act 1 and act 2
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Historically, the events of Antony and Cleopatra took place in the late first century BCE. Julius Caesar ends in victory for Octavius, Lepidus, and Antony, who defeat Caesar's assassins and divide the world between themselves. Antony and Cleopatra picks up the story years later. In the course of the play, the three-member alliance, called the triumvirate, will fall apart. The demands of history and power decree that Rome must be ruled by one man alone. Lepidus, the weakest of the three generals, is not a serious contender for ultimate power. The final contest will be between Antony and Octavius.
Because Shakespeare took no interest in the publication of his plays, his dramas got into print in uncertain and unreliable ways. Certain plays do not come to us straight from Shakespeare's manuscripts, and corrupt texts abound. Fortunately, Antony and Cleopatra seems free of these difficulties. The play was entered in the Stationer's Register in 1607, a step normally preceding publication, but in this case the play remained unpublished until 1623. In this year, it was included amongst the tragedies in the First Folio. The play's First Folio printing is the basis of all following editions. The evidence suggests that this printing comes to us directly from Shakespeare's own manuscript. You can check out more below: