Antony and Cleopatra (9 page)

OCTAVIA
    Goodnight, sir.

CAESAR
    Goodnight.
Exeunt
[
Caesar and Octavia
]

Enter Soothsayer

ANTONY
    Now,
sirrah
¹²
: you do wish yourself in Egypt?

SOOTHSAYER
    Would I had never come from thence,
nor you
        thither
¹³
.

ANTONY
    If you
can
¹⁴
, your reason?

SOOTHSAYER
    I see it in my
motion
¹⁵
, have it not in my tongue.
        But yet
hie you
¹⁶
to Egypt again.

ANTONY
    Say to me, whose fortunes shall rise higher,
        Caesar’s or mine?

SOOTHSAYER
    Caesar’s.
        Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side:
        Thy
demon
²¹
,
that thy
spirit which
keeps
thee, is
        Noble, courageous, high unmatchable,
        Where Caesar’s is not. But near him, thy
angel
²³
        Becomes afeared,
as
²⁴
being o’erpowered: therefore
        Make space enough between you.

ANTONY
    Speak this no more.

SOOTHSAYER
    To
none but thee
²⁷
, no more but when to thee.
        If thou dost play with him at any game,
        Thou art sure to lose, and of that natural luck
        He beats thee gainst the odds. Thy
lustre thickens
³⁰
        When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit
        Is all afraid to govern thee near him,
        But,
he
³³
away, ’tis noble.

ANTONY
    Get thee gone.
        Say to Ventidius I would speak with him:
Exit
[
Soothsayer
]

        He shall to Parthia. Be it
art or hap
³⁶
,
        He hath spoken true: the very dice obey him,
        And in our sports my
better cunning faints
        Under his chance
³⁸
. If we draw lots, he
speeds
³⁹
:
        His cocks do win the battle still of mine
        When
it
⁴¹
is all to nought, and his quails ever
        Beat mine,
inhooped
⁴²
,
at odds
. I will to Egypt:
        And though I make this marriage for my peace,
        I’th’east my pleasure lies.—O, come, Ventidius,

Enter Ventidius

        You must to Parthia: your commission’s ready,
        Follow me and receive’t.
Exeunt

Enter Lepidus, Maecenas and Agrippa

LEPIDUS
    Trouble yourselves no further: pray you hasten
        
Your generals after
²
.

AGRIPPA
    Sir, Mark Antony
        Will
e’en
⁴
but kiss Octavia, and we’ll follow.

LEPIDUS
    Till I shall see you in your soldier’s dress,
        Which will become you both, farewell.

MAECENAS
    We shall,
        As I conceive the journey, be at the
Mount
⁸
        Before you, Lepidus.

LEPIDUS
    Your way is shorter.
        My purposes do
draw me much about
¹¹
:
        You’ll win two days upon me.

BOTH
    Sir, good success!

LEPIDUS
    Farewell.
Exeunt

Location: Alexandria
  

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras and Alexas

CLEOPATRA
    Give me some music: music, moody food
        Of us that
trade
²
in love.

ALL
    The music, ho!

Enter Mardian the Eunuch

CLEOPATRA
    Let it alone. Let’s to billiards: come, Charmian.

CHARMIAN
    My arm is sore, best play with Mardian.

CLEOPATRA
    
As well a woman with an eunuch play
⁶
ed
        As with a woman. Come, you’ll play with me, sir?

MARDIAN
    As well as I can, madam.

CLEOPATRA
    And when good
will
⁹
is showed, though’t
come
        too short
,
        The
actor
¹⁰
may plead pardon. I’ll none now.
        Give me mine
angle
¹¹
: we’ll to th’river. There,
        My music playing far off, I will
betray
¹²
        
Tawny-finned
¹³
fishes: my bended hook shall pierce
        Their slimy jaws, and, as I draw them up,
        I’ll think them every one an Antony,
        And say ‘Ah, ha! You’re caught!’

CHARMIAN
    ’Twas merry when
        You wagered on your angling, when
your diver
¹⁸
        Did hang a
salt-fish
¹⁹
on his hook, which he
        With
fervency
²⁰
drew up.

CLEOPATRA
    That time? O times!
        I laughed him out of patience, and that night
        I laughed him into patience, and next morn,
        Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed,
        Then put my
tires and mantles
²⁵
on him, whilst
        I wore his sword
Philippan
²⁶
.—

Enter a Messenger

                O, from Italy

    
Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears,
        That long time have been barren
²⁷
.

MESSENGER
    Madam, madam—

CLEOPATRA
    Antonio’s dead! If thou say so, villain,
        Thou kill’st thy mistress. But well and free,
        If thou so
yield
³²
him, there is gold, and here
Offers gold
        My bluest veins to kiss: a hand that kings
Offers her hand
        Have
lipped
³⁴
, and trembled kissing.

MESSENGER
    First, madam, he is well.

CLEOPATRA
    Why, there’s more gold.
        But sirrah, mark, we
use
³⁷
        To
say the dead are well
³⁸
: bring it to that,
        The gold I give thee will I melt and pour
        Down thy ill-uttering throat.

MESSENGER
    Good madam, hear me.

CLEOPATRA
    Well,
go to
⁴²
, I will.
        But there’s no goodness in thy face if Antony
        Be free and healthful; so
tart a favour
⁴⁴
        To trumpet such good tidings! If not well,
        Thou shouldst come like a
Fury
⁴⁶
crowned with snakes,
        Not like a
formal
⁴⁷
man.

MESSENGER
    Will’t please you hear me?

