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Antony and Cleopatra - Act 4, scene 14
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Antony and Cleopatra - Act 4, scene 14Act 4, scene 14
⌜Scene 14⌝
Synopsis:
Antony, receiving the news that Cleopatra has taken her own life, orders Eros to kill him. Eros instead kills himself. Antony then stabs himself but does not die. When a new message comes that Cleopatra is alive, he asks to be taken to her.
Enter Antony and Eros.ANTONY
2815 Eros, thou yet behold’st me?
EROS 2816 Ay, noble lord.
ANTONY
2817 Sometime we see a cloud that’s dragonish,
2818 A vapor sometime like a bear or lion,
2819 5 A ⌜towered⌝ citadel, a pendent rock,
2820 A forkèd mountain, or blue promontory
2821 With trees upon ’t that nod unto the world
2822 And mock our eyes with air. Thou hast seen these
2823 signs.
2824 10 They are black vesper’s pageants.
EROS 2825 Ay, my lord.
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217
ANTONY 2826 That which is now a horse, even with a thought
2827 The rack dislimns and makes it indistinct
2828 As water is in water.
EROS 2829 15 It does, my lord.
ANTONY
2830 My good knave Eros, now thy captain is
2831 Even such a body. Here I am Antony,
2832 Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
2833 I made these wars for Egypt, and the Queen,
2834 20 Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine—
2835 Which whilst it was mine had annexed unto ’t
2836 A million more, now lost—she, Eros, has
2837 Packed cards with ⌜Caesar⌝ and false-played my glory
2838 Unto an enemy’s triumph.
2839 25 Nay, weep not, gentle Eros. There is left us
2840 Ourselves to end ourselves.
Enter Mardian.
2841 O, thy vile lady!
2842 She has robbed me of my sword.
MARDIAN 2843 No, Antony,
2844 30 My mistress loved thee and her fortunes mingled
2845 With thine entirely.
ANTONY 2846 Hence, saucy eunuch! Peace!
2847 She hath betrayed me and shall die the death.
MARDIAN
2848 Death of one person can be paid but once,
2849 35 And that she has discharged. What thou wouldst do
2850 Is done unto thy hand. The last she spake
2851 Was “Antony, most noble Antony.”
2852 Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
2853 The name of Antony; it was divided
2854 40 Between her heart and lips. She rendered life
2855 Thy name so buried in her.
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219
ANTONY
2856
Dead, then?MARDIAN 2857 Dead.
ANTONY
2858 Unarm, Eros. The long day’s task is done,
2859 45 And we must sleep.—That thou depart’st hence safe
2860 Does pay thy labor richly. Go.Mardian exits.
2861 Off, pluck off!
⌜Eros begins to remove Antony’s armor.⌝
2862 The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep
2863 The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!
2864 50 Heart, once be stronger than thy continent;
2865 Crack thy frail case. Apace, Eros, apace!
2866 No more a soldier. Bruisèd pieces, go.
2867 You have been nobly borne.—From me awhile.
Eros exits.
2868 I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
2869 55 Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
2870 All length is torture. Since the torch is out,
2871 Lie down and stray no farther. Now all labor
2872 Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
2873 Itself with strength. Seal, then, and all is done.—
2874 60 Eros!—I come, my queen.—Eros!—Stay for me.
2875 Where souls do couch on flowers, we’ll hand in hand,
2876 And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze.
2877 Dido and her Aeneas shall want troops,
2878 And all the haunt be ours.—Come, Eros, Eros!
Enter Eros.
EROS
2879 65 What would my lord?
ANTONY 2880 Since Cleopatra died
2881 I have lived in such dishonor that the gods
2882 Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
2883 Quartered the world and o’er green Neptune’s back
2884 70 With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack
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221
2885
The courage of a woman—less noble mind2886 Than she which, by her death, our Caesar tells
2887 “I am conqueror of myself.” Thou art sworn, Eros,
2888 That when the exigent should come, which now
2889 75 Is come indeed, when I should see behind me
2890 Th’ inevitable prosecution of
2891 Disgrace and horror, that on my command
2892 Thou then wouldst kill me. Do ’t. The time is come.
2893 Thou strik’st not me; ’tis Caesar thou defeat’st.
2894 80 Put color in thy cheek.
EROS 2895 The gods withhold me!
