ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

Act 2 Scene 5

(Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas)
l1l	Cleopatra	 Give me some music—music, moody food
l2l		Of us that trade in love.
	Charmian, Iras, And Alexas	The music, ho!
		(Enter Mardian, the eunuch)
l3l	Cleopatra	 Let it alone. Let’s to billiards. Come, Charmian.
l4l	Charmian	My arm is sore. Best play with Mardian.
l5l	Cleopatra	As well a woman with an eunuch played
l6l		As with a woman. Come, you’ll play with me, sir?
l7l	Mardian	As well as I can, madam.
l8l	Cleopatra	And when good will is showed, though ’t come too short
l9l		The actor may plead pardon. I’ll none now.
l10l		Give me mine angle. We’ll to th’ river. There,
l11l		My music playing far off, I will betray
l12l		Tawny-finned fishes. My bended hook shall pierce
l13l		Their slimy jaws, and as I draw them up
l14l		I’ll think them every one an Antony,
l15l		And say “Ah ha, you’re caught!”
	Charmian	’Twas merry when
l16l		You wagered on your angling, when your diver
l17l		Did hang a salt fish on his hook, which he
l18l		With fervency drew up.
	Cleopatra	That time—O times!—
l19l		I laughed him out of patience, and that night
l20l		I laughed him into patience, and next morn,
l21l		Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed,
l22l		Then put my tires and mantles on him whilst
l23l		I wore his sword Philippan.
		(Enter a Messenger)
		 O, from Italy.
l24l		Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears,
l25l		That long time have been barren.
	Messenger	Madam, madam!
l26l	Cleopatra	Antonio’s dead. If thou say so, villain,
l27l		Thou kill’st thy mistress# but well and free,
l28l		If thou so yield him, there is gold, and here
l29l		My bluest veins to kiss—a hand that kings
l30l		Have lipped, and trembled kissing.
	Messenger	First, madam, he is well.
l31l	Cleopatra	Why, there’s more gold. But, sirrah, mark: we use
l32l		To say the dead are well. Bring it to that,
l33l		The gold I give thee will I melt and pour
l34l		Down thy ill-uttering throat.
l35l	Messenger	Good madam, hear me.
l36l	Cleopatra	Well, go to, I will.
l37l		But there’s no goodness in thy face. If Antony
l38l		Be free and healthful, so tart a favour
l39l		To trumpet such good tidings! If not well,
l40l		Thou shouldst come like a Fury crowned with snakes,
l41l		Not like a formal man.
	Messenger	Will ’t please you hear me?
l42l	Cleopatra	I have a mind to strike thee ere thou speak’st.
l43l		Yet if thou say Antony lives, is well,
l44l		Or friends with Caesar, or not captive to him,
l45l		I’ll set thee in a shower of gold, and hail
l46l		Rich pearls upon thee.
	Messenger	Madam, he’s well.
	Cleopatra	Well said.
l47l	Messenger	And friends with Caesar.
	Cleopatra	Thou’rt an honest man.
l48l	Messenger	Caesar and he are greater friends than ever.
l49l	Cleopatra	Make thee a fortune from me.
	Messenger	But yet, madam—
l50l	Cleopatra	I do not like “But yet”# it does allay
l51l		The good precedence. Fie upon “But yet”.
l52l		“But yet” is as a jailer to bring forth
l53l		Some monstrous malefactor. Prithee, friend,
l54l		Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear,
l55l		The good and bad together. He’s friends with Caesar,
l56l		In state of health, thou sayst# and, thou sayst, free.
l57l	Messenger	Free, madam? No, I made no such report.
l58l		He’s bound unto Octavia.
	Cleopatra	For what good turn?
l59l	Messenger	For the best turn i’ th’ bed.
	Cleopatra	I am pale, Charmian.
l60l	Messenger	Madam, he’s married to Octavia.
l61l	Cleopatra	The most infectious pestilence upon thee!
		(She strikes him down)
l62l	Messenger	 Good madam, patience!
	Cleopatra	What say you?
		(She strikes him)
l63l		Hence, horrible villain, or I’ll spurn thine eyes
l64l		Like balls before me. I’ll unhair thy head,
		(She hales him up and down)
l65l		Thou shalt be whipped with wire and stewed in brine,
l66l		Smarting in ling’ring pickle.
	Messenger	Gracious madam,
l67l		I that do bring the news made not the match.
l68l	Cleopatra	Say ’tis not so, a province I will give thee,
l69l		And make thy fortunes proud. The blow thou hadst
l70l		Shall make thy peace for moving me to rage,
l71l		And I will boot thee with what gift beside
l72l		Thy modesty can beg.
	Messenger	He’s married, madam.
l73l	Cleopatra	Rogue, thou hast lived too long.
		(She draws a knife)
		
	Messenger	 Nay then, I’ll run.
l74l		What mean you, madam? I have made no fault.
		(Exit)
l75l	Charmian	 Good madam, keep yourself within yourself.
l76l		The man is innocent.
l77l	Cleopatra	Some innocents ’scape not the thunderbolt.
l78l		Melt Egypt into Nile, and kindly creatures
l79l		Turn all to serpents! Call the slave again.
l80l		Though I am mad I will not bite him. Call!
l81l	Charmian	He is afeard to come.
	Cleopatra	I will not hurt him.
		(Exit Charmian)
l82l		These hands do lack nobility that they strike
l83l		A meaner than myself, since I myself
l84l		Have given myself the cause.
		(Enter the Messenger again with Charmian)
		 Come hither, sir.
l85l		Though it be honest, it is never good
l86l		To bring bad news. Give to a gracious message
l87l		An host of tongues, but let ill tidings tell
l88l		Themselves when they be felt.
l89l	Messenger	I have done my duty.
l90l	Cleopatra	Is he married?
l91l		I cannot hate thee worser than I do
l92l		If thou again say “Yes”.
	Messenger	He’s married, madam.
l93l	Cleopatra	The gods confound thee! Dost thou hold there still?
l94l	Messenger	Should I lie, madam?
	Cleopatra	O, I would thou didst,
l95l		So half my Egypt were submerged and made
l96l		A cistern for scaled snakes. Go, get thee hence.
l97l		Hadst thou Narcissus in thy face, to me
l98l		Thou wouldst appear most ugly. He is married?
l99l	Messenger	I crave your highness’ pardon.
	Cleopatra	He is married?
l100l	Messenger	Take no offence that I would not offend you.
l101l		To punish me for what you make me do
l102l		Seems much unequal. He’s married to Octavia.
l103l	Cleopatra	O that his fault should make a knave of thee,
l104l		That act not what thou’rt sure of! Get thee hence.
l105l		The merchandise which thou hast brought from Rome
l106l		Are all too dear for me. Lie they upon thy hand,
l107l		And be undone by ’em.
		(Exit Messenger)
		
	Charmian	 Good your highness, patience.
l108l	Cleopatra	In praising Antony I have dispraised Caesar.
l109l	Charmian	Many times, madam.
l110l	Cleopatra	I am paid for ’t now. Lead me from hence.
l111l		I faint. O Iras, Charmian—’tis no matter.
l112l		Go to the fellow, good Alexas, bid him
l113l		Report the feature of Octavia: her years,
l114l		Her inclination# let him not leave out
l115l		The colour of her hair. Bring me word quickly.
		(Exit Alexas)
l116l		Let him for ever go—let him not, Charmian#
l117l		Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon,
l118l		The other way’s a Mars.
		(To Mardian)
		 Bid you Alexas
l119l		Bring me word how tall she is. Pity me, Charmian,
l120l		But do not speak to me. Lead me to my chamber.
		(Exeunt)