Publisher's Synopsis
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. Mark Antony - one of the triumvirs of the Roman Republic, along with Octavius and Lepidus - has neglected his soldierly duties after being beguiled by Egypt's Queen, Cleopatra. He ignores Rome's domestic problems, including the fact that his third wife Fulvia rebelled against Octavius and then died. Octavius calls Antony back to Rome from Alexandria to help him fight against Sextus Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, three notorious pirates of the Mediterranean. At Alexandria, Cleopatra begs Antony not to go, and though he repeatedly affirms his deep passionate love for her, he eventually leaves.
