Act III, Scene 1 A plain in Syria.

Enter VENTIDIUS as it were in triumph, with SILIUS,
and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead
body of PACORUS borne before him

 

VENTIDIUS Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now
Pleased fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death
Make me revenger. Bear the king's son's body
Before our army. Thy Pacorus, Orodes,
Pays this for Marcus Crassus.
SILIUS Noble Ventidius,
Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm,
The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through Media,
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither
The routed fly: so thy grand captain Antony
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots and
Put garlands on thy head.
VENTIDIUS O Silius, Silius,
I have done enough; a lower place, note well,
May make too great an act: for learn this, Silius;
Better to leave undone, than by our deed
Acquire too high a fame when him we serve's away.
Caesar and Antony have ever won
More in their officer than person: Sossius,
One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,
For quick accumulation of renown,
Which he achieved by the minute, lost his favour.
Who does i' the wars more than his captain can
Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition,
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss,
Than gain which darkens him.
I could do more to do Antonius good,
But 'twould offend him; and in his offence
Should my performance perish.
SILIUS Thou hast, Ventidius,
that
Without the which a soldier, and his sword,
Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony!
VENTIDIUS I'll humbly signify what in his name,
That magical word of war, we have effected;
How, with his banners and his well-paid ranks,
The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia
We have jaded out o' the field.
SILIUS Where is he now?
VENTIDIUS He purposeth to Athens: whither, with what haste
The weight we must convey with's will permit,
We shall appear before him. On there; pass along!
  [Exeunt]

 

Act III, Scene 2 Rome. An ante-chamber in OCTAVIUS CAESAR's house.

Enter AGRIPPA at one door, DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS
at another.

 

AGRIPPA What, are the brothers parted?
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS They have dispatch'd with Pompey, he is gone;
The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps
To part from Rome; Caesar is sad; and Lepidus,
Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, is troubled
With the green sickness.
AGRIPPA 'Tis a noble Lepidus.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS A very fine one: O, how he loves Caesar!
AGRIPPA Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony!
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS Caesar? Why, he's the Jupiter of men.
AGRIPPA What's Antony? The god of Jupiter.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS Spake you of Caesar? How! the non-pareil!
AGRIPPA O Antony! O thou Arabian bird!
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS Would you praise Caesar, say 'Caesar:' go no further.
AGRIPPA Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS But he loves Caesar best; yet he loves Antony:
Ho! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards,
poets, cannot
Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho!
His love to Antony. But as for Caesar,
Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.
AGRIPPA Both he loves.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS They are his shards, and he their beetle.
  [Trumpets within]
So;
This is to horse. Adieu, noble Agrippa.
AGRIPPA Good fortune, worthy soldier; and farewell.
  [Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, MARK ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIA]
MARK ANTONY No further, sir.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR You take from me a great part of myself;
Use me well in 't. Sister, prove such a wife
As my thoughts make thee, and as my farthest band
Shall pass on thy approof. Most noble Antony,
Let not the piece of virtue, which is set
Betwixt us as the cement of our love,
To keep it builded, be the ram to batter
The fortress of it; for better might we
Have loved without this mean, if on both parts
This be not cherish'd.
MARK ANTONY Make me not offended
In your distrust.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR I have said.
MARK ANTONY You shall not find,
Though you be therein curious, the least cause
For what you seem to fear: so, the gods keep you,
And make the hearts of Romans serve your ends!
We will here part.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee well:
The elements be kind to thee, and make
Thy spirits all of comfort! fare thee well.
OCTAVIA My noble brother!
MARK ANTONY The April 's in her eyes: it is love's spring,
And these the showers to bring it on. Be cheerful.
OCTAVIA Sir, look well to my husband's house; and--
OCTAVIUS CAESAR What, Octavia?
OCTAVIA I'll tell you in your ear.
MARK ANTONY Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can
Her heart inform her tongue,--the swan's
down-feather,
That stands upon the swell at full of tide,
And neither way inclines.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS [Aside to AGRIPPA] Will Caesar weep?
AGRIPPA [Aside to DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] He has a cloud in 's face.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS [Aside to AGRIPPA] He were the worse for that,
were he a horse;
So is he, being a man.
AGRIPPA [Aside to DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] Why, Enobarbus,
When Antony found Julius Caesar dead,
He cried almost to roaring; and he wept
When at Philippi he found Brutus slain.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS [Aside to AGRIPPA] That year, indeed, he was
troubled with a rheum;
What willingly he did confound he wail'd,
Believe't, till I wept too.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR No, sweet Octavia,
You shall hear from me still; the time shall not
Out-go my thinking on you.
MARK ANTONY Come, sir, come;
I'll wrestle with you in my strength of love:
Look, here I have you; thus I let you go,
And give you to the gods.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR Adieu; be happy!
LEPIDUS Let all the number of the stars give light
To thy fair way!
OCTAVIUS CAESAR Farewell, farewell!
  [Kisses OCTAVIA]
MARK ANTONY Farewell!
  [Trumpets sound. Exeunt]

 

To view other scenes from the show:

Full Text Act III, Scene 7 Near Actium Mark Antony's camp.
Act I, Scene 1 Alexandria. A room in Cleopatra's palace. Act III, Scene 8 A plain near Actium/Act III, Scene 9 Another part of the plain./Act III, Scene 10. Another part of the plain.
Act I, Scene 2 The same. Another room. Act III, Scene 11 Alexandria. Cleopatra's palace./Act III, Scene 12 Egypt Octavius' camp.
Act I, Scene 3 The same. Another room. Act III, Scene 13 Alexandria. Cleopatra's palace.
Act I, Scene 4 Rome. Octavius Caesar's house. Act IV, Scene 1 Before Alexandria. Octavius' camp. /Act IV, Scene 2 Alexandria. Cleopatra's palace.
Act I, Scene 5 Alexandria Cleopatra's palace. Act IV, Scene 3 The same. Before the palace./Act IV, Scene 4 The same. A room in the palace.
Act II, Scene 1 Messina Pompey's house. Act IV, Scene 5 Alexandria. Mark Antony's camp/Act IV, Scene 6 Alexandria Octavius' camp.
Act II, Scene 2 Rome. The house of Lepidus. Act IV, Scene 7 Field of battle between the camps./Act IV, Scene 8 Under the walls of Alexandria.
Act II, Scene 3 The same Octavius Caesar's house./Act II, Scene 4 The same. A street. Act IV, Scene 9 Octavius Caesar's camp/Act IV, Scene 10 Between the two camps. /Act IV, Scene 11 Another part of the same.
Act II, Scene 5 Alexandria. Cleopatra's palace. Act IV, Scene 12 Another part of the same./Act IV, Scene 13 Alexandria Cleopatra's palace.
Act II, Scene 6 Near Misenum. Act IV, Scene 14 The same. Another room.
Act II, Scene 7 On board Pompey's galley, off Misenum Act IV, Scene 15 The same. A monument.
Act III, Scene 1 A plain in Syria/ Act III Scene 2 An ante-chamber in Octavius Caesar's house. Act V, Scene 1 Octavius Caesar's camp.
Act III, Scene 3Alexandria Cleopatra's palace./Act III, Scene 4 Athens.  A room in Mark Antony's house. Act V, Scene 2 A room in the monument.
Act III, Scene 5 The same. Another room./Act III, Scene 6 Octavius Caesar's house.  

 

To view other Antony and Cleopatra sections:

Main Play Page      Play Text     Scene by Scene Synopsis     Character Directory     Commentary  

 

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All's Well the Ends Well Antony & Cleopatra As You Like It Cardenio Comedy of Errors Coriolanus
Cymbeline Edward III Hamlet Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 2 Henry V
Henry VI, Part 1 Henry VI, Part 2 Henry VI, Part 3 Henry VIII Julius Caesar King John
King Lear Love's Labours Lost Love's Labours Wonne Macbeth Measure for Measure Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor A Mid Summer Night's Dream  Much Ado About Nothing Othello Pericles Richard II
Richard III Romeo & Juliet Sir Thomas More Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus Troilus & Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona The Two Noble Kinsman The Winter's Tale

 

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