Discuss the way Shakespeare explores the connection of love and politics in 'Antony and Cleopatra'.

In 'Antony and Cleopatra', Shakespeare portrays the connection between love and politics as dangerous, particularly through the character of Mark Antony. It is obvious from the beginning of the play that Mark Antony is a revered war hero, but his bold statement 'let Rome in Tiber melt' suggests that he has abandoned his previous military image in the pursuit of love instead. The imagery of an entire city melting into it's own river is not only reflective of the explosive nature of Roman politics, but also suggests that Shakespeare considers love to be the downfall of politics, as Mark Antony says this as an expression of his love for Cleopatra. Here, Shakespeare suggests that love and politics cannot co-exist peacefully - instead, one must always be the downfall of the other. Some may argue that Shakespeare is not only pointing out the threat that love poses to political power, but also the fact that strong women themselves were viewed as threats to men in arranging political alliances during the Roman era. Although Shakespeare portrays Cleopatra as a woman who is determined to maintain a healthy relationship between love and politics, his original prophecy of love and politics being the downfall of one another is realised in the eventual demise of Antony and Cleopatra at the end of the play.