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Rome, Italy. In the entryway of Octavius Caesar’s house.
(Agrippa enters from one direction, Domitius Enobarbus from the other)
Agrippa: Are Caesar and Antony parting company?
Domitius Enobarbus: They’ve taken care of this business with Pompey and Pompey has gone home. The other three are putting their seal of approval on the agreement with him. Octavia is crying because she has to leave Rome with Antony now. Caesar’s sad about it. And Menas says Lepidus has been sick and hungover ever since Pompey’s feast.
Agrippa: Ah, noble Lepidus.
Domitius Enobarbus: He’s a fine one. But, oh, how he loves Caesar!
Agrippa: No, loves Mark Antony!
Domitius Enobarbus: (imitating Lepidus) Caesar. He’s like the god Jupiter, the chief of the gods.
Agrippa: (also imitating Lepidus) Antony is the god above Jupiter.
Domitius Enobarbus: Did you say something about Caesar? There’s no one like him!
Agrippa: Oh, Antony, you’re as magnicifent as the Phoenix of Arabia!
Domitius Enobarbus: Do you want to compliment Caesar? Just say “Caesar”. All the compliments in the world go along with that one word.
Agrippa: (ending the imitation) Oh, Lepidus did give them both such incredible compliments.
Domitius Enobarbus: He loves Caesar the most, but he does also love Antony. Listen! Hearts, tongues, actors, writers, singers, and poets cannot think, say, act out, write, sing, or rhyme how much love Lepidus loves Antony. But as for his love for Caesar, kneel down, kneel down, and wonder at how amazing that love is.
Agrippa: He loves them both.
Domitius Enobarbus: He’s the beetle, and they’re the beetle’s shell. He can’t survive without their protection. (a trumpet blows in the house) Well, it sounds like it’s time to get on our horses. Goodbye, noble Agrippa.
Agrippa: I wish you good luck, worthy soldier. Goodbye.
(Octavius Caesar, Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavia enter)
Mark Antony: No, sir, you can’t come any further with us.
Octavius Caesar: You’re taking a great part of myself away from me. Be kind to that part. Sister, be the kind of wife that I imagine you are. Most noble Antony, don’t let this marriage that has made peace between us ever destroy that peace. It would be better if we had peace without this marriage than for either one of us to disrespect the marriage.
Mark Antony: Don’t say you don’t trust me to respect this marriage. You’ll offend me if you say that.
Octavius Caesar: I have said it.
Mark Antony: I won’t do anything to disrespect this marriage. I pray that the gods will keep you safe and that they will make every Roman person love and serve you! Goodbye.
Octavius Caesar: Goodbye, my dearest sister. I wish you well. I pray that the gods will be kind to you and will give you comfort. Goodbye.
Octavia: (crying) My noble brother!
Mark Antony: She’s crying like it rains in spring. Love is about to grow and her tears are the rainshowers to help it along. (to Octavia) Cheer up.
Octavia: Octavius, look after my dead husband’s house. And…
Octavius Caesar: What is it, Octavia?
Octavia: I’ll whisper it in your ear.
Mark Antony: Her heart and her tongue can’t agree with one another. She’s like a feather riding on a wave, going back and forth. She loves me, but she acts like she doesn’t want to go with me.
Domitius Enobarbus: (whispering to Agrippa) Do you think Caesar’s about to start crying too?
Agrippa: He looks sad.
Domitius Enobarbus: No one likes a horse with watering eyes and no one likes a crying man, either.
Agrippa: Enobarbus, you know how loud Antony cried when Julius Caesar died. He also cried when Brutus was killed in Philippi.
Domitius Enobarbus: Antony did cry a lot that year. Whenever he had to take action against someone, he cried. He cried so much that I cried too.
Octavius Caesar: No, sweet Octavia, I will write you. There won’t be a time that I’m not thinking about you.
Mark Antony: Come here, sir. Hug me. (hugs Octavius Caesar) There, I’ll let you go now and trust the gods to watch over you.
Octavius Caesar: Goodbye. I hope you will be happy!
Lepidus: Let all the stars in the universe shine down on you to light your way.
Octavius Caesar: Goodbye, goodbye! (he kisses Octavia)
Mark Antony: Goodbye!
(Trumpets blow and all exit)
Go to: Next scene (Act 3, Scene 3) or Antony and Cleopatra Table of Contents where you can also compare this scene to Shakespeare’s original.
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