Read Antony and Cleopatra Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
Antony and Cleopatra (22 page)
CLEOPATRA
Farewell.
CLOWN
You must think this, look you, that the worm will
do
his kind
305
.
CLEOPATRA
Ay, ay. Farewell.
CLOWN
Look you, the worm is not to be trusted but in the
keeping of wise people, for, indeed, there is no goodness in
the worm.
CLEOPATRA
Take thou no care
311
, it shall be heeded.
CLOWN
Very good. Give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not
worth the feeding.
CLEOPATRA
Will it
eat
314
me?
CLOWN
You must not think I am so simple but I know the
devil himself will not eat a woman: I know that a woman is a
dish for the gods if the devil
dress
317
her not. But truly, these
same
whoreson
318
devils do the gods great harm in their
women, for in every ten that they make, the devils mar five.
CLEOPATRA
Well, get thee gone. Farewell.
CLOWN
Yes,
forsooth
321
: I wish you joy o’th’worm.
Exit
[
Enter Iras
]
Iras brings a robe, crown, and jewels
CLEOPATRA
Give me my robe, put on my crown:
I have
Immortal longings
323
in me. Now no more
The juice of Egypt’s grape shall moist
The women dress her
Kisses them. Iras falls and dies
this lip.
Yare
325
, yare, good Iras! Quick! Methinks I hear
Antony call: I see him
rouse himself
326
To praise my noble
act
327
. I hear him mock
The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men
To excuse
their after wrath
329
.—Husband, I
come
!
Now to that name my courage prove my
title
330
!
I am
fire and air
331
: my other elements
I give to baser life.—So, have you done?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.
Farewell, kind Charmian. Iras, long farewell.
Have I the
aspic
335
in my lips? Dost fall?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The
stroke
337
of death is as a lover’s pinch
Which hurts and is desired. Dost thou lie still?
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell’st the world
It is not worth
leave-taking
340
.
CHARMIAN
Dissolve thick cloud, and rain, that I may say,
The gods themselves do weep!
CLEOPATRA
This
343
proves me base:
If she first meet the
curlèd
344
Antony,
He’ll make demand of her, and
spend
345
that kiss
Which is my heaven to have.—Come, thou
To an asp, which she applies to her breast
mortal
346
wretch,
With thy sharp teeth this knot
intrinsicate
347
Of life at once untie: poor venomous
fool
348
Be angry, and dispatch. O, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass
Unpolicied
351
!
CHARMIAN
O
eastern star
352
!
CLEOPATRA
Peace, peace!
Dost thou not see my baby at my breast
That sucks the nurse asleep?
CHARMIAN
O, break! O, break!
CLEOPATRA
As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle.—
O Antony!—Nay, I will take thee too.
Applies another asp to her arm
What
359
should I stay—
Dies
CHARMIAN
In this wild world? So, fare thee well.—
Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies
A lass unparalleled.—
Downy windows
362
, close,
And golden Phoebus never be beheld
Of
364
eyes again so royal!—Your crown’s
awry
.
I’ll
mend
365
it, and then play—
Enter the Guard,
rustling
in
FIRST GUARD
Where’s the queen?
CHARMIAN
Speak softly, wake her not.
FIRST GUARD
Caesar hath sent—
CHARMIAN
Too slow a messenger.—
Applies an asp
O, come apace, dispatch! I partly feel thee.
FIRST GUARD
Approach, ho! All’s not well: Caesar’s
beguiled
371
.
SECOND GUARD
There’s Dolabella sent from Caesar:
call him.
[
Exit a Guardsman
]
FIRST GUARD
What work is here, Charmian? Is this well done?
CHARMIAN
It is well done, and fitting for a princess
Descended of so many royal kings.
Ah, soldier!
Charmian dies
Enter Dolabella
DOLABELLA
How goes it here?
SECOND GUARD
All dead.
DOLABELLA
Caesar,
thy thoughts
Touch their effects in this
379
: thyself art coming
To see performed the dreaded act which thou
So sought’st to hinder.
Enter Caesar and all his
Train
marching
ALL
A way there, a way for Caesar!
DOLABELLA
O, sir, you are too sure an
augurer
384
:
That
385
you did fear is done.
CAESAR
Bravest at the last,
She
levelled
387
at our
purposes
and, being royal,
Took her own way. The manner of their deaths?
I do not see them bleed.
DOLABELLA
Who was last with them?
FIRST GUARD
A
simple
391
countryman, that brought her figs:
This was his basket.
CAESAR
Poisoned, then.
FIRST GUARD
O Caesar,
This Charmian lived but now. She stood and spake.
I found her
trimming up
396
the
diadem
On her dead mistress. Tremblingly she stood
And on the sudden dropped.
CAESAR
O, noble weakness!