CLEOPATRA
    I have a mind to strike thee ere thou speak’st:
        Yet if thou say Antony lives,
’tis well
⁵⁰
,
        
Or
⁵¹
friends with Caesar, or not captive to him,
        I’ll set thee in a
shower of gold
⁵²
and hail
        Rich pearls upon thee.

MESSENGER
    Madam, he’s well.

CLEOPATRA
    Well said.

MESSENGER
    And friends with Caesar.

CLEOPATRA
    Thou’rt an
honest
⁵⁷
man.

MESSENGER
    Caesar and he are greater friends than ever.

CLEOPATRA
    Make thee a fortune from me.

MESSENGER
    But yet, madam—

CLEOPATRA
    I do not like ‘But yet’: it does
allay
        The good precedence
⁶¹
. Fie upon ‘But yet’!
        ‘But yet’ is as a jailer to bring forth
        Some
monstrous malefactor
⁶⁴
. Prithee friend,
        
Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear
⁶⁵
,
        The good and bad together: he’s friends with Caesar,
        In state of health thou say’st and, thou say’st, free.

MESSENGER
    Free, madam? No: I made no such report.
        He’s
bound
⁶⁹
unto Octavia.

CLEOPATRA
    For what good turn?

MESSENGER
    For the best
turn
⁷¹
i’th’bed.

CLEOPATRA
    I am pale, Charmian.

MESSENGER
    Madam, he’s married to Octavia.

CLEOPATRA
    The most infectious
pestilence
⁷⁴
upon thee!

Strikes him down

MESSENGER
    Good madam, patience.

CLEOPATRA
    What say you?

Strikes him

    Hence, horrible villain, or I’ll
spurn
⁷⁷
thine eyes
        Like balls before me! I’ll unhair thy head!

She hauls him up and down

    Thou shalt be whipped with wire and stewed in brine,
        Smarting in ling’ring
pickle
⁸⁰
!

MESSENGER
    Gracious madam,
        I that do bring the news made not the match.

CLEOPATRA
    Say ’tis not so, a province I will give thee,
        And make thy fortunes
proud
⁸⁴
: the blow thou hadst
        Shall
make thy peace
⁸⁵
for moving me to rage,
        And I will
boot
⁸⁶
thee with what gift beside
        Thy modesty can beg.

MESSENGER
    He’s married, madam.

CLEOPATRA
    Rogue, thou hast lived too long!
Draws a knife

MESSENGER
    Nay then, I’ll run.
        What mean you, madam? I have made no fault.
Exit

CHARMIAN
    Good madam,
keep yourself
⁹²
within yourself.
        The man is innocent.

CLEOPATRA
    Some innocents scape not the
thunderbolt
⁹⁴
.
        Melt
Egypt
⁹⁵
into Nile, and
kindly
creatures
        Turn all to serpents! Call the slave again.
        Though I am
mad
⁹⁷
, I will not bite him: call!

CHARMIAN
    He is afeard to come.

[
Exit Charmian
]

CLEOPATRA
    I will not hurt him.
        These hands do lack nobility that they strike
    
A meaner
¹⁰¹
than myself, since
I myself
        Have given myself the cause
.—

Enter the Messenger again
[
with Charmian
]

                Come hither, sir.
        Though it be honest, it is never good
        To bring bad news: give to a
gracious
¹⁰⁴
message
        An
host of tongues
¹⁰⁵
, but let ill tidings
tell
        Themselves when they be felt
.

MESSENGER
    I have done my duty.

CLEOPATRA
    Is he married?
        I cannot hate thee worser than I do
        If thou again say ‘Yes.’

MESSENGER
    He’s married, madam.

CLEOPATRA
    The gods
confound
¹¹²
thee! Dost thou
hold there still
?

MESSENGER
    Should I lie, madam?

CLEOPATRA
    O, I would thou didst,
        
So
¹¹⁵
half my Egypt were submerged and made
        A
cistern
¹¹⁶
for scaled snakes! Go, get thee hence!
        Hadst thou
Narcissus
¹¹⁷
in thy face, to me
        Thou wouldst appear most ugly. He is married?

MESSENGER
    I crave your highness’ pardon.

CLEOPATRA
    He is married?

MESSENGER
    
Take no offence that I would not offend you
¹²¹
.
        To punish me for what you make me do
        Seems
much unequal
¹²³
. He’s married to Octavia.

CLEOPATRA
    
O, that his
fault
should make a
knave
of thee,
        That art not what thou’rt sure of!
¹²⁴
Get thee hence,
        The
merchandise
¹²⁶
which thou hast brought from Rome
        Are all too
dear
¹²⁷
for me:
lie they upon thy hand,
        And be undone by ’em
!
[
Exit Messenger
]

CHARMIAN
    Good your highness, patience.

CLEOPATRA
    In praising Antony, I have dispraised Caesar.

CHARMIAN
    Many times, madam.

CLEOPATRA
    I am paid for’t now. Lead me from hence:
        I faint! O Iras, Charmian! ’Tis no matter.
        Go to the fellow, good Alexas, bid him
        Report the
feature
¹³⁵
of Octavia: her
years
,
        Her
inclination
¹³⁶
, let him not leave out
        The colour of her hair. Bring me word quickly.
[
Exit Alexas
]
        Let
him
¹³⁸
for ever go.—Let him not, Charmian,
        Though he be
painted one way like a
Gorgon
¹³⁹
,
        The other way’s a
Mars
¹⁴⁰
.—Bid you Alexas
        Bring me word how tall she is.—Pity me, Charmian,
        But do not speak to me. Lead me to my chamber.