Enter Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, and Iras.CLEOPATRA What shall we do, Enobarbus?ENOBARBUS Think, and die.CLEOPATRA Is Antony or we in fault for this?ENOBARBUS Antony only, that would make his will5 Lord of his reason. What though you fled From that great face of war, whose several ranges Frighted each other? Why should he follow? The itch of his affection should not then Have nicked his captainship, at such a point,10 When half to half the world opposed, he being The merèd question. ’Twas a shame no less Than was his loss, to course your flying flags And leave his navy gazing.CLEOPATRA Prithee, peace.
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Enter the Ambassador with Antony.ANTONY 15Is that his answer?AMBASSADOR Ay, my lord.ANTONY The Queen shall then have courtesy, so she Will yield us up?AMBASSADOR He says so.ANTONY 20 Let her know ’t.— To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head, And he will fill thy wishes to the brim With principalities.CLEOPATRA That head, my lord?ANTONY, ⌜to Ambassador⌝ 25 To him again. Tell him he wears the rose Of youth upon him, from which the world should note Something particular: his coin, ships, legions May be a coward’s, whose ministers would prevail30 Under the service of a child as soon As i’ th’ command of Caesar. I dare him therefore To lay his gay ⌜caparisons⌝ apart And answer me declined, sword against sword, Ourselves alone. I’ll write it. Follow me.⌜Antony and Ambassador exit.⌝ENOBARBUS, ⌜aside⌝ 35 Yes, like enough, high-battled Caesar will Unstate his happiness and be staged to th’ show Against a sworder! I see men’s judgments are A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward Do draw the inward quality after them40 To suffer all alike. That he should dream, Knowing all measures, the full Caesar will Answer his emptiness! Caesar, thou hast subdued His judgment too.
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Enter a Servant.SERVANT A messenger from Caesar.CLEOPATRA 45 What, no more ceremony? See, my women, Against the blown rose may they stop their nose That kneeled unto the buds.—Admit him, sir.⌜Servant exits.⌝ENOBARBUS, ⌜aside⌝ Mine honesty and I begin to square. The loyalty well held to fools does make50 Our faith mere folly. Yet he that can endure To follow with allegiance a fall’n lord Does conquer him that did his master conquer, And earns a place i’ th’ story.Enter Thidias.CLEOPATRA Caesar’s will?THIDIAS 55 Hear it apart.CLEOPATRA None but friends. Say boldly.THIDIAS So haply are they friends to Antony.ENOBARBUS He needs as many, sir, as Caesar has, Or needs not us. If Caesar please, our master60 Will leap to be his friend. For us, you know Whose he is we are, and that is Caesar’s.THIDIAS So.— Thus then, thou most renowned: Caesar entreats Not to consider in what case thou stand’st65 Further than he is ⌜Caesar.⌝CLEOPATRA Go on; right royal.THIDIAS He knows that you embrace not Antony As you did love, but as you feared him.
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CLEOPATRA O!THIDIAS 70 The scars upon your honor therefore he Does pity as constrainèd blemishes, Not as deserved.CLEOPATRA He is a god and knows What is most right. Mine honor was not yielded,75 But conquered merely.ENOBARBUS, ⌜aside⌝ To be sure of that, I will ask Antony. Sir, sir, thou art so leaky That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for Thy dearest quit thee.Enobarbus exits.THIDIAS 80 Shall I say to Caesar What you require of him? For he partly begs To be desired to give. It much would please him That of his fortunes you should make a staff To lean upon. But it would warm his spirits85 To hear from me you had left Antony And put yourself under his shroud, The universal landlord.CLEOPATRA What’s your name?THIDIAS My name is Thidias.CLEOPATRA 90 Most kind messenger, Say to great Caesar this in ⌜deputation:⌝ I kiss his conqu’ring hand. Tell him I am prompt To lay my crown at ’s feet, and there to kneel. Tell him, from his all-obeying breath I hear95 The doom of Egypt.THIDIAS ’Tis your noblest course. Wisdom and fortune combating together, If that the former dare but what it can, No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay100 My duty on your hand.⌜She gives him her hand to kiss.⌝
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CLEOPATRA Your Caesar’s father oft, When he hath mused of taking kingdoms in, Bestowed his lips on that unworthy place As it rained kisses.Enter Antony and Enobarbus.ANTONY 105 Favors? By Jove that thunders! What art thou, fellow?THIDIAS One that but performs The bidding of the fullest man and worthiest To have command obeyed.ENOBARBUS 110 You will be whipped.ANTONY, ⌜calling for Servants⌝ Approach there!—Ah, you kite!—Now, gods and devils, Authority melts from me. Of late when I cried “Ho!” Like boys unto a muss kings would start forth115 And cry “Your will?” Have you no ears? I am Antony yet.Enter ⌜Servants.⌝ Take hence this jack and whip him.ENOBARBUS, ⌜aside⌝ ’Tis better playing with a lion’s whelp Than with an old one dying.ANTONY 120 Moon and stars! Whip him! Were ’t twenty of the greatest tributaries That do acknowledge Caesar, should I find them So saucy with the hand of she here—what’s her name125 Since she was Cleopatra? Whip him, fellows, Till like a boy you see him cringe his face And whine aloud for mercy. Take him hence.THIDIAS Mark Antony—
