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"Enobarbus:
But there is never a fair woman has a true face.

Menas:
No slander; they steal hearts."
This quote shows how in the play, it is believed that a woman cannot be honest and beautiful at the same time - she is either one or another.

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"But all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip!
Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both!
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite;
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dulness!"
This quote, spoken by Pompeii, shows how when a woman has power and control, she is accused of witchcraft and is described as manipulative, whereas the men where always called noble.

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Despite Antony being the one cheating on Fulvia, he was never condemned for it and if he was it was because he failed his country not because of the taboo act.Also, no one seemed fazed when he married Octavia, despite being in a relationship with Cleopatra. In fact, Cleopatra was considered a whore and manipulative.
This almost paralleled the relationship between Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Despite Bill Clinton being the one who cheated on his wife, he was let off and is still considered a great man, whereas Lewinsky had her career ruined and was publicly humiliated, and still is to this day.

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there was clearly more men than women in power in the play- but off all the men in power the single woman (Cleopatra) was the most powerful.

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Shakespeare allows Cleopatra to use her sexuality and her female charm to get what she wants, which may have been condemned at the time but she did it for her country. Throughout the play we see Cleopatra using her charm to manipulate Antony

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the contrast of power and gender was shown through Antony and Cleopatra
Antony- would always been shown with a heavy beard, never looking clean, he would attempt to protect his country but will fail and betray it
Cleopatra- she always was shown at her best even when she was grieving or angry she looked beautiful. Not only did she keep up her appearance she lead on her country with the best of her power even if it meant manipulating or hurting those she cared about.

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The other women in the play were never seen as beautiful or having a powerful standing but rather there for money and work for example her maids. They were used as poducts to sell.

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Antony and Cleopatra was written in a time where women had small to no power over others or themselves, however the protagonist is shown to be very dominating over the men in the play. The fact that she as a female is running her country also shows that she wasn't the typical woman in that era. Cleopatra was a women ahead of her time

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-Antony's love for Cleopatra is condemned by Caesar and his men as a weakness, similar to how men's emotions are generally stunted nowadays
-Cleopatra is often referred to as a whore due to the openness of her sexuality, and it condemned for it. This links well to how women are also often condemned for being open with their sexuality even in our days.

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"And next morn,

Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed,

Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst

I wore his sword Philippan" - Cleopatra Act 2 Scene
The quote above is said by Cleopatra which translate to "they would swap clothes"- this symbolizes the swapping of gender roles. We see Cleopatra to hold power over Antony and manipulate him in times where he was most vulnerable which wasn't always the case for women in those times.

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gender is a core element in the play, and is explored through Antony and Cleopatra.

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Gender- the state of being male or female