Antony and Cleopatra

The motif of divination appears throughout Antony and Cleopatra, hinting that Antony is destined to be defeated by Caesar despite his superior skill in military command. Egyptian soothsayers appear in Cleopatra’s court and one accompanies Antony on his return to Rome, repeatedly predicting that Caesar is fated to have better luck. He warns, “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” (2.3.30-33). The soothsayer’s predictions reinforce what the audience would already be aware of in a historical play—that Caesar will become the first Emperor of Rome and defeat Caesar. Divination is therefore a way for William Shakespeare to increase the sense of dramatic irony.

Shakespeare plays with the question of whether divination is supernatural or a form of keen scientific observation. The Egyptian soothsayer describes his powers by claiming, “In nature’s infinite book of secrecy / A little I can read” (1.2.9-10). This affiliates divination with being able to “read” and properly interpret signs in the material world, rather than communication with a deity. Similarly, Roman divination, often called augury, used the movements of birds to predict future events.