SCENE V. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace. Antony and Cleopatra  Shakespeare homepage  |  Antony and Cleopatra  | Act 1, Scene 5 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE V. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace. 

 Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN  CLEOPATRA  Charmian! 

 CHARMIAN  Madam? 

 CLEOPATRA  Ha, ha! 

 Give me to drink mandragora. 

 CHARMIAN  Why, madam? 

 CLEOPATRA  That I might sleep out this great gap of time 

 My Antony is away. 

 CHARMIAN  You think of him too much. 

 CLEOPATRA  O, 'tis treason! 

 CHARMIAN  Madam, I trust, not so. 

 CLEOPATRA  Thou, eunuch Mardian! 

 MARDIAN  What's your highness' pleasure? 

 CLEOPATRA  Not now to hear thee sing; I take no pleasure 

 In aught an eunuch has: 'tis well for thee, 

 That, being unseminar'd, thy freer thoughts 

 May not fly forth of Egypt. Hast thou affections? 

 MARDIAN  Yes, gracious madam. 

 CLEOPATRA  Indeed! 

 MARDIAN  Not in deed, madam; for I can do nothing 

 But what indeed is honest to be done: 

 Yet have I fierce affections, and think 

 What Venus did with Mars. 

 CLEOPATRA  O Charmian, 

 Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he? 

 Or does he walk? or is he on his horse? 

 O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony! 

 Do bravely, horse! for wot'st thou whom thou movest? 

 The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm 

 And burgonet of men. He's speaking now, 

 Or murmuring 'Where's my serpent of old Nile?' 

 For so he calls me: now I feed myself 

 With most delicious poison. Think on me, 

 That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black, 

 And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Caesar, 

 When thou wast here above the ground, I was 

 A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey 

 Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow; 

 There would he anchor his aspect and die 

 With looking on his life. 



 Enter ALEXAS, from OCTAVIUS CAESAR  ALEXAS  Sovereign of Egypt, hail! 

 CLEOPATRA  How much unlike art thou Mark Antony! 

 Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath 

 With his tinct gilded thee. 

 How goes it with my brave Mark Antony? 

 ALEXAS  Last thing he did, dear queen, 

 He kiss'd,--the last of many doubled kisses,-- 

 This orient pearl. His speech sticks in my heart. 

 CLEOPATRA  Mine ear must pluck it thence. 

 ALEXAS  'Good friend,' quoth he, 

 'Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends 

 This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot, 

 To mend the petty present, I will piece 

 Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east, 

 Say thou, shall call her mistress.' So he nodded, 

 And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed, 

 Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke 

 Was beastly dumb'd by him. 

 CLEOPATRA  What, was he sad or merry? 

 ALEXAS  Like to the time o' the year between the extremes 

 Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry. 

 CLEOPATRA  O well-divided disposition! Note him, 

 Note him good Charmian, 'tis the man; but note him: 

 He was not sad, for he would shine on those 

 That make their looks by his; he was not merry, 

 Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay 

 In Egypt with his joy; but between both: 

 O heavenly mingle! Be'st thou sad or merry, 

 The violence of either thee becomes, 

 So does it no man else. Met'st thou my posts? 

 ALEXAS  Ay, madam, twenty several messengers: 

 Why do you send so thick? 

 CLEOPATRA  Who's born that day 

 When I forget to send to Antony, 

 Shall die a beggar. Ink and paper, Charmian. 

 Welcome, my good Alexas. Did I, Charmian, 

 Ever love Caesar so? 

 CHARMIAN  O that brave Caesar! 

 CLEOPATRA  Be choked with such another emphasis! 

 Say, the brave Antony. 

 CHARMIAN  The valiant Caesar! 

 CLEOPATRA  By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth, 

 If thou with Caesar paragon again 

 My man of men. 

 CHARMIAN  By your most gracious pardon, 

 I sing but after you. 

 CLEOPATRA  My salad days, 

 When I was green in judgment: cold in blood, 

 To say as I said then! But, come, away; 

 Get me ink and paper: 

 He shall have every day a several greeting, 

 Or I'll unpeople Egypt. 



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