Antony and Cleopatra (13 page)
Read Antony and Cleopatra Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
ENOBARBUS
Then, world, thou hast a pair of
chaps
12
,
no more
,
And
throw between them all the food thou hast,
They’ll grind the one the other
13
. Where’s Antony?
EROS
He’s walking in the garden, thus, and
spurns
15
lmitates
The
rush
16
that lies before him, cries, ‘Fool Lepidus!’
And
threats
17
the throat of
that his officer
That murdered Pompey.
Antony’s angry walk
ENOBARBUS
Our great navy’s
rigged
19
.
EROS
For Italy and Caesar.
More
20
,
Domitius
:
My lord desires you
presently
21
. My news
I might have told hereafter.
ENOBARBUS
’Twill be
naught
23
,
But let it be. Bring me to Antony.
EROS
Come, sir.
Exeunt
running scene 13
Location: Rome
Enter Agrippa, Maecenas and Caesar
CAESAR
Contemning
1
Rome, he has done all this, and more
In Alexandria. Here’s the manner of’t:
I’th’market-place, on a
tribunal
3
silvered,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthroned: at the feet sat
Caesarion
6
, whom they call
my father’s
son,
And all the
unlawful issue
7
that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the
stablishment
9
of Egypt, made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,
Absolute queen.
MAECENAS
This in the public eye?
CAESAR
I’th’
common show-place
13
where they
exercise
.
His sons he there proclaimed the kings of kings:
Great Media, Parthia and Armenia
He gave to Alexander: to Ptolemy he assigned
Syria,
Cilicia
17
and
Phoenicia
. She
In
th’habiliments
18
of the goddess Isis
That day appeared, and oft before gave audience,
As ’tis reported, so.
MAECENAS
Let Rome be thus informed.
AGRIPPA
Who
22
,
queasy
with his insolence
Already, will
their good thoughts call from him
23
.
CAESAR
The people knows it, and have now received
His accusations.
AGRIPPA
Who does he accuse?
CAESAR
Caesar: and that having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius
spoiled
28
, we had not
rated
him
His part o’th’isle. Then does he say he lent me
Some shipping
unrestored
30
. Lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be deposed and,
being
32
, that we detain
All his revenue.
AGRIPPA
Sir, this should be answered.
CAESAR
’Tis done already, and the messenger gone.
I have told him Lepidus was grown too cruel,
That he his high authority abused,
And did deserve his change.
For
38
what I have conquered,
I grant him part, but then in his Armenia
And other of his conquered kingdoms, I
Demand the like.
MAECENAS
He’ll never yield to that.
CAESAR
Nor must not then be yielded to in this.
Enter Octavia with her Train
OCTAVIA
Hail, Caesar, and my lord! Hail, most dear Caesar!
CAESAR
That ever I should call thee
castaway
45
!
OCTAVIA
You have not called me so, nor have you cause.
CAESAR
Why have you
stol’n
47
upon us thus? You come not
Like
48
Caesar’s sister: the wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and
The neighs of
horse
50
to tell of her approach
Long ere she did appear: the trees by
th’way
51
Should have borne men, and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Raised by your
populous troops
55
. But you are come
A market-maid to Rome, and have
prevented
56
The
ostentation
57
of our love, which,
left unshown,
Is often left unloved
. We should have met you
By sea and land,
supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting
59
.
OCTAVIA
Good my lord,
To come thus was I not constrained, but did it
On my free will. My lord Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My grievèd ear
withal
65
, whereon, I begged
His
pardon for
66
return.
CAESAR
Which soon he granted,
Being
an abstract
68
’tween his lust and him.
OCTAVIA
Do not say so, my lord.
CAESAR
I have
eyes
70
upon him,
And his affairs come to me on the wind.
Where is he now?
OCTAVIA
My lord, in Athens.
CAESAR
No, my most wrongèd sister. Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire
Up to a
who
76
re, who now are levying
The kings o’th’earth for war. He hath assembled
Bocchus, the King of Libya, Archelaus,
Of
Cappadocia
79
, Philadelphos, King
Of
Paphlagonia
80
, the
Thracian
king, Adallas,
King Malchus of Arabia, King of
Pont
81
,
Herod of
Jewry
82
, Mithridates, King
Of
Comagene
83
, Polemon and Amyntas,
The Kings of
Mede and Lycaonia
84
,
With a more larger list of
sceptres
85
.
