Sir Charles Sedley’s Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra: Transformation from Anxiety into Admiration

Abstract

This paper examines Sir Charles Sedley’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Antony and
Cleopatra (1607), showing the Restoration tolerance to the East and anxiety of Charles II’s
transformation into absolutism. In Sedley’s Antony and Cleopatra (1677), Cleopatra is depicted
as a virtuous and faithful queen, defending simultaneously Egypt against Octavius Caesar’s
colonialism and preserving virtuous love of Antony. Sedley’s adaptation lacks the Renaissance
stereotypical delineation of the East and demystifies the Renaissance glorification of the Roman
empire. Sedley’s play offers stages of moral reformation of Octavius Caesar from tyranny and
absolutism into wisdom and peace. Unlike Shakespeare, Sedley empowers the Oriental and
Western women, represented by Cleopatra and Octavia, against the Roman patriarchal and
colonial abuses. Moreover, Sedley’s play reshapes the Shakespearean stereotypical delineation of
Antony, showing him as a rational and moral Roman leader. This study aims at enriching
modern scholarship on Sedley’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, providing a more detailed
textual analysis of Sedley’s play through Restoration lens.