Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. Antony and Cleopatra
   1. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
   2. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
   3. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
      8. Scene VIII
      9. Scene IX
      10. Scene X
      11. Scene XI
      12. Scene XII
      13. Scene XIII
   4. Act IV
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
      8. Scene VIII
      9. Scene IX
      10. Scene X
      11. Scene XI
      12. Scene XII
      13. Scene XIII
      14. Scene XIV
      15. Scene XV
   5. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and on digital scans available at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

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Dramatis Personae

• Mark Antony, triumvir

• Octavius Caesar, triumvir

• M. Aemilius Lepidus, triumvir

• Sextus Pompeius

• Domitius Enobarbus, friend to Antony

• Ventidius, friend to Antony

• Eros, friend to Antony

• Scarus, friend to Antony

• Dercetas, friend to Antony

• Demetrius, friend to Antony

• Philo, friend to Antony

• Mecaenas, friend to Caesar

• Agrippa, friend to Caesar

• Dolabella, friend to Caesar

• Proculeius, friend to Caesar

• Thyreus, friend to Caesar

• Gallus, friend to Caesar

• Menas, friend to Pompey

• Menecrates, friend to Pompey

• Varrius, friend to Pompey

• 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 Ceopatra

• Mardian, a eunuch, attendant on Ceopatra

• Seleucus, attendant on Ceopatra

• Diomedes, attendant on Ceopatra

• A Soothsayer

• A clown

• Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

• Octavia, sister to Caesar and wife to Antony

• Charmian, attendant on Cleopatra

• Iras, attendant on Cleopatra

• Officers, soldiers, messengers, and other attendants

Scene: In several parts of the Roman empire.

Antony and Cleopatra

Act I

Scene I

Alexandria. A room in 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 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 beloved.
Antony	Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.
	Enter an Attendant.
Attendant	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 powerful 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-tongued Fulvia scolds. The messengers!
Antony	Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch Of the ranged 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; when such a mutual pair Embracing. 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 every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh, To weep; whose every passion fully strives To make itself, in thee, fair and admired! 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 their train.
Demetrius	Is Caesar with Antonius prized 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

The same. Another room.

	Enter Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer.
Charmian	Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any thing Alexas,