John Dryden

All for Love

Introduction

John Dryden is a great English author who is best known as a poet and
critic. He was born in 1631 in Aldwinckle, Northamptonshire, England.
Dryden wrote almost thirty plays and he was considered to be one of the
great dramatists of his time. He was the eldest of fourteen children born
to Erasmus Dryden and wife Mary Pickering. When Dryden was 15, he
was sent to Westminster School as a King's Scholar where his
headmaster was Dr. Richard Busby, a charismatic teacher and severe
.disciplinarian
Dryden published his first poem Upon the Death of Lord Hastings" in
1649 at Westminster. The next year he was admitted to Trinity College,
Cambridge, where he published a poem in honor of a friend, John

Hoddesdon. Dryden married Lady Elizabeth Howard, the sister of his

.friend Sir Robert Howard in 1663, with whom he had three sons
Dryden was under contract to the King's Company. In 1677, he gave
them "All for Love;" it is a heroic drama which is Dryden's best-known
and most performed play. It is a tragedy written in blank verse and is an
attempt for Dryden to show serious drama. It is an acknowledged
imitation of Shakespeares "Antony and Cleopatra," and focuses on the
last hours of the lives of its hero and heroine. Although its reception
was not enthusiastic, it is generally regarded as his finest dramatic
.achievement
He was the first English author to earn his living by his writing. He
produced a number of playsDon Sebastian (1689), Amphitryon (1690),
and Cleomenes (1690)none of which was notably successful. He then
turned to translating, which was proved to be more profitable. His
greatest translations were probably the Satires of Juvenal and Persius
(1692), the Works of Virgil (1697), and The Fables (1700), a collection of
.tales from Ovid, Giovanni Boccaccio, and Geoffrey Chaucer
Dryden died on 12 May 1700, and was initially buried in St. Anne's
cemetery in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster
.Abbey ten days later

Summary
The play opens with Serapion, a priest, who foretells of ominous omens,
while others is worried about Antony and Cleopatra's relationship. One
of them is Ventidius, a Roman general, who offers Antony's troops to
leave Cleopatra. Though Antony is insulted by the offer, he nonetheless
accepts. Cleopatra becomes frustrated by Antony's decision of leaving
her and she tries to win him back. Despite Ventidius tries to dissuade
her, Cleopatra succeeds to win Antony back. Antony's friend, Dollabella,
returns and unites with Ventidius bringing Octavia, Antony's wife, and
their two daughters to make up with each other. Octavia tells Antony
that if he returns to her, the war between him and Caesar will stop.
Antony agrees, and Cleopatra attempts to interfere with their reunion,
and she argues with Octavia. In the end, Antony believes returning to
Rome is the right decision, but he wasn't able to tell Cleopatra, so he
sends Dolabella. Through a plot by Ventidius, Antony is nearly
convinced that Cleopatra and Dolabella are in a relationship. When he
expresses his desire to find Cleopatra innocent, Octavia leaves him.
However, Antony does not believe Cleopatra's claims of innocence and
leaves for Rome. Hearing of his impending return with the fleet,
Cleopatra and Alexas flee and part ways. Antony is about to have a fight

with Ventidius, but then Alexas arrives and announces Cleopatra's

death. Ventidius kills himself and Antony does the same. Cleopatra
arrives to see Antony before he dies. Cleopatra then kills herself, and a
.eulogy from Serapion follows

Characters
Antony
Mark Antony is a Roman leader who is torn between the sense of duty
and the desire to seek pleasure, between reason and passion. Despite
his greatness, he has conflicts in his personality. Moreover, these
conflicts have eventually caused him to experience inner struggle that
makes him confused on which concern would he choose to solve his
complicated desires; Could it be friendship, family, or love? Nonethless,
at the end of the play, he chooses his love, Cleopatra. He is passionate,
.pessimistic, and inconsistent

Cleopatra
Cleopatra is the queen of Egypt who is lovable, possessive, insistent,
and sensitive. She is a highly attractive woman who once seduced
Julius Caesar. Besides, Dollabella once fall in love with her charms.
Regardless of the men who loved her, her heart only belongs to Antony.
She adores him to death; she always clings with him anywhere.
Cleopatra has a very strong personality; she is very well determined in
her actions. She could make Antony choose her over family and
friendship by her charms and deep love towards him. For example,
when she made Antony change his decision and stay in Alexandria with
Cleopatra (example). Although Cleopatra is strong, she is also very
sensitive. When anything happens to her that hurts her especially from
Antony. For example, when Antony decided to leave her she couldn't
tolerate the thoughts of him leaving her and she tells her servants that
she want to die because she find everything useless after Antony's
leaving. That also shows how she adores Antony that she couldn't
.imagine her life without him

