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ratings: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Genre: Drama / Tragedy / Historical Play

Book Review:
''Antony and Cleopatra'' is Shakespeare's grandest, most sweeping love story. It spans continents and civilizations, from the gritty politics of Rome to the luxurious excess of Egypt. At its center are two of the most larger-than-life characters ever created: Antony, the greatest soldier in the world, brought low by his passion; and Cleopatra, the ''serpent of old Nile,'' a woman of infinite variety, wit, and seductive power. Their love is not pretty or simple; it's a force of nature, a consuming fire that destroys them both. The play is full of incredible poetry, from Enobarbus's famous description of Cleopatra on her barge (''The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water'') to the lovers' final, heartbreaking scenes. It's a play about the price of passion, the nature of power, and what it means to be truly great. A magnificent, epic masterpiece. This Cambridge edition is excellent.