Antony and Cleopatra (36 page)

³⁰
cloyless
never-cloying, which will not satiate   

³¹
That
so that   

prorogue
delay, postpone   

³²
Lethe’d
oblivious (Lethe was a river in Hades, the Greek underworld; drinking from it caused complete forgetfulness)   

³³
This … deliver
what I am about to report is most certain   

³⁵
’tis … for
there’s been time for   

³⁷
less matter
less serious news   

³⁸
ear
hearing   

³⁹
donned his helm
put on his helmet   

⁴⁰
his … twain
he’s twice as good a soldier as the other two (Octavius Caesar and Lepidus)   

⁴¹
rear … opinion
elevate our opinion of ourselves   

⁴³
lap
vagina   

Egypt’s widow
Cleopatra was the widow of Ptolemy XIV   

⁴⁵
hope
suppose   

⁴⁶
well greet together
meet on friendly terms   

⁴⁷
wife that’s dead
i.e. Fulvia   

trespasses
wrongs, injuries   

⁴⁸
brother
i.e. Lucius   

⁴⁹
moved
incited   

⁵³
pregnant
obvious   

square
quarrel   

⁵⁴
entertainèd
received   

⁵⁷
yet not
do not yet   

⁵⁸
It … hands
our lives depend upon our using our greatest strength   

⁵
like himself
i.e. in a manner appropriate to his position/according to his natural disposition   

move
angers, provokes   

⁶
look … head
treat him as small and insignificant   

⁷
loud as Mars
loudly and aggressively like the god of war   

Jupiter
another name for Jove, supreme Roman god   

⁹
I … today
i.e. in order to dare Caesar to pluck it insultingly   

¹⁰
stomaching
resentments, being offended or the provocation of such feelings   

¹⁹
compose
settle our differences   

to Parthia
we should make for Parthia (the Middle Eastern empire that was a rival to Rome)   

²⁰
Hark … Agrippa
Antony and Caesar both continue their private discussions until Lepidus’ intervention   

²³
That which combined
the cause that united   

²⁴
leaner … us
lesser enterprise (or “military campaign”) divide us   

What’s
whatever is   

²⁵
gently
mildly, without anger/honorably   

²⁶
commit … wounds
destroy attempts at healing and reconciliation   

²⁸
The rather for
all the more because   

²⁹
Touch
refer to, deal with   

³⁰
Nor … th’matter
don’t allow bad temper to aggravate the situation   

³²
to
preparing to   

³⁸
Nay then
well since you insist   

⁴⁰
being
even if they were   

⁴²
or … or
either … or   

⁴⁴
Chiefly i’th’world
of all people/more than anyone else   

⁴⁵
derogately
disparagingly   

⁴⁶
not concerned me
was none of my business   

⁵¹
practise … state
plot against my position   

⁵²
question
business   

⁵³
How intend you
what do you mean by   

⁵⁴
catch at
grasp   

⁵⁶
contestation
conflict   

⁵⁷
theme for you
about a subject that concerned you/about you/on your behalf   

you were … war
the war was in your name/your name was their war-cry   

⁵⁹
urge me
cite me as his motive   

inquire
make inquiries into   

⁶⁰
learning
information   

reports
informants   

⁶¹
drew … you
fought on your side   

⁶²
with
along with   

⁶³
stomach
inclination   

⁶⁴
Having … cause
I having the same reason as you to oppose his actions   

⁶⁵
patch
put together, contrive   

⁶⁶
As matter whole
though you have sufficient material   

⁷²
I … thought
I’m sure you must have known   

⁷⁴
he
i.e. Lucius   

⁷⁵
graceful
friendly, favorable   

⁷⁶
fronted
confronted, opposed   

⁷⁷
I … another
I wish you had a wife like her   

⁷⁸
snaffle
bridle bit, giving gentle control of a horse   

⁷⁹
pace
put through its paces, manage   

⁸²
uncurbable
uncontrollable (maintains the horse-handling metaphor; a “curb” is part of a horse’s bit)   

