Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare (english novels to read txt) 📕

triumph.--
Nay, weep not, gentle Eros; there is left us
Ourselves to end ourselves.--

[Enter MARDIAN.]

O, thy vile lady!
She has robb'd me of my sword.

MARDIAN.
No, Antony;
My mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled
With thine entirely.

ANTONY.
Hence, saucy eunuch; peace!
She hath betray'd me, and shall die the death.

MARDIAN.
Death of one person can be paid but once,
And that she has discharg'd: what thou wouldst do
Is done unto thy hand: the last she spake
Was 'Antony! most noble Antony!'
Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony; it was divided
Between her heart and lips: she render'd life,
Thy name so buried in her.

ANTONY.
Dead then?

MARDIAN.
Dead.

ANTONY.
Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done,
And we must sleep.--That thou depart'st hence safe
Does pay thy labour richly; go.

[Exit MARDIAN.]

Off, pluck off;--
The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep
The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent,
Crack thy frail case!--Apace, Eros, apace.--
No more a soldier.--Bruised pieces, go;
You have been nobly borne.--From me awhile.--

[Exit EROS.]

I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
All length is torture.--Since the torch is out,
Lie down, and stray no further:--now all labour
Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
Itself with strength: seal then, and all is done.--
Eros!--I come, my queen.--Eros!--stay for me:
Where souls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in hand,
And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze:
Dido and her Aeneas shall want troops,
And all the haunt be ours.--Come, Eros, Eros!

[Re-enter EROS.]

EROS.
What would my lord?

ANTONY.
Since Cleopatra died,
I have liv'd in such dishonour that the gods
Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back
With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack
The courage of a woman; less noble mind
Than she which by her death our Caesar tells
'I am conqueror of myself.' Thou art sworn, Eros,
That, when the exigent should come,--which now
Is come indeed--when I should see behind me
The inevitable prosecution of
Disgrace and horror, that, on my command,
Thou then wouldst kill me: do't; the time is come:
Thou strik'st not me; 'tis Caesar thou defeat'st.
Put colour in thy cheek.

EROS.
The gods withhold me!
Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,
Though enemy, lost aim and could not?

ANTONY.
Eros,
Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome and see
Thy master thus with pleach'd arms, bending down
His corrigible neck, his face subdu'd
To penetrative shame; whilst the wheel'd seat
Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded
His baseness that ensued?

EROS.
I would not see't.

ANTONY.
Come, then; for with a wound I must be cur'd.
Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn
Most useful for thy country.

EROS.
O, sir, pardon me!

ANTONY.
When I did make thee free, swor'st thou not then
To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once;
Or thy precedent services are all
But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come.

EROS.
Turn from me then that noble countenance,
Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.

ANTONY.
Lo thee!

[Turning from him.]

EROS.
My sword is drawn.

ANTONY.
Then let it do at once
The thing why thou hast drawn it.

EROS.
My dear master,
My captain and my emperor, let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.

ANTONY.
'Tis said, man;--and farewell.

EROS.
Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now?

ANTONY.
Now, Eros.

EROS.
Why, there then [falls on his sword]!--thus do I escape the
sorrow
Of Antony's death.

[Dies.]

ANTONY.
Thrice nobler than myself!
Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what
I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros
Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me
A nobleness in record: but I will be
A bridegroom in my death, and run into't
As to a lover's bed. Come, then; and, Eros,
Thy master dies thy scholar: to do thus

[Falling on his sword.]

I learn'd of thee. How? not dead? not dead?--
The guard, ho!--O, despatch me!

[Enter DERCETAS and a guard.]

FIRST GUARD.
What's the noise?

ANTONY.
I have done my work ill, friends: O, make an end
Of what I have begun.

SECOND GUARD.
The star is fallen.

FIRST GUARD.
And time is at his period.

ALL.
Alas, and woe!

ANTONY.
Let him that loves me, strike me dead.

FIRST GUARD.
Not I.

SECOND GUARD.
Nor I.

THIRD GUARD.
Nor any one.

[Exeunt guard.]

DERCETAS.
Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly.
This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings,
Shall enter me with him.

[Enter DIOMEDES.]

DIOMEDES.
Where's Antony?

DERCETAS.
There, Diomed, there.

DIOMEDES.
Lives he?
Wilt thou not answer, man?

[Exit DERCETAS.]

ANTONY.
Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword and give me
Sufficing strokes for death.

DIOMEDES.
Most absolute lord,
My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.

ANTONY.
When did she send thee?

DIOMEDES.
Now, my lord.

ANTONY.
Where is she?

DIOMEDES.
Lock'd in her monument. She had a prophesying fear
Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw,--
Which never shall be found,--you did suspect
She had dispos'd with Caesar, and that your rage
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was dead;
But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come,
I dread, too late.

ANTONY.
Too late, good Diomed.--Call my guard, I pr'ythee.

DIOMEDES.
What, ho! the emperor's guard! The guard, what ho!
Come, your lord calls!

