Want to learn the ideas in Cleopatra better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff here.
Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.
Video Summaries of Cleopatra
We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Cleopatra, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Stacy Schiff.
1-Page Summary of Cleopatra
Overall Summary
Antony and Cleopatra are in Egypt. One of his soldiers is worried that Antony’s love for Cleopatra has made him a weaker general, but another soldier disagrees. A messenger comes with news from Rome, but Antony disregards the message because he doesn’t care about Rome and only cares about Cleopatra.
Some of Cleopatra’s servants consult a soothsayer, who tells two of them that they will outlive Cleopatra herself. Cleopatra enters looking for Antony, but when he arrives, she gets annoyed with him and leaves. A messenger comes and tells Antony that his wife Fulvia has waged war against Octavius and Antony has lost territory in Asia minor, hinting that all this happened while Antony was neglecting his duties in Egypt with Cleopatra. Another messenger informs Antony that Fulvia has died. He decides to leave Egypt for Rome because Sextus Pompey is gaining power there as well as the fact that he must take care of things in Rome such as dealing with Fulvia’s death. Enobarbus is sent to make preparations for their departure from Egypt. Alexas goes to find him and reports back what mood he finds him in so it can influence how she acts towards him; if happy then sad or vice versa.Antonio says goodbye to her but promises her their love will not be affected by the distance between them.
Octavius complains about how Antony is spending his time in Egypt. He says that Antony has become womanly because of his relationship with Cleopatra and wishes he would return to Rome. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Cleopatra spends her time at court with her servants and a eunuch named Mardian. She misses Antony as well but resolves to send him a letter every day.
Sextus Pompey discusses strategy with his followers Menas and Menecrates. He is confident that he will do well against Octavius, Lepidus, and Antony because he thinks that Antony is still enjoying himself in Egypt under the control of “all the charms of love.” However, a messenger comes to tell him that Antony has actually left Egypt for Rome. Sextus tells Menas that Octavius and Antony are not fond of each other but they will be united as allies by their common enemy in Pompey. When Agrippa suggests a plan to reconcile them through marriage between Octavia (Octavius’ sister) and Antony, everyone agrees to it except for Enobarbus who tells Agrippa about how wild things were when Cleopatra was alive. The soothsayer advises him to go back to Egypt but instead he sends Ventidius off on an assignment in Parthia before returning home himself. Meanwhile, Lepidus Maecenas, and Agrippa discuss their plans to meet up with Pompey. Back in Egypt, Cleopatra receives a message from her lover telling her about his marriage. She interrupts the messenger repeatedly while she reads it aloud; at last she learns that he married another woman named Octavia. She becomes furious and takes out her anger on Alexas, sending him off after this new rival ; meanwhile she questions why men have such strange ways.
In Italy, Pompey meets with Octavius and Lepidus to make a truce. They agree on the terms of the treaty, but are concerned about Antony. However, they decide that it is best for them to go back to their respective camps and celebrate with a feast. Menas tells Enobarbus he thinks Antony’s marriage will keep him together with Octavius; however, Enobarbus doubts this will happen because Antony has already broken his word once before in Egypt when he married Cleopatra instead of Octavia. On Pompey’s boat, everyone drinks until Lepidus becomes so drunk that servants have to carry him away from the party. Menas whispers into Pompey’s ear that he could kill all his guests and take control of Rome himself; however, Pompey says this would be dishonorable as well as illegal under Roman law. Menas gets annoyed at how honorable yet foolish Pompey can be sometimes and decides to desert him by heading off during the night without telling anyone else where he’s going or why.”