2896 Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,
2897 Though enemy, lost aim and could not?
ANTONY 2898 Eros,
2899 85 Wouldst thou be windowed in great Rome and see
2900 Thy master thus with pleached arms, bending down
2901 His corrigible neck, his face subdued
2902 To penetrative shame, whilst the wheeled seat
2903 Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded
2904 90 His baseness that ensued?
EROS 2905 I would not see ’t.
ANTONY
2906 Come, then, for with a wound I must be cured.
2907 Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn
2908 Most useful for thy country.
EROS 2909 95 O, sir, pardon me!
ANTONY
2910 When I did make thee free, swor’st thou not then
2911 To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once,
2912 Or thy precedent services are all
2913 But accidents unpurposed. Draw, and come.
EROS
2914 100 Turn from me then that noble countenance
2915 Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.
ANTONY 2916 Lo thee!⌜He turns away.⌝
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223
EROS 2917 My sword is drawn.
ANTONY 2918 Then let it do at once
2919 105 The thing why thou hast drawn it.
EROS 2920 My dear master,
2921 My captain, and my emperor, let me say,
2922 Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.
ANTONY 2923 ’Tis said, man, and farewell.
EROS
2924 110 Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now?
ANTONY 2925 Now, Eros.
EROS
2926 Why, there, then.⌜Stabs⌝ himself.
2927 Thus I do escape the sorrow
2928 Of Antony’s death.⌜Dies.⌝
ANTONY 2929 115 Thrice nobler than myself,
2930 Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what
2931 I should and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros
2932 Have by their brave instruction got upon me
2933 A nobleness in record. But I will be
2934 120 A bridegroom in my death and run into ’t
2935 As to a lover’s bed. Come then, and, Eros,
2936 Thy master dies thy scholar. To do thus
2937 I learned of thee. ⌜He stabs himself.⌝ How, not dead?
2938 Not dead?
2939 125 The guard, ho! O, dispatch me!
Enter a ⌜company of the⌝ Guard, ⌜one of them named
Dercetus.⌝
FIRST GUARD 2940 What’s the noise?
ANTONY
2941 I have done my work ill, friends. O, make an end
2942 Of what I have begun!
SECOND GUARD 2943 The star is fall’n.
FIRST GUARD
2944 130 And time is at his period.
p.
225
ALL
2945
Alas, and woe!ANTONY 2946 Let him that loves me strike me dead.
FIRST GUARD 2947 Not I.
SECOND GUARD 2948 Nor I.
THIRD GUARD 2949 135Nor anyone.
⌜All but Antony and Dercetus⌝ exit.
DERCETUS
2950 Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly.
⌜He takes Antony’s sword.⌝
2951 This sword but shown to Caesar with this tidings
2952 Shall enter me with him.
Enter Diomedes.
DIOMEDES 2953 Where’s Antony?
DERCETUS 2954 140There, Diomed, there.
DIOMEDES 2955 Lives he? Wilt thou not answer, man?
⌜Dercetus exits.⌝
ANTONY
2956 Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword, and give me
2957 Sufficing strokes for death.
DIOMEDES 2958 Most absolute lord,
2959 145 My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.
ANTONY
2960 When did she send thee?
DIOMEDES 2961 Now, my lord.
ANTONY 2962 Where is she?
DIOMEDES
2963 Locked in her monument. She had a prophesying
2964 150 fear
2965 Of what hath come to pass. For when she saw—
2966 Which never shall be found—you did suspect
2967 She had disposed with Caesar, and that your rage
2968 Would not be purged, she sent you word she was
2969 155 dead;
2970 But fearing since how it might work, hath sent
p.
227
2971
Me to proclaim the truth, and I am come,2972 I dread, too late.
ANTONY
2973 Too late, good Diomed. Call my guard, I prithee.
DIOMEDES
2974 160 What ho! The Emperor’s guard! The guard, what ho!
2975 Come, your lord calls.
Enter four or five of the Guard of Antony.
ANTONY
2976 Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides.
2977 ’Tis the last service that I shall command you.
FIRST GUARD
2978 Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear
2979 165 All your true followers out.
ALL 2980 Most heavy day!
ANTONY
2981 Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate
2982 To grace it with your sorrows. Bid that welcome
2983 Which comes to punish us, and we punish it,
2984 170 Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up.
2985 I have led you oft; carry me now, good friends,
2986 And have my thanks for all.
⌜They⌝ exit bearing Antony ⌜and the body of Eros.⌝