Antony and Cleopatra

z3998:scene bodymatter z3998:fiction z3998:drama">

Act V

Scene I

Alexandria. Caesar’s camp.

	Enter Caesar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Mecaenas, Gallus, Proculeius, and others, his council of war.
Caesar	Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield; Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks The pauses that he makes.
Dolabella	Caesar, I shall. Exit.
	Enter Dercetas, with the sword of Antony.
Caesar	Wherefore is that? and what art thou that darest Appear thus to us?
Dercetas	I am call’d Dercetas; Mark Antony I served, who best was worthy Best to be served: whilst he stood up and spoke, He was my master; and I wore my life To spend upon his haters. If thou please To take me to thee, as I was to him I’ll be to Caesar; if thou pleasest not, I yield thee up my life.
Caesar	What is’t thou say’st?
Dercetas	I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.
Caesar	The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack: the round world Should have shook lions into civil streets, And citizens to their dens: the death of Antony Is not a single doom; in the name lay A moiety of the world.
Dercetas	He is dead, Caesar; Not by a public minister of justice, Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand, Which writ his honour in the acts it did, Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, Splitted the heart. This is his sword; I robb’d his wound of it; behold it stain’d With his most noble blood.
Caesar	Look you sad, friends? The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings To wash the eyes of kings.
Agrippa	And strange it is, That nature must compel us to lament Our most persisted deeds.
Mecaenas	His taints and honours Waged equal with him.
Agrippa	A rarer spirit never Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touch’d.
Mecaenas	When such a spacious mirror’s set before him, He needs must see himself.
Caesar	O Antony! I have follow’d thee to this; but we do lance Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce Have shown to thee such a declining day, Or look on thine; we could not stall together In the whole world: but yet let me lament, With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, That thou, my brother, my competitor In top of all design, my mate in empire, Friend and companion in the front of war, The arm of mine own body, and the heart Where mine his thoughts did kindle⁠—that our stars, Unreconciliable, should divide Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends⁠— But I will tell you at some meeter season:
	Enter an Egyptian.
	The business of this man looks out of him; We’ll hear him what he says. Whence are you?
Egyptian	A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress, Confined in all she has, her monument, Of thy intents desires instruction, That she preparedly may frame herself To the way she’s forced to.
Caesar	Bid her have good heart: She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, How honourable and how kindly we Determine for her; for Caesar cannot live To be ungentle.
Egyptian	So the gods preserve thee! Exit.
Caesar	Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say, We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts The quality of her passion shall require, Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke She do defeat us; for her life in Rome Would be eternal in our triumph: go, And with your speediest bring us what she says, And how you find of her.
Proculeius	Caesar, I shall. Exit.
Caesar	Gallus, go you along. Exit Gallus. Where’s Dolabella, To second Proculeius?
All	Dolabella!
Caesar	Let him alone, for I remember now How he’s employ’d: he shall in time be ready. Go with me to my tent; where you shall see How hardly I was drawn into this war; How calm and gentle I proceeded still In all my writings: go with me, and see What I can show in this. Exeunt.

Scene II

Alexandria. A room in the monument.

	Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras.
Cleopatra	My desolation does begin to make A better life. ’Tis paltry to be Caesar; Not being Fortune, he’s but Fortune’s knave, A minister of her will: and it is great To do that thing that ends all other deeds; Which shackles accidents and bolts up change; Which sleeps, and never palates more the dug, The beggar’s nurse and Caesar’s.
	Enter, to the gates of the monument, Proculeius, Gallus, and Soldiers.
Proculeius	Caesar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt; And bids thee study on what fair demands Thou mean’st to have him grant thee.
Cleopatra	What’s thy name?
Proculeius	My name is Proculeius.
Cleopatra	Antony Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but I do not greatly care to be deceived, That have no use for trusting. If your master Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him, That majesty, to keep decorum, must No less beg than a kingdom: if he please To give me conquer’d Egypt for my son, He gives me so much of mine own, as I Will kneel to him with thanks.
Proculeius	Be of good cheer; You’re fall’n into a princely hand, fear nothing: Make your full reference freely to my lord, Who is so full of grace, that it flows over On all that need: let me report to him Your sweet dependency; and you shall find A conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness, Where he for grace is kneel’d to.
Cleopatra	Pray you, tell him I am his fortune’s vassal, and I send him The greatness he has got. I hourly learn A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly Look him i’ the face.
Proculeius	This I’ll report, dear lady. Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied Of him that caused it.
Gallus	You see how easily she may be surprised: Here Proculeius and two of the Guard ascend the monument by a ladder placed against a window, and, having descended, come behind Cleopatra. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates.
	To Proculeius and the Guard. Guard her till Caesar come. Exit.
Iras	Royal queen!
Charmian	O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen.
Cleopatra	Quick, quick, good hands. Drawing a dagger.
Proculeius	Hold, worthy lady, hold: Seizes and