Act IV, Scene 1 Before Alexandria. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's camp.

Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECAENAS, with
his Army; OCTAVIUS CAESAR reading a letter

 

OCTAVIUS CAESAR He calls me boy; and chides, as he had power
To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger
He hath whipp'd with rods; dares me to personal combat,
Caesar to Antony: let the old ruffian know
I have many other ways to die; meantime
Laugh at his challenge.
MECAENAS Caesar must think,
When one so great begins to rage, he's hunted
Even to falling. Give him no breath, but now
Make boot of his distraction: never anger
Made good guard for itself.
OCTAVIUS CAESAR Let our best heads
Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight: within our files there are,
Of those that served Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it done:
And feast the army; we have store to do't,
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony!
  [Exeunt]

 

Act IV, Scene 2 Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace.

Enter MARK ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS,
CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, with others

 

MARK ANTONY He will not fight with me, Domitius.
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS No.
MARK ANTONY Why should he not?
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,
He is twenty men to one.
MARK ANTONY To-morrow, soldier,
By sea and land I'll fight: or I will live,
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well?
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS I'll strike, and cry 'Take all.'
MARK ANTONY Well said; come on.
Call forth my household servants: let's to-night
Be bounteous at our meal.
  [Enter three or four Servitors]
  Give me thy hand,
Thou hast been rightly honest;--so hast thou;--
Thou,--and thou,--and thou:--you have served me well,
And kings have been your fellows.
CLEOPATRA [Aside to DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] What means this?
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS [Aside to CLEOPATRA] 'Tis one of those odd
tricks which sorrow shoots
Out of the mind.
MARK ANTONY And thou art honest too.
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapp'd up together in
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
All The gods forbid!
MARK ANTONY Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night:
Scant not my cups; and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too,
And suffer'd my command.
CLEOPATRA [Aside to DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] What does he mean?
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS [Aside to CLEOPATRA] To make his followers weep.
MARK ANTONY Tend me to-night;
May be it is the period of your duty:
Haply you shall not see me more; or if,
A mangled shadow: perchance to-morrow
You'll serve another master. I look on you
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away; but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death:
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for't!
DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS What mean you, sir,
To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep;
And I, an ass, am onion-eyed: for shame,
Transform us not to women.
MARK ANTONY Ho, ho, ho!
Now the witch take me, if I meant it thus!
Grace grow where those drops fall!
My hearty friends,
You take me in too dolorous a sense;
For I spake to you for your comfort; did desire you
To burn this night with torches: know, my hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow; and will lead you
Where rather I'll expect victorious life
Than death and honour. Let's to supper, come,
And drown consideration.
  [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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By  Comedies    Histories    Romances    Tragedies

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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