Which Shakespeare tragedy has Cleopatra and Mark Antony as title characters?

The Shakespeare tragedy with Cleopatra and Mark Antony as its title characters is Antony and Cleopatra. William Shakespeare’s play dramatizes their political alliance, love affair, and defeat by Octavian.

Probably written around 1606–1607, the tragedy draws heavily on Plutarch’s biographies of Antony and Julius Caesar, especially the English translation by Sir Thomas North. Shakespeare contrasts Antony’s position in Rome with Cleopatra’s court in Alexandria, presenting a conflict between Roman political duty and the lovers’ attachment.

The historical climax is the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, where Octavian’s forces defeated the fleet commanded by Antony and Cleopatra. After Octavian invaded Egypt, Antony and Cleopatra died by suicide in 30 BC. Shakespeare turns those events into a tragedy of political collapse, personal loyalty, and competing ideas of honor.

The title can be confused with Julius Caesar, another Shakespeare play featuring Antony. Julius Caesar ends before Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra becomes the central story; Antony and Cleopatra follows the later conflict in detail.