William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

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,