Antony and Cleopatra
| ACT IV SCENE VI | Alexandria. Octavius Caesar’s camp. | |
| [ Flourish. Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, AGRIPPA, with DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS, and others ] | ||
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight: | |
| Our will is Antony be took alive; | ||
| Make it so known. | ||
| AGRIPPA | Caesar, I shall. | |
| [Exit] | ||
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | The time of universal peace is near: | 5 |
| Prove this a prosperous day, the three-nook’d world | ||
| Shall bear the olive freely. | ||
| [Enter a Messenger] | ||
| Messenger | Antony | |
| Is come into the field. | ||
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Go charge Agrippa | 10 |
| Plant those that have revolted in the van, | ||
| That Antony may seem to spend his fury | ||
| Upon himself. | ||
| [Exeunt all but DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry on | |
| Affairs of Antony; there did persuade | 15 | |
| Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar, | ||
| And leave his master Antony: for this pains | ||
| Caesar hath hang’d him. Canidius and the rest | ||
| That fell away have entertainment, but | ||
| No honourable trust. I have done ill; | 20 | |
| Of which I do accuse myself so sorely, | ||
| That I will joy no more. | ||
| [Enter a Soldier of CAESAR’s] | ||
| Soldier | Enobarbus, Antony | |
| Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with | ||
| His bounty overplus: the messenger | 25 | |
| Came on my guard; and at thy tent is now | ||
| Unloading of his mules. | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | I give it you. | |
| Soldier | Mock not, Enobarbus. | |
| I tell you true: best you safed the bringer | 30 | |
| Out of the host; I must attend mine office, | ||
| Or would have done’t myself. Your emperor | ||
| Continues still a Jove. | ||
| [Exit] | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | I am alone the villain of the earth, | |
| And feel I am so most. O Antony, | 35 | |
| Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid | ||
| My better service, when my turpitude | ||
| Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart: | ||
| If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean | ||
| Shall outstrike thought: but thought will do’t, I feel. | 40 | |
| I fight against thee! No: I will go seek | ||
| Some ditch wherein to die; the foul’st best fits | ||
| My latter part of life. | ||
| [Exit] | ||
Antony and Cleopatra, Act 4, Scene 7
___________
Explanatory Notes for Act 4, Scene 6
From Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Ed. M. Eaton. Boston: Educational Publishing Company.
(Line numbers have been altered.)
__________
2. Took. Taken.
6. Three-nook’d. That is, one divided between Caesar, Antony and Lepidus.
11. Plant. That is, to plant or place.
14. Jewry. That is, Judea.
17. Pains. That is, for the pains or trouble he took.
19. Entertainment. Are allowed to serve him but are not trusted.
25. Overplus. That is, with presents added to it.
26. On my guard. That is, where I was on guard.
30. Safed. Give him safe conduct out of the army.
37. Turpitude. Baseness.
38. Blows. Breaks. The figure seems to be that this act of Antony fills his heart with remorse almost to bursting.
40. Thought. Bitter reflections.
___________
How to cite the explanatory notes:Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra. Ed. M. Eaton. Boston: Educational Publishing Company, 1908.