SCENE XIV. The same. Another room. Antony and Cleopatra  Shakespeare homepage  |  Antony and Cleopatra  | Act 4, Scene 14 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE XIV. The same. Another room. 

 Enter MARK ANTONY and EROS  MARK ANTONY  Eros, thou yet behold'st me? 

 EROS  Ay, noble lord. 

 MARK ANTONY  Sometimes 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, 

 MARK 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. 

 MARK 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 more, 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 loved thee, and her fortunes mingled 

 With thine entirely. 

 MARK 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 discharged: 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 render'd life, 

 Thy name so buried in her. 

 MARK ANTONY  Dead, then? 

 MARDIAN  Dead. 

 MARK ANTONY  Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done, 

 And we must sleep. 



 To MARDIAN  That thou depart'st hence safe, 

 Does pay thy labour richly; go. 



 Exit MARDIAN  Off, pluck off: 

 The seven-fold 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? 

 MARK ANTONY  Since Cleopatra died, 

 I have lived 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 come indeed, when I should see behind me 

 The inevitable prosecution of 

 Disgrace and horror, that, on my command, 

 Thou then wouldst kill me: do't; the time is come: 

 Thou strikest not me, 'tis Caesar thou defeat'st. 

 Put colour in thy cheek. 

 EROS  The gods withhold me! 

 Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts, 

 Though enemy, lost aim, and could not? 

 MARK ANTONY  Eros, 

 Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome and see 

 Thy master thus with pleach'd arms, bending down 

 His corrigible neck, his face subdued 

 To penetrative shame, whilst the wheel'd seat 

 Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded 

 His baseness that ensued? 

 EROS  I would not see't. 

 MARK ANTONY  Come, then; for with a wound I must be cured. 

 Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn 

 Most useful for thy country. 

 EROS  O, sir, pardon me! 

 MARK ANTONY  When I did make thee free, sworest thou not then 

 To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once; 

 Or thy precedent services are all 

 But accidents unpurposed. Draw, and come. 

 EROS  Turn from me, then, that noble countenance, 

 Wherein the worship of the whole world lies. 

 MARK ANTONY  Lo thee! 



 Turning from him  EROS  My sword is drawn. 

 MARK ANTONY  Then let it do at once 

 The thing why thou hast drawn it. 

 EROS  My dear master, 

 My captain, and my emperor, let me say, 

 Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell. 

 MARK ANTONY  'Tis said, man; and farewell. 

 EROS  Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now? 

 MARK ANTONY  Now, Eros. 

 EROS  Why, there then: thus I do escape the sorrow 

 Of Antony's death. 



 Kills himself  MARK ANTONY  Thrice-nobler than myself! 

 Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what 

 I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros 

 Have by their brave instruction got upon me 

 A nobleness in record: but I will be 

 A bridegroom in my death, and run into't 

 As to a lover's bed. Come, then; and, Eros, 

 Thy master dies thy scholar: to do thus 



 Falling on his sword  I learn'd of thee. How! not dead? not dead? 

 The guard, ho! O, dispatch me! 



 Enter DERCETAS and Guard  First Guard  What's the noise? 

 MARK ANTONY  I have done my work in, friends: O, make an end 

 Of what I have begun. 

 Second Guard  The star is fall'n. 

 First Guard  And time is at his period. 

 All  Alas, and woe! 

 MARK ANTONY  Let him that loves me strike me dead. 

 First Guard  Not I. 

 Second Guard  Nor I. 

 Third Guard  Nor any one. 



 Exeunt Guard  DERCETAS  Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly. 

 This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings, 

 Shall enter me with him. 



 Enter DIOMEDES  DIOMEDES  Where's Antony? 

 DERCETAS  There, Diomed there. 

 DIOMEDES  Lives he? 

 Wilt thou not answer, man? 



 Exit DERCETAS  MARK ANTONY  Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword, and give me 

 Sufficing strokes for death. 

 DIOMEDES  Most absolute lord, 

 My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee. 

 MARK ANTONY  When did she send thee? 

 DIOMEDES  Now, my lord. 

 MARK ANTONY  Where is she? 

 DIOMEDES  Lock'd in her monument. She had a prophesying fear 

 Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw-- 

 Which never shall be found--you did suspect 

 She had disposed with Caesar, and that your rage 

 Would not be purged, she sent you word she was dead; 

 But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent 

 Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come, 

 I dread, too late. 

 MARK ANTONY  Too late, good Diomed: call my guard, I prithee. 

 DIOMEDES  What, ho, the emperor's guard! The guard, what, ho! 

 Come, your lord calls! 



 Enter four or five of the Guard of MARK ANTONY  MARK ANTONY  Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides; 

 'Tis the last service that I shall command you. 

 First Guard  Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear 

 All your true followers out. 

 All  Most heavy day! 

 MARK ANTONY  Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate 

 To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome 

 Which comes to punish us, and we punish it 

 Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up: 

 I have led you oft: carry me now, good friends, 

 And have my thanks for all. 



 Exeunt, bearing MARK ANTONY  Shakespeare homepage  |  Antony and Cleopatra  | Act 4, Scene 14 

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