If they had swallowed poison, ’twould appear
By external swelling: but she looks like sleep,
As
402
she would catch another Antony
In her strong
toil
403
of
grace
.
DOLABELLA
Here on her breast
There is a
vent
405
of blood and something
blown
,
The like is on her arm.
FIRST GUARD
This is an aspic’s trail, and these fig-leaves
Have slime upon them such as th’aspic leaves
Upon the caves of Nile.
CAESAR
Most probable
That so she died, for her physician tells me
She hath pursued
conclusions infinite
412
Of easy ways to die. Take up her bed,
And bear her women from the monument.
She shall be buried by her Antony.
No grave upon the earth shall
clip
416
in it
A pair so famous:
high
417
events as these
Strike those that make them
418
, and
their story is
No less in pity than his glory which
Brought them to be lamented
. Our army shall
In solemn show attend this funeral,
And then to Rome. Come, Dolabella, see
High order in this great solemnity.
Exeunt all
The Soldiers bearing the dead bodies
F = First Folio text of 1623
F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632
F3 = a correction introduced in the Third Folio text of 1663–64
F4 = a correction introduced in the Fourth Folio text of 1685
Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor
SD = stage direction
SH = speech heading (i.e. speaker’s name)
List of parts
= Ed
1.1.55 whose
= F2. F = who
1.2.4 charge
= Ed. F = change
37 fertile
= Ed. F = fore-tell
50 workaday
spelled
worky day
in
F
59 Alexas
= Ed.
Printed as a speech heading in
F
76 Saw…lord
? = F2. F = Saue you, my Lord
111 minds
= Ed. F = windes
115 SH SECOND MESSENGER
= Ed. F =
1 Mes. 116 SH ANTONY
= Ed.
Not in
F
158 travel
spelled
Trauaile
in
F
181 leave
= Ed. F = loue
197 place…requires
= F2. F = places…require
1.3.53 services
= F2. F = Seruicles
95 blood no more
= F. Ed. = blood. No more
97 by sword
= F. F2 = by my sword
1.4.3 Our
= Ed. F = One
8 Vouchsafed
= Ed. F = vouchsafe
9 abstract
= F2. F = abstracts
22 smell
= F2. F = smels
47 deared
= Ed. F = fear’d
49 lackeying
= Ed. F = lacking
61 wassails
= Ed. F = Vassailes
62 Modena
= Ed. F =
Medena 63 Hirtius
= F4. F =
Hirsius Pansa
= F2. F =
Pausa 81 we
= F2. F = me
1.5.39 SD
Antony
= Ed. F =
Caesar 57 dumbed
= Ed. F = dumbe
69 man
= F2. F = mans
2.1.20, 23, 45 SH MENAS
= Ed. F =
Mene 26 waned
= Ed. F = wand
48 warred
= F2. F = wan’d
2.2.129 soldier only. Speak
= Ed. F = Souldier, onely speake
144 so
= Ed. F = say
145, 254 Cleopatra
spelled Cleopater
in
F
reproof
= Ed. F = proofe
193 Mount Misena
= Ed. F = Mount-Mesena
212 digested
= F2. F = disgested
223 Cydnus
= F2. F = Sidnis
230 lovesick with them: the
= Ed. F = Loue-sicke. With them the
236 Venus
= Ed. F = Venns
240 glow
= Ed. F = gloue
243 gentlewomen
= F2. F = Gentlewoman
261 heard
= Ed. F = hard
272 And, breathless, pour
= Ed. F = and breathless powre
278 vilest
= Ed. F = vildest
2.3.10 SH OCTAVIA
= F2.
Not in
F
24 afeared
= Ed. F = a feare
27 no…when
= Ed. F = no more but: when
33 away
= Ed. F = alway
35 Ventidius
= F2. F =
Ventigius (throughout)
2.4.8 at the Mount
= F2. F = at Mount
2.5.3 SH ALL
Omnes (Latin) in
F
13 Tawny-finned
= Ed. F = Tawney fine
125 art
= F.
Sometimes emended to
act
2.6.18 Made…Roman
= F2. F = Made all-honor’d, honest, Romaine
21 is
= F2. F = his
35 For…take
= Ed. F = (For this is from the present how you take)
48 SH CAESAR, ANTONY
and
LEPIDUS
= Ed. F =
Omnes 83 meanings
= Ed. F = meaning
87 more of that
= F3. F = more that
105 SH CAESAR, ANTONY
and
LEPIDUS
= Ed. F =
All
2.7.1 SH FIRST SERVANT
= Ed. F = 1
1 o’their
= Ed. F = o’th’their
4 SH SECOND SERVANT
= Ed. F = 2
high-coloured
= F2. F = high Conlord
12 lief
= Ed. F = liue
80 there
= F.
Sometimes emended to
then
126 SH BOY
= Ed.
