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1607

THE TRAGEDY OF ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MARK ANTONY, Triumvirs

OCTAVIUS CAESAR, "
M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS, "

SEXTUS POMPEIUS, "
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS, friend to Antony

VENTIDIUS, " " "
EROS, " " "

SCARUS, " " "
DERCETAS, " " "

DEMETRIUS, " " "
PHILO, " " "

MAECENAS, friend to Caesar
AGRIPPA, " " "

DOLABELLA, " " "
PROCULEIUS, " " "

THYREUS, " " "
GALLUS, " " "

MENAS, friend to Pompey
MENECRATES, " " "

VARRIUS, " " "
TAURUS, Lieutenant-General to Caesar

CANIDIUS, Lieutenant-General to Antony
SILIUS, an Officer in Ventidius's army

EUPHRONIUS, an Ambassador from Antony to Caesar
ALEXAS, attendant on Cleopatra

MARDIAN, " " "
SELEUCUS, " " "

DIOMEDES, " " "
A SOOTHSAYER

A CLOWN
CLEOPATRA, Queen of Egypt

OCTAVIA, sister to Caesar and wife to Antony
CHARMIAN, lady attending on Cleopatra

IRAS, " " " "
Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and Attendants

SCENE:
The Roman Empire

ACT I. SCENE I.
Alexandria. CLEOPATRA'S palace

Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO
PHILO. Nay, but this dotage of our general's

O'erflows the measure. Those his goodly eyes,
That o'er the files and musters of the war

Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now turn,
The office and devotion of their view

Upon a tawny front. His captain's heart,
Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst

The buckles on his breast, reneges all temper,
And is become the bellows and the fan

To cool a gipsy's lust.
Flourish. Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, her LADIES, the train,

with eunuchs fanning her
Look where they come!

Take but good note, and you shall see in him
The triplepillar of the world transform'd

Into a strumpet's fool. Behold and see.
CLEOPATRA. If it be love indeed, tell me how much.

ANTONY. There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd.
CLEOPATRA. I'll set a bourn how far to be belov'd.

ANTONY. Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.
Enter a MESSENGER

MESSENGER. News, my good lord, from Rome.
ANTONY. Grates me the sum.

CLEOPATRA. Nay, hear them, Antony.
Fulvia perchance is angry; or who knows

If the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent
His pow'rful mandate to you: 'Do this or this;

Take in that kingdom and enfranchise that;
Perform't, or else we damn thee.'

ANTONY. How, my love?
CLEOPATRA. Perchance? Nay, and most like,

You must not stay here longer; your dismission
Is come from Caesar; therefore hear it, Antony.

Where's Fulvia's process? Caesar's I would say? Both?
Call in the messengers. As I am Egypt's Queen,

Thou blushest, Antony, and that blood of thine
Is Caesar's homager. Else so thy cheek pays shame

When shrill-tongu'd Fulvia scolds. The messengers!
ANTONY. Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch

Of the rang'd empire fall! Here is my space.
Kingdoms are clay; our dungy earth alike

Feeds beast as man. The nobleness of life
Is to do thus [emhracing], when such a mutual pair

And such a twain can do't, in which I bind,
On pain of punishment, the world to weet

We stand up peerless.
CLEOPATRA. Excellent falsehood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?
I'll seem the fool I am not. Antony

Will be himself.
ANTONY. But stirr'd by Cleopatra.

Now for the love of Love and her soft hours,
Let's not confound the time with conference harsh;

There's not a minute of our lives should stretch
Without some pleasure now. What sport to-night?

CLEOPATRA. Hear the ambassadors.
ANTONY. Fie, wrangling queen!

Whom everything becomes- to chide, to laugh,
To weep; whose every passion fully strives

To make itself in thee fair and admir'd.
No messenger but thine, and all alone

To-night we'll wander through the streets and note
The qualities of people. Come, my queen;

Last night you did desire it. Speak not to us.
Exeunt ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with the train

DEMETRIUS. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight?
PHILO. Sir, sometimes when he is not Antony,

He comes too short of that great property
Which still should go with Antony.

