Essay Comparing Eliot’s Parody and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

Comparing EliotsParody and Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra The first of all major difference between Eliots Parody and Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra comes with the rattling first simile. In Shakespeares original the barge in which Cleopatra sits is compared to a burnished throne burning on the water, whereas in Eliots antic it is only a chair that she fills resembling a throne, glowing on the marble. Eliots character comes across, therefore, as far less enormous and big than life than Shakespeare portrays Cleopatra who seems very great, even in simile with her barge, which she fills as if it were a throne - her majesty makes the barge seem tiny in comparison Eliots character only makes a chair look like a chair. Again, with the water on which Cleopatras barge floats burning, and the marble on which the chair stands glowing, Shakespeares image if far greater than the one Eliot creates, being strange and somewhat mystical, as opposed to Eliots chairs entirely possible gl ow. Cleopatra, in the same way, has pretty dimpled boys fanning her, like buoyant cupids, whereas in the passage from The Wasteland, there are merely golden Cupidons, observe the scene, one peeping out at her, another hiding his eyes basis his wing - instead of serving an immediate, yet subtle purpose, as Cleopatras are, fanning her. Other images of Eliots, in phone line, are much larger than Shakespeare, but over again succeed in making Eliots character look downhearted and insignificant in comparison. Eliot describes the enormous amount of adornments around the room, including her vials of ivory and coloured glass, which contain many perfumes, which are described as drowning the sensation in odours and again it is the lack of subtlety t... ...speare tends to prefer the use of parable to that of simile - whilst Homer often used extended simile to dilate his point, and often went off on very distinct tangents, Shakespeare tends to prefer the to a greater extent modern c onstruction of metaphor, rather than having to protect himself as an author with rowing like like or as. Eliot may well choose chosen this passage for its eccentricities, and it succeeds in creating a powerful and provoking parody, as well as being a very good contrast to other parts of The Wasteland, poetically, including the very next part, which is more modern, and simple. It is also enkindle that Eliot chose to almost blend the Shakespeare in with other more ordinary bits of writings - the passage begins with only slight changes to the words of Enobarbus speech, but soon becomes advantageously different to the original Shakespeare.