... addressing and returning to the theme of damnation, feeling that he has shown this in his earlier plays. Ribner continually refers to both Antony and Cleopatra's actions throughout the play as both sinful and evil for they were not acting, as he terms it: Morally. "The destructive power of evil ... time in believing that is what Shakespeare was implying when writing the play. Shakespeare's play seems to demonstrate a continuing struggle for power, whether it be Cleopatra's ever long battle to keep Egypt hers, for she had already made Julius Caesar lay down his sword, or Antony's conflict...

• Word Count: 797
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate