옥타비우스 시저의 권력에의 의지와 역사인식

Abstract

In Antony and Cleopatra, the Roman empire is shared by the triumvirate of Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus: Lepidus, the unequal member; Antony, in Egypt, and Octavius in Rome. The problem of Octavius' Rome is the fact that a formidable Pompey revolts at sea. Octavius is particularly afraid that Antony and Pompey may join against him, an alliance that Pompey indeed has tried to bring about. In this situation of Rome, Octavius uses his social, political and military strategies and tricks to control and gain political power through a series of episodes: the arranged marriage of Antony and Octavia; the meeting on Pompey's galley, and the battle between Rome and Egypt. First, Octavius suggests that Antony marry his sister, Octavia, to create a bond between them. Antony does so unwisely, and the immediate effect is to delay Antony's joining with Pompey. But the marriage unfortunately proves to have too much in its favor. The fact that it is politically motivated means that the love of the partners is at best a secondary element. Thus, the political support which ought to give Octavia security in her marriage actually works to undermine it. Second, Octavius manages to control his rivals on Pompey's galley. The characters on Pompey's galley are placed in stark contrast to an understanding the Egyptian values: Lepidus gets completely drunk and must be carted off; Antony drunkenly enjoys the party, and Octavius manages to get only a little drunk and to keep his wits. As always, he knows what he is doing. Octavius defeats Pompey and Lepidus through political tricks. Also, ending the battle of Rome and Egypt, Octavius have got his political position and recognized the Roman history through his military victory and historical consciousness. In the course of these episodes, Antony implicitly rejects all virtues that Rome stands for, allowing himself to be seduced by Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. He relinquishes his martial qualities, embraces a new culture of Egyptian values, and pursues the nature of a lover-hero. Although Antony and Cleopatra were to be one through each death, the Egyptian Antony should pay the price that becomes the total loss of the Roman values of vigor and efficiency. conversely, Octavius values politics as life itself. He does not devote himself to public service without personal benefit, and makes himself an able controller of the Roman empire in order to fulfil his political ambition. He is also much more pragmatic in his outlook than Antony and suffers no tension between his political and private lives. So, Octavius may not be a terribly good general, but he proves to be an extremely crafty politician.