Cleopatra/ Dr Faustas Essay

         Mason Gray 2015
Part 1 Cleopatra
Pick at least two, and no more than three, representations of Cleopatra and the DVD Video 'Cleopatra'. Discuss how historical periods and social circumstances have produced different images of Cleopatra.

Cleopatra from the earliest screen depiction represents a femme fatale. Theda Bara in the 1917 silent movie 'Cleopatra' was arguably the original 'vamp' owing to her role in 'A Fool There Was' in 1915 and is considered the original screen femme fatale. At a time when great strides were made in women's suffrage the portrayal of Theda Bara as a temptress suckled on serpent's blood was perhaps indicative of a salient view and the wider implication of empowered women, as well as a xenophobic misrepresentation of the orient.
The mise-en-scene of the 1917 movie owe to a pharaonic theme and Macedonian-Greek influence is all but forfeited hence the imagery takes on a thinly veiled poke of fun at the orient. Theda Bara's scantily clad Egyptian Cleopatra as a poisonous enchantress is at the expense of historical accuracy. The poster for the 1917 feature fig 1.1 (Moohan, 2008) clearly depicts Theda Bara, in the back drop of hieroglyphs, as an Egyptian queen with headdress and gown of an ethnic Egyptian influence of long ago in antiquity. This portrayal is debatable on accuracy in the light of the Hellenistic era to which the actual Cleopatra belonged.
Decades after Theda Bara first took to the screen as Cleopatra the 1963 portrayal has the wealth of speech to add to an aura of grandeur central to the characterisation. An attempt to 'reincarnate' the eponymous queen of antiquity, millions of dollars went to recreate scenes of historical significance such as Cleopatra's arrival in Rome and the battle of Actium. In 1963 the US saw the same escalation in women's suffrage that the UK had seen almost half a century prior. Cleopatra represented something of a personification of provocative dialogue central to the issues of rights and women, hence the unprecedented budget and surpassing of fee landmarks i.e Elizabeth Taylor's million-dollar fee.
Audiences would have received the film with mixed views. While the narrative kept closely to that of a Shakespearian rendition depicted Cleopatra as perhaps brazen and manipulative to some yet as an empowered woman with admirable maternal qualities to others.
Afrocentric views debate the correct portrayal of Cleopatra's ethnicity. Given the social circumstances of the sixties Taylor's character onscreen was delivered astutely casting a dark haired tanned established actress. With little historical evidence of what an Egyptian-Ptolemy mix is in terms of costume and ethnic features, make-up and vaguely ethnic robes and a darker skin tone were accorded. Nevertheless given articles of historical worth such as coins and the relief sculpture of Dendera show sides of Cleopatra that are not always readily reconciled with either screen portrayal (Moohan, 2008).
An evolution of the screen Cleopatra unfolds through Theda Bara and Elizabeth Taylor. Theda Bara typecast as a ruthless seductress emphasises females as threating an idea that did not exist on screen until her introduction as a 'vamp'. Elizabeth Taylor portrays a more sophisticated empowered individual, a challenge to existing powers of men and those of the senate in Rome as well as an emblem of urbane monarchic decadence. Both portrayals of Cleopatra are evocative politically only differing essentially in complexity of the message and both play a huge role in immortalising the Cleopatra of antiquity. Cleopatra is a paradox as it is impossible to know with any certainty whether the actual Cleopatra necessitates the speculative portrayal or that the screen evolution has formed the popular image of the eponymous queen based on fictitious screen representations.


Part 2 Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus
Read the following passage from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Discuss Marlowe's use of language in this passage and how it contributes to the characterisation of Faustas.

Immediately from the opening of the paragraph the inherent angst of Faustus's affliction attenuates the reader. The passage, a soliloquy, a stage tool that Marlowe deploys to project inner reflections of Faustus is effectively internal monologue. There is an immediate air of desperation in the words, as in the self-pitying 'Ah'. The terminal hour is described as 'bare' (line 67) a metaphor evocative of solitude and vulnerability. The desperation escalates in line 70 'Stand still' demands Faustus of the planetary orbits, a hopeless imperative, as he contemplates his imminent impending doom. As the passage continues there is a rise in urgency in the language used to evoke an emotive response by Marlowe.
In line 73 Faustus longs for more time and describes another 24 hours on earth as a 'natural day'. This term best emphasises Faustus's plight as a 'day' something that anyone would take for granted while for Faustus is a concept of luxury that he would be inexorably denied in the context of the play. Much of the passage is a turning point as this is the only point where Faustus truly expresses an unequivocal will for repentance. Marlowe employs Latin metaphoric language to crescendo urgency in heightening the perception of Faustus's despondency. O lente, lente currite noctis equi, (line 75) - 'slowly, slowly run O horses of night', a stylistic feature that would no doubt have resonated with contemporaneous audiences. It expresses a yearning to innocence as well as Faustus's willing time to slow in a hopeless vain.
Faustus's characterisation reaches something of a pinnacle in this passage as hitherto in the play Faustus's tone had the indignation and defiance of a power crazed despot and then faced with an imminent hapless end his language becomes humble and remorseful. Much of the central theme of this particular passage is repentance and monosyllabic speech is used almost as if to mimic a clock ticking away the seconds of Faustus's remaining life. Marlowe being notable for his use of the iambic pentameter ensures that each emotion is captured in verse for maximum effect with the audience (Moohan, 2008). In this passage the poetic metre changes and monosyllables resemble ticking and draw emphasis on words of more than one syllable. An example of this is line 82 'Yet I will call on him. O spare me, Lucifer!' where Lucifer is the only multisyllabic word and not surprisingly the bane of Faustus's plight.
Faustus then speaks in third person narrative indicative of reflective internal monologue a means to evoke a sympathetic response in the audience. There is a strike of a clock that indicates the passage of half an hour and Faustus's 'Ah' reiterates self-pity. The opening lines of the passage along with the closing lines attenuate the passing of time, coupled with monosyllabic speech accentuate the finality of Faustus's imminent demise. Marlowe effectively brings this cautionary moral tale to conclusion by juxtaposing the four and twenty years of power that Faustus chanced his eternal soul with the mere half hour that so dramatically exemplifies his regret in this passage.

References

Moohan, E., Jones, N. and Philip, R. (2008) 'Cleopatra' , in Moohan, E. (ed.) Reputations (AA 100 Book 1). Milton Keynes, The Open University, fig. 1.1 p. 4.
Moohan, E., Jones, N. and Philip, R. (2008) 'Cleopatra' , in Moohan, E. (ed.) Reputations (AA 100 Book 1). Milton Keynes, The Open University, fig. 1.3 p.19, fig 1.3 and fig. 1.4 p.21.
'Cleopatra' (2008) (AA100 DVD), Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, Act 5, Scene 2, 11. 66-98 O' Connor, J. (ed) (2003) Doctor Faustus: the A text, Pearson Longman, pp. 109. In (Assignment 1, AA100, Assignment Booklet, 2008,p.19).
Moohan, E., Jones, N. and Philip, R. (2008) 'Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus' , in Moohan, E. (ed.) Reputations (AA 100 Book 1). Milton Keynes, The Open University.