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Antony and Cleopatra: Act IV, Scene 14

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Antony and Cleopatra
Act IV, Scene 14

Alexandria. Another room in Cleopatra’s palace.

The sevenfold shield of Ajax

Unknown artist, 1888

  1. Enter Antony and Eros.

Mark Antony

1
  1. Eros, thou yet behold’st me?

Eros

2
  1.                              Ay, noble lord.

Mark Antony

3 - 9
  1. Sometime we see a cloud that’s dragonish,
  2. A vapor sometime like a bear or lion,
  3. A tower’d citadel, a pendant rock,
  4. A forked mountain, or blue promontory
  5. With trees upon’t that nod unto the world,
  6. And mock our eyes with air. Thou hast seen these signs,
  7. They are black vesper’s pageants.

Eros

10
  1.                                   Ay, my lord.

Mark Antony

11 - 13
  1. That which is now a horse, even with a thought
  2. The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct
  3. As water is in water.

Eros

14
  1.                       It does, my lord.

Mark Antony

15 - 27
  1. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is
  2. Even such a body. Here I am Antony,
  3. Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
  4. I made these wars for Egypt, and the Queen,
  5. Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine—
  6. Which whilst it was mine had annex’d unto’t
  7. A million more (now lost)—she, Eros, has
  8. Pack’d cards with Caesar’s, and false-play’d my glory
  9. Unto an enemy’s triumph.
  10. Nay, weep not, gentle Eros, there is left us
  11. Ourselves to end ourselves.
  12. Enter Mardian.
  13.                             O, thy vild lady!
  14. She has robb’d me of my sword.

Mardian

28 - 30
  1.                                No, Antony,
  2. My mistress lov’d thee, and her fortunes mingled
  3. With thine entirely.

Mark Antony

31 - 32
  1.                      Hence, saucy eunuch, peace!
  2. She hath betray’d me, and shall die the death.

Mardian

33 - 40
  1. Death of one person can be paid but once,
  2. And that she has discharg’d. What thou wouldst do
  3. Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake
  4. Was “Antony, most noble Antony!”
  5. Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
  6. The name of Antony; it was divided
  7. Between her heart and lips. She rend’red life,
  8. Thy name so buried in her.

Mark Antony

41
  1.                            Dead then?

Mardian

42
  1.            Dead.

Mark Antony

43 - 64
  1. Unarm, Eros, the long day’s task is done,
  2. And we must sleep.
  3. To Mardian.
  4.                    That thou depart’st hence safe
  5. Does pay thy labor richly; go.
  6. Exit Mardian.
  7.                                Off, pluck off,
  8. The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep
  9. The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!
  10. Heart, once be stronger than thy continent,
  11. Crack thy frail case! Apace, Eros, apace.
  12. No more a soldier. Bruised pieces, go,
  13. You have been nobly borne.—From me awhile.
  14. Exit Eros.
  15. I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
  16. Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
  17. All length is torture; since the torch is out,
  18. Lie down and stray no farther. Now all labor
  19. Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
  20. Itself with strength. Seal then, and all is done.
  21. Eros!—I come, my queen!—Eros!—Stay for me!
  22. Where souls do couch on flowers, we’ll hand in hand,
  23. And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze.
  24. Dido and her Aeneas shall want troops,
  25. And all the haunt be ours. Come, Eros, Eros!
  1. Enter Eros.

Eros

65
  1. What would my lord?

Mark Antony

66 - 80
  1.                     Since Cleopatra died
  2. I have liv’d in such dishonor that the gods
  3. Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
  4. Quarter’d the world, and o’er green Neptune’s back
  5. With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack
  6. The courage of a woman—less noble mind
  7. Than she which by her death our Caesar tells,
  8. “I am conqueror of myself.” Thou art sworn, Eros,
  9. That when the exigent should come, which now
  10. Is come indeed, when I should see behind me
  11. Th’ inevitable prosecution of
  12. Disgrace and horror, that on my command
  13. Thou then wouldst kill me. Do’t, the time is come.
  14. Thou strik’st not me, ’tis Caesar thou defeat’st.
  15. Put color in thy cheek.

Eros

81 - 83
  1.                         The gods withhold me!
  2. Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,
  3. Though enemy, lost aim and could not?

Mark Antony

84 - 90
  1.                                       Eros,
  2. Wouldst thou be window’d in great Rome, and see
  3. Thy master thus with pleach’d arms, bending down
  4. His corrigible neck, his face subdu’d
  5. To penetrative shame, whilst the wheel’d seat
  6. Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded
  7. His baseness that ensued?

