such bounty.
Thus, Cleopatra’s character as heroine in Antony and Cleopatra can be given the appellation of all that is a ‘bundle of contradictions’ – a liar, hypocrite, fraudulent, adulterously clandestine – and yet “vilest things become themselves ...” and a “grandeur clings about her”. She thus has a dual personality: she can be petty, vain, mean, inconsiderate, and yet achieves unsurpassed glory. Now she is a dignified queen, now a little minx.
When she first appears, she is teasing Antony, the man she would keep in her toil. Later, she tells Enobarbus to go and fetch him, and in the next breath says that she will not look upon him. she is petulant and peevishly capricious. A servant is sent to spy on Antony and at the same time to report to Antony on what she is doing contrariwise to what she is actually doing. She is proud of her former conquests – Julius Caesar and Pompey.
The romantic Antony fell a victim to her seductive charms. When she gets the news of Antony’s marriage with Octavia, she gets hysterical out of jealousy. Her’s is a possessive kind of love. Yet, despite her infatuation for Antony, she is deceitful when she tells Octavius Caesar that she loves Antony only out of fear. She is, indeed, “cunning past man’s thought.”
When Antony returns after his successful skirmish, he familiarly addresses her as “nightingale” and “girl”, but before the Act ends he reviles her as a “foul Egyptian”, a “false soul” who has betrayed him. Her deceit that she is dead drives Antony to love-suicide, but her tender words to the dying Antony “to die where he has lived” and her kisses seem sincere.
Cleopatra has Act V all to herself, and in this last act she appears at her best. She would come to terms with Octavius Caesar only if she can as a princess, but she prefers death to the shame of being led in a triumphal procession through Rome. When she desires to retain “some lady trifles”, Octavius Caesar willingly gives them. But when, through the good offices of Dolabella she finds that Octavius Caesar’s words are false, she plots to defeat his plans. She extols Antony who is dead to the position of her “husband” and goes on
“I am fire and air; my other elements
I give to baser life”.
She dies in a theatrical fashion as she had lived. Octavius Caesar was her victor in battle, but she beat him in the end by the piteous tragedy of her death. Her death calls forth Charmian’s farewell tribute: “a lass unparalleled”. Cleopatra’s character is redeemed by her self-inflicted death. She’s not inherently great, but achieves greatness. And her greatness lies not in the manner of her living, but in the manner of her dying.
posted by
anib
on October 15, 2009 at 7:15 AM
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Re: Vogue
That picture is the crowning glory of the saga!
posted by
vogue
on October 15, 2009 at 5:57 AM
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Vogue
posted by
Troosha
on October 15, 2009 at 3:14 AM
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She returned
momentarily dressed in black leather. In her left hand she held wooden shield and her left hand was the sword given to her by Marc that first day they met. "I shall fight with you, my love and if you are somehow slain, I will give my life as well." Marc looked at this beauty dressed in leather, she was indeed gorgeous and Marc's manhood was aroused. He pushed his sexual desires from his mind and said, "My queen, I fight for you and for the kingdom of Egypt. We shall be victorious and Egypt will remain your kingdom; we shall married and the fruits of my loins shall protect the kingdom for many years to come. Cleo, looked at Marc, one eye-brow raised, "Hang on a minute, what's this shit about marriage? As for you loins started their own orchard, I think we need to discuss that." Marc was silent for he knew not to interrupt the queen when she was in a pissy mood and holding a shield and sword. Cleo continued, "OK, Marc, I'll romp with ya, but there'll be no marrying. The fruits, well, will see what happens, OK?" Marc nodded, "I'm sorry my queen, I had assumed that since I was fighting for you, then you would perhaps become my bride and give me many children, I obviously assume wrong." Cleo smiled and and reached out to stroke Marc's hard...... but the sound of the generals boarding the barge, made her turn. "Shit!" muttered Marc. "My queen!" each general greeted as he stepped in front of her; "We came fast, we came prepared, we came honored." "Good," said Cleo, "Now take a look out there," she pointed to the enemy ships moving toward them, "I want you guys to come up with a plan of attack...now!" The general's looked across the water, their jaws dropping as they counted 300 black ships. "My queen, perhaps it might be wise to give up, I mean....look! There are over 300 ships out there!" Cleo looked at the one general who made the cowardly suggestion. She felt the weight of the sword in her hand and moved up beside this cringing, weenie, "You will not fight for your queen? You will not die for your country? You have no strength and therefore do not belong on my barge as a general." With one slash of the sword, Cleo removed the man's testicles. He fell to the deck, screaming. "You, from now on shall be a slave, unable to copulate, unable to call yourself a man!" She turned and looked at the other generals, "Anyone else want to be known as Mary?"
Take over someone...
posted by
Hackthorne19
on October 14, 2009 at 11:25 PM
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Vogue
I watched ROME on TV all this Thanksgiving weekend,so like Cleopatra can just lay back and eat the grapes now.......
posted by
WileyJohn
on October 14, 2009 at 8:45 PM
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We have some very creative people here from the comments I am reading.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on October 14, 2009 at 11:28 AM
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Once the sillouette of the slave rowing the small boat had dissapeared in the dense fog that covered the coast line, Mark turned toward Cleo. He kenw in a few hours he would be launching an attack against his old friends... He was angry, angry that he found himself in the position of fighting his own, a "traitor" to Rome, far from everything he knew and loved... and all because of this woman... this witch that had captured him is her spell. He looked at the queen, she was so small, so slender... one of his hands could go around her neck and all it would take would be a tight squeeze for ...
