Act V
Scene I
Alexandria. Caesar’s camp.
Enter Caesar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Mecaenas, Gallus, Proculeius, and others, his council of war. | |
Caesar |
Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield;
|
Dolabella | Caesar, I shall. Exit. |
Enter Dercetas, with the sword of Antony. | |
Caesar |
Wherefore is that? and what art thou that darest
|
Dercetas |
I am call’d Dercetas;
|
Caesar | What is’t thou say’st? |
Dercetas | I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead. |
Caesar |
The breaking of so great a thing should make
|
Dercetas |
He is dead, Caesar;
|
Caesar |
Look you sad, friends?
|
Agrippa |
And strange it is,
|
Mecaenas |
His taints and honours
|
Agrippa |
A rarer spirit never
|
Mecaenas |
When such a spacious mirror’s set before him,
|
Caesar |
O Antony!
|
Enter an Egyptian. | |
The business of this man looks out of him;
|
|
Egyptian |
A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress,
|
Caesar |
Bid her have good heart:
|
Egyptian | So the gods preserve thee! Exit. |
Caesar |
Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say,
|
Proculeius | Caesar, I shall. Exit. |
Caesar |
Gallus, go you along. Exit Gallus. Where’s Dolabella,
|
All | Dolabella! |
Caesar |
Let him alone, for I remember now
|
Scene II
Alexandria. A room in the monument.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. | |
Cleopatra |
My desolation does begin to make
|
Enter, to the gates of the monument, Proculeius, Gallus, and Soldiers. | |
Proculeius |
Caesar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt;
|
Cleopatra | What’s thy name? |
Proculeius | My name is Proculeius. |
Cleopatra |
Antony
|
Proculeius |
Be of good cheer;
|
Cleopatra |
Pray you, tell him
|
Proculeius |
This I’ll report, dear lady.
|
Gallus | You see how easily she may be surprised: Here Proculeius and two of the Guard ascend the monument by a ladder placed against a window, and, having descended, come behind Cleopatra. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates. |
To Proculeius and the Guard. Guard her till Caesar come. Exit. | |
Iras | Royal queen! |
Charmian | O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen. |
Cleopatra | Quick, quick, good hands. Drawing a dagger. |
Proculeius |
Hold, worthy lady, hold: Seizes and disarms her.
|
Cleopatra |
What, of death too,
|
Proculeius |
Cleopatra,
|
Cleopatra |
Where art thou, death?
|
Proculeius | O, temperance, lady! |
Cleopatra |
Sir, I will eat no meat, I’ll not drink, sir;
|
Proculeius |
You do extend
|
Enter Dolabella. | |
Dolabella |
Proculeius,
|
Proculeius |
So, Dolabella,
|
Cleopatra | Say, I would die. Exeunt Proculeius and Soldiers. |
Dolabella | Most noble empress, you have heard of me? |
Cleopatra | I cannot tell. |
Dolabella | Assuredly you know me. |
Cleopatra |
No matter, sir, what I have heard or known.
|
Dolabella | I understand not, madam. |
Cleopatra |
I dream’d there was an Emperor Antony:
|
Dolabella | If it might please ye— |
Cleopatra |
His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck
|
Dolabella | Most sovereign creature— |
Cleopatra |
His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear’d arm
|
Dolabella | Cleopatra! |
Cleopatra |
Think you there was, or might be, such a man
|
Dolabella | Gentle madam, no. |
Cleopatra |
You lie, up to the hearing of the gods.
|
Dolabella |
Hear me, good madam.
|
Cleopatra |
I thank you, sir,
|
Dolabella | I am loath to tell you what I would you knew. |
Cleopatra | Nay, pray you, sir— |
Dolabella | Though he be honourable— |
Cleopatra | He’ll lead me, then, in triumph? |
Dolabella | Madam, he will; I know’t. Flourish, and shout within, “Make way there: Caesar!” |
Enter Caesar, Gallus, Proculeius, Mecaenas, Seleucus, and others of his Train. | |
Caesar | Which is the Queen of Egypt? |
Dolabella | It is the emperor, madam. Cleopatra kneels. |
Caesar |
Arise, you shall not kneel:
|
Cleopatra |
Sir, the gods
|
Caesar |
Take to you no hard thoughts:
|
Cleopatra |
Sole sir o’ the world,
|
Caesar |
Cleopatra, know,
|
Cleopatra |
And may, through all the world: ’tis yours; and we,
|
Caesar | You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. |
Cleopatra |
This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels,
|
Seleucus | Here, madam. |
Cleopatra |
This is my treasurer: let him speak, my lord,
|
Seleucus |
Madam,
|
Cleopatra | What have I kept back? |
Seleucus | Enough to purchase what you have made known. |
Caesar |
Nay, blush not, Cleopatra; I approve
|
Cleopatra |
See, Caesar! O, behold,
|
Caesar | Good queen, let us entreat you. |
Cleopatra |
O Caesar, what a wounding shame is this,
|
Caesar | Forbear, Seleucus. Exit Seleucus. |
Cleopatra |
Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought
|
Caesar |
Cleopatra,
|
Cleopatra | My master, and my lord! |
Caesar | Not so. Adieu. Flourish. Exeunt Caesar and his train. |
Cleopatra |
He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not
|
Iras |
Finish, good lady; the bright day is done,
|
Cleopatra |
Hie thee again:
|
Charmian | Madam, I will. |
Re-enter Dolabella. | |
Dolabella | Where is the queen? |
Charmian | Behold, sir. Exit. |
Cleopatra | Dolabella! |
Dolabella |
Madam, as thereto sworn by your command,
|
Cleopatra |
Dolabella,
|
Dolabella |
I your servant.
