Antony and Cleopatra Act 2, Scene 1

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Messina, Sicily. Pompey’s house.

(Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas enter, all in armor)

Pompey: If the gods are good, they will help the best men.

Menecrates: Understand, most worthy Pompey, that even if the gods don’t answer a prayer right away, that doesn’t mean that they won’t answer it.

Pompey: We’re praying to them, but they’re only giving us death.

Menecrates: We don’t know everything. Sometimes we ask the gods for things that would only lead to our harm. But gods, being more wise than us, then refuse to give us what we asked for, for our own good. And in the end, we find that we’ve gained more by not having our prayers answered.

Pompey: I will do well. The people love me and I rule the sea. My power’s on the rise and I’m confident that I will soon have all the power. Mark Antony’s in Egypt, busy eating his dinner and won’t come outside his house to make war. Caesar conquers and taxes people so much that he makes them hate him. Lepidus sucks up to both Antony and Caesar and both suck up to him, but he doesn’t care for either one, and neither one of them cares for him. 

Menas: Caesar and Lepidus have marched out to war and they have a very large army with them.

Pompey: Where did you hear this? It’s a lie.

Menas: Silvius told me, sir.

Pompey: He’s imagining things. I know that Caesar and Lepidus are in Rome together, waiting for Antony to return to them. But Antony is so in love with Cleopatra, so much under the spell of her beauty and his lust for her, that he won’t return. And the cooks in Egypt give him such an appetite that all he wants to do is sleep and eat. He’s forgotten all about his honor or his duty. (Varrius enters) What news do you bring, Varrius?

Varrius: I am sure of what I am about to say. Mark Antony is expected to arrive in Rome any time now. He left Egypt some time ago.

Pompey: I should have paid more attention to this. Menas, I didn’t think that love-struck puppy would have put his helmet on for such a little war. He’s twice the soldier that Caesar and Lepidus are. But think about how much of an impact we’re having if we can make the ever-lustful Antony leave that Egyptian widow.

Menas: I can’t imagine that Caesar and Antony will be happy to see each other. Antony’s dead wife did rebel against Caesar and so did Antony’s brother, even though I don’t think Antony had anything to do with it.

Pompey: I don’t know, Menas. They might forget their lesser arguments in order to focus on us. If we weren’t standing up against all three of them, they might fight each other. They’ve done each other enough harm in the past to go to war against one another, but if they’re afraid of us, they might forget their differences and unite together again. It will be as the gods decide! But it’s up to our own hands to save our lives. Let’s go, Menas.

(Pompey and Menas exit)

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