[Enter some of the Guard.]

ANTONY.
Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides;
'Tis the last service that I shall command you.

FIRST GUARD.
Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear
All your true followers out.

ALL.
Most heavy day!

ANTONY.
Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate
To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome
Which comes to punish us, and we punish it,
Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up:
I have led you oft: carry me now, good friends,
And have my thanks for all.

[Exeunt, bearing ANTONY.]


SCENE XV. Alexandria. A monument.

[Enter, above, CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN and IRAS.]

CLEOPATRA.
O Charmian, I will never go from hence!

CHARMIAN.
Be comforted, dear madam.

CLEOPATRA.
No, I will not:
All strange and terrible events are welcome,
But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow,
Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great
As that which makes it.--

[Enter, below, DIOMEDES.]

How now! is he dead?

DIOMEDES.
His death's upon him, but not dead.
Look out o' the other side your monument;
His guard have brought him thither.

[Enter, below, ANTONY, borne by the Guard.]

CLEOPATRA.
O sun,
Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in!--darkling stand
The varying shore o' theworld.--O Antony,
Antony, Antony!--Help, Charmian; help, Iras, help,--
Help, friends below;--let's draw him hither.

ANTONY.
Peace!
Not Caesar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony,
But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.

CLEOPATRA.
So it should be, that none but Antony
Should conquer Antony; but woe 'tis so!

ANTONY.
I am dying, Egypt, dying; only
I here importune death awhile, until
Of many thousand kisses the poor last
I lay upon thy lips.

CLEOPATRA.
I dare not, dear,--
Dear my lord, pardon,--I dare not,
Lest I be taken: not the imperious show
Of the full-fortun'd Caesar ever shall
Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents, have
Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe;
Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes
And still conclusion, shall acquire no honour
Demuring upon me.--But come, come, Antony,--
Help me, my women,--we must draw thee up;
Assist, good friends.

ANTONY.
O, quick, or I am gone.

CLEOPATRA.
Here's sport indeed!--How heavy weighs my lord!
Our strength is all gone into heaviness;
That makes the weight: had I great Juno's power,
The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up,
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,--
Wishers were ever fools,--O come, come;

[They draw ANTONY up.]

And welcome, welcome! die where thou hast liv'd:
Quicken with kissing: had my lips that power,
Thus would I wear them out.

ALL.
A heavy sight!

ANTONY.
I am dying, Egypt, dying:
Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.

CLEOPATRA.
No, let me speak; and let me rail so high
That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel,
Provok'd by my offence.

ANTONY.
One word, sweet queen:
Of Caesar seek your honour, with your safety.--O!

CLEOPATRA.
They do not go together.

ANTONY.
Gentle, hear me:
None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.

CLEOPATRA.
My resolution and my hands I'll trust;
None about Caesar.

ANTONY.
The miserable change now at my end
Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts
In feeding them with those my former fortunes
Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world,
The noblest; and do now not basely die,
Not cowardly put off my helmet to
My countryman, a Roman by a Roman
Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going:
I can no more.

CLEOPATRA.
Noblest of men, woo't die?
Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide
In this dull world, which in thy absence is
No better than a sty?--O, see, my women,

[Antony dies.]

The crown o' the earth doth melt.--My lord!--
O, wither'd is the garland of the war,
The soldier's pole is fallen: young boys and girls
Are level now with men: the odds is gone,
And there is nothing left remarkable
Beneath the visiting moon.

[Faints.]

CHARMIAN.
O, quietness, lady!

IRAS.
She is dead too, our sovereign.

CHARMIAN.
Lady!--

IRAS.
Madam!--

CHARMIAN.
O madam, madam, madam!--

IRAS.
Royal Egypt, Empress,--

CHARMIAN.
Peace, peace, Iras!

CLEOPATRA.
No more but e'en a woman, and commanded
By such poor passion as the maid that milks
And does the meanest chares.--It were for me
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;
To tell them that this world did equal theirs
Till they had stol'n our jewel. All's but naught;
Patience is sottish, and impatience does
Become a dog that's mad: then is it sin
To rush into the secret house of death
Ere death dare come to us?--How do you, women?
What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian!
My noble girls!--Ah, women, women, look,
Our lamp is spent, it's out!--Good sirs, take heart:--
We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,
And make death proud to take us. Come, away:
This case of that huge spirit now is cold:
Ah, women, women!--Come; we have no friend
But resolution, and the briefest end.

[Exeunt; those above bearing off ANTONY'S body.]


ACT V.

SCENE I. CAESAR'S Camp before Alexandria.

[Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MAECENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS,
and Others.]

CAESAR.
Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield;
Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks
The pauses that he makes.

DOLABELLA.
Caesar, I shall.

[Exit.]

[Enter DERCETAS with the sword of ANTONY.]

CAESAR.
Wherefore is that? And what art thou that dar'st
Appear thus to us?

DERCETAS.
I am call'd Dercetas;
Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy
Best to be serv'd: whilst he