Alexandria. Another Room in CLEOPATRA'S palace.

[Enter CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, and a Soothsayer.]

CHARMIAN.
Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most anything Alexas, almost
most absolute Alexas, where's the soothsayer that you praised so
to the queen? O that I knew this husband, which you say must
charge his horns with garlands!

ALEXAS.
Soothsayer,--

SOOTHSAYER.
Your will?

CHARMIAN.
Is this the man?--Is't you, sir, that know things?

SOOTHSAYER.
In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.

ALEXAS.
Show him your hand.

[Enter ENOBARBUS.]

ENOBARBUS.
Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough
Cleopatra's health to drink.

CHARMIAN.
Good, sir, give me good fortune.

SOOTHSAYER.
I make not, but foresee.

CHARMIAN.
Pray, then, foresee me one.

SOOTHSAYER.
You shall be yet far fairer than you are.

CHARMIAN.
He means in flesh.

IRAS.
No, you shall paint when you are old.

CHARMIAN.
Wrinkles forbid!

ALEXAS.
Vex not his prescience; be attentive.

CHARMIAN.
Hush!

SOOTHSAYER.
You shall be more beloving than beloved.

CHARMIAN.
I had rather heat my liver with drinking.

ALEXAS.
Nay, hear him.

CHARMIAN.
Good now, some excellent fortune! Let me be married to three
kings in a forenoon, and widow them all: let me have a child at
fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage: find me to marry me
with Octavius Caesar, and companion me with my mistress.

SOOTHSAYER.
You shall outlive the lady whom you serve.

CHARMIAN.
O, excellent! I love long life better than figs.

SOOTHSAYER.
You have seen and prov'd a fairer former fortune
Than that which is to approach.

CHARMIAN.
Then belike my children shall have no names:--pr'ythee, how many
boys and wenches must I have?

SOOTHSAYER.
If every of your wishes had a womb,
And fertile every wish, a million.

CHARMIAN.
Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch.

ALEXAS.
You think none but your sheets are privy to your wishes.

CHARMIAN.
Nay, come, tell Iras hers.

ALEXAS.
We'll know all our fortunes.

ENOBARBUS.
Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night, shall be--
drunk to bed.

IRAS.
There's a palm presages chastity, if nothing else.

CHARMIAN.
E'en as the o'erflowing Nilus presageth famine.

IRAS.
Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot soothsay.

CHARMIAN.
Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognostication, I cannot
scratch mine ear.--Pr'ythee, tell her but worky-day fortune.

SOOTHSAYER.
Your fortunes are alike.

IRAS.
But how, but how? give me particulars.

SOOTHSAYER.
I have said.

IRAS.
Am I not an inch of fortune better than she?

CHARMIAN.
Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where
would you choose it?

IRAS.
Not in my husband's nose.

CHARMIAN.
Our worser thoughts heavens mend!--Alexas,--come, his fortune!
his fortune!--O, let him marry a woman that cannot go, sweet
Isis, I beseech thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse!
and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him
laughing to his grave, fiftyfold a cuckold! Good Isis, hear me
this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good
Isis, I beseech thee!

IRAS.
Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is
a heartbreaking to see a handsome man loose-wived, so it is a
deadly sorrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded: therefore, dear
Isis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly!

CHARMIAN.
Amen.

ALEXAS.
Lo now, if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would
make themselves whores but they'd do't!

ENOBARBUS.
Hush! Here comes Antony.

CHARMIAN.
Not he; the queen.

[Enter CLEOPATRA.]

CLEOPATRA.
Saw you my lord?

ENOBARBUS.
No, lady.

CLEOPATRA.
Was he not here?

CHARMIAN.
No, madam.

CLEOPATRA.
He was dispos'd to mirth; but on the sudden
A Roman thought hath struck him.--Enobarbus,--

ENOBARBUS.
Madam?

CLEOPATRA.
Seek him, and bring him hither.--Where's Alexas?

ALEXAS.
Here, at your service.--My lord approaches.

CLEOPATRA.
We will not look upon him: go with us.

[Exeunt CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHAR., IRAS, ALEX., and
Soothsayer.]

[Enter ANTONY, with a MESSENGER and Attendants.]

MESSENGER.
Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.

ANTONY.
Against my brother Lucius.

MESSENGER.
Ay:
But soon that war had end, and the time's state
Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst Caesar;
Whose better issue in the war, from Italy
Upon the first encounter, drave them.

ANTONY.
Well, what worst?

MESSENGER.
The nature of bad news infects the teller.

ANTONY.
When it concerns the fool or coward.--On:--
Things that are past are done with me.--'Tis thus;
Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death,
I hear him as he flatter'd.

MESSENGER.
Labienus,--
This is stiff news,--hath, with his Parthian force,
Extended Asia from Euphrates;
His conquering banner shook from Syria
To Lydia and to Ionia;
Whilst,--

ANTONY.
Antony, thou wouldst say,--

MESSENGER.
O, my lord!

ANTONY.
Speak to me home, mince not the general tongue:
Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome;
Rail thou in Fulvia's phrase; and taunt my faults
With such full licence as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth weeds
When our quick minds lie still; and our ills told us
Is as our earing. Fare thee well awhile.

MESSENGER.
At your noble pleasure.

[Exit.]

ANTONY.
From Sicyon, ho, the news! Speak there!

FIRST ATTENDANT.
The man from Sicyon--is there such an one?

SECOND ATTENDANT.
He stays upon your will.

ANTONY.
Let him appear.--
These strong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Or lose myself in dotage.--

[Enter another MESSENGER.]

What are you?

SECOND MESSENGER.
Fulvia thy wife is dead.

ANTONY.
Where died she?

SECOND MESSENGER.
In Sicyon:
Her length of sickness, with what else more serious
Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives a letter.]

ANTONY.
Forbear me.

[Exit MESSENGER.]

There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it:
What our contempts doth often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,
By revolution lowering, does become
The opposite of itself: she's good, being gone;
The hand could pluck her back that shov'd her on.
I must from this enchanting queen break off:
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch--ho, Enobarbus!

[Re-enter ENOBARBUS.]

ENOBARBUS.
What's your pleasure, sir?

ANTONY.
I must with haste from hence.

ENOBARBUS.
Why, then we kill all our women: we see how mortal an unkindness
is to them; if they suffer our departure, death's the word.

ANTONY.
I must be gone.

ENOBARBUS.
Under a compelling occasion, let women die: it were pity to cast
them away for nothing; though, between them and a great cause
they should be esteemed nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the
least noise of this, dies instantly; I have seen her die twenty
times upon far poorer moment: I do think there is mettle in
death, which commits some loving act upon her, she hath such a
celerity in dying.

ANTONY.
She is cunning past man's thought.

ENOBARBUS.
Alack, sir, no: her passions are made of nothing but the finest
part of pure love: we cannot call her winds and waters, sighs and
tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can
report: this cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a
shower of rain as well as Jove.

ANTONY.
Would I had never seen her!

ENOBARBUS.
O sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of work; which
not to have been blest withal would have discredited your travel.

ANTONY.
Fulvia is dead.

ENOBARBUS.
Sir?

ANTONY.
Fulvia is dead.

ENOBARBUS.
Fulvia?

ANTONY.
Dead.

ENOBARBUS.
Why, sir, give the gods a thankful sacrifice. When it pleaseth
their deities to take the wife of a man from him, it shows to
man the tailors of the earth; comforting therein that when old
robes are worn out there are members to make new. If there were
no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the case
to be lamented: this grief is crown'd with consolation; your old
smock brings forth a new petticoat:--and, indeed, the tears live
in an onion that should water this sorrow.

ANTONY.
The business she hath broached in the state
Cannot endure my absence.

ENOBARBUS.
And the business you have broached here cannot be without you;
especially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your
abode.

ANTONY.
No more light answers. Let our officers
Have notice what we purpose. I shall break
The cause of our expedience to the queen,
And get her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do strongly speak to us; but the letters too
Of many our contriving friends in Rome
Petition us at home: Sextus Pompeius
Hath given the dare to Caesar, and commands
The empire of the sea; our slippery people,--
Whose love is never link'd to the deserver
Till his deserts are past,--begin to throw
Pompey the Great, and all his dignities,
Upon his son; who, high in name and power,
Higher than both in blood and life, stands up
For the main soldier: whose quality, going on,
The sides o' the world may danger: much is breeding
Which, like the courser's hair, hath yet but life
And not a serpent's poison. Say, our pleasure
To such whose place is under us, requires
Our quick remove from hence.

ENOBARBUS.
I shall do't.

[Exeunt.]

Cleopatra's palace, in Alexandria. The servants of Cleopatra's court ask a soothsayer to predict their futures. The soothsayer seems to start out well, telling Charmian that she will outlive her mistress, but then he warns that the days to come will be worse than the days past. When the soothsayer insinuates that Charmian's loose, she's had enough. The soothsayer tells Iras that her fortune will be like Charmian's. Cleopatra enters looking for Antony, and the man himself enters shortly after. Cleopatra takes off with a huff, taking her servants with her. Antony hears the messenger: his wife, Fulvia, and his brother have united in a war against Caesar, and have been driven from Italy. The other news is worse: Rome's most powerful adversaries, the Parthians, have overrun the territories of the Near and Middle East. A second messenger brings yet more grim news: his wife Fulvia is dead. Antony muses that he sometimes wished her dead while she lived, and now that she's gone he can only miss her. Antony resolves to stop dallying in Egypt. He summons Enobarbus, and informs him that they'll have to leave. Enobarbus talks, with irony and cynicism, about how their departure will shatter Cleopatra. When informed of Fulvia's death, Enobarbus continues with this lightness of tone. Antony has learned that Sextus Pompeius, the son of Pompey the great, now rules the seas in defiance of the triumvirate. Lepidus and Caesar will have need of Antony if they are to overcome him

This scene also takes place in Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria. Cleopatra's servants are talking to a fortuneteller and are trying to get him to predict how they will all fare in love. Charmian and Iras, two of Cleopatra's attendants, and Alexas, one of her male attendants, are trying to get the soothsayer to specify their futures. He avoids direct answers, however, and instead, predicts that Charmian will outlive her mistress, Cleopatra. Enobarbus, a friend to Antony and an officer in his army , is also present, and he interrupts the chatter of the servants when he hears someone coming. It is Cleopatra, looking for Antony. She says that Antony was mirthful until a "Roman thought" struck him and destroyed his happy mood. Antony enters then, accompanied by a messenger, but Cleopatra and her attendants leave before he sees them. The messenger describes to Antony the outcome of a battle involving Antony's brother, Lucius, and Antony's wife, Fulvia, against Caesar. Lucius and Fulvia, formerly enemies, united forces in order to defeat Caesar, but failed. The messenger has more to say, but he hesitates to speak plainly. Antony assures him that he need not mince words and bids him to give his message, even to the point of describing Cleopatra as she is talked about in Rome : " . . . mince not the general tongue / Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome." Another messenger enters and gives Antony a letter telling him that his wife, Fulvia, is dead and explaining what has happened. For a moment, Antony is overcome with remorse. Enobarbus, Antony's lieutenant, enters then, and Antony tells him that they must prepare to leave for Rome. Enobarbus quips that if they leave, all the women will suffer and perhaps die from their absence. Antony, however, appears determined to forsake all of the enchantments of Egypt and return home. Enobarbus, at first, cannot imagine why Antony has had such a sudden change of heart, but then Antony reveals to him that Fulvia is dead. Still, however, Enobarbus looks upon the whole matter rather cynically and tells Antony not to feel so bad; after all, Antony lost a wife he didn't want, and he now has a lover whom he does want: "This grief is crowned with consolation; your old smock brings forth a new petticoat." Enobarbus's comments, however, are ill-timed, for Antony is no longer in his usual devil-may-care mood, and he does not take Fulvia's death as lightly as his earlier behavior had led Enobarbus to expect: "No more light answers," Antony says, as he refuses to let his friend treat Fulvia's death flippantly. Furthermore, these events serve to remind Antony not to neglect his duties entirely. He resolves to return to Rome and see to business. For the time being, he must give up the pleasures of Egypt.

Scene 2 introduces us to some of the minor characters, and it also includes a conversation about the nature of love. Thus, the main theme of the play remains in the foreground. The servants' witty, if somewhat cynical, treatment of the subject of love contrasts considerably with the exalted declarations of love that were made in the opening scene. An additional touch of dramatic irony is added when Charmian is exceedingly pleased at the idea that she will live longer than her mistress; little does she realize that her mistress will soon be dead. Cleopatra's troubled comments about Antony's change of mood are characterized by her reference to Antony's "Roman thought." In Elizabethan times, the term "Roman" was often used because it was believed that the Romans as a nation were typically serious and devoted to duty ; thus, here, Cleopatra may be suggesting that Antony's thought was consistent with that sort of character; another possibility is that Antony was reminded of business which had to do with Rome -- that is, his thoughts were about Rome; he literally had a "Roman thought." Antony's demeanor is changed upon learning of the death of his wife, Fulvia. Immediately, he regrets that he once wished for her death. He sorrowfully remarks, "There's a great spirit gone!" Antony's guilt, to some extent, appears to spur his resolve to leave Egypt and return to Rome. When Enobarbus cynically comments upon the effect which their departure will have upon the women, Antony is not amused, and in contrast with his earlier speeches, where he seemed to be prepared to give up everything for the sake of love, he now seems quite willing to do just the opposite. Antony does not fear that Cleopatra will "die"; she is cunning, he says, echoing Enobarbus's comment that he has seen "her die twenty times upon far poorer moment" . In conclusion, Scene 2 basically shows the conflicting desires that struggle for dominance within Antony. He feels torn between his duties at home and his love for the Egyptian queen, and worse, he believes that he will never be able to reconcile these two passions. Yet he knows that, ultimately, he must choose one or the other. We also see contrasted in this scene the frivolity and the sensuality of life in Egypt, as typified by the games played by the servants with the soothsayer, and, in addition, we glimpse the troubled and serious world of the Romans, dominated by politics, not by love. Antony, too, senses the contrast, making plausible his sudden resolve to return to Rome and to more important matters.

Cleopatra's attendants ask a soothsayer, or fortune-teller, to reveal their futures. The Soothsayer tells Charmian and Iras, the queen's maids, that their fortunes are the same: their pasts will prove better than their futures, and they shall outlive the queen whom they serve. Cleopatra joins them, complaining that Antony has suddenly turned his mind toward Rome again. She sends Antony's follower Enobarbus to fetch his master, but changes her mind, and as Antony approaches, she leaves to avoid seeing him. A messenger reports to Antony that Fulvia and Lucius, Antony's brother, have mounted an army against Caesar but have lost their battle. When the messenger hesitantly suggests that this event would not have happened had Antony been in Rome, Antony invites the man to speak openly, to "taunt faults / With such full licence as both truth and malice / Have power to utter". Another messenger arrives to report that Fulvia is dead. Antony comments that he long desired his wife's death but now wishes her alive again. Enobarbus arrives and tries to comfort Antony with the thought that Fulvia's death was an event that should be welcomed rather than mourned. Worried that his idleness and devotion to Cleopatra are responsible for these events, as well as a battle being waged by Sextus Pompeius, who is currently attempting to take control of the seas from the triumvirs, Antony decides to break away from Cleopatra and return to Rome


Alexandria. A Room in CLEOPATRA'S palace.

[Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS.]

CLEOPATRA.
Where is he?

CHARMIAN.
I did not see him since.

CLEOPATRA.
See where he is, who's with him, what he does:--
I did not send you:--if you find him sad,
Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report
That I am sudden sick: quick, and return.

[Exit ALEXAS.]

CHARMIAN.
Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce
The like from him.

CLEOPATRA.
What should I do, I do not?

CHARMIAN.
In each thing give him way; cross him in nothing.

CLEOPATRA.
Thou teachest like a fool,--the way to lose him.

CHARMIAN.
Tempt him not so too far; I wish, forbear;
In time we hate that which we often fear.
But here comes Antony.

[Enter ANTONY.]

CLEOPATRA.
I am sick and sullen.

ANTONY.
I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose,--

CLEOPATRA.
Help me away, dear Charmian; I shall fall;
It cannot be thus long, the sides of nature
Will not sustain it.

ANTONY.
Now, my dearest queen,--

CLEOPATRA.
Pray you, stand farther from me.

ANTONY.
What's the matter?

CLEOPATRA.
I know by that same eye there's some good news.
What says the married woman?--You may go.
Would she had never given you leave to come!
Let her not say 'tis I that keep you here,--
I have no power upon you; hers you are.

ANTONY.
The gods best know,--

CLEOPATRA.
O, never was there queen
So mightily betray'd! Yet at the first
I saw the treasons planted.

ANTONY.
Cleopatra,--

CLEOPATRA.
Why should I think you can be mine and true,
Though you in swearing shake the throned gods,
Who have been false to Fulvia? Riotous madness,
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows,
Which break themselves in swearing!

ANTONY.
Most sweet queen,--

CLEOPATRA.
Nay, pray you, seek no colour for your going,
But bid farewell, and go: when you su'd staying,
Then was the time for words: no going then;--
Eternity was in our lips and eyes,
Bliss in our brows' bent; none our parts so poor
But was a race of heaven: they are so still,
Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world,
Art turn'd the greatest liar.

ANTONY.
How now, lady!

CLEOPATRA.
I would I had thy inches; thou shouldst know
There were a heart in Egypt.

ANTONY.
Hear me, queen:
The strong necessity of time commands
Our services awhile; but my full heart
Remains in use with you. Our Italy
Shines o'er with civil swords:  Sextus Pompeius
Makes his approaches to the port of Rome;
Equality of two domestic powers
Breed scrupulous faction: the hated, grown to strength,
Are newly grown to love: the condemn'd Pompey,
Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace
Into the hearts of such as have not thriv'd
Upon the present state, whose numbers threaten;
And quietness, grown sick of rest, would purge
By any desperate change. My more particular,
And that which most with you should safe my going,
Is Fulvia's death.

CLEOPATRA.
Though age from folly could not give me freedom,
It does from childishness:--can Fulvia die?

ANTONY.
She's dead, my queen.
Look here, and, at thy sovereign leisure, read
The garboils she awak'd;at the last, best.
See when and where she died.

CLEOPATRA.
O most false love!
Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water? Now I see, I see,
In Fulvia's death how mine receiv'd shall be.

ANTONY.
Quarrel no more, but be prepar'd to know
The purposes I bear; which are, or cease,
As you shall give theadvice. By the fire
That quickens Nilus' slime, I go from hence
Thy soldier, servant, making peace or war
As thou affect'st.

CLEOPATRA.
Cut my lace, Charmian, come;--
But let it be: I am quickly ill and well,
So Antony loves.

ANTONY.
My precious queen, forbear;
And give true evidence to his love, which stands
An honourable trial.

CLEOPATRA.
So Fulvia told me.
I pr'ythee, turn aside and weep for her;
Then bid adieu to me, and say the tears
Belong to Egypt: good now, play one scene
Of excellent dissembling; and let it look
Like perfect honour.

ANTONY.
You'll heat my blood: no more.

CLEOPATRA.
You can do better yet; but this is meetly.

ANTONY.
Now, by my sword,--

CLEOPATRA.
And target.--Still he mends;
But this is not the best:--look, pr'ythee, Charmian,
How this Herculean Roman does become
The carriage of his chafe.

ANTONY.
I'll leave you, lady.

CLEOPATRA.
Courteous lord, one word.
Sir, you and I must part,--but that's not it;
Sir, you and I have lov'd,--but there's not it;
That you know well: something it is I would,--
O, my oblivion is a very Antony,
And I am all forgotten.

ANTONY.
But that your royalty
Holds idleness your subject, I should take you
For idleness itself.

CLEOPATRA.
'Tis sweating labour
To bear such idleness so near the heart
As Cleopatra this. But, sir, forgive me;
Since my becomings kill me, when they do not
Eye well to you: your honour calls you hence;
Therefore be deaf to my unpitied folly,
And all the gods go with you! upon your sword
Sit laurel victory! and smooth success
Be strew'd before your feet!

ANTONY.
Let us go. Come;
Our separation so abides, and flies,
That thou, residing here, goes yet with me,
And I, hence fleeting, here remain with thee.
Away!

[Exeunt.]

Cleopatra's palace, in Alexandria. Cleopatra enters with Charmian, Alexas, and Iras. She tells them to find Antony, and exactly what deceptions to use to bring him to her. When Charmian suggests that honesty and obedience might be a better way to keep Antony's heart, Cleopatra replies that such behavior would be a sure way to lose him. When Antony appears and tries to tell Cleopatra that he must leave, her response is scathing. Even news of Fulvia's death only increases her distress: as Fulvia goes unmourned, Cleopatra says, so will she. Yet eventually she asks forgiveness for her behavior, and wishes Antony success. He promises that though they separate, they will be with each other in spirit.

The first three scenes of Act One all take place in Queen Cleopatra's palace, in Alexandria. They establish quickly the conflict between duty and passion, ambition and pleasure, Rome and Egypt. They also showcase Cleopatra's complexity: her incredible emotional vicissitudes, her theatricality, her manipulative streak, and her genuine passion for Antony. They also hint at the destructive powers of historical necessity, a great theme of the play, through the figure of the soothsayer and the juxtaposition of his unsettling presence with the gayness of Cleopatra's court. The first scene is short, and framed by the disparaging comments of Philo and Demetrius, two of Antony's men. The Roman soldiers disapprove of Antony's decadent affair with the queen, and are quick to write her off as a whore. Philo calls her a gipsy, which in Shakespeare's time connoted sorcery, treachery, and cheap trickery. Their view is simple and straightforward, and perhaps not perfectly in line with what we see when Antony and Cleopatra themselves appear. Cleopatra, though mocking of Antony's Roman duties, does in fact encourage him to hear the message. Her purposes for doing so are not entirely clear: she may be using reverse psychology on her lover, and her arguments already have a hint of irony, which can be played up in productions of the play. The theme of duty versus passion, and Rome versus Egypt, both come together in this scene. Antony is having too fine a time to be bothered by news from the capitol, and shirks his duties: "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space, / Kingdoms are clay. Egypt is escape from the duties of empire, and in Alexandria Antony is able to live life as he loves to live it. But Antony's attitude will be sharply reversed by the next scene, and he will force himself back to Rome: Antony is torn throughout the play between duty and passion, between Roman power and the good life of Egypt. He is never able to reconcile the two, and their fundamental incompatibility are emphasized by the commentary provided by Philo and Demetrius. When Antony and Cleopatra appear before us, they are beautiful in their excess. They are a grand, godlike couple, a handsome Roman general and a magnificent queen, playful and exuberant, and conscious of their glamour. Youth is not part of their glamour; both are middle-aged. Their beauty is one of ripeness and maturity, and Antony revels in his Egyptian life as rest from a lifetime of fighting wars. Antony proudly proclaims, "We stand up peerless" , and within a certain realm he's right. But the world where they stand up peerless is a different one that Rome's world of duty, war, and ambition. The couple's beautiful language and delight in one another make no great impression on Philo and Demetrius, who can't understand Antony's shirking of his duties

The scene opens with Cleopatra instructing her attendants, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras, to aid her in a plan. They are to find Antony and observe what sort of mood he is in. If he seems to be happy, they are to tell him that Cleopatra is ill. But if he seems sad or moody, on the other hand, they are to tell him that she is "dancing." Presumably, her purpose is to make Antony feel guilty about being away from her; she wants to make him think about her -- anything to draw his attention to her. It is a transparent and childish device, more typical of an adolescent than of a woman deeply in love. Antony enters and wants to tell Cleopatra the sad news of Fulvia's death. However, Cleopatra is so involved in the game that she is playing that she doesn't notice that Antony is trying to tell her something important. He keeps trying to interrupt her egotistical monologue, but he cannot manage to communicate his sorrow. First, Cleopatra feigns illness, but when she sees that Antony doesn't notice, she begins berating him for his faithlessness. After a good deal of melodramatic emoting from Cleopatra, Antony is finally able to tell her that he must leave immediately. She is caught off-guard and is so distraught that he plans to leave so quickly that she accuses him of playacting. She accuses him further of being as false to her as he is false to Fulvia. At this point, Antony is finally able to tell her that Fulvia is dead. This announcement, however, does not have the expected effect on Cleopatra. She merely retorts, selfishly, "Now I see, I see / In Fulvia's death, how mine receiv'd shall be." But Antony is not moved by her childish histrionics, and he repeats that he must return to Rome. Cleopatra continues to goad Antony, but to no effect. She repeats the charge that he is an excellent actor and that he plays well the role of an irritated, angry man. He answers Cleopatra that her own show of grief at his leaving might also be merely an act. She vows that her love for him is real and that her pain is as real as the pain of a woman in labor. Finally, it seems, she realizes that Antony's emotions may be genuine, and she also seems to realize that the quality of love is something that a person must take on faith. When the scene ends, Cleopatra is reconciled to the fact that Antony must leave, and thus they separate and swear vows of fidelity.

Several themes are developed here. Once again, we see Cleopatra in a rather unfavorable light. She still seems to be more of a scheming coquette than a woman who loves Antony sincerely. Yet Cleopatra's insecurity, her constant comparing of her own situation with that of Fulvia, could also be interpreted to mean that she does love Antony a great deal and fears to lose him. If this scene could be said to have one basic focus, it probably centers on acting and the theater -- illusion as opposed to the real world. The second half of the scene, in particular, with its many references to acting, echoes the actual "staged scene" that we saw in the first half -- that is, when Cleopatra instructed her servants to encourage Antony to worry about her and thus attract his attention. It is ironic that it is Cleopatra who accuses Antony of only acting as if he loves her; significantly, it was she, not he, who planned the earlier scenario with her servants. She herself "acts" according to plan when Antony enters, but her scheme fails when Antony refuses to humor her. As a result, they argue about whether or not their love is genuine. The familiar Shakespearean theme of reality vs. illusion is paramount here. Egypt is a dream world, a world of romance and sensual delight, compared to Rome, a world of harsh reality, a world of politics and war. As a parallel, the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra exhibits dreamlike features, as well as serious sparring. Their love vacillates between a tawdry, superficial romance, a sort of romp in the garden of earthly delights, and a love that is sadder, a deeper kind of love that is more than sensual and may possibly survive the burdens placed on it by time and the world. At this point, Shakespeare is still developing his theme of love and intrigue according to the popular ideas of his time concerning Antony and Cleopatra. Traditionally, these lovers have been presented as being entirely devoted to sensuality and self-gratification. Now, however, we see that while the faults of Shakespeare's hero and heroine are not entirely dispelled, the characters gain considerably in depth and humanity as the play progresses.

Cleopatra orders her servant Alexas to fetch Antony. When Antony enters, Cleopatra feigns a fainting spell, lamenting that Fulvia ever gave Antony leave to come to Egypt. She asks how she can have believed the vows of a man so willing to break his vows to his wife. Antony tells her of the volatile political situation in Rome and of Fulvia's death. Cleopatra notes how little he mourns and predicts that he will grieve as little after her own death. They argue about the depth and truth of his feelings, until Antony finally departs, promising that distance will not threaten their love

Act I, scenes i-iii Shakespeare organizes the plot of Antony and Cleopatra around the conflict between East and West, Egypt and Rome. He immediately establishes this opposition in the opening scene, when two Roman soldiers pass judgment on their commander, Mark Antony, for surrendering his martial duties to the exotic pleasures of Cleopatra's Egypt. The battle is not merely between two geographically distinct empires but also between two diametrically opposed worldviews. As Philo and Demetrius lament Antony's decline, claiming that his "captain's heart" now serves as "the bellows and the fan / To cool a gipsy's lust," they illustrate a divide between a world that is governed by reason, discipline, and prudence, and another ruled by passion, pleasure, and love . Cleopatra, however, is much more than the high-class prostitute that the Romans believe her to be. Often considered Shakespeare's strongest female character, Cleopatra is a consummate actress. As her first scene with Antony shows, she conducts her affair with the Roman general in a highly theatrical fashion, her actions fueled as much by the need to create a public spectacle as by the desire to satisfy a private passion. Later, upon learning of Antony's plan to return to Rome, the queen shifts from grief to anger with astonishing speed. No sooner does she recover from a fainting spell than she rails at Antony for his inability to mourn his dead wife adequately. As he prepares to leave, Cleopatra says, "But sir, forgive me, / Since my becomings kill me when they do not / Eye well to you" . Here, "becomings" refers not only to the graces that become or suit the queen but also to her fluid transformations, her many moods, and the many different versions of herself she presents. In Act I, scene i, Antony points to this mutability when he notes that Cleopatra is a woman "hom everything becomes-to chide, to laugh, / To weep" . This talent for perpetual change lends Cleopatra her characteristic sense of drama as well as her complexity. Antony, meanwhile, seems to enjoy indulging in hyperbole as much as Cleopatra. When she tells him that his duties call him home, he declares: Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space.Kingdoms are clay. Our dungy earth alikeFeeds beast as man.           His speech stands in contrast to the measured, unadorned speech of Philo and Demetrius and, later, Octavius Caesar. Antony delights in depicting himself in heroic terms--indeed, he occupies himself with thoughts of winning nobleness and honor--but already we detect the sharp tension between his rhetoric and his action. From the beginning of the play, Antony is strongly attracted to both Rome and Egypt, and his loyalty vacillates from one to the other. In these first scenes, he goes from letting "Rome in Tiber melt" to deciding that he "must from this enchanting queen break off" . His infatuation with the queen is not strong enough to overcome his sense of responsibility to Rome, and while Octavius Caesar, his efficient antagonist, has yet to appear onstage, the lengthy discussion of the strife between Fulvia, Caesar, and young Pompey reminds us of the political context of this love affair. Antony governs a third of the Roman Empire, which has endured decades of civil strife, and he and Caesar, though allies, are not true friends. Such an unstable situation does not bode well for the future of Antony's romance with the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. Here, as throughout the play, Enobarbus, Antony's most loyal supporter, serves as the voice of reason; he speaks plainly, in prose rather than verse. His estrangement from Antony increases as Antony's power wanes; for the moment, however, he represents -Antony's connection to the West and his political duties. Enobarbus's blunt honesty contrasts sharply with Cleopatra's theatricality.


Rome.  An Apartment in CAESAR'S House.

[Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, LEPIDUS, and Attendants.]

CAESAR.
You may see, Lepidus, and henceforth know,
It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate
Our great competitor. From Alexandria
This is the news:--he fishes, drinks, and wastes
The lamps of night in revel: is not more manlike
Than Cleopatra;, nor the queen of Ptolemy
More womanly than he: hardly gave audience, or
Vouchsaf'd to think he had partners: you shall find there
A man who is the abstract of all faults
That all men follow.

LEPIDUS.
I must not think there are
Evils enow to darken all his goodness:
His faults in him seem as the spots of heaven,
More fiery by night's blackness; hereditary
Rather than purchas'd; what he cannot change
Than what he chooses.

CAESAR.
You are too indulgent. Let's grant it is not
Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy;
To give a kingdom for a mirth; to sit
And keep the turn of tippling with a slave;
To reel the streets at noon, and stand the buffet
With knaves that smell of sweat: say this becomes him,--
As his composure must be rare indeed
Whom these things cannot blemish,--yet must Antony
No way excuse his foils when we do bear
So great weight in his lightness. If he fill'd
His vacancy with his voluptuousness,
Full surfeits and the dryness of his bones
Call on him for't: but to confound such time
That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud
As his own state and ours,--'tis to be chid
As we rate boys, who, being mature in knowledge,
Pawn their experience to their present pleasure,
And so rebel to judgment.

[Enter a Messenger.]

LEPIDUS.
Here's more news.

MESSENGER.
Thy biddings have been done; and every hour,
Most noble Caesar, shalt thou have report
How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea;
And it appears he is belov'd of those
That only have fear'd Caesar: to the ports
The discontents repair, and men's reports
Give him much wrong'd.

CAESAR.
I should have known no less:
It hath been taught us from the primal state
That he which is was wish'd until he were;
And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd till ne'er worth love,
Comes dear'd by being lack'd. This common body,
Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream,
Goes to and back, lackeying the varying tide,
To rot itself with motion.

MESSENGER.
Caesar, I bring thee word
Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates,
Make the sea serve them, which they ear and wound
With keels of every kind: many hot inroads
They make in Italy; the borders maritime
Lack blood to think on't, and flush youth revolt:
No vessel can peep forth but 'tis as soon
Taken as seen; for Pompey's name strikes more
Than could his war resisted.

CAESAR.
Antony,
Leave thy lascivious wassails. When thou once
Was beaten from Modena, where thou slew'st
Hirtius and Pansa, consuls, at thy heel
Did famine follow; whom thou fought'st against,
Though daintily brought up, with patience more
Than savages could suffer: thou didst drink
The stale of horses, and the gilded puddle
Which beasts would cough at: thy palate then did deign
The roughest berry on the rudest hedge;
Yea, like the stag when snow the pasture sheets,
The barks of trees thou browsed'st; on the Alps
It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh,
Which some did die to look on: and all this,--
It wounds thine honour that I speak it now,--
Was borne so like a soldier that thy cheek
So much as lank'd not.

LEPIDUS.
'Tis pity of him.

CAESAR.
Let his shames quickly
Drive him to Rome; 'tis time we twain
Did show ourselves i' thefield; and to that end
Assemble we immediate council: Pompey
Thrives in our idleness.

LEPIDUS.
To-morrow, Caesar,
I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly
Both what by sea and land I can be able
To front this present time.

CAESAR.
Till which encounter
It is my business too. Farewell.

LEPIDUS.
Farewell, my lord: what you shall know meantime
Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,
To let me be partaker.

CAESAR.
Doubt not, sir;
I knew it for my bond.

[Exeunt.]

Caesar's house, in Rome. Octavius and Lepidus, followed by their train, discuss Antony. While Lepidus is inclined to defend Antony, Octavius condemns Antony's neglect of his duties. A messenger brings news that Sextus Pompeius' power by sea grows only greater. Lepidus and Octavius go their separate ways, to evaluate their capabilities before meeting tomorrow to discuss how to battle Pompey

The scene now shifts to Rome and focuses on a discussion between Antony's co-triumvirs as they discuss the problems facing the empire. Here we have our first glimpse of Caesar Octavius and Lepidus. Although the subject of their discussion is Antony, their criticisms of him reveal a good deal about their own characters, not all of it praiseworthy. Caesar enters reading a letter and is followed by Lepidus and their attendants. The two Romans catalogue Antony's faults , and there is heavy irony in their apparent concession that Antony's activities might be acceptable under other circumstances. That is, Caesar says, "let's grant it is not / Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy" ; of course, Julius Caesar, Octavius's uncle, enjoyed engaging in such sexual activities. A messenger enters then with news from abroad: Pompey and two infamous pirates, Menecrates and Menas, are making "the sea serve them"; they have made "many hot inroads" into Italy, as well as creating havoc in the Mediterranean. Caesar uses this bad news as one more excuse to disparage Antony, who is conveniently absent and cannot defend himself. As an example of Antony's character, or lack of it, Caesar recalls an incident when Antony was "beaten from Modena," and not only was Antony defeated, but "famine did follow." Caesar also recalls that Antony escaped with his forces to the Alps, where he "didst drink / The stale of horses and the gilded puddle / Which beasts would cough at." Caesar is saddened: "It wounds thine honor . . . " he says, that Antony can now act so immaturely.

Caesar admonishes Antony, the absent triumvir, to leave his "lascivious wassails " and to return to duty. He dwells on Antony's sensuality and his love of food and drink, and he hints further that Antony lacks character, for it is well known that in the difficult journey across the Alps, Antony would eat virtually anything rather than starve. Caesar cites the fact that Antony drank "gilded puddle"  and "browsed on"  tree bark rather than die in defeat. These acts of desperation, he says, suggest that Antony is a man of ignoble tastes, preferring as he does now the base pleasures of Egypt. Yet while it is true that Antony is a far more sensual and even a more self-indulgent man  than Caesar, the fact that Antony could and did survive the rigors of an Alpine winter attest to the fact that Antony has the prime virtues of strength and courage, regardless of whatever flaws of character that Caesar might accuse him of. Caesar, it should be noted, interprets Antony's character in the worst possible way. As a result, his attempt to turn these incidents into an indictment against Antony tells us, in reality, more about young Caesar's insecurities than it does about Antony. In the course of this play, we shall find that although Caesar is probably the more clever of the two men, Antony has a generosity of spirit that seldom permits him to level such abuses on Caesar and his excesses. Interestingly, the scene ends as Caesar tells Lepidus that he is eager for the two of them to "show ourselves on the field"; he and Lepidus then pledge their loyalty to each other, echoing an earlier, similar pledge between Antony and Cleopatra in the previous scene.

In Rome, young Octavius Caesar complains to Lepidus, the third triumvir, that Antony has abandoned his responsibilities as a statesman and, in doing so, has also abandoned the better part of his manhood. Lepidus attempts to defend Antony, suggesting that Antony's weaknesses for fishing, drinking, and reveling are traits he inherited rather than ones he has chosen. Caesar remains unconvinced, declaring that Antony has no business enjoying himself in Egypt during a time of crisis. A messenger arrives with news that Pompey's forces are both gathering strength and finding support among those whose prior allegiance to Caesar arose from fear, not duty. Remembering Antony's valiant and unparalleled performance as a soldier, Caesar laments that Antony is not with them. He and Lepidus agree to raise an army against Pompey

Act I, scenes iv-v; Act II, scenes i-ii  Unlike Shakespeare's other great tragedies, Antony and Cleopatra is not confined to a single geographical location. Whereas Macbeth unfolds in Scotland and Hamlet in Denmark's Elsinore castle, Antony and Cleopatra takes the audience from one end of the Mediterranean Sea to the other in the course of a scene change. This technique is noteworthy for several reasons. First, it shows the global concerns of the play: traveling from Alexandria to Athens to Rome to Syria demonstrates the scope of the empire for which Antony, Cleopatra, and Caesar struggle. Second, the use of rapidly shifting locales shows that Shakespeare has become less interested in the deep psychological recesses that he examines in his greatest tragedies and is now addressing more public concerns. A stylistic result of Shakespeare's interest in the broader world is that Antony and Cleopatra lacks soliloquies, a device that Shakespeare elsewhere uses to reveal his characters' hidden thoughts to the audience. As he shuttles the audience from Egypt to Rome, Shakespeare introduces the other members of the triumvirate who, with Antony, have ruled the Roman Empire since Julius Caesar's death. Octavius Caesar, Julius's nephew, stands in stark contrast to Antony. His first lines establish him as a man ruled by reason rather than passion, duty rather than desire. He complains that Antony neglects affairs of state in order to fish, drink, and waste the night away in revelry. Even though he lacks the military prowess that he praises in Antony, Caesar is, politically speaking, ever practical and efficient. That he disapproves so strongly of Antony's relationship with Cleopatra foreshadows the collapse of the triumvirate and forecasts Caesar's role as a worthy adversary. Although he speaks little in Act I, scene iv, Lepidus emerges as the weakest of the three Roman leaders. Neither heroic like Antony nor politically astute like Caesar, Lepidus lacks the power and command of his fellow triumvirs. Ledipus works desperately to maintain a balance of power by keeping Caesar and Antony on amiable terms. When Caesar criticizes Antony, Lepidus urges him not to condemn their fellow triumvir so harshly, and later entreats Antony to speak gently when speaking to Caesar. The triumvirate is a triangular form of government, and it is little wonder, given the extreme weakness of one of its sides, that it soon collapses. The focus on Roman politics and the rising threat of war in Act I, scene iv and Act II, scene i threatens to overshadow the romantic interests of the title characters. To prevent this eclipse, Shakespeare returns the audience to Egypt, in the brief interlude of Act I, scene v. This interlude reminds the audience of Cleopatra's passion and the threat it poses to the stability of the empire. Enobarbus's lengthy description of Cleopatra in Act II, scene ii testifies to Cleopatra's power. Her beauty is so incomparable, her charms so strong that the "vilest things / Become themselves in her, that the holy priests / Bless her when she is riggish " . Her talent for transforming the "vilest things" into things of beauty, and for overturning entire systems of morality so that priests alter their understanding of what is holy and what is sinful, is Cleopatra's greatest strength.


Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

[Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN.]

CLEOPATRA.
Charmian,--

CHARMIAN.
Madam?

CLEOPATRA.
Ha, ha!--
Give me to drink mandragora.

CHARMIAN.
Why, madam?

CLEOPATRA.
That I might sleep out this great gap of time
My Antony is away.

CHARMIAN.
You think of him too much.

CLEOPATRA.
O, 'tis treason!

CHARMIAN.
Madam, I trust, not so.

CLEOPATRA.
Thou, eunuch Mardian!

MARDIAN.
What's your highness' pleasure?

CLEOPATRA.
Not now to hear thee sing; I take no pleasure
In aught an eunuch has; 'tis well for thee
That, being unseminar'd, thy freer thoughts
May not fly forth of Egypt. Hast thou affections?

MARDIAN.
Yes, gracious madam.

CLEOPATRA.
Indeed!

MARDIAN.
Not in deed, madam; for I can do nothing
But what indeed is honest to be done:
Yet have I fierce affections, and think
What Venus did with Mars.

CLEOPATRA.
O Charmian,
Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he or sits he?
Or does he walk? or is he on his horse?
O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!
Do bravely, horse! for wott'st thou whom thou mov'st?
The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm
And burgonet of men.--He's speaking now,
Or murmuring 'Where's my serpent of old Nile?'
For so he calls me.--Now I feed myself
With most delicious poison:--think on me,
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black,
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Caesar,
When thou wast here above the ground I was
A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his aspect and die
With looking on his life.

[Enter ALEXAS.]

ALEXAS.
Sovereign of Egypt, hail!

CLEOPATRA.
How much unlike art thou Mark Antony!
Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.--
How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

ALEXAS.
Last thing he did, dear queen,
He kiss'd,--the last of many doubled kisses,--
This orient pearl: his speech sticks in my heart.

CLEOPATRA.
Mine ear must pluck it thence.

ALEXAS.
'Good friend,' quoth he
'Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress.' So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-girt steed,
Who neigh'd so high that what I would have spoke
Was beastly dumb'd by him.

CLEOPATRA.
What, was he sad or merry?

ALEXAS.
Like to the time o' the year between the extremes
Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry.

CLEOPATRA.
O well-divided disposition!--Note him,
Note him, good Charmian; 'tis the man; but note him:
He was not sad,--for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his; he was not merry,--
Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both:
O heavenly mingle!--Be'st thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,
So does it no man else.--Mett'st thou my posts?

ALEXAS.
Ay, madam, twenty several messengers.
Why do you send so thick?

CLEOPATRA.
Who's born that day
When I forget to send to Antony
Shall die a beggar.--Ink and paper, Charmian.--
Welcome, my good Alexas.--Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Caesar so?

CHARMIAN.
O that brave Caesar!

CLEOPATRA.
Be chok'd with such another emphasis!
Say 'the brave Antony.'

CHARMIAN.
The valiant Caesar!

CLEOPATRA.
By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth
If thou with Caesar paragon again
My man of men.

CHARMIAN.
By your most gracious pardon,
I sing but after you.

CLEOPATRA.
My salad days,
When I was green in judgment:--cold in blood,
To say as I said then!--But come, away;
Get me ink and paper: he shall have every day
A several greeting,
Or I'll unpeople Egypt.

[Exeunt.]

Cleopatra, attended by Charmian, Iras, and Mardian, languishes without Antony. Alexas arrives with news from Antony, assuring her of his continued devotion and that his martial endeavors will make her mistress of the East. Cleopatra seems delighted to have news from her lover, and asks Charmian if ever she loved Caesar so. When Charmian teases her mistress, saying that once Julius Caesar was considered to be a paragon of men, Cleopatra replies that those were "salad days," when she was green, and therefore younger and knew less.

In scenes three through five, we leap from Egypt to Rome to Egypt again. The concerns in these two places could not be more different. Note that when Romans speak to each other, the concern is over empire, duty, and politics. The theme of Rome versus Egypt becomes clear here. Octavius and Lepidus exhibit none of the sense of play seen in Egypt, where even servants play along wittily with their masters. Both scenes four and five show characters discussing Antony. Octavius and Lepidus evaluate him as a soldier, and Octavius condemns him roundly as a "man who is th'abstract of all faults / That all men follow". When Cleopatra and her attendants speak of Antony, it is entirely within the context of her love affair with him. The vast leaps in space constitute one of Antony and Cleopatra's famous characteristics. No other play of Shakespeare's makes such vast leaps, from one edge of the known world to the other, and back again. These leaps in space parallel the jumps in perspective: in scenes four and five, we get two completely different descriptions of Antony. While Lepidus praises Antony, defending him against Caesar's charges of moral failure, he does not use the same criteria of judgment as Cleopatra. These leaps in perspective help to create great portraits of character, even though the play that has more talk than action: while we don't see the kind of amazing drama of Macbeth or King Lear, we are treated to eloquent discussions of characters by other characters. Compare in 1. 1 the difference between Philo's descriptions of Antony and Cleopatra and the description Antony and Cleopatra give themselves. Compare the Romans' different descriptions of Cleopatra. Enobarbus' description of Cleopatra in 1. 2 is different from Philo's easy label of "strumpet" in 1. 1. Antony describes her quite differently at different points in the play. Throughout the play, pay attention to the descriptions characters give other characters, and the portraits that emerge

Again we return to Alexandria; Cleopatra is in her palace with her attendants, Charmian and Iras, and Mardian, a eunuch. Now that Antony has departed, Cleopatra is at a loss for something to occupy her time. Primarily, she spends most of her time thinking of him and worrying about what he is doing; she seems to be more like a lovesick adolescent in this scene than the ruler of a great country. She asks for mandragora, a sleeping potion, so that she can "sleep out this great gap of time Antony is away." She asks Mardian, perhaps only half-jokingly, if he has any "affections" or passionate feelings at all. He tells her that he does, although he can "do nothing"; yet, there are acts that he thinks about "fiercely." This is a play on words to some extent, for Cleopatra may be referring to any strong emotional feeling. Although Mardian's answer is ambiguous, one gets the impression that he is conscious of both meanings, and his answer seems to hint that although his sexual role in life is limited, he is as capable of passion and feeling as his mistress, Cleopatra, is. Cleopatra then turns to Charmian and asks her to imagine what Antony is doing at this moment, how he looks, and what he is thinking. She can think of nothing that is not concerned with her love for Antony. She is about to swallow the "delicious poison" when one of her servants, Alexas, enters with news of Antony. Cleopatra is delighted, and she tells Alexas that the mere fact that he has been near Antony makes him more precious in her eyes. Alexas gives the Queen a pearl, a gift from Antony. It is a particularly valuable pearl for Alexas says that Antony kissed it; in fact, Antony bestowed upon it "many doubled kisses." In addition, Alexas says that Antony will "piece / throne with kingdoms. All the East . . . shall call her mistress." Cleopatra then eagerly questions Alexas about Antony: how he appeared and what sort of mood he was in. She also asks Alexas whether Antony seemed sad or merry, but Alexas quickly perceives that both potential responses could be wrong answers at this point; therefore, he diplomatically states that Antony seemed neither very sad nor very happy. This seems to satisfy Cleopatra, who would have been disturbed if Antony were distressed, but she would have been furious if he seemed too happy -- without her. She then gives Alexas a message to deliver to Antony. Cleopatra asks Charmian, as proof of Cleopatra's love for Antony, if she ever saw Cleopatra love Caesar so well. Charmian, not as clever nor as astute as Alexas in gauging Cleopatra's moods, gives an answer that praises Caesar. That is a mistake; Cleopatra wants unqualified assurance that she never loved anyone as much as she loves Antony; she wants to hear it confirmed that every lover she had before Antony was a mere trifle, a flirtation. Only now has Cleopatra discovered true love. In response to Charmian's comment, Cleopatra orders Charmian never to compare Antony with Caesar again, nor even to suggest that they are equal in any way.

This portrait of Cleopatra is, to a great extent, very much like her legendary reputation -- that is, Cleopatra is a beautiful seductress, whose power to charm men is derived, in part, from her beauty and, in part, from her beguiling craftiness. Shakespeare doesn't deviate far from this characterization, one which was well known in his day. But beneath Cleopatra's whims and her girlish melodramatics over her absent lover, there is a hint that the very strength of her feeling portends a deeper affection than her behavior would indicate. It is as if adversity and tragedy must work their magic on this all-too-earthly pair before they and we, the audience, realize that the love which they profess may, in fact, be almost a supernatural love, a force ultimately more powerful to Antony than the fate of the Roman Empire itself.

Cleopatra complains to Charmian that she misses Antony. She wonders what he is doing and whether he, in turn, is thinking of her. Alexas enters and presents her with a gift from Antony: a pearl. He tells the queen that Antony kissed the gemstone upon leaving Egypt and ordered it be delivered to Cleopatra as a token of his love. Cleopatra asks if he appeared sad or happy, and she rejoices when Alexas responds that Antony seemed neither: to appear sad, Cleopatra says, might have contaminated the moods of his followers, while a happy countenance could have jeopardized his followers' belief in his resolve. Cleopatra orders Alexas to prepare twenty messengers, so that she can write to Antony on each day of his absence. She promises, if need be, to "unpeople Egypt" by turning all of its citizens into messengers


Messina. A Room in POMPEY'S house.

[Enter POMPEY, MENECRATES, and MENAS.]

POMPEY.
If the great gods be just, they shall assist
The deeds of justest men.

MENECRATES.
Know, worthy Pompey,
That what they do delay they not deny.

POMPEY.
Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays
The thing we sue for.

MENECRATES.
We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers.

POMPEY.
I shall do well;
The people love me, and the sea is mine;
My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope
Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony
In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make
No wars without doors: Caesar gets money where
He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,
Of both is flatter'd; but he neither loves
Nor either cares for him.

MENAS.
Caesar and Lepidus
Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry.

POMPEY.
Where have you this? 'tis false.

MENAS.
From Silvius, sir.

POMPEY.
He dreams: I know they are in Rome together,
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy wan'd lip!
Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both!
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite;
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dullness.

[Enter VARRIUS.]

How now, Varrius!

VARRIUS.
This is most certain that I shall deliver:--
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected: since he went from Egypt 'tis
A space for further travel.

POMPEY.
I could have given less matter
A better ear.--Menas, I did not think
This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his helm
For such a petty war; his soldiership
Is twice the other twain: but let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck
The ne'er lust-wearied Antony.

MENAS.
I cannot hope
Caesar and Antony shall well greet together:
His wife that's dead did trespasses to Caesar;
His brother warr'd upon him; although, I think,
Not mov'd by Antony.

POMPEY.
I know not, Menas,
How lesser enmities may give way to greater.
Were't not that we stand up against them all,
'Twere pregnant they should square between themselves;
For they have entertained cause enough
To draw their swords: but how the fear of us
May cement their divisions, and bind up
The petty difference, we yet not know.
Be't as our gods will have't! It only stands
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.
Come, Menas.

[Exeunt.]

Messina. Pompey's house. Pompey discusses strategy with his men, Menas and Menecrates, confidently assessing his fortunes. When Menas reports that Lepidus and Octavius Caesar are in the field against him, Pompey dismisses it: they wait in Rome, helpless without Antony. Pompey is counting on Antony to stay in Egypt with Cleopatra. Varrius enters with bad news: Antony has returned. Pompey is distressed, as Antony is by far the best soldier of the triumvirate. Menas hopes that Antony and Octavius will not be able to work together, due to the fact that Antony's brother and late wife warred against Octavius, but Pompey points out that natural enemies may band together against a common threat

In this scene, set in the insurrectionists' camp, Pompey , a rival general of the Triumvirate, plans his strategy with two of his officers, the sea pirates Menas and Menecrates. Pompey brags that he shall do well. Menas, however, is cautious and tells Pompey not to be overconfident, for Caesar and Lepidus are in the field and are prepared to fight and defend the empire. Pompey, however, rejects this news; he says, "I know they are in Rome together, / Looking for Antony." Furthermore, he says that Cleopatra's wiles and her "Epicurean cooks sauce appetite" that Antony will be completely seduced by luxury that he will either forget about politics altogether or else he will be unable to defeat his enemies -- if he finally does remember where his duty lies. Varrius, an officer, enters bearing a message: Antony is expected to arrive in Rome momentarily, and, in fact, he has probably already arrived. This news disturbs Pompey, who now realizes that Antony may indeed be a threat. However, Pompey is not easily discouraged, and so he makes new plans. Menas suggests to Pompey that there is a weak link in the chain that forms the Triumvirate; a rumor persists that there is an enmity between Antony and Caesar. He also tells Pompey that Lucius Antony and Fulvia joined forces against Caesar not long ago. Although it is doubted that Antony had anything to do with the attack, as he apparently didn't, perhaps there is some truth to the rumor that there are hard feelings within the Triumvirate. Pompey, of course, hopes that these alleged quarrels between Antony and Caesar will cause a sufficient rift, and that the Triumvirate will be weakened as a fighting force. Pompey can thus easily overwhelm them. However, Pompey is also aware of the possibility that the threat of an invasion from the outside will cause the Triumvirate to set aside their personal differences for the time being in order to meet with and oppose a common enemy. This is, in fact, what happens, at least for a while.

Pompey, an enemy of the Triumvirate which currently rules Rome, believes that his hold over that portion of the Mediterranean that he controls is increasing. He believes, moreover, that he is now in a position to challenge the empire with little threat from Antony, who appears to have forsaken politics for love. Pompey is convinced that Antony, an experienced soldier, is the only real obstacle in his quest for power, and now with Antony diverted by Cleopatra, Pompey can accomplish a decisive victory. To Pompey, young Caesar is not much more than a whelp, an upstart who has little support from the masses. As for Lepidus, Pompey simply discounts him as being no more than an ineffectual figurehead. This scene, then, gives us a view of the unstable political arena that such men as Pompey and Caesar move in. It is not a particularly attractive place. We also see how the struggles between Antony and Caesar are viewed by an outsider, a somewhat more objective viewer than either of the two triumvirs themselves. Unlike Caesar, though, Pompey does not underestimate Antony's ability. However, like Caesar, Pompey feels that Antony has gone to extremes in his total absorption in sensual pleasure to the exclusion of the real world. But if Antony has been lured so completely by love that he has forgotten his place as ruler of one-third of the empire, then perhaps he may be discounted, after all, as an enemy worth worrying about. At this point, Pompey seems fairly confident that he could win a war against the other two-thirds of the world -- against Caesar and Lepidus -- and thus place himself in a position to rule all of the empire.

Pompey discusses the military situation with his lieutenants, Menecrates and Menas. He feels confident of victory against the triumvirs not only because he controls the sea and is popular with the Roman people, but also because he believes that Antony, the greatest threat to his power, is still in Egypt. Menas reports that Caesar and Lepidus have raised an army, and another soldier, Varrius, arrives to tell them that Antony has come to Rome. Menas expresses his hope that Caesar and Antony's mutual enmity will give rise to a battle between the two triumvirs, but Pompey predicts that the two will come together in order to fend off a common enemy


Rome. A Room in the House of LEPIDUS.

[Enter ENOBARBUS and LEPIDUS.]

LEPIDUS.
Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,
And shall become you well, to entreat your captain
To soft and gentle speech.

ENOBARBUS.
I shall entreat him
To answer like himself: if Caesar move him,
Let Antony look over Caesar's head,
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard,
I would not shave't to-day.

LEPIDUS.
'Tis not a time
For private stomaching.

ENOBARBUS.
Every time
Serves for the matter that is then born in't.

LEPIDUS.
But small to greater matters must give way.

ENOBARBUS.
Not if the small come first.

LEPIDUS.
Your speech is passion:
But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

[Enter ANTONY and VENTIDIUS.]

ENOBARBUS.
And yonder, Caesar.

[Enter CAESAR, MAECENAS, and AGRIPPA.]

ANTONY.
If we compose well here, to Parthia;
Hark, Ventidius.

CAESAR.
I do not know,
Maecenas; ask Agrippa.

LEPIDUS.
Noble friends,
That which combin'd us was most great, and let not
A leaner action rend us. What's amiss,
May it be gently heard: when we debate
Our trivial difference loud, we do commit
Murder in healing wounds: then, noble partners,--
The rather for I earnestly beseech,--
Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms,
Nor curstness grow to the matter.

ANTONY.
'Tis spoken well.
Were we before our armies, and to fight,
I should do thus.

CAESAR.
Welcome to Rome.

ANTONY.
Thank you.

CAESAR.
Sit.

ANTONY.
Sit, sir.

CAESAR.
Nay, then.

ANTONY.
I learn you take things ill which are not so,
Or being, concern you not.

CAESAR.
I must be laugh'd at
If, or for nothing or a little, I
Should say myself offended, and with you
Chiefly i' the world; more laugh'd at that I should
Once name you derogately, when to sound your name
It not concern'd me.

ANTONY.
My being in Egypt, Caesar,
What was't to you?

CAESAR.
No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

ANTONY.
How intend you practis'd?

CAESAR.
You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent
By what did here befall me. Your wife and brother
Made wars upon me; and their contestation
Was theme for you, you were the word of war.

ANTONY.
You do mistake your business; my brother never
Did urge me in his act: I did inquire it;
And have my learning from some true reports
That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather
Discredit my authority with yours;
And make the wars alike against my stomach,
Having alike your cause? Of this my letters
Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel
As matter whole you have not to make it with,
It must not be with this.

CAESAR.
You praise yourself
By laying defects of judgment to me; but
You patch'd up your excuses.

ANTONY.
Not so, not so;
I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,
Very necessity of this thought, that I,
Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought,
Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars
Which 'fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would you had her spirit in such another:
The third o' theworld is yours; which with a snaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

ENOBARBUS.
Would we had all such wives, that the men
Might go to wars with the women.

ANTONY.
So much uncurbable, her garboils, Caesar,
Made out of her impatience,--which not wanted
Shrewdness of policy too,--I grieving grant
Did you too much disquiet: for that you must
But say I could not help it.

CAESAR.
I wrote to you
When rioting in Alexandria; you
Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts
Did gibe my missive out of audience.

ANTONY.
Sir,
He fell upon me ere admitted: then
Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want
Of what I was i' the morning: but next day
I told him of myself; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.

CAESAR.
You have broken
The article of your oath; which you shall never
Have tongue to charge me with.

LEPIDUS.
Soft, Caesar!

ANTONY.
No; Lepidus, let him speak.
The honour is sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it.--But on, Caesar;
The article of my oath.

CAESAR.
To lend me arms and aid when I requir'd them;
The which you both denied.

ANTONY.
Neglected, rather;
And then when poison'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power
Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.

LEPIDUS.
'Tis noble spoken.

MAECENAS.
If it might please you to enforce no further
The griefs between ye: to forget them quite
Were to remember that the present need
Speaks to atone you.

LEPIDUS.
Worthily spoken, Maecenas.

ENOBARBUS.
Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may,
when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again: you shall
have time to wrangle in when you have nothing else to do.

ANTONY.
Thou art a soldier only: speak no more.

ENOBARBUS.
That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.

ANTONY.
You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more.

ENOBARBUS.
Go to, then; your considerate stone!

CAESAR.
I do not much dislike the matter, but
The manner of his speech; for't cannot be
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet if I knew
What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge
O' the world, I would pursue it.

AGRIPPA.
Give me leave, Caesar,--

CAESAR.
Speak, Agrippa.

AGRIPPA.
Thou hast a sister by the mother's side,
Admir'd Octavia: great Mark Antony
Is now a widower.

CAESAR.
Say not so, Agrippa:
If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof
Were well deserv'd of rashness.

ANTONY.
I am not married, Caesar: let me hear
Agrippa further speak.

AGRIPPA.
To hold you in perpetual amity,
To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts
With an unslipping knot, take Antony
Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims
No worse a husband than the best of men;
Whose virtue and whose general graces speak
That which none else can utter. By this marriage
All little jealousies, which now seem great,
And all great fears, which now import their dangers,
Would then be nothing: truths would be tales,
Where now half tales be truths: her love to both
Would each to other, and all loves to both,
Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke;
For 'tis a studied, not a present thought,
By duty ruminated.

ANTONY.
Will Caesar speak?

CAESAR.
Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd
With what is spoke already.

ANTONY.
What power is in Agrippa,
If I would say 'Agrippa, be it so,'
To make this good?

CAESAR.
The power of Caesar, and
His power unto Octavia.

ANTONY.
May I never
To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,
Dream of impediment!--Let me have thy hand:
Further this act of grace; and from this hour
The heart of brothers govern in our loves
And sway our great designs!

CAESAR.
There is my hand.
A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother
Did ever love so dearly: let her live
To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never
Fly off our loves again!

LEPIDUS.
Happily, amen!

ANTONY.
I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst Pompey;
For he hath laid strange courtesies and great
Of late upon me. I must thank him only,
Lest my remembrance suffer ill report;
At heel of that, defy him.

LEPIDUS.
Time calls upon's:
Of us must Pompey presently be sought,
Or else he seeks out us.

ANTONY.
Where lies he?

CAESAR.
About the Mount Misenum.

ANTONY.
What is his strength
By land?

CAESAR.
Great and increasing; but by sea
He is an absolute master.

ANTONY.
So is the fame.
Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it:
Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, despatch we
The business we have talk'd of.

CAESAR.
With most gladness;
And do invite you to my sister's view,
Whither straight I'll lead you.

ANTONY.
Let us, Lepidus,
Not lack your company.

LEPIDUS.
Noble Antony,
Not sickness should detain me.

