Go to: Antony and Cleopatra Table of Contents, where you can also read the CLASSICS REVITALIZED paraphrase of this scene
Alexandria. A monument.
(Enter, above, Cleopatra, Charmian and Iras.)
Cleopatra: O Charmian, I will never go from hence!
Charmian: Be comforted, dear madam.
Cleopatra: No, I will not: /All strange and terrible events are welcome, /But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow, /Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great /As that which makes it./(Enter, below, Diomedes.)/How now! is he dead?
Diomedes: His death's upon him, but not dead. /Look out o' the other side your monument; /His guard have brought him thither.
(Enter, below, Antony, borne by the Guard.)
Cleopatra: O sun, /Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in! darkling stand /The varying shore o' the world. O Antony, /Antony, Antony! Help, Charmian; help, Iras, help, /Help, friends below; let's draw him hither.
Antony: Peace! /Not Caesar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, /But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.
Cleopatra: So it should be, that none but Antony /Should conquer Antony; but woe 'tis so!
Antony: I am dying, Egypt, dying; only /I here importune death awhile, until /Of many thousand kisses the poor last /I lay upon thy lips.
Cleopatra: I dare not, dear, /Dear my lord, pardon, I dare not, /Lest I be taken: not the imperious show /Of the full-fortun'd Caesar ever shall /Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents, have /Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe; /Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes /And still conclusion, shall acquire no honour /Demuring upon me. But come, come, Antony, /Help me, my women, we must draw thee up; /Assist, good friends.
Antony: O, quick, or I am gone.
Cleopatra: Here's sport indeed! How heavy weighs my lord! /Our strength is all gone into heaviness; /That makes the weight: had I great Juno's power, /The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up, /And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little, /Wishers were ever fools, O come, come;
(They draw Antony up.)
And welcome, welcome! die where thou hast liv'd: /Quicken with kissing: had my lips that power, /Thus would I wear them out.
All: A heavy sight!
Antony: I am dying, Egypt, dying: /Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.
Cleopatra: No, let me speak; and let me rail so high /That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel, /Provok'd by my offence.
Antony: One word, sweet queen: /Of Caesar seek your honour, with your safety. O!
Cleopatra: They do not go together.
Antony: Gentle, hear me: /None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.
Cleopatra: My resolution and my hands I'll trust; /None about Caesar.
Antony: The miserable change now at my end /Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts /In feeding them with those my former fortunes /Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world, /The noblest; and do now not basely die, /Not cowardly put off my helmet to /My countryman, a Roman by a Roman /Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going: /I can no more.
Cleopatra: Noblest of men, woo't die? /Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide /In this dull world, which in thy absence is /No better than a sty? O, see, my women,/(Antony dies.)/The crown o' the earth doth melt. My lord! /O, wither'd is the garland of the war, /The soldier's pole is fallen: young boys and girls /Are level now with men: the odds is gone, /And there is nothing left remarkable /Beneath the visiting moon.
(Faints.)
Charmian: O, quietness, lady!
Iras: She is dead too, our sovereign.
Charmian: Lady!
Iras: Madam!
Charmian: O madam, madam, madam!
Iras: Royal Egypt, Empress,
Charmian: Peace, peace, Iras!
Cleopatra: No more but e'en a woman, and commanded /By such poor passion as the maid that milks /And does the meanest chares. It were for me /To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods; /To tell them that this world did equal theirs /Till they had stol'n our jewel. All's but naught; /Patience is sottish, and impatience does /Become a dog that's mad: then is it sin /To rush into the secret house of death /Ere death dare come to us? How do you, women? /What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian! /My noble girls! Ah, women, women, look, /Our lamp is spent, it's out! Good sirs, take heart: /We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's noble, /Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, /And make death proud to take us. Come, away: /This case of that huge spirit now is cold: /Ah, women, women! Come; we have no friend /But resolution, and the briefest end.
(Exeunt; those above bearing off Antony's body.)
Go to: Next scene (Act 5, Scene 1), or Antony and Cleopatra Table of Contents, where you can also read the CLASSICS REVITALIZED paraphrase of this scene
No comments:
Post a Comment