Antony and Cleopatra Act 1, Scene 4

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Rome, Italy. Octavius Caesar’s house.

(Octavius Caesar, Lepidus, and their servants enter. Octavius is reading a letter)

Octavius Caesar: You can see, Lepidus, and I’ll hope you’ll know from now on, that it’s not like me to hate our partner. Here is the news from Alexandria, Egypt. Antony fishes, drinks, and wastes all day partying. He acts more like a woman than Cleopatra does. He doesn’t listen to his messengers or pay attention to his allies. He’s got everything wrong with him and yet everyone follows him.

Lepidus: I’m sure he has more good qualities than bad. Whatever faults he has are hereditary, not something he can help.

Octavius Caesar: You’re too nice to people. For the sake of argument, let’s say that there is nothing wrong with sleeping with Cleopatra Ptolemy, or with ignoring your duties to the empire to have fun, or to sit and get drunk with slaves, or to be stumbling around in the streets drunk at noon. Let’s say all these are actually good qualities in Antony since not even these things can make people think less of him. But we can’t excuse the fact that his not being here makes our job that much harder. And then he complains when we send for him to come home. He’s acting like a child, just wanting to have fun instead of looking at the big picture.

(a Messenger enters)

Lepidus: Here comes more news.

Messenger: I have done what you asked, most noble Caesar, and I’ll give you an update every hour. Pompey has many ships at sea and everyone who has been afraid of you in the past, loves Pompey now. They’re all going to the ports to join him.

Octavius Caesar: I should have known as much. They’ll support him until they find out he’s not worth supporting. The whole crowd’s like a piece of cloth in a river. They go back and forth with every wave that comes along.

Messenger: Caesar, I have to tell you. The famous pirates, Menecrates and Menas are also making trouble. No ship can sail out of Italy safely. As soon as the pirates see a ship, they seize it. It’s all because the pirates are on Pompey’s side.

Octavius Caesar: Antony, leave your lust and your drinking. When you were forced from Modena, where you killed the officials Hirtius and Pansa, you almost died of hunger. Though you were raised in luxury, you fought against your hunger better than a barbarian could have. You drank horse urine and scavenged for berries. Like a deer in winter, you ate the bark off trees. The weird animals you ate in the Alps would have killed other men. Though it was a bad time for you and a time you’d rather we forget about, you went through it all like a soldier. You’re better than this. Stop wasting your life throwing parties in Egypt.

Lepidus: It was a pity when all that happened to him.

Octavius Caesar: Let’s just hope he returns to Rome quickly. As for us, it’s time we started planning for battle. Pompey will only grow stronger the longer we wait.

Lepidus: I will tell you tomorrow, Caesar, what land and sea forces I can gather.

Octavius Caesar: I will also see what forces I can gather. Until tomorrow, goodbye.

Lepidus: Goodbye, my lord. Please let me know if you hear any more news before then.

Octavius Caesar: I certainly will, sir. You can count on it.

(all exit)

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