Introduction
Shakespeare’s plays, despite their long-standing creation and writing, raise the same topics as modern films. Hence, the play Antony and Cleopatra shares significant similarities and explores similar topics through its narrative with the film The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. Although the legendary director’s film is a classic mobster film, it has profound depth in its portrayal of specific themes and issues. This work explores critical topics, including betrayal and the consequences of one’s actions.
Plot Summary
Antony and Cleopatra
First, it is necessary to understand the plots of the two works to be compared in this paper. Antony and Cleopatra is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, written in 1607. It begins with the story that Mark Antony is involved in a romantic relationship with Cleopatra while he is still married to his wife. At the same time, Mark Anthony is one of the three rulers of the Roman Empire (Shakespeare, 2021).
The enjoyment and joy of the lovers were interrupted by Anthony’s need to leave Egypt due to the growing danger on the shore near Rome. There, Pompey threatens to disrupt peace and spread civil war. At the same time, he finds out that his wife is dead, and before going to Rome, he promises Cleopatra that he will return to her.
Without waiting for help from Mark Anthony, Octavius Caesar and Lepidus won the civil war. Caesar then condemns Lepidus of treason and imprisons him, and then begins a war against Egypt. Mark Anthony, in turn, decides to advance through the sea routes, which costs him victory in this battle.
Then, Caesar attempts to make peace with Cleopatra, which Anthony discovers, and becomes enraged (Shakespeare, 2021). He decides to kill the Egyptian queen, but finds out she is already dead, and he decides to take his life. It turns out that Cleopatra is alive, but Anthony cannot be saved. In order not to become a trophy of Caesar, she, like her lover, kills herself with asps.
The Irishman
Martin Scorsese’s gangster film titled The Irishman was presented to the audience in 2019. It begins with an elderly man discussing his life and how he transitioned into a “house painter,” or, in other words, a hitman. World War II veteran Frank Sheeran did not immediately start killing for money; this change in his life occurred after a meeting with Russell Bufalino, head of the crime family (Barnett, 2020).
In the course of his work, he meets Jimmy Hoffa, with whom he develops a close friendship while serving as his personal security guard. After John F. Kennedy was elected president, Hoffa went to prison but was released when Richard Nixon took office. During this time, he loses his authority and, upon his return, begins taking disrespectful actions, which the rest of the family does not appreciate.
Sheeran becomes the chosen person to kill and, after finishing everything, kills an old friend. After that, the mobster goes to prison, with the rest of the characters of the film, not because of the murder, but for the rest of the illegal actions. At the end of his life, Frank Sheeran remains in a nursing home, abandoned by his family and loved ones.
Common Themes
Betrayal
Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare and The Irishman by Martin Scorsese share the themes of betrayal and the consequences of individuals’ actions, for which they must pay. In Shakespeare’s play and Scorsese’s movie, the theme of betrayal is depicted through individuals in close relationships.
Antony and Cleopatra
In Antony and Cleopatra, the first instance of this issue is the betrayal of his marital and civic duties by the main character, Mark Anthony. We can say that it becomes the engine for further adverse events. Betrayal also occurs on the part of Octavius Caesar and Lepidus when the former, using Lepidus’ army, imprisons him (Shakespeare, 2021). The latest example is Cleopatra’s apparent betrayal of Mark Anthony, leading to the play’s fatal end.
The Irishman
Although this topic is also explored in the film, it is primarily examined in the relationship between Frank Sheeran and his friend Jimmy Hoffa. The main character kills a former mobster despite their long and close relationship. Moreover, betrayal is prevalent: the entire world of mafia and mobsters is saturated with it, from which there is no escape.
Consequences of Actions
The Irishman
Another common theme in the two works is the consequences of the characters’ actions and decisions. Hence, in Scorsese’s film, Frank Sheeran, for most of his life, was involved in mafia activities and killed people on the order of others. This led to the fact that his family distanced themselves from him; they knew what their husband and father were doing and experienced great fear and grief from this.
Antony and Cleopatra
In the example of Antony and Cleopatra, the consequences of the decisions and actions taken are the pursuit of Mark Anthony. From the very beginning, Shakespeare demonstrates that a man considers neither the consequences of his actions nor the lives of others and lives solely for his own motives. This leads to his gradual downfall and the death of him and his beloved Cleopatra.
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite the differences in the creation dates of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare and The Irishman by Martin Scorsese. There are common themes of betrayal and the consequences of actions and decisions. Through the main characters of these works, the authors show and reveal how human life, decisions, and the environment affect them. Betrayals can lead to serious, sometimes fatal consequences, as in Shakespeare’s, and wrong decisions can leave a person completely alone, as in Scorsese’s.
References
Barnett, C. B. (2020). The Irishman, dir. by Martin Scorsese. American Catholic Studies, 131(2), 58-62.
Hensley-King, R. (2019). The Irishman. Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 49(2), 43-45.
Shakespeare, W. (2021). Antony and Cleopatra. Independently Published.