6
THE BATTALION.
Cleopatra is perhaps one of the most interesting- char
acters that Shakespeare ever painted. She seems to pos
sess a trace of that which renders exalted womanhood so
noble, but this is greatly overbalance by the inordinate
qualities her vanity hath devised. The baseness of her
mind is shown by the way she taunts Antony about
Fulvia, and by the consolation she draws from fleshy com
parisons when she is given a description of Octavia.
Throug-hout the play instances of her artifice can be found
in almost endless number. Her beauty and intellectual
powers are supremely eminent; and had she not been so
vain, and her thougiits so base, she migiit have been a
brig-ht star in the firmament of womanhood.
As Antony and Cleopatra are the central fig-ures about
which the others group themselves, I shall attempt to say
nothing- specific in reg-ard to the minor characters. On
the whole the play is a typical representation of a noble
character brought to the lowest shade of disgrace and
shame.
BREAKFAST FOR FIVE.
Scene:—A restaurant at a seaside resort on the south
ern coast.
scene; i
[Enter two gentlemen, three ladies and .a little gifl.]
Mrs. Courtenay—Oh, how lucky it is we found this
restaurant! We should have died of hunger if we had
had to wait for breakfast at that poky hotel.