Antony's Fear When Faced with Pleasure versus Duty
             All of Shakespeare's works are written with a purpose, usually to entertain or inform the audience of some underlying universal truth. Often it is a theme or idea that might not be easily visible to the characters within the play. Though they operate in view of the audience who easily sees what the author is trying to accomplish, they are unaware of the essential truth. This idea parallels the readers' experience because no person can know their intended role in the universe or the lessons they are meant to learn. This reason is what makes Shakespeare's works so important. One struggle that readers deal with is the feeling of duty versus pleasure, as does Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. The imagery and other examples showcasing this conflict are essential to the plot because they show characters flaws, and how they are real. The struggle evident in characters of the story is almost always involving their pleasure-seeking side versus their loyal and dutiful side. The characters both fear the world of pleasure and all that it contains yet fell that they must challenge themselves into choosing that pleasurable world.
             Antony easily shows this struggle more than any other character, as it is he that faces the most difficult battle. It is easy to see which sides he chooses after he hears of the death of his wife. Antony says,
             The hand could pluck her back that shoved her on.
             I must from this enchanting queen break off.
             Ten thousand harms more than the ills I know
             My idleness doth hatch.-How now, Enobarbus!
             (1.2.141-145)
             Here Antony is calm at the news; he is not distraught but he does feel some responsibility for her death. Because he stayed in Egypt away from her and let her rise up against the emperor, she is dead. There may be some reference to legal implication on him and this could influence his d...