What was Big Willy Shakes going for?
So what's the deal? Is Cleopatra ordering lunch, or has she lost it? We think the word salad throws people off, so let's look at what it might mean here:
- The bright, fresh, and luscious lettuce is a stand in for adventures and excitement of youth.
- The dieting meal option that symbolizes what you had to eat when younger but now you can indulge in real yummy food.
- If you eat a green (youthful) meal like salad, it's really the same as having a passionless affair (a.k.a. her dalliance with Caesar).
Hmm… so salad ties in with the word green in the next line (My salad days,/ When I was green in judgment), which means youthful. No matter how you slice it, this quote is getting at the idea that different stuff happens in your youth than in later on in life. Whether she's talking about her affair with Caesar, her obligations, or her adventures, it's clear Cleopatra is distinguishing between the then and the now.
Let's face it. Things are different when you're younger, and Cleopatra is just being upfront about that. As always with Cleopatra, her comment is tied to sex in her affair with Caesar. Sex and passion are central to Antony and Cleopatra because the pair put their passion for one another over their individual political lives.
Essential questions are raised about whether passion is a debilitating or empowering force in love and politics. Perhaps Cleopatra is just lamenting the fact that you can be passionate and reckless when you're young, but not when you're older and more sensible.
Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's few female characters for whom sex is not a submission, but a testament to her own glory. As such, Cleopatra is symbolic of her country. As an earthy and sensual woman, Cleopatra represents the earthy and sensual Egyptian culture (that's at least how Shakespeare saw Egypt).
Here, her "salad days" is talking about how much she's changed since her youth in terms of her affection and passion. Sure, she's fickle with her emotions, but she's also fiercely passionate when it comes to Antony, and she doesn't regret it for a second. Take that, Caesar.