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ANTONY Tug him away. Being whipped,130 Bring him again. ⌜This⌝ jack of Caesar’s shall Bear us an errand to him.⌜Servants⌝ exit with Thidias. ⌜To Cleopatra.⌝ You were half blasted ere I knew you. Ha! Have I my pillow left unpressed in Rome,135 Forborne the getting of a lawful race, And by a gem of women, to be abused By one that looks on feeders?CLEOPATRA Good my lord—ANTONY You have been a boggler ever.140 But when we in our viciousness grow hard— O, misery on ’t!—the wise gods seel our eyes, In our own filth drop our clear judgments, make us Adore our errors, laugh at ’s while we strut To our confusion.CLEOPATRA 145 O, is ’t come to this?ANTONY I found you as a morsel cold upon Dead Caesar’s trencher; nay, you were a fragment Of Gneius Pompey’s, besides what hotter hours, Unregistered in vulgar fame, you have150 Luxuriously picked out. For I am sure, Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is.CLEOPATRA Wherefore is this?ANTONY To let a fellow that will take rewards155 And say “God quit you!” be familiar with My playfellow, your hand, this kingly seal And plighter of high hearts! O, that I were Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar The hornèd herd! For I have savage cause,160 And to proclaim it civilly were like
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A haltered neck which does the hangman thank For being yare about him.Enter a Servant with Thidias. Is he whipped?SERVANT Soundly, my lord.ANTONY 165Cried he? And begged he pardon?SERVANT He did ask favor.ANTONY, ⌜to Thidias⌝ If that thy father live, let him repent Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry To follow Caesar in his triumph, since170 Thou hast been whipped for following him. Henceforth The white hand of a lady fever thee; Shake thou to look on ’t. Get thee back to Caesar. Tell him thy entertainment. Look thou say175 He makes me angry with him; for he seems Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am, Not what he knew I was. He makes me angry, And at this time most easy ’tis to do ’t, When my good stars that were my former guides180 Have empty left their orbs and shot their fires Into th’ abysm of hell. If he mislike My speech and what is done, tell him he has Hipparchus, my enfranchèd bondman, whom He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,185 As he shall like to quit me. Urge it thou. Hence with thy stripes, begone!Thidias exits.CLEOPATRA Have you done yet?ANTONY Alack, our terrene moon is now eclipsed, And it portends alone the fall of Antony.CLEOPATRA 190I must stay his time.
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ANTONY To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes With one that ties his points?CLEOPATRA Not know me yet?ANTONY Coldhearted toward me?CLEOPATRA 195 Ah, dear, if I be so, From my cold heart let heaven engender hail And poison it in the source, and the first stone Drop in my neck; as it determines, so Dissolve my life! The next Caesarion ⌜smite,⌝200 Till by degrees the memory of my womb, Together with my brave Egyptians all, By the discandying of this pelleted storm Lie graveless till the flies and gnats of Nile Have buried them for prey!ANTONY 205 I am satisfied. Caesar ⌜sits⌝ down in Alexandria, where I will oppose his fate. Our force by land Hath nobly held; our severed navy too Have knit again, and fleet, threatening most sealike.210 Where hast thou been, my heart? Dost thou hear, lady? If from the field I shall return once more To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood. I and my sword will earn our chronicle.215 There’s hope in ’t yet.CLEOPATRA That’s my brave lord!ANTONY I will be treble-sinewed, -hearted, -breathed, And fight maliciously; for when mine hours Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives220 Of me for jests. But now I’ll set my teeth And send to darkness all that stop me. Come, Let’s have one other gaudy night. Call to me
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All my sad captains. Fill our bowls once more. Let’s mock the midnight bell.CLEOPATRA 225 It is my birthday. I had thought t’ have held it poor. But since my lord Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.ANTONY We will yet do well.CLEOPATRA Call all his noble captains to my lord.ANTONY 230 Do so; we’ll speak to them, and tonight I’ll force The wine peep through their scars.—Come on, my queen, There’s sap in ’t yet. The next time I do fight I’ll make Death love me, for I will contend235 Even with his pestilent scythe.⌜All but Enobarbus⌝ exit.ENOBARBUS Now he’ll outstare the lightning. To be furious Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still A diminution in our captain’s brain240 Restores his heart. When valor preys ⌜on⌝ reason, It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek Some way to leave him.⌜He⌝ exits.
Antony and Cleopatra