|
Cleopatra |
Farewell, and thanks. Exit Dolabella. Now, Iras, what think’st thou?
|
Iras | The gods forbid! |
Cleopatra |
Nay, ’tis most certain, Iras: saucy lictors
|
Iras | O the good gods! |
Cleopatra | Nay, that’s certain. |
Iras |
I’ll never see’t; for, I am sure, my nails
|
Cleopatra |
Why, that’s the way
|
Re-enter Charmian. | |
Now, Charmian!
|
|
Enter a Guardsman. | |
Guard |
Here is a rural fellow
|
Cleopatra |
Let him come in. Exit Guardsman. What poor an instrument
|
Re-enter Guardsman, with Clown bringing in a basket. | |
Guard | This is the man. |
Cleopatra |
Avoid, and leave him. Exit Guardsman.
|
Clown | Truly, I have him: but I would not be the party that should desire you to touch him, for his biting is immortal; those that do die of it do seldom or never recover. |
Cleopatra | Rememberest thou any that have died on’t? |
Clown | Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of them no longer than yesterday: a very honest woman, but something given to lie; as a woman should not do, but in the way of honesty: how she died of the biting of it, what pain she felt: truly, she makes a very good report o’ the worm; but he that will believe all that they say, shall never be saved by half that they do: but this is most fallible, the worm’s an odd worm. |
Cleopatra | Get thee hence; farewell. |
Clown | I wish you all joy of the worm. Setting down his basket. |
Cleopatra | Farewell. |
Clown | You must think this, look you, that the worm will do his kind. |
Cleopatra | Ay, ay; farewell. |
Clown | Look you, the worm is not to be trusted but in the keeping of wise people; for, indeed, there is no goodness in worm. |
Cleopatra | Take thou no care; it shall be heeded. |
Clown | Very good. Give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not worth the feeding. |
Cleopatra | Will it eat me? |
Clown | You must not think I am so simple but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman: I know that a woman is a dish for the gods, if the devil dress her not. But, truly, these same whoreson devils do the gods great harm in their women; for in every ten that they make, the devils mar five. |
Cleopatra | Well, get thee gone; farewell. |
Clown | Yes, forsooth: I wish you joy o’ the worm. Exit. |
Re-enter Iras with a robe, crown, etc. | |
Cleopatra |
Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
|
Charmian |
Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I may say,
|
Cleopatra |
This proves me base:
|
Charmian | O eastern star! |
Cleopatra |
Peace, peace!
|
Charmian | O, break! O, break! |
Cleopatra |
As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle—
|
Charmian |
In this vile world? So fare thee well.
|
Enter the Guard, rushing in. | |
First Guard | Where is the queen? |
Charmian | Speak softly, wake her not. |
First Guard | Caesar hath sent— |
Charmian |
Too slow a messenger. Applies an asp.
|
First Guard | Approach, ho! All’s not well: Caesar’s beguiled. |
Second Guard | There’s Dolabella sent from Caesar; call him. |
First Guard | What work is here! Charmian, is this well done? |
Charmian |
It is well done, and fitting for a princess
|
Re-enter Dolabella. | |
Dolabella | How goes it here? |
Second Guard | All dead. |
Dolabella |
Caesar, thy thoughts
|
Re-enter Caesar and all his train, marching. | |
Dolabella |
O sir, you are too sure an augurer;
|
Caesar |
Bravest at the last,
|
Dolabella | Who was last with them? |
First Guard |
A simple countryman, that brought her figs:
|
Caesar | Poison’d, then. |
First Guard |
O Caesar,
|
Caesar |
O noble weakness!
|
Dolabella |
Here, on her breast,
|
First Guard |
This is an aspic’s trail: and these fig-leaves
|
Caesar |
Most probable
|