The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare Styled by LimpidSoft ii Contents PERSONS REPRESENTED 2 This text is an adaptation of part of the text supplied by Project Gutenberg [Etext #100] and layout is in light of that in The Oxford Shakespeare (Clarendon Press, Oxford 1988). Styling is broadly similar to that in the First Folio, particu- larly in the Scene headers. To improve readability, Speaker lines are outdented, rather than indented, but this is easy to change in the document preamble. The present document was derived from text provided by Project Gutenberg (document 100), which was made avail- able free of charge. This document is also free of charge. PERSONS REPRESENTED Triumvirs MARK ANTONY, OCTAVIUS CAESAR, M. AEMILIUS LEPIDUS SEXTUS POMPEIUS Friends to Anthony DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS, VENTIDIUS, EROS, SCARUS, DERCETAS, DEMETRIUS, PHILO Friends to Caesar MAECENAS, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, PROCULEIUS, THYREUS, GALLUS Friends to Pompey 2 PERSONS REPRESENTED MENAS, 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 Attendants on Cleopatra ALEXAS, MARDIAN, SELEUCUS, DIOMEDES, A SOOTHSAYER A CLOWN CLEOPATRA, Queen of Egypt OCTAVIA, sister to Caesar and wife to Antony Ladies attending on Cleopatra CHARMIAN, IRAS, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and Attendants ACT I SCENE I SCENE: The Roman Empire 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, 1 PERSONS REPRESENTED 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 eu- nuchs fanning her Look where they come! Take but good note, and you shall see in him The triple pillar 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 2 PERSONS REPRESENTED 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 embracing, 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 3 PERSONS REPRESENTED 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. 4 PERSONS REPRESENTED 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 5 PERSONS REPRESENTED 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. ENOBARBUSMine,andmostofourfortunes,to-night,shallbe–drunktobed. 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? CHARMIANWell,ifyouwerebutaninchoffortunebetterthanI,wherewould you choose it? IRAS Not in my husband’s nose. CHARMIANOurworserthoughtsheavensmend! Alexas-come,hisfortune,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 6