Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare [books to read as a couple TXT] 📗
- Author: William Shakespeare
Book online «Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare [books to read as a couple TXT] 📗». Author William Shakespeare
And fight maliciously: for when mine hours
Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives
Of me for jests; but now I’ll set my teeth,
And send to darkness all that stop me. Come,
Let’s have one other gaudy night: call to me
All my sad captains; fill our bowls once more;
Let’s mock the midnight bell. Cleopatra
It is my birth-day:
I had thought to have held it poor; but, since my lord
Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.
Do so, we’ll speak to them; and to-night I’ll force
The wine peep through their scars. Come on, my queen;
There’s sap in’t yet. The next time I do fight,
I’ll make death love me; for I will contend
Even with his pestilent scythe. Exeunt all but Enobarbas.
Now he’ll outstare the lightning. To be furious,
Is to be frighted out of fear; and in that mood
The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still,
A diminution in our captain’s brain
Restores his heart: when valour preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him. Exit.
Before Alexandria. Caesar’s camp.
Enter Caesar, Agrippa, and Mecaenas, with his Army; Caesar reading a letter. CaesarHe calls me boy; and chides, as he had power
To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger
He hath whipp’d with rods; dares me to personal combat,
Caesar to Antony: let the old ruffian know
I have many other ways to die; meantime
Laugh at his challenge.
Caesar must think,
When one so great begins to rage, he’s hunted
Even to falling. Give him no breath, but now
Make boot of his distraction: never anger
Made good guard for itself.
Let our best heads
Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight: within our files there are,
Of those that served Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it done:
And feast the army; we have store to do’t,
And they have earn’d the waste. Poor Antony! Exeunt.
Alexandria. Cleopatra’s palace.
Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbas, Charmian, Iras, Alexas, with others. Antony He will not fight with me, Domitius. Enobarbas No. Antony Why should he not? EnobarbasHe thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,
He is twenty men to one.
To-morrow, soldier,
By sea and land I’ll fight: or I will live,
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again. Woo’t thou fight well?
Well said; come on.
Call forth my household servants: let’s to-night
Be bounteous at our meal.
Give me thy hand,
Thou hast been rightly honest;—so hast thou;—
Thou—and thou—and thou:—you have served me well,
And kings have been your fellows.
Aside to Cleopatra. ’Tis one of those odd tricks which sorrow shoots
Out of the mind.
And thou art honest too.
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapp’d up together in
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night:
Scant not my cups; and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too,
And suffer’d my command.
Tend me to-night;
May be it is the period of your duty:
Haply you shall not see me more; or if,
A mangled shadow: perchance to-morrow
You’ll serve another master. I look on you
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away; but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death:
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for’t!
What mean you, sir,
To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep;
And I, an ass, am onion-eyed: for shame,
Transform us not to women.
Ho, ho, ho!
Now the witch take me, if I meant it thus!
Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty friends,
You take me in too dolorous a sense;
For I spake to you for your comfort; did desire you
To burn this night with torches: know, my hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow; and will lead you
Where rather I’ll expect victorious life
Than death and honour. Let’s to supper, come,
And drown consideration. Exeunt.
The same. Before the palace.
Enter two Soldiers to their guard. First Soldier Brother, good night: to-morrow is the day. Second SoldierIt will determine one way: fare you well.
Heard you of nothing strange about the streets?
Here we: and if to-morrow
Our navy thrive, I have an absolute hope
Our landmen will stand up.
’Tis a brave army,
And full of purpose. Music of the hautboys as under the stage.
Peace, I say!
What should this mean?
’Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony loved,
Now leaves him.
Walk; let’s see if other watchmen
Do hear what we do? They advance to another post.
Speaking together. How now!
How now! do you hear this?
Follow the noise so far as we have quarter;
Let’s see how it will give off.
The same. A room in the palace.
Enter Antony and Cleopatra, Charmian, and
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