[Flourish. Exeunt CAESAR, ANTONY, and LEPIDUS.]

MAECENAS.
Welcome from Egypt, sir.

ENOBARBUS.
Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Maecenas!--my honourable friend,
Agrippa!--

AGRIPPA.
Good Enobarbus!

MAECENAS.
We have cause to be glad that matters are so well digested. You
stay'd well by it in Egypt.

ENOBARBUS.
Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance, and made the night
light with drinking.

MAECENAS.
Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but twelve
persons there. Is this true?

ENOBARBUS.
This was but as a fly by an eagle: we had much more monstrous
matter of feast, which worthily deserved noting.

MAECENAS.
She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

ENOBARBUS.
When she first met Mark Antony she pursed up his heart, upon the
river of Cydnus.

AGRIPPA.
There she appeared indeed; or my reporter devised well for her.

ENOBARBUS.
I will tell you.
The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,
Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold;
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that
The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water which they beat to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lie
In her pavilion,--cloth-of-gold of tissue,--
O'er-picturing that Venus where we see
The fancy out-work nature: on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid did.

AGRIPPA.
O, rare for Antony!

ENOBARBUS.
Her gentlewomen, like the Nereids,
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes,
And made their bends adornings: at the helm
A seeming mermaid steers: the silken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands
That yarely frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible perfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast
Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Enthron'd i' the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in nature.

AGRIPPA.
Rare Egyptian!

ENOBARBUS.
Upon her landing, Antony sent to her,
Invited her to supper: she replied
It should be better he became her guest;
Which she entreated: our courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of 'No' woman heard speak,
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast,
And, for his ordinary, pays his heart
For what his eyes eat only.

AGRIPPA.
Royal wench!
She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed:
He ploughed her, and she cropp'd.

ENOBARBUS.
I saw her once
Hop forty paces through the public street;
And, having lost her breath, she spoke and panted,
That she did make defect perfection,
And, breathless, power breathe forth.

MAECENAS.
Now Antony must leave her utterly.

ENOBARBUS.
Never; he will not:
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies: for vilest things
Become themselves in her; that the holy priests
Bless her when she is riggish.

MAECENAS.
If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle
The heart of Antony, Octavia is
A blessed lottery to him.

AGRIPPA.
Let us go.--
Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest
Whilst you abide here.

ENOBARBUS.
Humbly, sir, I thank you.

[Exeunt.]

Rome. Lepidus' house. Enter Lepidus and Enobarbus. Lepidus tries to get Enobarbus to keep his master's temper calm, but Enobarbus refuses, acting a bit ornery himself. Antony and Ventidius enter from one side, Caesar with Agrippa and Maecenas from the other. Lepidus urges unity. Caesar and Antony butt heads, with Caesar asking if Antony incited his brother and late wife against him. When assured that it was not so, he accuses Antony of breaking his oath by dallying in Egypt while his fellow triumvirs were threatened in Rome. Antony makes as much apology as he can without compromising his honor. Maecenas urges them to remember the common threat, and Enobarbus tells them they'll have time to fight each other when Pompey is beaten. Antony tells Enobarbus to be quiet, several times, before the soldier falls silent. Octavius says there's truth in what Enobarbus says, and that they need a way to make a lasting peace between them. Agrippa suggests that Antony marry Octavius' sister, Octavia. Octavius and Antony agree to it. Antony expresses a preference for a diplomatic resolution with Pompey. The triumvirs decide that before they go off to deal with the threat, Antony's marriage to Octavia should be settled. All exit except Enobarbus, Agrippa, and Maecenas. They are eager for stories of Egypt and Cleopatra. Enobarbus entertains them with the story of Cleopatra's seduction of Antony. To meet him, she came in a splendid royal barge, and invited him to be her guest. Incredibly opulent, magnificent as a hostess, she won his heart. Then he tells another story of Cleopatra, on an occasion when she was out of breath on a public street. At that moment she was no less splendid than when she was in her barge. She can "make defect perfection" , and Enobarbus cannot believe that Antony will ever leave her

At the beginning of the scene, in Rome, Lepidus meets briefly with Antony's friend Enobarbus. He asks Enobarbus to suggest to Antony that he exercise some tact and gentleness when he meets with Caesar. But Enobarbus, who is aware that Antony will not accept any suggestion that would make him appear weak to his rival, retorts that Antony will answer Caesar's questions in a manner worthy of himself. Antony will not demean himself to Caesar; if necessary, he will "speak as loud as Mars." Caesar and Antony and their attendants enter, and Lepidus urges them to reaffirm their alliance before the security of the empire is destroyed. To emphasize the gravity of the situation, he uses the image of a surgeon who kills his patient by treating him too roughly; he hopes that this metaphor will vividly reveal what might happen to Rome if the two men don't mend their differences. He further compares the petty quarrels of Caesar and Antony to a minor wound; it would be a pity, he says, to lose the patient as a result. The two rivals greet each other politely and proceed to discuss their problems. Antony asks Caesar directly if his living in Egypt has bothered Caesar. Caesar hesitates; he denies that he cares where Antony lives, unless Antony's purpose in living far from Rome was to "practice on my state" -- that is, to plot against Caesar. This is a far different statement that Caesar makes in Antony's presence, compared to the bold words he used earlier when he was damning Antony's actions to Lepidus. At this point, Antony asks Caesar what he meant when he used the word "practice." Caesar replies that he was referring to the attack made on him by Fulvia and Lucius Antony. Antony denies that he himself had any part in that plot, and he accuses Caesar of attempting to find a ground for a quarrel where none exists. Having gotten nowhere with his arguments, Caesar says that he felt personally slighted when Antony refused to receive his ambassadors, an incident that we ourselves witnessed in the opening scene of the play. Since this accusation is true, Antony doesn't dispute it. On the contrary, he attempts to be conciliatory, without conceding any more than he has to. Maecenas, an officer of Caesar's, suggests a change of subject, and Enobarbus adds that they should save their petty disagreements for a time when Pompey is no longer a threat. Antony tells Enobarbus to "speak no more." Since Enobarbus is only a soldier and not a statesman, he should not attempt to give advice to his superiors. Enobarbus responds by saying that he had forgotten that "truth should be silent," and that out of consideration for Antony he will be a "considerate stone," or, more colloquially, as "dumb as a stone." Now that the generals' differences have been aired, Agrippa, a friend of Caesar's, suggests that their differences could be healed by a marriage that would cement their alliance, a marriage that would stand as a pledge of loyalty between them. He proposes that a marriage should be arranged between Antony and Caesar's sister, Octavia. Such a marriage would show the world the solidarity of the Triumvirate and would increase public confidence in their rule. Caesar watches to see how Antony reacts to the idea, and when he sees that Antony agrees to it immediately, he too gives his approval. Thus the two men shake hands to seal the agreement. The discussion then turns to the subject of their common enemy, Pompey. Pompey's main strength is derived from his sea power because of his great naval fleet. At last, Antony is fully aware of the imminence of Pompey's threat, and he urges them all to make plans to face Pompey as soon as possible and defeat him before his power increases even more. With their differences settled for the time being, the three triumvirs exit, leaving behind their officers, Enobarbus, Maecenas, and Agrippa. At this point, Enobarbus tells the others about Egypt, describing the luxury in which he and Antony lived. He describes Cleopatra, recalling one incident in particular, when she was sailing on the Nile in an elegant barge. From this description, it is possible to see how Antony could be so entranced by Cleopatra. Enobarbus also describes one of the first times that the lovers met. Antony had invited Cleopatra to dine with him, but she insisted that she provide a dinner for him. Of course, he accepted. Comparing this meal to a dinner bought in a tavern, Enobarbus comments, without exaggeration, that Antony paid the bill with his heart. Maecenas comments that it will be a sad thing indeed if Antony must now give up Cleopatra, since he is about to marry Octavia, but Enobarbus replies that Antony will never be able to leave Cleopatra, for no other woman can match her charm and beauty. Maecenas is not so sure; he says that if any woman can compare with Cleopatra, the beautiful and equally charming Octavia can. The scene ends with Enobarbus's accepting Agrippa's invitation to stay at his house while he and Antony are in Rome.

This scene focuses on power, its psychology and its strategies. The language concerns politics and negotiation, with the key emphasis here on vantage status. Shakespeare's description of the dispute between the triumvirs as being similar to "murder  in healing wounds" reflects the playwright's concern with the way in which nations are governed, and also the wit with which he can draw back and describe the situation so that we can see the dangers and the emotions involved. The bickering in this scene, coupled with the astronomical illusions of the preceding scene with Pompey, suggest the precariousness of men's fortunes and the extent to which they are guided, often wrongly, by a lust for power. Lepidus acts as a go-between to some extent -- that is, he hopes that this meeting will enable Antony and Caesar to resolve their differences. Realistically, of course, he fears that the pride and the quick tempers of both men might interfere with any lasting reconciliation. In particular, he knows that Antony can only manipulate with great tact, and he does not think that the young Caesar, who at the moment feels as if he has been slighted, realizes this. Although both generals pride themselves on their skill at high-level political negotiating, their egos, rather than their reason, appear to dominate this debate. The audience is left with an impression of totally useless and petty bickering. Caesar is obviously a testy and suspicious young man; he trusts no one, and while this is not an endearing quality, it will ultimately help him succeed in the world of politics and in his struggle for power. This proposed marriage between Octavia and Antony involves yet another sharp difference in the two worlds of love and politics: in the scenes set in Egypt, we clearly saw that Antony and Cleopatra were genuinely attracted to each other. However, this Roman marriage between Octavia and Antony is a purely political alliance. Antony and Octavia hardly know each other. Love has no part in this union and, here, Shakespeare is emphasizing the political views of the powerful, practical Romans. This was no imaginative plot complication; power is a strong aphrodisiac.

Lepidus tells Enobarbus that Antony should use "soft and gentle speech" when speaking to Caesar. Enobarbus answers that Antony will speak as plainly and honestly as any great man should. Antony and Caesar enter with their attendants and sit down to talk. Caesar complains of the rebellion that Fulvia and Antony's brother raised against him. He asks why Antony dismissed his messengers in Alexandria and accuses Antony of failing in his obligation to provide military aid to the other triumvirs. Antony defends himself, and Maecenas, one of Caesar's companions, suggests that they put aside their bickering in order to face Pompey. Agrippa, another of Caesar's men, suggests that Antony marry Caesar's sister, Octavia. This bond, he claims, would cement the men's affection for and alliance with one another. Antony consents. Caesar and Antony shake hands, promising brotherly love, and they agree to march together toward Pompey's stronghold on Mount Misenum. When the triumvirs disperse, Enobarbus tells Agrippa of the good life they lived in Egypt. He describes how Cleopatra first came to meet Antony, comparing the queen to Venus, the goddess of love. Antony, he maintains, will never be able to leave her, despite his marriage to Octavia. Age cannot wither her, nor custom staleHer infinite variety. Other women cloyThe appetites they feed, but she makes hungryWhere most she satisfies


Rome. A Room in CAESAR'S House.