Ventidius
Ventidius is a war general who is a loyal friend to Antony. He is very
faithful to Antony and he cares for him to obsession. He behaves in

ways that seek to efface Cleopatra from Antony's field of thought in

order to resume his war against Octavius. He hate Cleopatra so much
because he says that she is ruining Antony's life. He cares too much for
... Antony he always tells him to leave Cleopatra
"

Ventidius' loyalty towards Antony is clear when he agrees to his request

to kill him; however, he stabs himself. In addition, he tells him that it was
the first time to lie to him and that he had had been faithful to him. That
shows how truely he is faithful and loyal to Antony. which is shown in
. the following quotation
,But think, 'tis the first time I ever decieved you "

If that may plead my pardon. And you, gods

forgive me if you will, for I die perjured
Rather than kill my friend"
(Act 5, line 330)

Dollabella
.Dollabella was once a close friend with Mark Antony

Octavia
Alexas
Alexas is a courtier of Cleopatra and usually gives her advice
throughout the play. He is the motive force behind the main
developments; he tends to create plots on his own. His plots always
lead to destruction. For instance, when Alexas gave Cleopatra false
advice which actually made things worse between Antony and
Cleopatra. He tells her that she must arouse his jealousy by pretending
that she has an affair with his friend, Dollabella. Therefore, she can
:return Antony as her lover. He says
Believe me; try "
To make him jealous. Jealousy is like
:A polished glass held to the lips when life's in doubt
If there be breath, 'twill catch the damp, and show it." (Act 4, line 70)

.He is selfish and coward; all he cares about is his own benefits

Serapion

Serapion is a priest at the temple of Isis along with Myris. Although he is

considered as a minor charcter in the play, he has an important role. He
opens and closes the play. At the beginning of the play, Serapion
.describes a number of protents and prodigies
If he be vanquished "
Or make his peace, Egypt is doomed to be
A Roman province, and our plenteous harvests
Must then redeem the scarceness of their soil." (Act 1, line 65)
In this quotation, Serapion predicts that Egypt will be doomed. This
.reflects on the war between Antony and Octavius in the end of the play

Charmion/ Iras
They are devoted maids to Cleopatra; devoted enough to die for her.
They could make anything for her sake. Accordingly, they kill
themselves after Cleopatra dies because they see that their lives isn't
meaningful without her existence. Which it is deduced from the
,following quotation
,Charmion: Whatever you resolve "
.I'll follow even to death

Iras: I only feared

For you, but more should fear to live without you." (Act 5, line 430)

Myris
Myris is a minor character in the play. He is a priest at the temple of Isis
in Alexandria. He is superstitious. He appeared at the beginning of the
.play; he was talking about portents and progidies along with Serapion

Plot
The play revolves around the love story between "Mark Antony and
Cleopatra." At the beginning, the two priests, "Serapion and Myris,"
were talking about the military position of Rome and the Egyptians.
Serapion was telling Myris a superstitious story that he saw the day
before. Then they begin to discuss the Queen's relationship with
Antony. Ventidius then enters discussing the same things and
emphasizes the fact that he feels that Antony should have never met
Cleopatra and that it is very important for him to end this ominous
relationship. Antony was very worried about the events evolution which
he has gotten himself into, and debates what is his next action should
be and considers whom he wants to be with the most. Ventidius

continues to convince Antony to break off this relationship. Eventually,

Antony achieves his objective and he is determined to break off this
relationship. Therefore, he refuses to see Cleopatra because of the
power that she have over him. Both lovers suffer because of the
distance that lies between them. However, most of the people around
them feel that this is best as they have both lost their good reputations
and Antony has lost his family. From the other side, Octavia (Antony's
wife) offers to leave Antony, so that he can continue his relationship
with Cleopatra freely. But Antony refuses her offer because she only
does it out of duty, not love. Finally, Antony chooses Dolabella, his
greatest friend, to tell Cleopatra that their relationship must end. But
Dolabella loves Cleopatra so he betrays his friend, trying to make
Cleopatra angry at Antony. However, not long after his betrayal he
admits to Cleopatra that he lied to her and that it was only out of love
that he did so. During all this time, Alexas and Ventidius have been
plotting both, trying to separate Antony and Cleopatra, so they can
destroy their relationship. Ventidius, seeing that Dolabella is alone with
Cleopatra; he reports to Antony that the two had an affair. This infuriates
Antony and he threatens both his best friend and his lover. Alexas
during all this is creating a malicious plan of his own and tells Antony
that because of his cruel charges against her, Cleopatra has killed
herself. At this moment, Antony realizes that his dear Cleopatra was
indeed innocent, so decides to kill himself. Antony requests Ventidius to
kill him in order to reconcile with Caesar. In a desperate attempt to
prove to Antony that he was completely loyal during the time that he
served under him, Ventidius kills himself instead of killing Antony.
Accordingly, Antony falls on his own sword and dies. Cleopatra enters
too late to save her dear Antony and finds him dying. They gave each
other farewell words and then Antony dies. Cleopatra, at the thought of
living without her love, decides to follow him into the next dimension, so
she killed herself in his presence. Her servants then kill themselves
.because the guards arrived to capture Cleopatra under Caesar's orders

