Act 4, Scene 15 Summary

Antony dies outside the monument, and Cleopatra plans her suicide.

Act 4, Scene 15 Analysis

With Antony's death, Cleopatra realizes she has lost the qualities of glory and heroism, and the power that Antony bestowed on her. We realize that, behind the passions, she had a real appreciation of the value of Antony's love. She compares herself to a common woman or a maid, and complains that heaven has taken from her world what had made it glorious. She decides to do "what's brave, what's noble… after the high Roman fashion" (86-7). In death, she moves closer to Antony's heroic ideal, and further from the petty concerns that characterized her earlier scenes.