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Translated Text |
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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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 vapor sometime like a bear or lion, A towered citadel, a pendent rock, 5 A forkèd 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. 10 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. 15 | Eros comes upon Antony, who’s philosophizing on nature—exactly what you might expect from a suicidal guy who’s just lost a great battle and is convinced that the woman he sacrificed everything for has betrayed him to his enemy. |
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— 20 Which whilst it was mine had annexed unto ’t A million more, now lost—she, Eros, has Packed cards with Caesar and false-played my glory Unto an enemy’s triumph. Nay, weep not, gentle Eros. There is left us 25 Ourselves to end ourselves. Enter Mardian. O, thy vile lady! She has robbed me of my sword. | Eros weeps, and Antony comforts him with the thought that at least his master can kill himself. This is maybe not so comforting. |
MARDIAN No, Antony, My mistress loved thee and her fortunes mingled 30 With thine entirely. ANTONY Hence, saucy eunuch! Peace! She hath betrayed me and shall die the death. MARDIAN Death of one person can be paid but once, And that she has discharged. What thou wouldst do 35 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 rendered life 40 Thy name so buried in her. | Mardian then enters. Antony rages at him, too, telling him he’ll kill Cleopatra for her betrayal. Mardian announces Cleopatra has already taken care of it, that she died with his name on her lips. |
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 45 Does pay thy labor richly. Go. Mardian exits. Off, pluck off! Eros begins to remove Antony’s armor. The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides! Heart, once be stronger than thy continent; 50 Crack thy frail case. Apace, Eros, apace! No more a soldier. Bruisèd pieces, go. You have been nobly borne.—From me awhile. Eros exits. I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now 55 All length is torture. Since the torch is out, Lie down and stray no farther. Now all labor 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. 60 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! | Antony doesn’t exactly fall on the ground, but announces that Eros should go to bed, as all their work for the day is now done. He tells Mardian to be grateful that he’s allowed to go safely, as in: "I could have you killed, but I'm not going to." Even though Antony was just raging against her, we see that the news of Cleopatra’s death is tearing him apart on the inside. He begs his heart to be stronger than his body, or, if not, at least burst open his body as it fills with grief. Antony says he will catch up with Cleopatra (in the afterlife, presumably) and weep for her forgiveness. Then he calls for Eros to return. |
Enter Eros. EROS What would my lord? 65 ANTONY Since Cleopatra died I have lived in such dishonor that the gods Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword Quartered the world and o’er green Neptune’s back With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack 70 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 75 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 color in thy cheek. 80 | Antony tells Eros that Cleopatra has made herself noble by taking her own life. She is, at the end, the sole conqueror of herself. Thus he tells Eros to kill him. |
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 windowed in great Rome and see 85 Thy master thus with pleached arms, bending down His corrigible neck, his face subdued To penetrative shame, whilst the wheeled seat Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded His baseness that ensued? 90 EROS I would not see ’t. ANTONY Come, then, for with a wound I must be cured. Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn Most useful for thy country. EROS O, sir, pardon me! 95 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 unpurposed. Draw, and come. | Eros refuses, but Antony reminds him that when he freed Eros (presumably from being a prisoner of war), Eros promised to do anything Antony wished. |
EROS Turn from me then that noble countenance 100 Wherein the worship of the whole world lies. ANTONY Lo thee! He turns away. EROS My sword is drawn. ANTONY Then let it do at once The thing why thou hast drawn it. 105 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? 110 ANTONY Now, Eros. | Eros readies to kill Antony, but demands that Antony turn away his face before Eros strikes the blow. Antony agrees, and tells Eros to do it now. |
EROS Why, there, then. Stabs himself. Thus I do escape the sorrow Of Antony’s death. Dies. | With his face turned away, Antony misses that Eros has actually plunged his sword into himself, choosing to take his own life rather than his friend’s. |
ANTONY Thrice nobler than myself, 115 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 120 As to a lover’s bed. Come then, and, Eros, Thy master dies thy scholar. To do thus I learned of thee. He stabs himself. How, not dead? Not dead? The guard, ho! O, dispatch me! 125 | Antony is so moved by the nobility of suicide that Eros and Cleopatra showed that he resolves to kill himself. Antony stabs himself, but finding he has not died immediately, he calls on the guards to finish him off. |
Enter a company of the Guard, one of them named Dercetus. 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. 130 ALL Alas, and woe! ANTONY Let him that loves me strike me dead. FIRST GUARD Not I. SECOND GUARD Nor I. THIRD GUARD Nor anyone. 135 All but Antony and Dercetus exit. DERCETUS Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly. He takes Antony’s sword. This sword but shown to Caesar with this tidings Shall enter me with him. | The guards refuse which means Antony going to die slowly and painfully. All the guards exit except one. |
Enter Diomedes. DIOMEDES Where’s Antony? DERCETUS There, Diomed, there. 140 DIOMEDES Lives he? Wilt thou not answer, man? Dercetus exits. 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. 145 ANTONY When did she send thee? DIOMEDES Now, my lord. ANTONY Where is she? DIOMEDES Locked in her monument. She had a prophesying fear 150 Of what hath come to pass. For when she saw— Which never shall be found—you did suspect She had disposed with Caesar, and that your rage Would not be purged, she sent you word she was dead; 155 But fearing since how it might work, hath sent Me to proclaim the truth, and I am come, I dread, too late. | Diomedes enters with the news that Cleopatra’s actually not dead. Oops. She was just playing a little trick because she was afraid that Antony believed she betrayed him to Caesar, which she definitely didn’t do. Then she had a premonition that something awful might happen, so she sent Diomedes to check on Antony. |
ANTONY Too late, good Diomed. Call my guard, I prithee. DIOMEDES What ho! The Emperor’s guard! The guard, what ho! 160 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. 165 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. 170 I have led you oft; carry me now, good friends, And have my thanks for all. They exit bearing Antony and the body of Eros. | Antony doesn’t flip out, but instead asks that his guards lead him to Cleopatra’s side. |