garboils
disturbances, tumult   

⁸³
not wanted
did not lack   

⁸⁴
policy
planning, strategy   

grieving grant
regretfully admit   

⁸⁶
But
only   

⁸⁸
rioting
reveling   

⁹⁰
gibe … audience
jeer my messenger away, out of hearing   

⁹²
ere admitted
before he had even been announced   

⁹³
newly
very recently   

did … was
wasn’t at my best   

⁹⁵
told … myself
explained my condition   

⁹⁷
nothing
no part   

contend
quarrel   

⁹⁸
question
debate, argument   

¹⁰⁰
article
clause, terms   

¹⁰²
Soft
wait a moment/go gently   

¹⁰⁵
Supposing
implying   

¹⁰⁷
required
requested   

¹¹¹
mine own knowledge
knowing my own mind   

¹¹³
Shall … it
won’t detract from my authority, nor shall I exercise that authority without
honesty
  

¹¹⁶
ignorant motive
unwitting cause   

¹²¹
griefs
grievances   

quite
completely   

¹²³
atone
reconcile   

¹²⁶
instant
time being   

¹³¹
presence
assembly   

¹³²
Go to, then!
expression of impatient dismissal (“Very well then!”)   

You
i.e. I shall be your   

considerate
showing consideration/thoughtful, deliberate   

¹³⁵
conditions
characters, dispositions   

¹³⁷
staunch
firm   

¹⁴¹
sister … side
i.e. a half-sister; historically, however, she was Caesar’s full, younger sister   

¹⁴⁵
reproof … rashness
reprimand would be merited by your rash speech   

¹⁴⁹
amity
friendship   

¹⁵⁴
Whose … utter
i.e. no one else’s words can express the true nature and extent of her virtue/no one else’s virtues can match hers   

¹⁵⁶
jealousies
suspicions, misunderstandings   

¹⁵⁷
import
bring about/signify   

¹⁵⁸
Truths … truths
uncomfortable truths would be dismissed instead of malicious half-truths being accepted   

¹⁵⁹
both
i.e. Antony and Caesar   

¹⁶²
present
spontaneous   

¹⁶⁵
touched With
affected by   

¹⁶⁷
power
authority   

¹⁶⁸
would
were to   

¹⁷¹
unto
over   

¹⁷³
so fairly shows
seems so agreeable, looks so promising   

¹⁷⁴
impediment
obstacle; echoes the use of the term in the marriage service   

¹⁷⁵
act of grace
pleasing (or “divinely sanctioned”) action   

¹⁸¹
never … again
may our love never desert us again   

¹⁸⁵
For … me
Pompey had courteously received Antony’s mother when she fled Italy with Fulvia   

strange
extraordinary   

¹⁸⁷
remembrance
memory/reputation   

¹⁸⁸
At … him
immediately after which I must nevertheless challenge him   

¹⁹⁰
Of
by   

presently
immediately   

¹⁹³
Mount Misena
Misenum, a port in southern Italy   

¹⁹⁷
fame
rumor/report   

¹⁹⁸
Would … together!
Antony either wishes he had discussed matters with Caesar or Pompey sooner, or that he had gone to battle sooner   

¹⁹⁹
ere
before   

dispatch we
let’s speedily settle   

²⁰²
my sister’s view
see my sister   

²⁰⁶
Not
not even   

²⁰⁸
Half the heart
i.e. intimate friend   

²¹²
digested
settled   

stayed well by’t
kept at it, stuck it out well   

²¹³
day … countenance
upset day by sleeping through it   

²¹⁴
light
bright/merry/dissolute   

²¹⁶
but
only   

²¹⁷
by
to   

²¹⁸
monstrous matter
strange, exotic foods   

²²⁰
triumphant
magnificent   

square
just   

²²²
pursed
pocketed (sexual connotations; “purse” is a term for the vagina)   

²²³
river of Cydnus
now the Tarsus Cay; not in Egypt but Cilicia, a region in what is now southern Turkey   

²²⁴
reporter … her
made up a good story about her   

²²⁷
burnished
shining, as if made of metal   

²²⁸
Burned
gleamed as though it were in flames   

poop
highest deck at the stern or back of a ship   

²³³
strokes
beats of the oars/caresses/blows (eroticized violence)   

²³⁵
cloth-of-gold of tissue
rich cloth, woven with gold thread   

²³⁶
O’er-picturing … nature
more beautiful than a painted image of Venus in which (the artist’s) imagination has surpassed nature