William Shakespeare's
Antony and Cleopatra
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Act III. Scene vii.
Actium. ANTONY'S camp.
Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.
- CLEOPATRA
- I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
- ENOBARBUS
- But why, why, why?
- CLEOPATRA
- Thou hast forspoke1 my being is these wars,
And say'st it is not fit
- ENOBARBUS
- Well, is it, is it?
- CLEOPATRA
- If not denounced against us, why should not we
Be there in person?2
- ENOBARBUS
- (Aside) Well, I could reply,
'If we should serve with horse and mares together,
The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear
A soldier and his horse.'3
- CLEOPATRA
- What is't you say?
- ENOBARBUS
- Your presence needs must puzzle Antony,
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from's time,
What should not then be spared. He is already
Traduced for levity, and 'tis said in Rome
That Photinus4, an eunuch, and your maids
Manage this war.
- CLEOPATRA
- Sink Rome, and their tongues rot
That speak against us! A charge we bear i' th' war,
And as the president of my kingdom will
Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.
Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS.
- ENOBARBUS
- Nay, I have done.
Here comes the Emperor.
- ANTONY
- Is it not strange, Canidius,
That from Tarentum and Brundisium
He could so quickly cut the Ionian Sea
And take in Toryne? - You have heard on't sweet?
- CLEOPATRA
- Celerity is never more admired
Than by the negligent.
- ANTONY
- A good rebuke,
Which might have well becomed the best of men,
To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we
Will fight with him by sea.
- CLEOPATRA
- By sea? What else?5
- CANIDIUS
- Why will my lord do so?
- ANTONY
- For that6 he dares us to't.
- ENOBARBUS
- So hath my lord dared him to a single fight7.
- CANIDIUS
- Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Caesar fought with Pompey. But these offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off,
And so should you.
- ENOBARBUS
- Your ships are not well manned;
Your mariners are muleters8, reapers, people
Ingrossed by swift impress9. In Caesar's fleet
Are those who have 'gainst Pompey fought;
Their ships are yare, yours heavy. No disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepared for land.
- ANTONY
- By sea, by sea.
- ENOBARBUS
- Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land,
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-marked footmen, leave unexecuted
Your own renownd knowledge, quite forgo
The way which promises assurance, and
Give up yourself merely10 to chance and hazard
From firm security.
- ANTONY
- I'll fight at sea.
- CLEOPATRA
- I have sixty sails, Caesar none better.
- ANTONY
- Our overplus of shipping we will burn11
And with the rest full-manned, from th' head of Actium
Beat th' aproaching Caesar. But if we fail
We then can do't at land.
Enter A MESSENGER
- Thy business?
- MESSENGER
- The news is true, my lord; he is descried12.
Caesar has taken Toryne.
- ANTONY
- Can he be there in person? 'Tis impossible;
Strange that his power13 should be. Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse. We'll to our ship.
Away, my Thetis14!
Enter A SOLDIER.
How now, worthy soldier?
- SOLDIER
- O noble Emperor, do not fight by sea;
Trust not to rotten planks. Do you misdoubt
This sword, and these my wounds? Let th' Egyptians
And the Phoenicans go a -ducking: we
Have used to conquer standing on the earth
And fighting foot to foot.
- ANTONY
- Well, well, away!
Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.
- SOLDIER
- By Hercules, I think I am i' th' right.
- CANIDIUS
- Soldier, thou art. But his whole action grows
Not in the power on't15: so our leader's led,
And we are women's men.
- SOLDIER
- You keep by land
The legions and the horse whole, do you not?
- CANIDIUS
- Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,
Publicola and Caelius are for sea,
But we keep whole by land. This speed of Caesar's
Carries beyond belief.
- SOLDIER
- While he was yet in Rome,
His power went out in such distractions as
Beguiled all spies16.
- CANIDIUS
- Who's his lieutenant, hear you?
- SOLDIER
- They say, one Taurus.
- CANIDIUS
- Well I know the man.
Enter A MESSENGER.
- MESSENGER
- The Emperor calls Canidius.
- CANIDIUS
- With news the time's with labour, and throws forth
Each minute some.
Next
Notes:
1. forspoke: spoken against
2. if not... person: even if the war had not been explicitly declared against her (which it has), Cleopatra claims she would have the right to participate
3. well... horse: Cleopatra will distract Antony from the battle
4. traduced for levity: condemned for frivolity
5. what else?: It is clear from this that Cleopatra has earlier convinced Antony to fight at sea
6. for that: because
7. so... fight: Enobarbus makes the point that Caesar has not accepted Antony's dares, so why should Antony accept Caesar's?
8. muleter: mule-herder
9. ingrossed by swift impress: hastily assembled by forced conscription
10. merely: wholly
11. overplus... burn: by burning his surplus ships Antony ensures those that remain are fully manned
12. descried: sighted
13. power: forces/troops
14. Thetis: a sea-goddess
15. but... on't: Antony is forming his plans disregarding where his real strength's lie
16. his power... spies: Caesar has sent his troops in all directions in order to confuse Antony
Summary:
The scene opens with Enobarbus and Cleopatra arguing over whether she should take part in the war against Caesar - she claims she has a right to as (in a clever move by Caesar) war was declared against her rather than Antony. Enobarbus protests that she will distract Antony, who enters remarking on how quick Caesar has been in the movement of his troops. Antony declares that he will fight Caesar at sea, giving as his reason that "he dares us to't". Enobarbus and Canidius warn him of the folly of accepting this challenge, pointing out that Caesar has not accepted Antony's challenges such as a duel - a fight sure to be won by Antony - and that Antony is far stronger on land. A messenger enters with the information that Caesar has indeed been sighted at Toryne, followed by a soldier returning from the battlefield who also tells Antony that his chosen course of action is foolish. However, Antony will not be swayed and with Cleopatra he heads off to do battle - he will fight at sea because it is what she desires. Whilst we admire Antony's nobility and sense of honour, we also pity the manner in which he has allowed Cleopatra to manipulate him - for all her virtues she knows little of warfare. After they leave Canidius and the soldier are pessimistic, remarking upon the skill of Caesar in hiding the movements of his troops from Antony.
I transcribed this by hand from the 1998 edition of the New Swan Shakespeare, which is published by the Longman Group and edited by John Ingledew. Hence, any errors are my own. Also mine is the summary. Most of the footnotes are taken from the New Swan.
dustfromamoth started this project, I have ripped off her format.
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