A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 1 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 Caesar with Agrippa, Dolabella, Maecenas, CAESAR, aside to Dolabella DOLABELLA Caesar, I shall. Dolabella exits. | Back at Caesar’s camp, Caesar sends Dolabella off to tell Antony to yield. (Clearly Caesar hasn't read Act 4 yet...) |
Enter Dercetus with the sword of Antony. CAESAR DERCETUS I am called Dercetus. CAESAR What is ’t thou say’st? 15 DERCETUS | Just then, Decretas, one of Antony’s men, enters with Antony’s sword. He announces he served Mark Antony while the good man lived and will serve Caesar now, if Caesar will have him. Caesar asks for clarification, and gets out of the woebegone Decretas that Antony is dead. |
CAESAR | Caesar is shocked and says the world should mourn, as Antony’s death is not a single one, but cause for grief on the part of half of the world (over which he was ruler). |
DERCETUS He is dead, Caesar, | Decretas explains Antony took his own life, adding honor to the final act of suicide, just as those same hands had added honor to so many acts before this one. |
CAESAR Look you sad, friends? AGRIPPA And strange it is MAECENAS His taints and honors AGRIPPA A rarer spirit never | Caesar weeps, and excuses himself, saying it is only befitting to weep over the death of kings, even if it’s the king you were trying to kill two minutes ago. (These guys have some seriously strange rationalizations for their actions.) |
MAECENAS | Maecenas insightfully contends that Antony was a mirror to Caesar, that Caesar saw part of himself in Antony. |
CAESAR O Antony, Enter an Egyptian. But I will tell you at some meeter season. | Just as Caesar launches into a speech over what a disaster it is that the two brothers in fate have come to this end, he’s interrupted by a messenger from Cleopatra. |
EGYPTIAN CAESAR Bid her have good heart. EGYPTIAN So the gods preserve thee. He exits. | The Queen wants to know what Caesar will do with her, so she can prepare herself. Caesar claims to the messenger that he’ll be gentle with her, and cause her no shame. |
CAESAR PROCULEIUS Caesar, I shall. 80 Proculeius exits. | As soon as the messenger leaves, Caesar calls Proculeius to him. Caesar instructs him to go to Cleopatra and give her what she wants to keep her comfortable. Proculeius’s real job, though, is to make sure Cleopatra doesn’t kill herself, as Caesar’s plan is to put her in his triumphant march through Rome, as a symbol of how great his victory is. |
CAESAR ALL Dolabella! CAESAR They exit. | Caesar asks his men to follow him to his tent, where he’ll show them writings that prove he was reluctant to go into this war, and further, that when in the war, he proceeded calmly and gently. |