A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 5 of The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra from the original Shakespeare into modern English.
Original Text |
Translated Text |
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Source: Folger Shakespeare Library | |
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian. CLEOPATRA Charmian! CHARMIAN Madam? CLEOPATRA Ha, ha! Give me to drink mandragora. CHARMIAN Why, madam? CLEOPATRA CHARMIAN You think of him too much. CLEOPATRA CHARMIAN Madam, I trust not so. | Back in Egypt, Cleopatra is having a pity party. She tells Charmian to get her a powerful sleeping drug so she can just zonk out till Antony returns. Charmian suggests her obsession is *slightly* unhealthy, and Cleopatra calls her a traitor. |
CLEOPATRA MARDIAN What’s your Highness’ pleasure? CLEOPATRA MARDIAN Yes, gracious madam. CLEOPATRA Indeed? MARDIAN | Next, Cleopatra turns her attentions to Mardian, her eunuch (a male servant who has been castrated). She asks him if he finds her attractive and he assures her he does, though he would never act on his crush. Because he can't. Because he's been castrated. |
CLEOPATRA O, Charmian, | Cleopatra then returns to sighing over Antony, wondering where he is, what he's doing, and whether or not he's thinking of her. She remembers when she was so hot that kings couldn't take their eyes off her. Both Julius Caesar and the elder Pompey brother, Gneius, were overcome by her looks alone, but now she's worrying that she’s past her prime. |
Enter Alexas from Antony. ALEXAS Sovereign of Egypt, hail! 40 CLEOPATRA ALEXAS Last thing he did, dear queen, 45 CLEOPATRA ALEXAS “Good friend,” quoth | Alexas, another of Cleopatra's servants, enters with a pearl. It’s a gift from Antony, who made a big deal about the thing before giving it to Alexas to take to the Queen. Antony promises Cleopatra will soon be called mistress of the East, because of the kingdoms he’ll win for her. |
CLEOPATRA What, was he sad, or merry? ALEXAS CLEOPATRA | Cleopatra asks Alexas how Antony looked, and is glad to hear he wasn’t really sad or really happy. She praises his moderation: seeming sad would make his followers sad, while seeming merry would make it seem like he took his job in Rome lightly. She finishes by asking if Alexas has all of her messengers ready. |
ALEXAS CLEOPATRA Who’s born that day CHARMIAN O, that brave Caesar! CLEOPATRA CHARMIAN The valiant Caesar! | Alexas wonders why Cleopatra needs all twenty messengers at once, and Cleopatra explains she needs to send a ton of love letters to Antony. Duh. She says that she never loved Julius Caesar this way, but Charmian swoons over Caesar's name and keeps saying how great he was. Cleopatra gets miffed. |
CLEOPATRA CHARMIAN By your most gracious pardon, CLEOPATRA My salad days, They exit. | Cleopatra tells Charmian she's going to give her a fat lip if she keeps up this Caesar worship, and Charmian points out she's only repeating what she's heard Cleopatra say in the past. (Ouch. That's a dig about how easily and often Cleopatra falls in and out of love.) But Cleopatra dismisses her sighs over Caesar as youthful folly, and goes back to penning her affections for Antony. |