Read Antony and Cleopatra Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
Antony and Cleopatra (16 page)
Enter a Servant with Thidias
SERVANT
Soundly, my lord.
ANTONY
Cried he? And
begged a
159
pardon?
SERVANT
He did ask favour.
ANTONY
If that thy father live, let him repent
To Thidias
Thou wast not made his daughter, and be thou sorry
To
follow Caesar in his triumph
163
, since
Thou hast been whipped for following him. Henceforth
The white
hand of a lady
165
fever thee
,
Shake thou to look on’t. Get thee back to Caesar:
Tell him
thy entertainment
167
:
look
thou say
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 guides
Have empty left their
orbs
173
and shot their fires
Into
th’abysm
174
of hell. If he mislike
My speech and what is done, tell him he has
Hipparchus, my
enfranchèd bondman
176
, whom
He may at pleasure whip or hang or torture,
As he shall like to
quit
178
me. Urge it thou.
Hence with thy stripes! Be gone!
Exit Thidias
[
with Servant
]
CLEOPATRA
Have you done yet?
ANTONY
Alack, our
terrene moon
181
is now eclipsed
And it
portends alone
182
the fall of Antony.
CLEOPATRA
I must
stay his time
183
.
ANTONY
To flatter Caesar would you
mingle eyes
184
With one that
ties his points
185
?
CLEOPATRA
Not know me yet?
ANTONY
Cold-hearted toward me?
CLEOPATRA
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
191
: as it
determines
, so
Dissolve my life! The next
Caesarion
192
smite,
Till by degrees the memory of my womb,
Together with my brave Egyptians all,
By the
discandying
195
of this
pelleted
storm
Lie graveless, till the flies and gnats of Nile
Have
buried them for prey
197
!
ANTONY
I am satisfied.
Caesar
sets down
199
in Alexandria, where
I will
oppose his fate
200
. Our force by land
Hath nobly held, our severed navy too
Have knit again, and
fleet
202
, threat’ning most
sea-like
.
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
205
:
I and my sword will earn our
chronicle
206
:
There’s hope in’t yet.
CLEOPATRA
That’s my brave lord!
ANTONY
I will be
treble-sinewed, hearted, breathed
209
,
And fight
maliciously
210
. For when mine hours
Were
nice
211
and lucky,
men did ransom lives
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
214
night: call to me
All my
sad
215
captains: fill our bowls once more:
Let’s
mock the midnight bell
216
.
CLEOPATRA
It is my birthday:
I had thought t’have
held it poor
218
, 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
To Charmian and Iras
lord!
ANTONY
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
224
. The next time I do fight
I’ll make death love me, for I will
contend
Even with his pestilent scythe
225
.
Exeunt
[
all but Enobarbus
]
ENOBARBUS
Now he’ll
outstare
227
the lightning. To be
furious
Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood
The dove will peck the
estridge
229
; and I see still,
A diminution in our captain’s brain
Restores his
heart
231
. When valour preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him.
Exit
running scene 19
Location: Caesar’s camp outside Alexandria
Enter Caesar, Agrippa and Maecenas with his Army, Caesar reading a letter
CAESAR
He calls me boy, and chides
as
1
he had power
To beat me out of Egypt. My messenger
He hath whipped with rods, dares me to personal combat,
Caesar to Antony. Let the old
ruffian
4
know
I have many other ways to die: meantime
Laugh at his challenge.
MAECENAS
Caesar must think,
When one so great begins to rage, he’s hunted
Even to falling. Give him no
breath
9
, but now
Make boot
10
of his
distraction
: never anger
Made good guard for itself.
CAESAR
Let our
best heads
12
Know that tomorrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight. Within our
files
14
there are,
Of those that served Mark Antony
but late
15
,
Enough to
fetch him in
16
. See it done,
And feast the army. We have
store
17
to do’t
And they have earned the
waste
18
. Poor Antony!
Exeunt
running scene 20
Location: Alexandria
Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, Alexas with others
ANTONY
He will not fight with me,
Domitius
1
?
ENOBARBUS
No.
ANTONY
Why should he not?