Themes
Love and Honor
Antony's love for his beloved, Cleopatra, is very strong to the extent that
he sacrificed everything he had, sending the Roman Empire into
complete turmoil for her sake. Also, Cleopatra committed suicide
because she was not able to contemplate life without Antony. Dryden's
play, as its title suggests, focuses on the love between these two
characters, and in particular the dignity that this love gives them.
:Noticing the closing words of the play uttered by Serapion
,See how the lovers sit in state together "
!As they were giving laws to half mankind
,Th' impression of a smile, left in her face

,Shows she d'yd pleas'd with him for whom she liv'd

And went to charm him in another world."

(Act 5, scene

The final words state, "No lovers lived so great, or died so well"
suggests that true love is beyond all values; in addition, Antony and
Cleopatra have made themselves great and famous through their love
for each other. The description of the two dead lovers in the above quote
is not condemnatory, but rather seems to grant them with an authority
that allows them to "give laws to half mankind." The way in which
Serapion says that they are "secure from human chance" suggests that
they can be united with their love in a way that they were never able to
during their lives because of fate. The theme of this play therefore
.suggests that love is so valuable as to be worth whatever the price

Friendship and Betrayal

Although Dryden's play All for Love is about the love between Antony
and Cleopatra, a theme within the story is Antony's friendship with his
officers and peers. For example, when Ventidius, one of Antony's
greatest and most trusted friends, leaves his post in the Middle East and
travel to Alexandria, where Antony is in seclusion, in order to give
Antony aid and assistance. This is considered an act of true friendship,
which shows how Ventidius care for his friend that he wanted to cheer
him up from his loneliness and despair. In contrast, Antony betrays
another close friend, Dolabella, by exiling him fearing that Cleopatra
.might come to prefer Dolabella over himself
Antony responds out of confusion and a sense of doom, having lost a
battle at Actium, and wrongly accuses Ventidius of being a traitor.
However, Antony comes to his senses enough and just in time to
reassure Ventidius that his friendship is true and accepts Ventidius'
.terms of assistance that Antony would not use
On the other side of this picture of true friendship, Cleopatra's eunuch,
Alexas, who is supposed to be her friend, is going behind her back to
sabotage her plans and desires. Disapproving of the love between
Cleopatra and Antony, Alexas tries to distract Antony's troops by
encouraging a celebration then arranges a meeting between Cleopatra
.and Antony to distract him from his promises and plans with Ventidius
.Cleopatra sentences Alexas to death for his betrayal
.Alexas : Oh pity me; and let me follow you
.Cleopatra: To death, if thou stir hence. Speak, if thou canst

Antony himself betrays Caesar by going back to Cleopatra and not

staying with Octavia. Antony leaves his troops behind during battle to
.follow Cleopatra; complete betrayal to his own troops

Death and Loyalty

The deaths take place within the play. They show "love" for one's
country or loved ones. Antony kills himself after falling under the false
.pretense that Cleopatra is dead
Antony: No, not a minute this one kiss more worth than all T leave to
.Caesar
.[Dies ]
Cleopatra: Oh, tell me so again I "And take ten thousand, kisses for that
"word
!My lord I my lord I speak, if you yet have being
Sigh to me if you cannot speak I or cast
!One look I do any thing that shows you live
Moreover, his servant in an act of loyalty and honor to his country and
master, and kills himself before Antony. Cleopatra is distraught over the
death of her beloved Antony. She applies the asps' venom to her arm
and falls to eternal death on Antony's chest. Her servants decide to
follow their Queen in death. This shows how much The Egyptian
servants are loyal to their Queen; they are not willing to serve anyone
.but her

Conclusion

References