The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (776 page)

Cleopatra,
Do not abuse my master's bounty by

Do not abuse my master's generosity by

The undoing of yourself: let the world see

Destroying yourself: let the world see

His nobleness well acted, which your death

His nobility acted upon, which your death

Will never let come forth.

Will not allow to happen.

CLEOPATRA

Where art thou, death?

Where are you, death?

Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen

Come here, come! Come, come, and take a queen

Worthy many babes and beggars!

Worth many babies and beggars!

PROCULEIUS

O, temperance, lady!

Oh, calm down, lady!

CLEOPATRA

Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir;

Sir, I will eat no food, I won't drink, sir;

If idle talk will once be necessary,

If talking is ever necessary,

I'll not sleep neither: this mortal house I'll ruin,

I won't sleep either: my body I'll ruin,

Do Caesar what he can. Know, sir, that I

Caesar can do what he likes. Know, sir, that I

Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court;

Will not wait chained at your master's court;

Nor once be chastised with the sober eye

Or once be criticized by the calm eye

Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up

Of dull Octavia. Will they put me up

And show me to the shouting varletry

And show me to the shouting people

Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt

Of critical Rome? I would rather a ditch in Egypt

Be gentle grave unto me! rather on Nilus' mud

Be a gentle grave to me! I would rather be lain

Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies

On the Nile's mud, and let the water-flies

Blow me into abhorring! rather make

Bite me to death! I would rather make

My country's high pyramides my gibbet,

My country's high pyramids my scaffold,

And hang me up in chains!

And hang me up in chains!

PROCULEIUS

You do extend

You have much more elaborate

These thoughts of horror further than you shall

Thoughts of horror than you shall

Find cause in Caesar.

Find reason to from Caesar.

Enter DOLABELLA

DOLABELLA

Proculeius,

Proculeius.
What thou hast done thy master Caesar knows,

Caesar knows what you have done for your master,

And he hath sent for thee: for the queen,

And he has asked for you: for the queen,

I'll take her to my guard.

I'll take her to my guard.

PROCULEIUS

So, Dolabella,

So, Dolabella,
It shall content me best: be gentle to her.

I would like you to be gentle to her.

To CLEOPATRA

To Caesar I will speak what you shall please,

I will say to Caesar what you want,

If you'll employ me to him.

If you'll send me to him.

CLEOPATRA

Say, I would die.

Say I want to die.

Exeunt PROCULEIUS and Soldiers

DOLABELLA

Most noble empress, you have heard of me?

My noble empress, you have heard of me?

CLEOPATRA

I cannot tell.

I don't know.

DOLABELLA

Assuredly you know me.

You must know me.

CLEOPATRA

No matter, sir, what I have heard or known.

It does not matter, sir, what I have heard or known.

You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams;

You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams;
Is't not your trick?

Isn't that your trick?

DOLABELLA

I understand not, madam.

I don't understand, madam.

CLEOPATRA

I dream'd there was an Emperor Antony:

I dreamed there was an Emperor Antony:

O, such another sleep, that I might see

Oh, may I sleep like that again, so I might see

But such another man!

Another man like that!

DOLABELLA

If it might please ye,--

If it pleases you, --

CLEOPATRA

His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck

His face was like the sky; and in there was stuck

A sun and moon, which kept their course,

A sun and moon, which stayed on their path,

and lightedThe little O, the earth.

The little circle, the Earth.

DOLABELLA

Most sovereign creature,--

Honorable ruler,--

CLEOPATRA

His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm

His legs crossed the ocean: his raised arm

Crested the world: his voice was propertied

Was over the world: his voice was as loud

As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends;

As any planet, and that to friends;

But when he meant to quail and shake the orb,

But when he meant to frighten and shake the sphere,

He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty,

He was like rattling thunder. As for his wealth,

There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas

There was no winter in it; it was an autumn

That grew the more by reaping: his delights

That grew the more it was harvested: his delights

Were dolphin-like; they show'd his back above

Were like the playing of a dolphin; they showed his back above

The element they lived in: in his livery

The water they lived in: in his clothes

Walk'd crowns and crownets; realms and islands were

Were crowns and jewels; kingdoms and islands were

As plates dropp'd from his pocket.

