JAMB - Literature In English (2025 - No. 84)
Cleopatra (to her attendants):
Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Immortal longings in me: now no more
The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip...
Which thematic concern is most evident in this speech?
Death as transcendence
Political ambition
Female solidarity
Rebellion
Explanation
Cleopatra speaks with grandeur as she prepares for suicide. "Immortal longings" suggests that death will elevate her beyond human suffering, aligning her with gods. Her dramatic staging of death underlines the theme of death as transcendence and self-assertion.
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