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• Antony and Cleopatra: Dramatis PersonÆ.
• Act I.
• Scene I.—: Alexandria. a Room Incleopatra’spalace.
• Scene II.—: The Same. Another Room.
• Scene III.—: The Same. Another Room.
• Scene IV.—: Rome. a Room Incæsar’shouse.
• Scene V.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Act II.
• Scene I.—: Messina. a Room Inpompey’shouse.
• Scene II.—: Rome. a Room Inlepidus’ House.
• Scene III.—: The Same a Room Incæsar’shouse.
• Scene IV.—: The Same. a Street.
• Scene V.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene VI.—: Near Misenum.
• Scene VII.—: On Boardpompey’sgalley Off Misenum.
• Act III.
• Scene I.—: A Plain In Syria.
• Scene II.—: Rome. a Room Incæsar’shouse.
• Scene III.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene IV.—: Athens. a Room Inantony’shouse.
• Scene V.—: The Same. Another Room.
• Scene VI.—: Rome. a Room Incæsar’shouse.
• Scene VII.—: Antony’scamp, Near to the Promontory Ofactium.
• Scene VIII.—: A Plain Nearactium.
• Scene IX.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene X.—: Egypt.cæsar’scamp.
• Scene XI.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Act IV.
• Scene I.—: Before Alexandria.cæsar’scamp.
• Scene II.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene III.—: The Same. Before the Palace.
• Scene IV.—: The Same. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene V.—: Alexandria.antony’scamp.
• Scene VI.—: Before Alexandria.cæsar’scamp.
• Scene VII.—: Field of Battle Between the Camps.
• Scene VIII.—: Under the Walls of Alexandria.
• Scene IX.—: Cæsar’scamp.
• Scene X.—: Between the Two Camps.
• Scene XI.—: Alexandria. a Room In the Palace.
• Scene XII.—: The Same. Another Room.
• Scene XIII.—: The Same. a Monument.
• Act V.
• Scene I.—: Alexandria.cæsar’scamp.
• Scene II.—: The Same. the Monument.

Scene I.—

Alexandria.Cæsar’sCamp.

EnterCæsar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Mecænas, Gallus, Proculeius,and Others.

Cæs.

Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield;

Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks

The pauses that he makes.

Dol.

Cæsar, I shall.

[Exit.

EnterDercetas,with the sword ofAntony.

Cæs.

Wherefore is that? and what art thou that dar’st

Appear thus to us?

Der.

I am call’d Dercetas;

Mark Antony I serv’d, who best was worthy

Best to be serv’d; whilst he stood up and spoke

He was my master, and I wore my life

To spend upon his haters. If thou please

To take me to thee, as I was to him

I’ll be to Cæsar; if thou pleasest not,

I yield thee up my life.

Cæs.

What is ’t thou sayst?

Der.

I say, O Cæsar, Antony is dead.

Cæs.

The breaking of so great a thing should make

A greater crack; the round world

Should have shook lions into civil streets,

And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony

Is not a single doom; in the name lay

A moiety of the world.

Der.

He is dead, Cæsar;

Not by a public minister of justice,

Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand,

Which writ his honour in the acts it did,

Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,

Splitted the heart. This is his sword;

I robb’d his wound of it; behold it stain’d

With his most noble blood.

Cæs.

Look you sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings

To wash the eyes of kings.

Agr.

And strange it is,

That nature must compel us to lament

Our most persisted deeds.

Mec.

His taints and honours

Wag’d equal with him.

Agr.

A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity; but you, gods, will give us

Some faults to make us men. Cæsar is touch’d.

Mec.

When such a spacious mirror’s set before him,

He needs must see himself.

Cæs.

O Antony!

I have follow’d thee to this; but we do lance

Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce

Have shown to thee such a declining day,

Or look on thine; we could not stall together

In the whole world. But yet let me lament,

With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,

That thou, my brother, my competitor

In top of all design, my mate in empire,

Friend and companion in the front of war,

The arm of mine own body, and the heart

Where mine his thoughts did kindle, that our stars,

Unreconciliable, should divide

Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends,—

Enter an Egyptian.

But I will tell you at some meeter season:

The business of this man looks out of him;

We’ll hear him what he says. Whence are you?

Egyp.

A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress,

Confin’d in all she has, her monument,

Of thy intents desires instruction,

That she preparedly may frame herself

To the way she’s forc’d to.

Cæs.

Bid her have good heart;

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,

How honourable and how kindly we

Determine for her; for Cæsar cannot live

To be ungentle.

Egyp.

So the gods preserve thee!

[Exit.

Cæs.

Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say,

We purpose her no shame; give her what comforts

The quality of her passion shall require,

Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke

She do defeat us; for her life in Rome

Would be eternal in our triumph. Go,

And with your speediest bring us what she says,

And how you find of her.

Pro.

Cæsar, I shall.

[Exit.

Cæs.

Gallus, go you along.

[ExitGallus. Where’s Dolabella,

To second Proculeius?

Agr.

Dolabella!

Mec.

Dolabella!

Cæs.

Let him alone, for I remember now

How he’s employ’d, he shall in time be ready.

Go with me to my tent; where you shall see

How hardly I was drawn into this war;

How calm and gentle I proceeded still

In all my writings. Go with me, and see

What I can show in this.

[Exeunt.