Eros

91
  1.                           I would not see’t.

Mark Antony

92 - 94
  1. Come then; for with a wound I must be cur’d.
  2. Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn
  3. Most useful for thy country.

Eros

95
  1.                              O, sir, pardon me!

Mark Antony

96 - 99
  1. When I did make thee free, swor’st thou not then
  2. To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once,
  3. Or thy precedent services are all
  4. But accidents unpurpos’d. Draw, and come.

Eros

100 - 101
  1. Turn from me then that noble countenance,
  2. Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.

Mark Antony

102
  1. Lo thee!
  1. Turning from him.

Eros

103
  1. My sword is drawn.

Mark Antony

104 - 105
  1.                    Then let it do at once
  2. The thing why thou hast drawn it.

Eros

106 - 108
  1.                                   My dear master,
  2. My captain, and my emperor: let me say,
  3. Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.

Mark Antony

109
  1. ’Tis said, man, and farewell.

Eros

110
  1. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now?

Mark Antony

111
  1.                                            Now, Eros.

Eros

112 - 114
  1. Why, there then.
  2. Kills himself.
  3.                  Thus I do escape the sorrow
  4. Of Antony’s death.

Mark Antony

115 - 124
  1.                    Thrice-nobler than myself!
  2. Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what
  3. I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros
  4. Have by their brave instruction got upon me
  5. A nobleness in record; but I will be
  6. A bridegroom in my death, and run into’t
  7. As to a lover’s bed. Come then; and, Eros,
  8. Thy master dies thy scholar: to do thus
  9. Falling on his sword.
  10. I learnt of thee. How, not dead? Not dead?
  11. The guard, ho! O, dispatch me!
  1. Enter Decretas and Antony’s First Guardsman.

Antony’s First Guardsman

125
  1.                                What’s the noise?

Mark Antony

126 - 127
  1. I have done my work ill, friends. O, make an end
  2. Of what I have begun.

Antony’s Second Guardsman

128
  1.                       The star is fall’n.

Antony’s First Guardsman

129
  1. And time is at his period.

All Guards

130
  1.                            Alas, and woe!

Mark Antony

131
  1. Let him that loves me strike me dead.

Antony’s First Guardsman

132
  1.                                       Not I.

Antony’s Second Guardsman

133
  1. Nor I.

Antony’s Third Guardsman

134
  1. Nor any one.
  1. Exeunt Antony’s Third Guardsman.

Decretas

135 - 137
  1. Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly.
  2. This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings,
  3. Shall enter me with him.
  1. Enter Diomedes.

Diomedes

138
  1. Where’s Antony?

Decretas

139
  1.                 There, Diomed, there.

Diomedes

140 - 141
  1.                       Lives he?
  2. Wilt thou not answer, man?
  1. Exit Decretas.

Mark Antony

142 - 143
  1. Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword, and give me
  2. Sufficing strokes for death.

Diomedes

144 - 145
  1.                              Most absolute lord,
  2. My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.

Mark Antony

146
  1. When did she send thee?

Diomedes

147
  1.                         Now, my lord.

Mark Antony

148
  1.               Where is she?

Diomedes

149 - 156
  1. Lock’d in her monument. She had a prophesying fear
  2. Of what hath come to pass; for when she saw
  3. (Which never shall be found) you did suspect
  4. She had dispos’d with Caesar, and that your rage
  5. Would not be purg’d, she sent you word she was dead;
  6. But fearing since how it might work, hath sent
  7. Me to proclaim the truth, and I am come,
  8. I dread, too late.

Mark Antony

157
  1. Too late, good Diomed. Call my guard, I prithee.

Diomedes

158 - 159
  1. What ho! The Emperor’s guard! The guard, what ho!
  2. Come, your lord calls!
  1. Enter four or five of the Guard of Antony.

Mark Antony

160 - 161
  1. Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides,
  2. ’Tis the last service that I shall command you.

Antony’s First Guardsman

162 - 163
  1. Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear
  2. All your true followers out.

All Guards

164
  1.                              Most heavy day!

Mark Antony

165 - 170
  1. Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate
  2. To grace it with your sorrows. Bid that welcome
  3. Which comes to punish us, and we punish it
  4. Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up.
  5. I have led you oft, carry me now, good friends,
  6. And have my thanks for all.
  1. Exeunt bearing Antony.
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