The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Chapter 39

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 rend'red 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 farther. 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

Th' 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! Thus do I escape the sorrow

Of Antony's death. [Kills himself

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, dispatch 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 fall'n.

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 prithee.

DIOMEDES. What, ho! the Emperor's guard! The guard, what ho!

Come, your lord calls!

Enter four or five of the guard of ANTONY

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, hearing ANTONY

ACT_4|SC_15

SCENE XV.

Alexandria. A monument

Enter CLEOPATRA and her maids aloft, with 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 DIOMEDES, below

How now! Is he dead?

DIOMEDES. His death's upon him, but not dead.

Look out o' th' 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' th' world. 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 th' 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 heave ANTONY aloft to CLEOPATRA]

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' th' 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' th' earth doth melt. My lord!

O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

The soldier's pole is fall'n! Young boys and girls

Are level now with men. The odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon. [Swoons]

CHARMIAN. O, quietness, lady!

IRAS. She's 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 nought;

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 hearing off ANTONY'S body

ACT_5|SC_1

ACT V. SCENE I.

Alexandria. CAESAR'S camp

Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MAECENAS, GALLUS,

PROCULEIUS, and others, his Council of War

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 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 Caesar; if thou pleasest not,

I yield thee up my life.

CAESAR. What is't thou say'st?

DERCETAS. I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.

CAESAR. 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.

DERCETAS. He is dead, Caesar,

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.

CAESAR. Look you sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings

To wash the eyes of kings.

AGRIPPA. And strange it is

That nature must compel us to lament

Our most persisted deeds.

MAECENAS. His taints and honours

Wag'd equal with him.

AGRIPPA. A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity. But you gods will give us

Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touch'd.

MAECENAS. When such a spacious mirror's set before him,

He needs must see himself.

CAESAR. 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 k****e- that our stars,

Unreconciliable, should divide

Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends-