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At the beginning of the play, Cleopatra's character is depicted as an attractive, sensual and influential Queen who has powerful methods of trying to "control" her lover. On many occasions she mocks Antony and can even be quite insulting and flippant, but she always seems playful in her manner; "O, never was there a queen so mightily betrayed! Yet at the first I saw the treasons planted." (act 1:scene 3 lines 24 - 26). Demitrius and Philo, Antony's friends, observe at the beginning of the play that Cleopatra has this strong hold over him and it will eventually ruin him. Antony does realise this himself in some ways as we can see in act 1:scene 2 lines 113-114, he tells himself he must break away from Cleopatra or sink to his "dotage"; "These strong Egyptian fetters I must break, /Or lose .
myself in dotage". She often makes unfair demands on him such as wanting him to stay in Egypt when she knows he has to return to Rome and also criticises him for not loving her enough. .
Cleopatra herself talks of her previous lovers in act 1 and it seems that she was previously the lover of Pompey and Julius Caesar; .
"Broad fronted Caesar, .
When thou wast here above the ground I was.
A morsel for a monarch. And great Pompey.
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow; .
There he would anchor his respect, and die.
With looking on his life." .
Act 1:Scene 5, line 28-35.
In these two cases she became involved with the men because she needed the military support that they could provide so she could maintain her clutch on the throne of Egypt. Originally, she was also "using" Antony in this way, however, she realised that her feelings for him were sincere and she is desperate to hang on to him. She begs Him to stay with her and resorts to all sorts of tactics to pester him into staying (act 1: scene 3). She accuses Antony of play-acting and also taunts him concerning his lack of distress over his dead wife.