[Enter CAESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them, and Attendants.]

ANTONY.
The world and my great office will sometimes
Divide me from your bosom.

OCTAVIA.
All which time
Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers
To them for you.

ANTONY.
Good night, sir.--My Octavia,
Read not my blemishes in the world's report:
I have not kept my square; but that to come
Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady.--

OCTAVIA.
Good night, sir.

CAESAR.
Good night.

[Exeunt CAESAR and OCTAVIA.]

[Enter SOOTHSAYER.]

ANTONY.
Now, sirrah, you do wish yourself in Egypt?

SOOTHSAYER.
Would I had never come from thence, nor you
Thither!

ANTONY.
If you can, your reason.

SOOTHSAYER.
I see it in my motion, have it not in my tongue; but yet
Hie you to Egypt again.

ANTONY.
Say to me,
Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Caesar's or mine?

SOOTHSAYER.
Caesar's.
Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side:
Thy demon, that thy spirit which keeps thee, is
Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable,
Where Caesar's is not; but near him thy angel
Becomes a fear, as being o'erpower'd: therefore
Make space enough between you.

ANTONY.
Speak this no more.

SOOTHSAYER.
To none but thee; no more but when to thee.
If thou dost play with him at any game,
Thou art sure to lose; and of that natural luck
He beats thee 'gainst the odds: thy lustre thickens
When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit
Is all afraid to govern thee near him;
But, he away, 'tis noble.

ANTONY.
Get thee gone:
Say to Ventidius I would speak with him:--

[Exit SOOTHSAYER.]

He shall to Parthia.--Be it art or hap,
He hath spoken true: the very dice obey him;--
And in our sports my better cunning faints
Under his chance: if we draw lots, he speeds;
His cocks do win the battle still of mine,
When it is all to nought; and his quails ever
Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt:
And though I make this marriage for my peace,
I' the East my pleasure lies.

[Enter VENTIDIUS.]

O, come, Ventidius,
You must to Parthia: your commission's ready;
Follow me and receive it.

[Exeunt.]

Rome. Caesar's house. Octavius presents his sister Octavia to Antony. Antony promises to be a better man than. Octavius and his sister exit. The soothsayer enters, and warns Antony that as long as he and Caesar stand side by side, Antony will lose. Alone, Antony muses that the Soothsayer is right: in every game of chance, in every trifling matter, Caesar seems to beat him against the odds. He will send Ventidius to Parthia, to deal with the threat there, and keep his marriage for the sake of peace. But for pleasure, he will eventually return to Egypt

As the scene opens, still in Rome, Antony and Octavia, the betrothed couple, bid each other good night, and Antony admonishes Octavia not to believe all that she hears of him. Seemingly, he hopes to reassure his future wife that he will be a good husband, in spite of his past reputation for sexual excesses. His words, however, ring hollow at this point. As Octavia and her brother Caesar leave, the soothsayer from Egypt enters, and Antony is reminded of Egypt and all his pleasures there. Antony asks the soothsayer, "whose fortunes shall rise higher, Caesar's or mine?" The soothsayer warns Antony that he can never achieve any great success so long as he remains "by side," for Caesar will always overshadow him. This disturbs Antony, and he abruptly tells the Egyptian not to speak of such things. Instead, he turns his attention to tactical matters. He speaks of a plan to send his officer Ventidius to Parthia to suppress some trouble in the East. Antony is troubled; he cannot forget what he has just been told by the soothsayer. He is also troubled by his memories of how he has always fared the worst in any competition with Caesar, even in mere games. He wonders if the soothsayer has indeed spoken truthfully. But again he resolves to put such matters out of his mind, and he decides impulsively to go to Egypt . Although he will soon marry Octavia, he cannot forget his strong passion for Cleopatra, and although he tried to reassure Octavia that he would be a good husband, and despite the fact that he wants to maintain harmony between himself and Caesar, Antony decides that he must go to Cleopatra. He is not an evil man; he does not purposely want to hurt Octavia, but he cannot calm his passions. Politics are one matter, but love is another, and thus we see his duplicity in the fact that he can pledge his loyalty to Octavia one minute, while planning all the while to return to his real love, Cleopatra, as soon as possible. While such marriages of convenience were no doubt common and quite acceptable, Antony's sudden shifts of thought, and especially his surges of desire, again illustrate how Antony is caught between the pressing duties of Rome and the urgent demands of love. In one moment, Antony seems to be all business -- planning military strategy like a militaristic Roman general -- and in the next minute, he can think of nothing but Cleopatra and the pleasure that awaits him in Egypt. Significantly, at this point, Antony cannot face the challenge of facing up to Caesar and testing his valor, so, for the moment, he puts all thoughts of that problem out of his mind and decides to hurry back to Cleopatra.

This scene illustrates very briefly and very succinctly Antony's greatest weakness: his inability to face facts. He is not wholly honest with himself, and so he fares poorly when he is matched with those who are more self-confident than he is. Antony's weakest flaw of all, however, is his overpowering passion for Cleopatra -- especially its illegitimacy. This fact was not lost on Shakespeare's audience; great love stories were often told and much admired, but the ideal love story centered on a love that was climaxed by marriage. Here, this is impossible; despite Antony's love for Cleopatra, it has led him to duplicity, and eventually it will cause his death. The question which Shakespeare is already posing for us is whether or not Antony's means of achieving his love's desires are justified.

Antony promises Octavia that although his duties will often force him to be away from her, he will avoid the sexual indiscretions of his past. Octavia and Caesar depart, and Antony is joined by the Egyptian soothsayer, who predicts Antony's return to Egypt. Antony asks whether he or Caesar has the brighter future, and the Soothsayer answers that Caesar's fortune will rise higher. As long as Antony remains in Rome, the Soothsayer predicts, he will be overshadowed by Caesar. He advises Antony to leave plenty of space between himself and Caesar. Antony dismisses the fortune-teller but agrees with his assessment, and he resigns himself to returning to the East, where his "pleasure lies". Antony summons Ventidius, a soldier and friend, and commissions him to go east to make war against the kingdom of Parthia

Act II, scenes iii-vi Although the contradictory impressions we are given of the major characters may be confusing, they allow us to gain a more complex understanding of each character by seeing him or her from a variety of viewpoints. For example, in the opening scenes of the play, Demetrius and Philo complain that their general has sacrificed his better self for the sake of a gypsy's lust. Three scenes later, Caesar describes Antony's incomparable prowess in battle, confirming the audience's impression of the general's military might. When Antony appears in Act II, scene iii, however, he seems less interested in maintaining this heroic reputation than in pursuing his own pleasure. We may find it difficult to decide whether the Antony we see is the celebrated war hero or a man corrupted by his desires for fame and romance. The play does not offer simple answers to such questions, because it declines to privilege one point of view over another. Throughout, we must balance Caesar's impressions with Enobarbus's in order to reconcile Cleopatra's understanding of Antony with Antony's understanding of himself. Antony, like each character in the play, is the product of three distinct elements: what other characters think of him, what he thinks of himself, and what he does. Although in other plays Shakespeare often limits the number of lenses through which the audience views his characters, he refrains from doing so in Antony and Cleopatra. Antony is not simply a hero, nor is he simply a fool who has thrown away reason and duty for love. An accurate picture of his character must incorporate both of these traits. Similarly, Cleopatra is both the regal, incomparably beautiful seductress of Enobarbus's speech and the spoiled, petty tyrant who beats her servant for delivering unwelcome news. More than any other character in the play--and perhaps in all of Shakespeare--Cleopatra assumes each of these contradictory roles with unmatched passion and flair. She is, above all else, a consummate actress, a woman whose grief over Antony's marriage to Octavia can be soothed only by the theatrics of drawing a knife on her innocent messenger. Cleopatra's over-the-top behavior may cause us to doubt the authenticity of her emotions and question whether her grief is more performance than actual feeling. But to entertain such doubts about her may be to look at the play too much from the Roman point of view. We should remember that Cleopatra is more than the harlot the Romans see when they look at her. As Enobarbus says in Act II, scene ii, Cleopatra is a woman of "infinite variety": there is room in her for both theatrical emotions and genuine love, for both stately grandeur and for girlish insecurity . The Roman characters repeatedly remark that Cleopatra's beauty is sufficient to undo otherwise indestructible men. In general, Antony and Cleopatra exhibits a great deal of anxiety about the power of women over men. The Romans constantly chastise Cleopatra for her ability to topple Antony's sense of reason and duty, while they expect Octavia to quell the animosity between Antony and Caesar by serving to "knit  hearts / With an unslipping knot" . Notably, both the blame for men's downfalls and the hope for their recovery are burdens placed on women.


Rome. A street.

[Enter LEPIDUS, MAECENAS, and AGRIPPA.]

LEPIDUS.
Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten
Your generals after.

AGRIPPA.
Sir, Mark Antony
Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow.

LEPIDUS.
Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress,
Which will become you both, farewell.

MAECENAS.
We shall,
As I conceive the journey, be at the mount
Before you, Lepidus.

LEPIDUS.
Your way is shorter;
My purposes do draw me much about.
You'll win two days upon me.

BOTH.
Sir, good success!

LEPIDUS.
Farewell.

[Exeunt.]

A street in Rome. Lepidus, Agrippa, and Maecenas part. Their different forces will meet again on the field

As the scene opens in Rome, Lepidus is being escorted by two officers, Maecenas and Agrippa, and after they have walked with him a while, he tells them that they may return to their business, which at this point is to prepare for possible battle with Pompey.

This transition scene seems to serve no critical purpose, except to remind the audience of the counterforce to love in this drama -- that is, the forces of politics and power, twin forces which are forever struggling for Antony's loyalty. We are also reminded again that intrigue abounds, and that events will soon begin to move rapidly toward a crisis.

Meanwhile, Lepidus orders Maecenas and Agrippa to gather their soldiers and meet at Mount Misenum, where they shall confront Pompey's army