OCTAVIA
Ay me, most wretched,
That have my heart parted betwixt two friends
That does
afflict
88
each other!
CAESAR
Welcome hither:
Your letters did withhold our
breaking forth
90
Till we perceived both how you were
wrong led
91
And we in
negligent danger
92
. Cheer your heart,
Be you not troubled with the
time
93
which drives
O’er your content these strong necessities,
But let
determined things to destiny
Hold unbewailed their way
95
. Welcome to Rome,
Nothing more dear to me
97
. You are abused
Beyond the
mark
98
of thought, and the high gods,
To do you justice, makes
his ministers
Of us
99
and those that love you. Best of comfort,
And ever welcome to us.
AGRIPPA
Welcome, lady.
MAECENAS
Welcome, dear madam.
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you.
Only th’adulterous Antony, most
large
105
In his
abominations
106
,
turns you off
And gives his
potent regiment
107
to a
trull
That
noises it
108
against us.
OCTAVIA
Is it so, sir?
CAESAR
Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you
Be ever known to patience
111
, my dear’st sister!
Exeunt
running scene 14
Location: Actium, on the north coast of Greece
Enter Cleopatra and Enobarbus
CLEOPATRA
I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
ENOBARBUS
But why, why, why?
CLEOPATRA
Thou hast
forspoke
3
my being in these wars,
And say’st it is not fit.
ENOBARBUS
Well, is it, is it?
CLEOPATRA
If not denounced against us
6
, why should not we
Be there in person?
Aside
ENOBARBUS
Well, I could reply:
If we should
serve
9
with
horse and mares together
,
The
horse were merely lost
10
. The mares would
bear
A soldier and his horse
.
CLEOPATRA
What is’t you say?
ENOBARBUS
Your presence needs must
puzzle
13
Antony,
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from’s time
What should not then be spared. He is already
Traduced
16
for levity, and ’tis said in Rome
That Photinus an eunuch and your maids
Manage this war.
CLEOPATRA
Sink Rome
19
, and their tongues rot
That speak against us! A
charge
20
we bear i’th’war,
And as the
president
21
of my kingdom will
Appear there
for
22
a man. Speak not against it,
I will not stay behind.
Enter Antony and Canidius
ENOBARBUS
Nay, I have done.
Here comes the emperor.
ANTONY
Is it not strange, Canidius,
That from
Tarentum and Brundusium
27
He could so quickly
cut
28
the
Ionian Sea
And
take in
29
Toryne
?—You have heard on’t, sweet?
CLEOPATRA
Celerity
30
is never more admired
Than by the negligent.
ANTONY
A good rebuke,
Which might have well
becomed
33
the best of men,
To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we
Will fight with him by sea.
CLEOPATRA
By sea, what else?
CANIDIUS
Why will my lord do so?
ANTONY
For that he dares us to’t.
ENOBARBUS
So hath my lord dared him to single fight.
CANIDIUS
Ay, and to wage this battle at
Pharsalia
40
,
Where Caesar fought with Pompey. But these offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off,
And so should you.
ENOBARBUS
Your ships are not well manned,
Your mariners are
muleteers
45
, reapers, people
Ingrossed
46
by
swift impress
. In Caesar’s fleet
Are those that often have gainst Pompey fought.
Their ships are
yare
48
, yours heavy: no disgrace
Shall
fall
49
you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepared for land.
ANTONY
By sea, by sea.
ENOBARBUS
Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The
absolute
53
soldiership you have by land,
Distract
54
your army, which doth most consist
Of war-marked
footmen
55
, leave
unexecuted
Your own renownèd knowledge, quite forgo
The way which promises
assurance
57
, and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard
From firm security.
ANTONY
I’ll fight at sea.
CLEOPATRA
I have sixty sails, Caesar none better.
ANTONY
Our
overplus
62
of shipping will we burn,
And with the rest full-manned, from
th’head
63
of Actium
Beat th’approaching Caesar. But if we fail,
We then can do’t at land.—
Enter a Messenger
Thy business?
MESSENGER
The news is true, my lord: he is
descried
66
.
Caesar has taken Toryne.
ANTONY
Can he be there in person? ’Tis
impossible
68
Strange that his
power
69
should be. Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land
And our twelve thousand horse. We’ll to our ship:
Away, my
Thetis
72
!—
