The importance of wealth in Antony and Cleopatra and The TempestWealth and its relationship to poverty figure heavily in two of the plays we have read so far in class. In both Antony and Cleopatra and the Tempest we are presented with characters and situations that have to do with wealth and poverty. Specifically, however, both works have visions of an abundance of wealth that at times seems both corruptible and foolish. In Antony and Cleopatra we have their excessive and ostentatious behavior, which turns out to be a vice that grips them too tightly. In The Tempest, characters stranded on a desert island have their own unique versions of how to achieve that aforementioned abundance. Shakespeare treats the topic similarly in both plays and uses it to expose the very nature of abundance. For example, in Antony and Cleopatra we are treated to many scenes that depict the level of excess that the title characters are involved in. In Act 3, scene 6 Shakespeare writes: Here is the way: in the market-place, on a silver court, Cleopatra and himself in golden chairs were publicly enthroned. At their feet sat Caesar, whom they call my father's son, and all the illicit offspring which their lust has since created among them. He gave her the foundation of Egypt, he made it of Lower Syria, of Cyprus, of Lydia, of the Absolute Queen (2-10). With this passage, Shakespeare (through Caesar) criticizes the lavishness and public performances of both Antony and Cleopatra. It seems grotesque to make them sit on “golden chairs” in front of everyone. Even before that, Antonio's abundant behavior is evident. Shakespeare writes: “fishes, drinks and wastes/The lamps of the night in… middle of paper… riches? His lack of this abundance is like the others, compounded by the fact that he had no idea what it was to begin with. He had something better (though some would have seen him as poor), and now a glimpse of wealth has changed him. Ultimately, by looking at these two plays, we can see that wealth can indeed be a corrupting force in Shakespeare's world. Although wealth may not necessarily just be money. It can come in many forms; power, idleness, etc. And in today's world, where game shows are what passes for culture and entertainment, it seems even more relevant. Works Cited: The Riverside Shakespeare: Second Edition Houghton Mifflin Company Boston/New York G. Blakemore Evans and JJM Tobin eds. Shakespeare's The Tempest: Classics of the World The Oxford Shakespeare. Oxford University Press New York/London. Ed. Stanley Wells