성서적 관점에서 본 앤토니와 클레오파트라: 클레오파트라의 교만, 음란, 파괴성

Abstract

클레오파트라의 대표 상징인 `뱀`이 성서적 의미의 `뱀`, 곧 사단, 악마의 상징임를 알아보기 위해 뱀의 성서적 특성 중 교만, 음란, 파괴성을 중심으로 이 특성들이 클레오파트라의 모습에 어떻게 투영되어있나를 살펴보았는바 작품에 나타난 클레오파트라의 교만, 음란, 파괴성의 모습들은 모두 성서에 나타난 사단, 악마의 특성과 합치되므로 본 작품에서 클레오파트라의 상징, 뱀은 성서적 뱀, 곧 악마의 상징이라 할 수 있으며 이 작품은 기독교적 관점에서의 접근이 가능하다고 말할 수 있다. Although Antony and Cleopatra contains references to Venus, Mars, and other elements of Greek and Roman mythology, the main symbol of Cleopatra, the serpent, clearly represents Satan, the biblical demon. In this paper, I explain and support this point through an examination of Cleopatra’s three essential characteristics: pride, lust and destructiveness. In the first place, I consider Cleopatra's pride. Her harsh behavior, especially towards Antony, is excessive even by the standards of a queen. When offended, she does not hesitate to inflict verbal or physical abuse on the messengers or eunuchs, thereby robbing them of their masculinity. And in preparation for the war against Caesar, she overestimates her strength and as a result her navy suffers a severe defeat. Clearly, these problems stem from Cleopatra's pride. Secondly, I show that Cleopatra is a highly erotic woman, a fact that is demonstrated by her mysterious feminine sexuality, her strong desire, and her incredible seductive power. After establishing this point, I examine the relation between Cleopatra's sensual aspects and the hedonism of Egypt, another symbol of Cleopatra. Thirdly, I demonstrate that Cleopatra is a destructive woman, with fatal ‘poison’ inside her. The poison is her overflowing feminine sexuality. Through her excessive sexuality, Cleopatra weakens Antony's ‘sword’, the symbol of his masculinity, and then robs him of it, an event that ultimately leads to his destruction. The weakening and subsequent loss of Antony's masculinity is revealed through the change of the two lovers' clothes and Antony's identification with the eunuchs.Cleopatra's three essential characteristics, pride, lust and destructiveness coincide precisely with satanic or demoniac elements in the Bible; indeed, the symbol of Cleopatra, the serpent, is the biblical demon. For this reason, a biblical interpretation of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra is appropriate.