Passion
Perhaps the most important theme in the play, and what keeps Cleopatra and Antony in a magnetic pull towards one another the entire time, is passion. Both of the lovers feel passionately—in both a sexual and romantic sense—towards one another. The passion they feel for one another exceeds all reason, and it is what keeps Cleopatra and Antony continually making poor decisions on behalf of their respective countries.
Passion, throughout the play, wins out against reason time and time again. Whenever Antony is on the brink of leaving Egypt once and for all, he is once again called back by his passion for Cleopatra. Likewise, at the end, after Antony has died, Cleopatra determines that she would rather die than live under Caesar. She chooses death over life because of her passionate love of Antony.
The Political Ramifications of Love
From the start, characters gossip about the political implications that Antony and Cleopatra's affair have had on the world. In this we see that their personal affairs are inextricable from the political realms in which they rule. Antony's love for Cleopatra has led him to abandon not only his family, but his country, and has wreaked havoc on his political reputation.
Later in the play, Antony suggests that any success he has had is due to his love for Cleopatra. When he believes that Cleopatra is dead, he tells Ventidius, "I was but great for her; my power, my empire,/Were but my merchandise to buy her love;/And conquered kings, my factors." This suggests that any political success Antony had was due to his desire for Cleopatra, further conflating the personal with the political.
Manipulation and Persuasion
Many of the characters seek to manipulate or persuade one another in different ways. Ventidius tries to persuade Antony to leave Egypt several times in the play. Dolabella and Octavia also undertake to convince him to leave Cleopatra behind. Meanwhile, Cleopatra and her attendants, particularly Alexas, seek to strategize about how to keep Antony there. Time and time again, Alexas comes up with plots to keep Cleopatra and Antony together, manipulating information in order to ensure the union. Indeed, Ventidius does this also, persuading Antony that Dolabella and Cleopatra are having an affair when they are not.
Power
The play concerns two influential leaders, Antony, a Roman leader, and Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. Both of these rulers wield a tremendous amount of power, but when the play opens, their power is faltering as a result of their affair. Cleopatra's attendants want her to continue her affair with Antony in order to sustain her power over Rome, while Antony's advisors want him to disengage from Cleopatra as he is neglecting his loyalty to the Roman republic. Thus, the force that is in direct conflict with love is power and its preservation.
Jealousy
In a last-ditch effort to win Antony back, Cleopatra takes Alexas' advice and makes an attempt to make him jealous. She judges that jealous love is not as pure as real love, but goes along with the plan to a point. Indeed, jealousy is a major currency and theme in the play, especially in terms of how it pertains to love. Antony is jealous of Cleopatra and Dolabella's connection, even though Dolabella is a trusted and beloved friend. Additionally, Octavia is jealous of the love that Antony gives so freely to Cleopatra, but refuses to give to her.
Death
By the end of the play, both Cleopatra and Antony choose death over a life apart. Antony commits suicide under the false belief that Cleopatra is dead. Then, seeing that Antony has killed himself, Cleopatra chooses to kill herself rather than face Caesar and his potential mercy. Both of the characters see a world in which the other is dead as an unlivable world, and so choose death. This is at once tragic and romantic, the ultimate sacrifice for one's beloved.
Duty
One of the main ways that Antony's advisors try to convince him to leave Egypt is by invoking the importance of duty. They often tell him that he needs to give up his individual romantic freedom in order to do what is best for Rome, but he is unable to pull himself away. Octavia, his wife, visits him and pleads with him that it is his duty to return to his family. She does not claim to be able to ignite the same passion that Cleopatra does, instead suggesting that it is her duty as a wife to remain loyal to him. Throughout the play, the Roman characters invoke the importance of duty, even when Antony is unable to access his own sense of obligation.
