The Barge
In Act 2, Enobarbus describes Cleopatra sailing down the Nile. The description is lifted almost verbatim from Shakespeare's source material, Plutarch's Lives, and with good reason: even in the original text, the description of Cleopatra is rife with poetic language and vivid imagery. Enobarbus describes how the barge was like a golden throne burning on the water, how the deck itself was gold, and the sails purple with the scent of perfume on them. Enobarbus's description stimulates nearly all the senses, underscoring the notion that encountering Cleopatra for the first time is a surreal experience.
Cross-Dressing
Cleopatra tells her chamber-women a story about how once, when Antony was sleeping, she dressed up in his military garb and paraded around the room like a general. The imagery here is significant because it is also symbolic: Cleopatra donning the arms of Antony, a renowned general and one-third of the Roman Triumvirate, suggests that she is more powerful, masterful, and manipulative than many would presume.
Overflowing
There are many descriptions of Cleopatra throughout the play, and she is usually described in terms of excess, overflow, decadence, and lushness. Cleopatra is associated with all things natural and bountiful, framing her as a symbol of fertility and strength. By contrast, Rome is often associated with austerity, order, and mechanical structure – embodied first and foremost by the military – and Cleopatra is thus seen as a threat to this structure by many Roman generals.
Cleopatra's Death
Like other moments of imagery associated with Cleopatra, her death is dramatic and theatrical. She asks her chamber-women to bring her her robe and her crown so that she may die a queen still. She also provides the audience with the maternal image of a breastfeeding mother as she brings the poisonous snake to her chest to bite her. This over-the-top performance emphasizes Cleopatra's unrivaled nature as a queen, historical figure, and Shakespearean character; ironically, through the drama of her suicide, she manages to secure her immortality.
