This illustrated talk will present evidence for Shakespeare’s knowledge of the twelve stages of the Magnum Opus, and his subtle deployment of its numerology and symbolism. It will have a particular focus on his drama of Antony and Cleopatra. No other Shakespeare play has so divided opinion as to its genre, ethos, structure, the natures of its twin protagonists and their fate. Is this a triumph or a tragedy? Failure to recognise the shaping role played by the Opus in its conception has led to frequent misreadings, while the finest critics have intuitively divined its presence. Spiritual alchemy’s declared project of human ennoblement, of making ‘defect perfection’, directs us towards Shakespeare’s deepest concerns with wholeness and fulfilment of being, and the maturing powers of ‘pure love’.
An Alchemical Reading of Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra
About this event
Speaker
Speaker
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Julia Cleave
Organiser
