Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Series | Book | Chapter

197287

Hybrid spaces in Antony and cleopatra

Elisabeth Bronfen

pp. 103-120

Abstract

Bronfen reads Antony and Cleopatra as a tragedy of hybrid spaces. Emphasizing the carnivalesque way in which Cleopatra embodies Egypt, Bronfen explores how cross-dressing and gendered masquerade blend with the concept of the king's two bodies expressed in the duality of body natural and body politic, particularly resonant during Queen Elizabeth's reign. Exploiting and confusing this duality, Cleopatra throws open a theatrical space wherever she goes, and conversely, her embodiment on stage, and the dramatic connection between the Egyptian and the English queen, opens up a hybrid space that is both historical and mythical, including, and at the same time going beyond the geopolitical dimension. Finally, Cleopatra's 'self-designed apotheosis' introduces a final moment of hybridity, creating a space of textual regeneration.

Publication details

Published in:

Habermann Ina, Witen Michelle (2016) Shakespeare and space: theatrical explorations of the spatial paradigm. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Pages: 103-120

DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-51835-4_6

Full citation:

Bronfen Elisabeth (2016) „Hybrid spaces in Antony and cleopatra“, In: I. Habermann & M. Witen (eds.), Shakespeare and space, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 103–120.