William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

OCTAVIA. Sir, look well to my husband's house; and-

CAESAR. What, Octavia?

OCTAVIA. I'll tell you in your ear.

ANTONY. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can

Her heart inform her tongue- the swan's down feather,

That stands upon the swell at the full of tide,

And neither way inclines.

ENOBARBUS. [Aside to AGRIPPA] Will Caesar weep?

AGRIPPA. [Aside to ENOBARBUS] He has a cloud in's face.

ENOBARBUS. [Aside to AGRIPPA] He were the worse for that, were he a

horse;

So is he, being a man.

AGRIPPA. [Aside to ENOBARBUS] Why, Enobarbus,

When Antony found Julius Caesar dead,

He cried almost to roaring; and he wept

When at Philippi he found Brutus slain.

ENOBARBUS. [Aside to AGRIPPA] That year, indeed, he was troubled

with a rheum;

What willingly he did confound he wail'd,

Believe't- till I weep too.

CAESAR. No, sweet Octavia,

You shall hear from me still; the time shall not

Out-go my thinking on you.

ANTONY. Come, sir, come;

I'll wrestle with you in my strength of love.

Look, here I have you; thus I let you go,

And give you to the gods.

CAESAR. Adieu; be happy!

LEPIDUS. Let all the number of the stars give light

To thy fair way!

CAESAR. Farewell, farewell! [Kisses OCTAVIA]

ANTONY. Farewell! Trumpets sound. Exeunt

ACT_3|SC_3

SCENE III.

Alexandria. CLEOPATRA'S palace

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS

CLEOPATRA. Where is the fellow?

ALEXAS. Half afeard to come.

CLEOPATRA. Go to, go to.

Enter the MESSENGER as before

Come hither, sir.

ALEXAS. Good Majesty,

Herod of Jewry dare not look upon you

But when you are well pleas'd.

CLEOPATRA. That Herod's head

I'll have. But how, when Antony is gone,

Through whom I might command it? Come thou near.

MESSENGER. Most gracious Majesty!

CLEOPATRA. Didst thou behold Octavia?

MESSENGER. Ay, dread Queen.

CLEOPATRA. Where?

MESSENGER. Madam, in Rome

I look'd her in the face, and saw her led

Between her brother and Mark Antony.

CLEOPATRA. Is she as tall as me?

MESSENGER. She is not, madam.

CLEOPATRA. Didst hear her speak? Is she shrill-tongu'd or low?

MESSENGER. Madam, I heard her speak: she is low-voic'd.

CLEOPATRA. That's not so good. He cannot like her long.

CHARMIAN. Like her? O Isis! 'tis impossible.

CLEOPATRA. I think so, Charmian. Dull of tongue and dwarfish!

What majesty is in her gait? Remember,

If e'er thou look'dst on majesty.

MESSENGER. She creeps.

Her motion and her station are as one;

She shows a body rather than a life,

A statue than a breather.

CLEOPATRA. Is this certain?

MESSENGER. Or I have no observance.

CHARMIAN. Three in Egypt

Cannot make better note.

CLEOPATRA. He's very knowing;

I do perceive't. There's nothing in her yet.

The fellow has good judgment.

CHARMIAN. Excellent.

CLEOPATRA. Guess at her years, I prithee.

MESSENGER. Madam,

She was a widow.

CLEOPATRA. Widow? Charmian, hark!

MESSENGER. And I do think she's thirty.

CLEOPATRA. Bear'st thou her face in mind? Is't long or round?

MESSENGER. Round even to faultiness.

CLEOPATRA. For the most part, too, they are foolish that are so.

Her hair, what colour?

MESSENGER. Brown, madam; and her forehead

As low as she would wish it.

CLEOPATRA. There's gold for thee.

Thou must not take my former sharpness ill.

I will employ thee back again; I find thee

Most fit for business. Go make thee ready;

Our letters are prepar'd. Exeunt MESSENGER

CHARMIAN. A proper man.

CLEOPATRA. Indeed, he is so. I repent me much

That so I harried him. Why, methinks, by him,

This creature's no such thing.

CHARMIAN. Nothing, madam.

CLEOPATRA. The man hath seen some majesty, and should know.

CHARMIAN. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

CLEOPATRA. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good Charmian.

But 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me

Where I will write. All may be well enough.

CHARMIAN. I warrant you, madam. Exeunt

ACT_3|SC_4

SCENE IV.

Athens. ANTONY'S house

Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA

ANTONY. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that-

That were excusable, that and thousands more

Of semblable import- but he hath wag'd

New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it

To public ear;

Spoke scandy of me; when perforce he could not

But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly

He vented them, most narrow measure lent me;

When the best hint was given him, he not took't,

Or did it from his teeth.

OCTAVIA. O my good lord,

Believe not all; or if you must believe,

Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,

If this division chance, ne'er stood between,

Praying for both parts.

The good gods will mock me presently

When I shall pray 'O, bless my lord and husband!'

Undo that prayer by crying out as loud

'O, bless my brother!' Husband win, win brother,

Prays, and destroys the prayer; no mid-way

'Twixt these extremes at all.

ANTONY. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point which seeks

Best to preserve it. If I lose mine honour,

I lose myself; better I were not yours

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,

Yourself shall go between's. The meantime, lady,

I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother. Make your soonest haste;

So your desires are yours.

OCTAVIA. Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak,

Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be

As if the world should cleave, and that slain men

Should solder up the rift.

ANTONY. When it appears to you where this begins,

Turn your displeasure that way, for our faults

Can never be so equal that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;

Choose your own company, and command what cost

Your heart has mind to. Exeunt

ACT_3|SC_5

SCENE V.

Athens. ANTONY'S house

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting

ENOBARBUS. How now, friend Eros!

EROS. There's strange news come, sir.

ENOBARBUS. What, man?

EROS. Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.

ENOBARBUS. This is old. What is the success?

EROS. Caesar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey,

presently denied him rivality, would not let him partake in the

glory of the action; and not resting here, accuses him of letters

he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him.

So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

ENOBARBUS. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps- no more;

And throw between them all the food thou hast,

They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony?

EROS. He's walking in the garden- thus, and spurns

The rush that lies before him; cries 'Fool Lepidus!'

And threats the throat of that his officer

That murd'red Pompey.

ENOBARBUS. Our great navy's rigg'd.

EROS. For Italy and Caesar. More, Domitius:

My lord desires you presently; my news

I might have told hereafter.

ENOBARBUS. 'Twill be naught;

But let it be. Bring me to Antony.

EROS. Come, sir. Exeunt

ACT_3|SC_6

SCENE VI.

Rome. CAESAR'S house

Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, and MAECENAS

CAESAR. Contemning Rome, he has done all this and more

In Alexandria. Here's the manner of't:

I' th' market-place, on a tribunal silver'd,

Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold