The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare [book recommendations based on other books txt] 📗

O my brave Emperor, this is fought indeed!

Had we done so at first, we had droven them home With clouts about their heads.

ANTONY. Thou bleed’st apace.

SCARUS. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now ‘tis made an H.

ANTONY. They do retire.

SCARUS. We’ll beat’em into bench-holes. I have yet Room for six scotches more.

 

Enter EROS

 

EROS. They are beaten, sir, and our advantage serves For a fair victory.

SCARUS. Let us score their backs

And snatch ‘em up, as we take hares, behind.

‘Tis sport to maul a runner.

ANTONY. I will reward thee

Once for thy sprightly comfort, and tenfold For thy good valour. Come thee on.

SCARUS. I’ll halt after. Exeunt ACT_4|SC_8

SCENE VIII.

Under the walls of Alexandria Alarum. Enter ANTONY, again in a march; SCARUS

with others

 

ANTONY. We have beat him to his camp. Run one before And let the Queen know of our gests. Tomorrow, Before the sun shall see’s, we’ll spill the blood That has to-day escap’d. I thank you all; For doughty-handed are you, and have fought Not as you serv’d the cause, but as’t had been Each man’s like mine; you have shown all Hectors.

Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends, Tell them your feats; whilst they with joyful tears Wash the congealment from your wounds and kiss The honour’d gashes whole.

 

Enter CLEOPATRA, attended [To SCARUS] Give me thy hand-To this great fairy I’ll commend thy acts, Make her thanks bless thee. O thou day o’ th’ world, Chain mine arm’d neck. Leap thou, attire and all, Through proof of harness to my heart, and there Ride on the pants triumphing.

CLEOPATRA. Lord of lords!

O infinite virtue, com’st thou smiling from The world’s great snare uncaught?

ANTONY. Mine nightingale,

We have beat them to their beds. What, girl! though grey Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha’ we A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man; Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand-Kiss it, my warrior-he hath fought to-day As if a god in hate of mankind had

Destroyed in such a shape.

CLEOPATRA. I’ll give thee, friend,

An armour all of gold; it was a king’s.

ANTONY. He has deserv’d it, were it carbuncled Like holy Phoebus’ car. Give me thy hand.

Through Alexandria make a jolly march; Bear our hack’d targets like the men that owe them.

Had our great palace the capacity

To camp this host, we all would sup together, And drink carouses to the next day’s fate, Which promises royal peril. Trumpeters, With brazen din blast you the city’s ear; Make mingle with our rattling tabourines, That heaven and earth may strike their sounds together Applauding our approach. Exeunt ACT_4|SC_9

SCENE IX.

CAESAR’S camp

 

Enter a CENTURION and his company; ENOBARBUS follows CENTURION. If we be not reliev’d within this hour, We must return to th’ court of guard. The night Is shiny, and they say we shall embattle By th’ second hour i’ th’ morn.

FIRST WATCH. This last day was

A shrewd one to’s.

ENOBARBUS. O, bear me witness, night—

SECOND WATCH. What man is this?

FIRST WATCH. Stand close and list him.

ENOBARBUS. Be witness to me, O thou blessed moon, When men revolted shall upon record

Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did Before thy face repent!

CENTURION. Enobarbus?

SECOND WATCH. Peace!

Hark further.

ENOBARBUS. O sovereign mistress of true melancholy, The poisonous damp of night disponge upon me, That life, a very rebel to my will,

May hang no longer on me. Throw my heart Against the flint and hardness of my fault, Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder, And finish all foul thoughts. O Antony, Nobler than my revolt is infamous,

Forgive me in thine own particular,

But let the world rank me in register A master-leaver and a fugitive!

O Antony! O Antony! [Dies]

FIRST WATCH. Let’s speak to him.

CENTURION. Let’s hear him, for the things he speaks May concern Caesar.

SECOND WATCH. Let’s do so. But he sleeps.

CENTURION. Swoons rather; for so bad a prayer as his Was never yet for sleep.

FIRST WATCH. Go we to him.

SECOND WATCH. Awake, sir, awake; speak to us.

FIRST WATCH. Hear you, sir?

CENTURION. The hand of death hath raught him.

[Drums afar off ] Hark! the drums

Demurely wake the sleepers. Let us bear him To th’ court of guard; he is of note. Our hour Is fully out.

SECOND WATCH. Come on, then;

He may recover yet. Exeunt with the body ACT_4|SC_10

SCENE X.

Between the two camps Enter ANTONY and SCARUS, with their army ANTONY. Their preparation is to-day by sea; We please them not by land.

SCARUS. For both, my lord.

ANTONY. I would they’d fight i’ th’ fire or i’ th’ air; We’d fight there too. But this it is, our foot Upon the hills adjoining to the city

Shall stay with us-Order for sea is given; They have put forth the haven-Where their appointment we may best discover And look on their endeavour. Exeunt ACT_4|SC_11

SCENE XI.

Between the camps

 

Enter CAESAR and his army CAESAR. But being charg’d, we will be still by land, Which, as I take’t, we shall; for his best force Is forth to man his galleys. To the vales, And hold our best advantage. Exeunt ACT_4|SC_12

SCENE XII.

A hill near Alexandria

 

Enter ANTONY and SCARUS

 

ANTONY. Yet they are not join’d. Where yond pine does stand I shall discover all. I’ll bring thee word Straight how ‘tis like to go. Exit SCARUS. Swallows have built

In Cleopatra’s sails their nests. The augurers Say they know not, they cannot tell; look grimly, And dare not speak their knowledge. Antony Is valiant and dejected; and by starts His fretted fortunes give him hope and fear Of what he has and has not.

[Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight]

 

Re-enter ANTONY

 

ANTONY. All is lost!

This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me.

My fleet hath yielded to the foe, and yonder They cast their caps up and carouse together Like friends long lost. Triple-turn’d whore! ‘tis thou Hast sold me to this novice; and my heart Makes only wars on thee. Bid them all fly; For when I am reveng’d upon my charm, I have done all. Bid them all fly; begone. Exit SCARUS

O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more!

Fortune and Antony part here; even here Do we shake hands. All come to this? The hearts That spaniel’d me at heels, to whom I gave Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark’d That overtopp’d them all. Betray’d I am.

O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm-Whose eye beck’d forth my wars and call’d them home, Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end-Like a right gypsy hath at fast and loose Beguil’d me to the very heart of loss.

What, Eros, Eros!

 

Enter CLEOPATRA

 

Ah, thou spell! Avaunt!

CLEOPATRA. Why is my lord enrag’d against his love?

ANTONY. Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving And blemish Caesar’s triumph. Let him take thee And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians; Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown For poor’st diminutives, for doits, and let Patient Octavia plough thy visage up

With her prepared nails. Exit CLEOPATRA ‘Tis well th’art gone,

If it be well to live; but better ‘twere Thou fell’st into my fury, for one death Might have prevented many. Eros, ho!

The shirt of Nessus is upon me; teach me, Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage; Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o’ th’ moon, And with those hands that grasp’d the heaviest club Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die.

To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall Under this plot. She dies for’t. Eros, ho! Exit ACT_4|SC_13

SCENE XIII.

Alexandria. CLEOPATRA’s palace Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN

 

CLEOPATRA. Help me, my women. O, he is more mad Than Telamon for his shield; the boar of Thessaly Was never so emboss’d.

CHARMIAN. To th’monument!

There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead.

The soul and body rive not more in parting Than greatness going off.

CLEOPATRA. To th’ monument!

Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself; Say that the last I spoke was ‘Antony’

And word it, prithee, piteously. Hence, Mardian, And bring me how he takes my death. To th’ monument!

Exeunt ACT_4|SC_14

SCENE XIV.

CLEOPATRA’S palace

 

Enter ANTONY and EROS

 

ANTONY. Eros, thou yet behold’st me?

EROS. Ay, noble lord.

ANTONY. Sometime we see a cloud that’s dragonish; A vapour sometime like a bear or lion, A tower’d citadel, a pendent rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory With trees upon’t that nod unto the world And mock our eyes with air. Thou hast seen these signs; They are black vesper’s pageants.

EROS. Ay, my lord.

ANTONY. That which is now a horse, even with a thought The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct, As water is in water.

EROS. It does, my lord.

ANTONY. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is Even such a body. Here I am Antony;

Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.

I made these wars for Egypt; and the Queen-Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine, Which, whilst it was mine, had annex’d unto’t A million moe, now lost-she, Eros, has Pack’d cards with Caesar, and false-play’d my glory Unto an enemy’s triumph.

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros; there is left us Ourselves to end ourselves.

 

Enter MARDIAN

 

O, thy vile lady!

She has robb’d me of my sword.

MARDIAN. No, Antony;

My mistress lov’d thee, and her fortunes mingled With thine entirely.

ANTONY. Hence, saucy eunuch; peace!

She hath betray’d me, and shall die the death.

MARDIAN. Death of one person can be paid but once, And that she has discharg’d. What thou wouldst do Is done unto thy hand. The last she spake Was ‘Antony! most noble Antony!’

Then in the midst a tearing groan did break The name of Antony; it was divided

Between her heart and lips. She rend’red life, Thy name so buried in her.

ANTONY. Dead then?

MARDIAN. Dead.

ANTONY. Unarm, Eros; the long day’s task is done, And we must sleep. That thou depart’st hence safe Does pay thy labour richly. Go. Exit MARDIAN

Off, pluck off!

The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!

Heart, once be stronger than thy continent, Crack thy frail case. Apace, Eros, apace.-

No more a soldier. Bruised pieces, go; You have been nobly borne.- From me awhile. Exit EROS

I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and

Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now All length is torture. Since the torch is out, Lie down, and stray no farther. Now all labour Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles Itself with strength. Seal then, and all is done.

Eros!- I come, my queen.- Eros!- Stay for me; Where souls do couch on flowers, we’ll hand in hand, And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze.

Dido and her Aeneas shall want troops, And all the haunt be ours.- Come, Eros, Eros!

 

Re-enter EROS

 

EROS. What would my lord?

ANTONY. Since Cleopatra died,

I have liv’d in such dishonour that the gods Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword Quarter’d the world, and o’er green Neptune’s back With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack The courage of a woman; less noble mind Than she which by her death our Caesar tells ‘I am conqueror of myself.’ Thou art sworn, Eros, That, when the exigent should come-which now Is