ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

Act 3 Scene 3

(Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas)
l1l	Cleopatra	 Where is the fellow?
	Alexas	Half afeard to come.
l2l	Cleopatra	Go to, go to.
		(Enter the Messenger as before)
		 Come hither, sir.
	Alexas	Good majesty,
l3l		Herod of Jewry dare not look upon you
l4l		But when you are well pleased.
	Cleopatra	That Herod’s head
l5l		I’ll have# but how, when Antony is gone,
l6l		Through whom I might command it?
		(To the Messenger)
		 Come thou near.
l7l	Messenger	Most gracious majesty!
	Cleopatra	Didst thou behold
l8l		Octavia?
	Messenger	Ay, dread Queen.
	Cleopatra	Where?
	Messenger	Madam, in Rome.
l9l		I looked her in the face, and saw her led
l10l		Between her brother and Mark Antony.
l11l	Cleopatra	Is she as tall as me?
	Messenger	She is not, madam.
l12l	Cleopatra	Didst hear her speak? Is she shrill-tongued or low?
l13l	Messenger	Madam, I heard her speak. She is low-voiced.
l14l	Cleopatra	That’s not so good. He cannot like her long.
l15l	Charmian	Like her? O Isis, ’tis impossible!
l16l	Cleopatra	I think so, Charmian. Dull of tongue, and dwarfish.
l17l		What majesty is in her gait? Remember
l18l		If e’er thou looked’st on majesty.
	Messenger	She creeps.
l19l		Her motion and her station are as one.
l20l		She shows a body rather than a life,
l21l		A statue than a breather.
	Cleopatra	Is this certain?
l22l	Messenger	Or I have no observance.
	Charmian	Three in Egypt
l23l		Cannot make better note.
	Cleopatra	He’s very knowing,
l24l		I do perceive ’t. There’s nothing in her yet.
l25l		The fellow has good judgement.
	Charmian	Excellent.
l26l	Cleopatra	(to the Messenger)
		 Guess at her years, I prithee.
	Messenger	Madam,
l27l		She was a widow—
	Cleopatra	Widow? Charmian, hark.
l28l	Messenger	And I do think she’s thirty.
l29l	Cleopatra	Bear’st thou her face in mind? Is ’t long or round?
l30l	Messenger	Round, even to faultiness.
l31l	Cleopatra	For the most part, too, they are foolish that are so.
l32l		Her hair—what colour?
	Messenger	Brown, madam# and her forehead
l33l		As low as she would wish it.
	Cleopatra	
		(giving money)
		 There’s gold for thee.
l34l		Thou must not take my former sharpness ill.
l35l		I will employ thee back again. I find thee
l36l		Most fit for business. Go, make thee ready.
l37l		Our letters are prepared.
		(Exit Messenger)
		
	Charmian	 A proper man.
l38l	Cleopatra	Indeed he is so. I repent me much
l39l		That so I harried him. Why, methinks, by him,
l40l		This creature’s no such thing.
	Charmian	Nothing, madam.
l41l	Cleopatra	The man hath seen some majesty, and should know.
l42l	Charmian	Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,
l43l		And serving you so long!
l44l	Cleopatra	I have one thing more to ask him yet, good Charmian.
l45l		But ’tis no matter. Thou shalt bring him to me
l46l		Where I will write. All may be well enough.
l47l	Charmian	I warrant you, madam.
		(Exeunt)