This paper explores a fantasy expressed in the imagery and action of Shakespeare's play, Antony and Cleopatra ; i.e. that Antony's impassioned attachment to Cleopatra leads him continually to feel emasculated, forcing him repeatedly away from Cleopatra's sphere in order to replenish his sense of manhood in the company of other men. The paper views the impact of this unconscious fantasy as more potent in destroying the couple than the impact of external obstacles inherent in their historical predicament.