Like plates dropped from his pocket.

DOLABELLA

Cleopatra!

Cleopara!

CLEOPATRA

Think you there was, or might be, such a man

Do you think there was, or might be, a man

As this I dream'd of?

Like this that I dreamed of?

DOLABELLA

Gentle madam, no.

Gentle lady, no.

CLEOPATRA

You lie, up to the hearing of the gods.

You lie, in the hearing of the gods.

But, if there be, or ever were, one such,

But, if there ever would be, or ever were, on like that

It's past the size of dreaming: nature wants stuff

It's bigger than can be dreamed: nature needs stuff

To vie strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine

To compete strange forms with imagination; yet, to imagine

And Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst fancy,

And Antony, was nature's argument against imagination,

Condemning shadows quite.

Driving the shadows away.

DOLABELLA

Hear me, good madam.

Listen to me, good madam.

Your loss is as yourself, great; and you bear it

Your loss is like you, important; and you carry it

As answering to the weight: would I might never

According to your own importance: I wish that I might never

O'ertake pursued success, but I do feel,

Go beyond chased success, but I do feel,

By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites

By the tragedy of yours, a grief that hits

My very heart at root.

The very bottom of my heart.

CLEOPATRA

I thank you, sir,

Thank you, sir.
Know you what Caesar means to do with me?

Do you know what Caesar means to do to me?

DOLABELLA

I am loath to tell you what I would you knew.

I don't want to tell you what I want you to know.

CLEOPATRA

Nay, pray you, sir,--

No, please, sir,--

DOLABELLA

Though he be honourable,--

Even though he is honorable, --

CLEOPATRA

He'll lead me, then, in triumph?

He will parade me, then, in victory?

DOLABELLA

Madam, he will; I know't.

Lady, he will; I know it.

Flourish, and shout within, 'Make way there: Octavius Caesar!'

Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, MECAENAS, SELEUCUS, and others of his Train

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Which is the Queen of Egypt?

Which is the Queen of Egypt?

DOLABELLA

It is the emperor, madam.

It is the emperor, madam.

CLEOPATRA kneels

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Arise, you shall not kneel:

Get up, you shall not kneel:

I pray you, rise; rise, Egypt.

Please, get up; get up, Egypt.

CLEOPATRA

Sir, the gods

Sir, the gods
Will have it thus; my master and my lord

Will have it like this; my master and my lord

I must obey.

I must obey.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Take to you no hard thoughts:

Do not worry about

The record of what injuries you did us,

The record of the harm you did to us,

Though written in our flesh, we shall remember

Even if permanent wounds, we shall remember

As things but done by chance.

Them as pure happenstance.

CLEOPATRA

Sole sir o' the world,

Ruler of the world,

I cannot project mine own cause so well

I cannot argue my own cause well enough

To make it clear; but do confess I have

To make it clear; but do confess I have
Been laden with like frailties which before

Had to deal with similar weaknesses which before

Have often shamed our sex.

Have often caused shame to women.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Cleopatra, know,

Cleopatra, know,
We will extenuate rather than enforce:

We will convince rather than force:

If you apply yourself to our intents,

If you apply yourself to what we want,

Which towards you are most gentle, you shall find

Which are very gentle towards you, you will find

A benefit in this change; but if you seek

A benefit in this change; but if you try

To lay on me a cruelty, by taking

To be cruel to me, by taking

Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself

Antony's path, you will rob yourself

Of my good purposes, and put your children

From the opportunities I will give you, and put your children

To that destruction which I'll guard them from,

To the destruction which I will protect them from,