ENOBARBUS
He thinks, being twenty times
of better fortune
4
,
He is twenty men to one.
ANTONY
Tomorrow, soldier,
By sea and land I’ll fight:
or
7
I will live,
Or
bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again
8
.
Woo’t
9
thou fight well?
ENOBARBUS
I’ll strike, and cry
‘Take all.’
10
ANTONY
Well said. Come on.
Call forth my household servants, let’s tonight
Enter three or four Servitors
Be bounteous at our meal.—Give me thy hand:
Thou hast been rightly
honest
14
.—So hast thou.—
Thou, and thou, and thou: you have served me well,
And kings have been your
fellows
16
.
CLEOPATRA
What means this?
Aside to Enobarbus
ENOBARBUS
’Tis one of those odd
tricks
18
which
Aside to Cleopatra
sorrow shoots
Out of the mind.
ANTONY
And thou art honest too:
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you
clapped up
22
together in
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
ALL
The gods forbid!
ANTONY
Well, my good fellows, wait on me tonight:
Scant not my cups
27
, and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too
And
suffered
29
my command.
CLEOPATRA
What does he mean?
Aside to Enobarbus
ENOBARBUS
To make his followers weep.
Aside to Cleopatra
ANTONY
Tend me tonight:
Maybe it is the
period
33
of your duty.
Haply
34
you shall not see me more, or
if,
A mangled shadow
.
Perchance
35
tomorrow
You’ll serve another master. I look on you
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away, but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death.
Tend me tonight two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods
yield
41
you for’t.
ENOBARBUS
What mean you, sir,
To give them this
discomfort
43
? Look, they weep,
And I, an ass, am
onion-eyed
44
. For shame,
Transform us not to women.
ANTONY
Ho, ho, ho!
Now
the witch take me
47
if I meant it thus!
Grace
48
grow where those drops fall! My
hearty
friends,
You take me in too
dolorous
49
a sense,
For I spake to you
for your comfort
50
, did desire you
To
burn this night with torches
51
: know, my hearts,
I hope well of tomorrow, and will lead you
Where rather I’ll expect victorious life
Than death and honour. Let’s to supper, come,
And drown
consideration
55
.
Exeunt
running scene 21
Enter a Company of Soldiers
FIRST SOLDIER
Brother, goodnight: tomorrow is the
day
1
.
SECOND SOLDIER
It will
determine one way
2
. Fare you well.
Heard you of nothing strange about the streets?
FIRST SOLDIER
Nothing. What news?
SECOND SOLDIER
Belike
5
’tis but a rumour. Goodnight to you.
FIRST SOLDIER
Well, sir, goodnight.
They meet other Soldiers
SECOND SOLDIER
Soldiers, have
careful
7
watch.
THIRD SOLDIER
And you. Goodnight, goodnight.
They place themselves in every corner of the stage
SECOND SOLDIER
Here we: and if tomorrow
Our navy thrive, I have an
absolute
10
hope
Our landmen will stand up.
FIRST SOLDIER
’Tis a
brave
12
army, and full of
purpose
.
Music of the
hautboys
is under the stage
SECOND SOLDIER
Peace! What noise?
FIRST SOLDIER
List
14
, list!
SECOND SOLDIER
Hark!
FIRST SOLDIER
Music i’th’air.
THIRD SOLDIER
Under the earth.
FOURTH SOLDIER
It
signs well
18
, does it not?
THIRD SOLDIER
No.
FIRST SOLDIER
Peace, I say! What should this mean?
SECOND SOLDIER
’Tis the god
Hercules
21
, whom Antony loved,
Now leaves him.
FIRST SOLDIER
Walk. Let’s see if other watchmen
Do hear what we do.
SECOND SOLDIER
How now, masters?
ALL
How now? How now? Do you hear this?
Speak together
FIRST SOLDIER
Ay. Is’t not strange?
THIRD SOLDIER
Do you hear,
masters
28
? Do you hear?
FIRST SOLDIER
Follow the noise so far as
we have quarter
29
.
Let’s see how it will
give off
30
.
ALL
Content. ’Tis strange.
Exeunt