DEMETRIUS. I am full sorry
That he approves the common liar, who

Thus speaks of him at Rome; but I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Rest you happy! Exeunt

SCENE II.
Alexandria. CLEOPATRA'S palace

Enter CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, and a SOOTHSAYER
CHARMIAN. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most anything Alexas, almost

most absolute Alexas, where's the soothsayer that you prais'd so
to th' Queen? O that I knew this husband, which you say must

charge his horns with garlands!
ALEXAS. Soothsayer!

SOOTHSAYER. Your will?
CHARMIAN. Is this the man? Is't you, sir, that know things?

SOOTHSAYER. In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.

ALEXAS. Show him your hand.
Enter ENOBARBUS

ENOBARBUS. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough
Cleopatra's health to drink.

CHARMIAN. Good, sir, give me good fortune.
SOOTHSAYER. I make not, but foresee.

CHARMIAN. Pray, then, foresee me one.
SOOTHSAYER. You shall be yet far fairer than you are.

CHARMIAN. He means in flesh.
IRAS. No, you shall paint when you are old.

CHARMIAN. Wrinkles forbid!
ALEXAS. Vex not his prescience; be attentive.

CHARMIAN. Hush!
SOOTHSAYER. You shall be more beloving than beloved.

CHARMIAN. I had rather heat my liver with drinking.
ALEXAS. Nay, hear him.

CHARMIAN. Good now, some excellent fortune! Let me be married to
three kings in a forenoon, and widow them all. Let me have a

child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage. Find me to
marry me with Octavius Caesar, and companion me with my mistress.

SOOTHSAYER. You shall outlive the lady whom you serve.
CHARMIAN. O, excellent! I love long life better than figs.

SOOTHSAYER. You have seen and prov'd a fairer former fortune
Than that which is to approach.

CHARMIAN. Then belike my children shall have no names.
Prithee, how many boys and wenches must I have?

SOOTHSAYER. If every of your wishes had a womb,
And fertile every wish, a million.

CHARMIAN. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch.
ALEXAS. You think none but your sheets are privy to your wishes.

CHARMIAN. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.
ALEXAS. We'll know all our fortunes.

ENOBARBUS. Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night, shall be-
drunk to bed.

IRAS. There's a palm presages chastity, if nothing else.
CHARMIAN. E'en as the o'erflowing Nilus presageth famine.

IRAS. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot soothsay.
CHARMIAN. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognostication, I

cannot scratch mine ear. Prithee, tell her but worky-day fortune.
SOOTHSAYER. Your fortunes are alike.

IRAS. But how, but how? Give me particulars.
SOOTHSAYER. I have said.

IRAS. Am I not an inch of fortune better than she?
CHARMIAN. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I,

where would you choose it?
IRAS. Not in my husband's nose.

CHARMIAN. Our worser thoughts heavens mend! Alexas- come, his
fortune, his fortune! O, let him marry a woman that cannot go,

sweet Isis, I beseech thee! And let her die too, and give him a
worse! And let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow

him laughing to his grave, fiftyfold a cuckold! Good Isis, hear
me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good

Isis, I beseech thee!
IRAS. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! For, as

it is a heartbreaking to see a handsome man loose-wiv'd, so it is
a deadly sorrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded. Therefore,

dear Isis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly!
CHARMIAN. Amen.

ALEXAS. Lo now, if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they
would make themselves whores but they'ld do't!

Enter CLEOPATRA
ENOBARBUS. Hush! Here comes Antony.

CHARMIAN. Not he; the Queen.
CLEOPATRA. Saw you my lord?

ENOBARBUS. No, lady.
CLEOPATRA. Was he not here?

CHARMIAN. No, madam.
CLEOPATRA. He was dispos'd to mirth; but on the sudden

A Roman thought hath struck him. Enobarbus!
ENOBARBUS. Madam?

CLEOPATRA. Seek him, and bring him hither. Where's Alexas?
ALEXAS. Here, at your service. My lord approaches.



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