Not in
F
133 off: our
= Ed. F = of our
137 Splits
spelled
Spleet’s
in
F
141 sir. Give’s
= Ed. F = Sir, giues
143 father’s
= F2. F = Father
146 SH MENAS
= Ed.
Not in
F
3.1.6 SH SILIUS
= Ed. F =
Romaine
(throughout scene)
3.2.17 figures
= Ed. F = Figure
28 bond
= Ed. F = Band
54 at full of
= F3. F = at the full of
66 wept
= Ed. F = weepe
3.4.8 them…me
= Ed. F = then most narrow measure: lent me
9 took’t
= Ed. F = look’t
26 yours
= F2. F = your
33 Your
= F2. F = You
35 solder
spelled
soader
in
F
41 has
= F2. F = he’s
3.5.12 world, thou hast
= Ed. F = would thou hadst
14 the one
= Ed.
Not in
F
3.6.14 he there
= Ed. F = hither
kings of kings
= Ed. F = King of Kings
31 triumvirate
spelled
Triumpherate
in
F
32 and, being, that
= Ed. F = and being that,
68 abstract
= F.
Sometimes emended to
obstruct
83 Comagene
= Ed. F = Comageat
3.7.4 it is
= F2. F = it it
23 SD Canidius
= Ed. F =
Camidias 27 Brundusium
= F2. F = Brandusium
29 Toryne
= F2. F = Troine
45 muleteers
= F2. F = Militers
63 Actium
= F2. F = Action
82 leader’s led
spelled
Leaders leade
in
F
86 SH CANIDIUS
= Ed. F =
Ven
97 in
= Ed. F = with
3.10.0 SD
Enter Enobarbus
= Ed. F =
Enter Enobarbus and Scarus 33 he
= F2. F = his
3.11.7 SH ALL
= Ed. F =
Omnes 20 that
= Ed. F = them
48 seize
= F2. F = cease
62 tow
= Ed. F = stowe
63 Thy
= Ed. The = F
3.12.0 SD
Dolabella
= F2. F =
Dollabello 16 lessens
= F2. F = Lessons
3.13.31 caparisons
= Ed. F = Comparisons
64 Caesar
= F2. F =
Cæsars 90 deputation
= Ed. F = disputation
127 errand
= Ed. F = arrant
192 Caesarion
= Ed. F = Caesarian
smite
= Ed. F = smile
195 discandying
= Ed. F = discandering
231 on
= Ed. F = in
4.2.1 Domitius
= Ed. F =
Domitian 25 SH ALL
= Ed. F =
Omnes
4.3.4 SH FIRST SOLDIER
= Ed. F = 1
5 SH SECOND SOLDIER
= Ed. F = 2
8 SH THIRD SOLDIER
= Ed. F = 1
12 SD
hautboys
spelled
Hoboyes
in
F
26, 31 SH ALL
= Ed. F =
Omnes
4.4.9 SH ANTONY
= Ed.
Not in
F
11 SH CLEOPATRA
= Ed.
Not in
F
la
= Ed. F = law
19 doff’t
spelled
daft
in
F
31 SH CAPTAIN
= Ed. F =
Alex. 40–1 thee Now
= Ed. F = thee. Now
4.5.1 SH SOLDIER
= Ed. F =
Eros. (and elsewhere throughout the scene)
4.6.10 van
= Ed. F = Vant
17 Canidius
= F2. F =
Camindius 21 more
= F2. F = mote
4.8.2 gests
= Ed. F = guests
4 has
= Ed. F = ha’s
20 My
= F2. F = Mine
4.12.5 augurers
= Ed. F = Auguries
23 spanieled
= Ed. F = pannelled
4.14.5 towered
= Ed. F = toward
12 dislimns
= Ed. F = dislimes
22 Caesar
= Ed. F = Caesars
25 vile
spelled
vilde
in
F
121 ho!
= Ed. F = how?
125 SH SECOND GUARD
= Ed. F = 2
(throughout scene) 131 SH THIRD GUARD
= Ed. F = 3
4.15.85 e’en
= Ed. F = in
5.1.0 SD
Maecenas
= Ed. F =
Menas
4 SD
Dercetus
= Ed. F =
Decretas (throughout scene)
34, 38 SH AGRIPPA
= Ed. F =
Dol
. and
Dola
.
68 lean
= Ed. F = leaue
5.2.18 queen
= Ed. F = Queece
49 anguish
= F.
An inked space in
F
leads most editors to read as
languish
66 varletry
= F2. F = Varlotarie
98 o’th’earth
= F. Ed = O, the earth
105 autumn
= Ed. F =
Anthony 125 smites
= Ed. F = suites
256 Ballad
= F2. F = Ballads
264 my
= F2. F = mine
360 wild
= F.
Sometimes emended to
vile
364 awry
= Ed. F = away
365 SD
Enter…in
= Ed. F
adds and Dolabella
