Shakespeare presents Rome and Egypt to the audience as complete opposites. He does this through visual and oral aids, in order to show the audience the conflict that Antony faces. Shakespeare makes these differences obvious throughout as the location of the play switches quickly between the two worlds. Rome is presented as a serious, military culture grounded in reality. Egypt juxtaposes this behaviour as it is indulgent, extravagant and part of a dream world. The audience is further shown the contrast between the two worlds in the way that Shakespeare presents the women living in both cultures and the difference in quality of life between the two cultures. The structure and language used by the conflicting characters is also important, as is the significance of Antony and Cleopatra's deaths.

Throughout the play, Rome and its representative characters are presented by Shakespeare as graceless and formal. He has used...