40 BC and advance their own cause. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first opposition we face as we begin the play is the opposition Antony faces from his followers in regards to his actions motivated by his love. for Cleopatra. Rome symbolizes order, leadership and governance. Adrian Goldsworthy says that “Antony risks everything to follow his heart.” Regarding the lifestyle in 40 BC, Mark Antony, as a high political and military ruler, led a lavish and comfortable lifestyle. Choosing to leave for Egypt and abandon his duties, leaving behind the privileged life he had earned, was a decision clearly driven by passion. Philo claims that Antony was the “triple pillar of the world, transformed into a fool of a trumpet.” The “triple pillar” metaphor demonstrates Antony's position in the triumvirate, the three rulers of Rome. Contrasting this with "trumpet fool", translated as "jester of whores", acts as a tragic convention since Cleopatra is presented as her hamartia, or tragic flaw, supporting her supporters' disappointment with her decision to pursue Cleopatra and to abandon his birthplace. Keith Linley's view that "Antony gives in to his feelings and neglects his duties", supported historically by Antony leaving Rome for Egypt. His supporters comment on the unusual nature of his emotions, claiming that his passion "surpasses measure" (his passion is in excess). This hyperbole reinforces the appearance of Antony's feelings towards Cleopatra, supported by the John Munby 2014 production of Antony and Cleopatra in which this excess of passion is depicted by Antony being submissive to Cleopatra, following her on and off the set, bowing his body towards her at every moment. After Cleopatra abandons Antony during the sea battle against Antony, her supporters declare: "If our general/had been what he himself knew, all would have gone well." This paradoxical statement demonstrates how much the people of Rome opposed the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra, believing that it had somehow poisoned his mind, rendering him incapable of governing. This is also historically accurate, with several accounts discovered written by Romans who attempted to create a smear campaign against Cleopatra, finding excuses for why their leader suddenly became weak, attributing this not to infatuation but to witchcraft. There is also an abundance of opposition against Antoine politically. Adrian Goldsworthy states that "the younger generation was more influential in politics". The quote "When we debate/Our insignificant difference out loud, we commit/Murder while licking our wounds" supports this idea, showing Antoine's passivity in the face of unrest as he attempts to calm the other politically aggravated members of the triumvirate . The fact that Antony was older than the other two members, Lepidus and Octavius, further supports Goldsworthy's statement. Political opposition is also represented by the reference to Lepidus in the quote "They are his fragments and he their scarab". This anthropomorphism degrades Lepidus to the status of an insect, creating imagery of him working tirelessly while they do nothing. The word "splinters" can be translated as "cow caress", demonstrating Enobarbus's view that Antony and Octavian are worthless, and that the driving force of the triumvirate is the ".