The Soothsayer
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“The Soothsayer”
The soothsayer in Antony and Cleopatra makes very bold predictions in act one and two. The soothsayer also told Charmian “You shall be yet far fairer than you are” the soothsayer starts out with saying that Charmian will be even more beautiful than she already is in the future, he is not very specific but thats what he states. You see in act one scene 2 when Charmian and Alexas want to see what he has to continue so he says to Charmian “You shall be more beloving than beloved.” He just told Charmian that she will love more than she is loved in the future. “You shall outlive the lady whom you serve” this is another very bold prediction the soothsayer makes in which he says that Charmian will outlive the queen which is Cleopatra. The last bold prediction I saw was when he tells Charmian “If every of your wishes had a womb, and fertile every wish, a million.” The soothsayer told Charmian that she has wished for a child about a million times and she couldnt get one. Another thing I noticed about the soothsayer is that he isnt specific with his predictions by when he is reading Irass palm he says “Your fortunes are alike” he says that Iras and Charmians fortunes are alike and then he leaves so thats what makes the soothsayer very mysterious and he leaves you with a question in your mind.
In act three the soothsayer in this play also keeps Mark Antony aware and what he should be careful of. “Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side Thy demon, thats thy spirit which keeps thee, is Noble, courageous high, unmatchable, Where Caesars is not; but, near him, thy angel becomes a fear, as being oerpowerd: therefore make space enough between you.” The soothsayer tells Antony that Antonys spirit is very strong but he should move away from Caesar because his spirit weakens when he is near him or close to him, the soothsayer also says that go back to Egypt because it could be very dangerous for Antony if his spirit weakens. “If thou dost play with him at any game, Thou art sure to lose, and of that natural luck He beats thee gainst the odds. Thy luster thickens when he shines by.” This is what the soothsayer continues with and tells Antony that if you try to compete with Caesar in any game Antony will lose against any odds, and his spirit or his angel does not support him when he is with Caesar. The soothsayer in this play is not very specific but he tells you information that you need to know and the things he states make the character think, saying that the soothsayer is a very mysterious character in this play.