“Heavenly Mingle”[d] Masculinity of Mark Antony in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

Of all the Shakespearean characters, the portrayal of Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra seems to show a 21st century male sentimentality that embraces both virtus and amor . This paper argues that through Antony, Shakespeare depicts a masculine hero as well as a masculine lover that could be relatable even to this day and age. Antony shows what it means to be a man of heroic courage as well as a man of passionate love, a true manifestation of “Heavenly Mingle” that perhaps did not entirely make sense in his own time. Shakespeare’s illustration of Roman masculinity via Antony embraces both flexibility and mobility that is quite different from the rest of the Roman heroes, such as Julius Caesar, Brutus, Coriolanus and Octavius Caesar. In short, Antony and Cleopatra entertains the audience that one single play can include tragedy, romance, history, politics and even comedy which centuries of subsequent dramas provided, making this play, a very accessible and convincing work by Shakespeare.