He shook his head in disgust... at himself, at her... and in desperation reached for the glass of wine that laid half empty near Cleo, his hand touched hers,. Just a slight touch, but enough to remind him of feelings he had tried to ignore. . All of a sudden he knew that he could never harm this creature, this soft being, for to do so would be to harm himself. Life without her was not possible. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards his chest, holding her there, expecting her to pull away, but instead she came into his embrace willingly... surrendering her pride to him. Her eyes closed and a deep sigh escaped her lucious mouth... and everything was forgoten ... the threatening ships in the distance... the betrayals, the hurtful words, the ironic comments... they all diffused and disapeared when their bodies melted into each other, just as everything around them was dissapearing into the fog that was now reaching them, embracing everything with its humid mist. The heat between them consumed their thoughts and fuled their passion as they fused into eachother's soul. But she knew the battle was not yet won.
It was her that spoke first."Mark" ,- with trembling lips for she knew a lot wode on his reaction to her wods, she whispered, - "what are we going to do... I can't lose you. I can't," - her green eyes brighter than the stars looked deep into the darkness of his as she continued" - "and if you go to fight with your men you might... " - Her voice faultered and she could not continue... her beautiful face contorted in a mask of pain and long imprisoned tears bathed his now heaving chest. - "I love you so... lets just go, you and I, away from royal duties and conquering dreams. We are more important to me than Egipt or Rome".... Still lookng into her eyes he let go of her and for the first time looked at her, not as a Queen or a woman he had conquered, not as an object that would give him untold pleasure or as the prize he had taken from his Cesar; In that enlightening moment he truly saw her, a woman, soft and beautiful, strong and powerful, willing to give up everything for him because he was her everything, but he realized he could not do what she asked. He could not give up his pride and his honor and run like a coward away from danger, because if he did, if he ran away with her, tempting as the idea was, he would not have anything to give her. Dishonored and humbled they would not be Mark Anthony.and Cleopatra.. and he knew that eventhough she professed her loved for him now, once he was nothing she would dispised him.
It was not easy... not easy to tell her what he had to say ... He held her tighter for he knew she expected different from him. He kissed her, a deep possesive farewell kiss and still looking into her eyes he told her..." Go get dressed my love, my queen, the generals will be here by sunset. and she then knew. Rome and Egipt and honor and pride had won...T here would be no more screaming... The fog had envaded the ship's deck and verything around her seemed to be floating in a cloud a surreal sight... but one fortelling an uncertain future... so...
I will stop there ... someone else continue it :-)
Be well my friend. I look forward to seeing you soon :-) xoxoxo
posted by
Sinome
on October 14, 2009 at 10:52 AM
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vogue, this screaming seems infectious
You have motivated me to do a full blog on Cleo's character, maybe tomorrow.
posted by
anib
on October 14, 2009 at 9:41 AM
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vogue, this screaming seems infectious
You have motivated me to do a full blog on Cleo's character, maybe tomorrow.
posted by
anib
on October 14, 2009 at 9:41 AM
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The setting of first Cleo’s first meeting with Marc …
Cleo: “Oh, my oblivion is a mere Antony
And I am all forgotten,”
Octavius Caesar: “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Marc: “Oh, forget the meaning; doesn’t it have a deep beauty, a lovely sound all its own, so poetic!”
Octavius: But poetry does not live by sound alone; it needs perfect aptness of meaning.”
The finest example is in the description when Cleo fist meets Marc, quickened by sensuous imagination to bring out Cleo’s power of fascinating. She sailed in a barge on the river Cydnus with poop of beaten gold and purple sail drenched in heady perfume so that the “winds were love-sick,” and oars made oars follow faster “as if amorous of their strokes.” And as for herself, she did lie languorously in the likeness of Venus with pretty dimpled boys like Cupids standing on each side.
(Others to continue)
posted by
anib
on October 14, 2009 at 9:37 AM
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Marc
was silent. he stood watching the ships of Octavian on the horizion. "Cleo," he said, your frailties will clearly be your doom, you must act now to stop that bastard Octavian invading Egypt. His men will destroy and pillage the cities of your kingdom; raping men and women, for many are gay!" Cleo looked out across the ocean, she could see the black ships moving toward her lands. "Marc, have my generals join me on this barge, will you? I shall return in a moment, I need to pee, too much of that bloody wine." Marc watched her move to the rear of the barge, he clapped his thick hands and a tall slave came forward, "You clapped sire?" muttered the slave, "Yes, the queen wishes you bring all her generals to this barge now!" "Now, sire?" "Yes, now...is that a problem?" "Sire, most of the queen's generals are in Cairo, it will take time to amass them." "Go forth slave and amass, quickly." The slave lowered his head and moved to the small dingy tethered to the side of the barge. He climbed in, released the nylon rope and rowed ashore. Marc moved to the side of the barge and watched Cleo peeing over the side. He had always been interested in knowing how a woman peed and now, as he watched, he wondered why the lady didn't stand up, like he. Ten minutes past and Cleo returned to her seat in front of the barge. "Marc, did you send someone for my generals?" "Yes, Cleo, I sent the slave Michael to amass your armies." You mean Michael has rowed the boat ashore?" Yes, Cleo, while you peed, he rowed." "Halleujah!, Michael rowed the boat ashore," Cleo said and picked another grape from the bunch lying next to the empty wine bottle.
posted by
Hackthorne19
on October 14, 2009 at 8:17 AM
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I am lost for words right now
posted by
Lanetay
on October 14, 2009 at 6:21 AM
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Great fun to read Vogue! Have an enjoyable day!
posted by
elinjo
on October 14, 2009 at 12:04 AM
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