William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

Fortune and Antony part here; even here

Do we shake hands. All come to this? The hearts

That spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave

Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets

On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark'd

That overtopp'd them all. Betray'd I am.

O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm-

Whose eye beck'd forth my wars and call'd them home,

Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end-

Like a right gypsy hath at fast and loose

Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss.

What, Eros, Eros!

Enter CLEOPATRA

Ah, thou spell! Avaunt!

CLEOPATRA. Why is my lord enrag'd against his love?

ANTONY. Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving

And blemish Caesar's triumph. Let him take thee

And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians;

Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot

Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown

For poor'st diminutives, for doits, and let

Patient Octavia plough thy visage up

With her prepared nails. Exit CLEOPATRA

'Tis well th'art gone,

If it be well to live; but better 'twere

Thou fell'st into my fury, for one death

Might have prevented many. Eros, ho!

The shirt of Nessus is upon me; teach me,

Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage;

Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' th' moon,

And with those hands that grasp'd the heaviest club

Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die.

To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall

Under this plot. She dies for't. Eros, ho! Exit

ACT_4|SC_13

SCENE XIII.

Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN

CLEOPATRA. Help me, my women. O, he is more mad

Than Telamon for his shield; the boar of Thessaly

Was never so emboss'd.

CHARMIAN. To th'monument!

There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead.

The soul and body rive not more in parting

Than greatness going off.

CLEOPATRA. To th' monument!

Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself;

Say that the last I spoke was 'Antony'

And word it, prithee, piteously. Hence, Mardian,

And bring me how he takes my death. To th' monument!

Exeunt

ACT_4|SC_14

SCENE XIV.

CLEOPATRA'S palace

Enter ANTONY and EROS

ANTONY. Eros, thou yet behold'st me?

EROS. Ay, noble lord.

ANTONY. Sometime we see a cloud that's dragonish;

A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,

A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory

With trees upon't that nod unto the world

And mock our eyes with air. Thou hast seen these signs;

They are black vesper's pageants.

EROS. Ay, my lord.

ANTONY. That which is now a horse, even with a thought

The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct,

As water is in water.

EROS. It does, my lord.

ANTONY. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is

Even such a body. Here I am Antony;

Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.

I made these wars for Egypt; and the Queen-

Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine,

Which, whilst it was mine, had annex'd unto't

A million moe, now lost- she, Eros, has

Pack'd cards with Caesar, and false-play'd my glory

Unto an enemy's triumph.

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros; there is left us

Ourselves to end ourselves.

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!