Antony and Cleopatra
| ACT III SCENE VII | Near Actium. Mark Antony’s camp. | |
| [Enter CLEOPATRA and DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS] | ||
| CLEOPATRA | I will be even with thee, doubt it not. | |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | But why, why, why? | |
| CLEOPATRA | Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars, | |
| And say’st it is not fit. | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Well, is it, is it? | 5 |
| CLEOPATRA | If not denounced against us, why should not we | |
| Be there in person? | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | [Aside] Well, I could reply: | |
| If we should serve with horse and mares together, | ||
| The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear | 10 | |
| A soldier and his horse. | ||
| CLEOPATRA | What is’t you say? | |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; | |
| Take from his heart, take from his brain, | ||
| from’s time, | 15 | |
| What should not then be spared. He is already | ||
| Traduced for levity; and ’tis said in Rome | ||
| That Photinus an eunuch and your maids | ||
| Manage this war. | ||
| CLEOPATRA | Sink Rome, and their tongues rot | 20 |
| That speak against us! A charge we bear i’ the war, | ||
| And, as the president of my kingdom, will | ||
| Appear there for a man. Speak not against it: | ||
| I will not stay behind. | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Nay, I have done. | 25 |
| Here comes the emperor. | ||
| [Enter MARK ANTONY and CANIDIUS] | ||
| MARK ANTONY | Is it not strange, Canidius, | |
| That from Tarentum and Brundusium | ||
| He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea, | ||
| And take in Toryne? You have heard on’t, sweet? | 30 | |
| CLEOPATRA | Celerity is never more admired | |
| Than by the negligent. | ||
| MARK ANTONY | A good rebuke, | |
| Which might have well becomed the best of men, | ||
| To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we | 35 | |
| Will fight with him by sea. | ||
| CLEOPATRA | By sea! what else? | |
| CANIDIUS | Why will my lord do so? | |
| MARK ANTONY | For that he dares us to’t. | |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | So hath my lord dared him to single fight. | 40 |
| CANIDIUS | Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia. | |
| Where Caesar fought with Pompey: but these offers, | ||
| Which serve not for his vantage, be shakes off; | ||
| And so should you. | ||
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Your ships are not well mann’d; | 45 |
| Your mariners are muleters, reapers, people | ||
| Ingross’d by swift impress; in Caesar’s fleet | ||
| Are those that often have ‘gainst Pompey fought: | ||
| Their ships are yare; yours, heavy: no disgrace | ||
| Shall fall you for refusing him at sea, | 50 | |
| Being prepared for land. | ||
| MARK ANTONY | By sea, by sea. | |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Most worthy sir, you therein throw away | |
| The absolute soldiership you have by land; | ||
| Distract your army, which doth most consist | 55 | |
| Of war-mark’d footmen; leave unexecuted | ||
| Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego | ||
| The way which promises assurance; and | ||
| Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard, | ||
| From firm security. | 60 | |
| MARK ANTONY | I’ll fight at sea. | |
| CLEOPATRA | I have sixty sails, Caesar none better. | |
| MARK ANTONY | Our overplus of shipping will we burn; | |
| And, with the rest full-mann’d, from the head of Actium | ||
| Beat the approaching Caesar. But if we fail, | 65 | |
| We then can do’t at land. | ||
| [Enter a Messenger] | ||
| Thy business? | ||
| Messenger | The news is true, my lord; he is descried; | |
| Caesar has taken Toryne. | ||
| MARK ANTONY | Can he be there in person? ’tis impossible; | 70 |
| Strange that power should be. Canidius, | ||
| Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land, | ||
| And our twelve thousand horse. We’ll to our ship: | ||
| Away, my Thetis! | ||
| [Enter a Soldier] | ||
| How now, worthy soldier? | 75 | |
| Soldier | O noble emperor, do not fight by sea; | |
| Trust not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt | ||
| This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians | ||
| And the Phoenicians go a-ducking; we | ||
| Have used to conquer, standing on the earth, | 80 | |
| And fighting foot to foot. | ||
| MARK ANTONY | Well, well: away! | |
| [ Exeunt MARK ANTONY, QUEEN CLEOPATRA, and DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS ] | ||
| Soldier | By Hercules, I think I am i’ the right. | |
| CANIDIUS | Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows | |
| Not in the power on’t: so our leader’s led, | 85 | |
| And we are women’s men. | ||
| Soldier | You keep by land | |
| The legions and the horse whole, do you not? | ||
| CANIDIUS | Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius, | |
| Publicola, and Caelius, are for sea: | 90 | |
| But we keep whole by land. This speed of Caesar’s | ||
| Carries beyond belief. | ||
| Soldier | While he was yet in Rome, | |
| His power went out in such distractions as | ||
| Beguiled all spies. | 95 | |
| CANIDIUS | Who’s his lieutenant, hear you? | |
| Soldier | They say, one Taurus. | |
| CANIDIUS | Well I know the man. | |
| [Enter a Messenger] | ||
| Messenger | The emperor calls Canidius. | |
| CANIDIUS | With news the time’s with labour, and throes forth, | 100 |
| Each minute, some. | ||
| [Exeunt] | ||
Antony and Cleopatra, Act 3, Scene 8
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Explanatory Notes for Act 3, Scene 7
From Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Ed. M. Eaton. Boston: Educational Publishing Company.
(Line numbers have been altered.)
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3. Forspoke. Spoken against, opposed.
6. Denounced. Pronounced; if the war is declared against us why, etc.
17. Traduced. Accused of.
21. Charge. Have a part in the expenses and supplies.
23. For. As if I were a man.
23. Take in. Capture.
34. Becomed. This form of the participle occurs several times in Shakespeare.
39. For that. For the reason that, because.
43. Vantage. Advantage.
46. Muleters. Muleteers, mule-drivers.
47. Ingross’d, etc. Levied or “impressed” into service hurriedly.
49. Yare. Light and easily managed.
50. Fall. Fall upon you.
58. Assurance. That is, assurance of success.
59. Merely. Altogether.
60. Firm. Away from.
63. Overplus. Superfluous ships.
64. Head of Actium. The promontory of Actium.
68. Descried. His approach is observed.
71. Power. His army.
72. Legions. The Roman army consisted of legions, each containing five thousand men.
72. Hold. Command.
74. Thetis. My sea nymph. Thetis was one of the Nereides or nymphs.
77. Misdoubt. Have you lost confidence in.
79. Phoenicians. In ancient times the Phoenicians were noted sailors.
79. Go-a-ducking. Take to the water as ducks do.
80. Used. Have been accustomed to.
85. Power on’t. That is, his whole plan of action is based not upon his greatest strength — i.e., his land force — but upon the whims of a woman.
92. Carries. Goes.
94. Distractions. That is, his forces marched in so many different divisions.
95. Beguiled. Deceived.
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How to cite the explanatory notes:Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra. Ed. M. Eaton. Boston: Educational Publishing Company, 1908.