Antony and Cleopatra

‘Thy full supremacy thou knew'st, and that
Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods
Command me. (…) You did know
How much you were my conqueror, and that
My sword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all cause’.

Renowned dictator Julius Caesar is dead, and so are his murderers. Mark Antony now rules the group of defenders of Rome. However, he is at the peak of his power only until the moment when he has to leave for intoxicating Egypt, where the mighty commander is completely enchanted by the unusual spell of Queen Cleopatra. In her bed, Antony finds such strong love that his will to fight and rule leaves him completely. However, one of the strongest men in the world cannot simply leave his sword and his duties as a ruler behind him without consequences. Antony´s fighting skill, mettle and decisiveness as a ruler vanish and the passion he feels for Cleopatra eventually leads both lovers to ruin…

One of William Shakespeare’s most engaging plays, Anthony and Cleopatra features the clash between vice and virtue, desire and duty, uplifting love and political pragmatism. Love becomes a trigger for war, and whole empires are sacrificed in the name of lust. Shakespeare expressed this story of love and power with exquisite poetry that is still breath-taking in its beauty and intensity even centuries later. After The Merchant of Venice and King Lear, this play is the third opportunity director Stanislav Moša has taken within a short length of time to present theatregoers with the Shakespearean experience in all its contradictions and magnificence.