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Antony and Cleopatra - Act 4, scene 15
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Antony and Cleopatra - Act 4, scene 15Act 4, scene 15
⌜Scene 15⌝
Synopsis:
Antony is pulled up into the monument, where he dies.
Enter Cleopatra and her maids aloft, withCharmian and Iras.
CLEOPATRA
2987 O Charmian, I will never go from hence.
CHARMIAN
2988 Be comforted, dear madam.
CLEOPATRA 2989 No, I will not.
2990 All strange and terrible events are welcome,
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2991
5 But comforts we despise. Our size of sorrow,2992 Proportioned to our cause, must be as great
2993 As that which makes it.
Enter Diomedes ⌜below.⌝
2994 How now? Is he dead?
DIOMEDES
2995 His death’s upon him, but not dead.
2996 10 Look out o’ th’ other side your monument.
2997 His guard have brought him thither.
Enter Antony ⌜below,⌝ and the Guard ⌜bearing him.⌝
CLEOPATRA 2998 O sun,
2999 Burn the great sphere thou mov’st in. Darkling stand
3000 The varying shore o’ th’ world! O Antony, Antony,
3001 15 Antony! Help, Charmian! Help, Iras, help!
3002 Help, friends below! Let’s draw him hither.
ANTONY 3003 Peace!
3004 Not Caesar’s valor hath o’erthrown Antony,
3005 But Antony’s hath triumphed on itself.
CLEOPATRA
3006 20 So it should be that none but Antony
3007 Should conquer Antony, but woe ’tis so!
ANTONY
3008 I am dying, Egypt, dying. Only
3009 I here importune death awhile until
3010 Of many thousand kisses the poor last
3011 25 I lay upon thy lips.
CLEOPATRA 3012 I dare not, dear,
3013 Dear my lord, pardon, I dare not,
3014 Lest I be taken. Not th’ imperious show
3015 Of the full-fortuned Caesar ever shall
3016 30 Be brooched with me; if knife, drugs, serpents have
3017 Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe.
3018 Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes
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3019
And still conclusion, shall acquire no honor3020 Demuring upon me. But come, come, Antony.—
3021 35 Help me, my women!—We must draw thee up.—
3022 Assist, good friends.⌜They begin lifting him.⌝
ANTONY 3023 O, quick, or I am gone.
CLEOPATRA
3024 Here’s sport indeed. How heavy weighs my lord!
3025 Our strength is all gone into heaviness;
3026 40 That makes the weight. Had I great Juno’s power,
3027 The strong-winged Mercury should fetch thee up
3028 And set thee by Jove’s side. Yet come a little.
3029 Wishers were ever fools. O, come, come, come!
They heave Antony aloft to Cleopatra.
3030 And welcome, welcome! Die when thou hast lived;
3031 45 Quicken with kissing. Had my lips that power,
3032 Thus would I wear them out.⌜She kisses him.⌝
ALL 3033 A heavy sight!
ANTONY 3034 I am dying, Egypt, dying.
3035 Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.
CLEOPATRA
3036 50 No, let me speak, and let me rail so high
3037 That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel,
3038 Provoked by my offense.
ANTONY 3039 One word, sweet queen:
3040 Of Caesar seek your honor with your safety—O!
CLEOPATRA
3041 55 They do not go together.
ANTONY 3042 Gentle, hear me.
3043 None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.
CLEOPATRA
3044 My resolution and my hands I’ll trust,
3045 None about Caesar.
ANTONY
3046 60 The miserable change now at my end
3047 Lament nor sorrow at, but please your thoughts
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3048
In feeding them with those my former fortunes3049 Wherein I lived the greatest prince o’ th’ world,
3050 The noblest, and do now not basely die,
3051 65 Not cowardly put off my helmet to
3052 My countryman—a Roman by a Roman
3053 Valiantly vanquished. Now my spirit is going;
3054 I can no more.
CLEOPATRA 3055 Noblest of men, woo’t die?
3056 70 Hast thou no care of me? Shall I abide
3057 In this dull world, which in thy absence is
3058 No better than a sty? O see, my women,
3059 The crown o’ th’ Earth doth melt.—My lord!
⌜Antony dies.⌝
3060 O, withered is the garland of the war;
3061 75 The soldier’s pole is fall’n; young boys and girls
3062 Are level now with men. The odds is gone,
3063 And there is nothing left remarkable
3064 Beneath the visiting moon.
CHARMIAN 3065 O, quietness, lady!
⌜Cleopatra swoons.⌝
IRAS 3066 80She’s dead, too, our sovereign.
CHARMIAN 3067 Lady!
IRAS 3068 Madam!
CHARMIAN 3069 O madam, madam, madam!
IRAS 3070 Royal Egypt! Empress!⌜Cleopatra stirs.⌝
CHARMIAN 3071 85Peace, peace, Iras!
CLEOPATRA
3072 No more but e’en a woman, and commanded
3073 By such poor passion as the maid that milks
3074 And does the meanest chares. It were for me
3075 To throw my scepter at the injurious gods,
3076 90 To tell them that this world did equal theirs
3077 Till they had stolen our jewel. All’s but naught.
3078 Patience is sottish, and impatience does
3079 Become a dog that’s mad. Then is it sin
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3080
To rush into the secret house of death3081 95 Ere death dare come to us? How do you, women?
3082 What, what, good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian?
3083 My noble girls! Ah, women, women! Look,
3084 Our lamp is spent; it’s out. Good sirs, take heart.
3085 We’ll bury him; and then, what’s brave, what’s
3086 100 noble,
3087 Let’s do ’t after the high Roman fashion
3088 And make death proud to take us. Come, away.
3089 This case of that huge spirit now is cold.
3090 Ah women, women! Come, we have no friend
3091 105 But resolution and the briefest end.
They exit, bearing off Antony’s body.