The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (745 page)

May heaven forgive our worse thoughts! Alxas, --come,

his fortune, his fortune! O, let him marry a woman

tell his fortune, his fortune! Oh, let him marry a woman

that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee! and let

that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beg you! and let

her die too, and give him a worse! and let worst

her die too, and give him worse one! and let even worse

follow worse, till the worst of all follow him

come after worse, until the worst of all follows him

laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold! Good

laughing to his grave, a victim of adultery fifty times! Good

Isis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a

Isis, hear this prayer from me, even if you don't give me

matter of more weight; good Isis, I beseech thee!

something more important; good Isis, I beg you!

IRAS

Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people!

Amen. Beloved goddess, listen to that prayer of the people!

for, as it is a heartbreaking to see a handsome man

for, just as it is a heartbreaking sight to see a handsome man

loose-wived, so it is a deadly sorrow to behold a

with an unfaithful wife, it is also terribly sad to see a

foul knave uncuckolded: therefore, dear Isis, keep

terrible man not betrayed by his wife: therefore, dear Isis, keep

decorum, and fortune him accordingly!

your manners, and give him the luck he deserves!

CHARMIAN

Amen.

I agree.

ALEXAS

Lo, now, if it lay in their hands to make me a

See, now, if it were possible for them to make me a

cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but

victim of adultery, they would make themselves prostitutes; they

they'ld do't!

would certainly do it!

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Hush! here comes Antony.

Quiet! Here comes Antony.

CHARMIAN

Not he; the queen.

Not him; the queen.

Enter CLEOPATRA

CLEOPATRA

Saw you my lord?

Did you see my lord?

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

No, lady.

No, madam.

CLEOPATRA

Was he not here?

Wasn't he here?

CHARMIAN

No, madam.

No, lady.

CLEOPATRA

He was disposed to mirth; but on the sudden

He was in a mood for fun; but all of a sudden

A Roman thought hath struck him. Enobarbus!

A serious thought struck him. Enobarbus!

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Madam?

Lady?

CLEOPATRA

Seek him, and bring him hither.

Look for him, and bring him here.

Where's Alexas?

Where is Alexas?

ALEXAS

Here, at your service. My lord approaches.

Here, at your service. My husband is coming.

CLEOPATRA

We will not look upon him: go with us.

We will not stay with him: go with us.

Exeunt

Enter MARK ANTONY with a Messenger and Attendants

Messenger

Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.

Your wife Fulvia began the battle.

MARK ANTONY

Against my brother Lucius?

Against Lucius, my brother?

Messenger

Ay:

Yes:

But soon that war had end, and the time's state

But soon the war ended, and the changing circumstances

Made friends of them, joining their force 'gainst Caesar;

Made them into friends, joining their forces against Caesar;

Whose better issue in the war, from Italy,

Whose best troops in the war, from Italy,

Upon the first encounter, drave them.

Beat them the first time they met.

MARK ANTONY

Well, what worst?

Well, what could be worse?

Messenger

The nature of bad news infects the teller.

The nature of bad news upsets the messenger.

MARK ANTONY

When it concerns the fool or coward. On:

When it is about a fool or a coward. Continue:

Things that are past are done with me. 'Tis thus:

I don't dwell on the past. It's like this:

Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death,

Whoever tells me the truth, even if they bring bad news,

I hear him as he flatter'd.

I listen as though he were flattering me.

Messenger

Labienus--

Labienus --

This is stiff news--hath, with his Parthian force,

This is difficult news -- has, with his Parthian forces,

Extended Asia from Euphrates;

Expanded Asia from the Euphrates river:

His conquering banner shook from Syria

His conquering flag flies from Syria

To Lydia and to Ionia; Whilst--

To Lydia and to Ionia; While --

MARK ANTONY

Antony, thou wouldst say,--

Antony, you would say, --

Messenger

O, my lord!

Oh, sir!

MARK ANTONY

Speak to me home, mince not the general tongue:

Talk to me frankly, do not mince words:

Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome;

Refer to Cleopatra as they call her in Rome;

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrase; and taunt my faults

Go on in praise of Fulvia; and mock my faults

With such full licence as both truth and malice

With the full ability that both truth and hate

Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth weeds,

Have power to speak. Oh, then we will take offense,

When our quick minds lie still; and our ills told us

When our clever minds lie still; and our flaws are told to us

Is as our earing. Fare thee well awhile.

In our hearing. Goodbye for a while.

Messenger

At your noble pleasure.

As you wish.

Exit

MARK ANTONY

From Sicyon, ho, the news! Speak there!

The news from Sicyon, hey! Speak there!

First Attendant

The man from Sicyon,--is there such an one?

The man from Sicyon, -- is there one?

Second Attendant

He stays upon your will.

He stays because you asked him to.

MARK ANTONY

Let him appear.

Tell him to come here.

These strong Egyptian fetters I must break,

I must break these strong Egyptians chains,

Or lose myself in dotage.

Or lose myself in foolishness.

Enter another Messenger

What are you?

Where are you from?

Second Messenger

Fulvia thy wife is dead.

Your wife Fulvia is dead.

MARK ANTONY

Where died she?

Where did she die?

Second Messenger

In Sicyon:

In Sicyon:
Her length of sickness, with what else more serious

How long she was sick, and other more serious matters

Importeth thee to know, this bears.

You need to know, are in this letter.

Gives a letter

MARK ANTONY

Forbear me.

Leave me alone.

Exit Second Messenger

There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it:

Now a great spirit is gone! I wanted it this way:

What our contempt doth often hurl from us,

What our hatred often throws away from us,

We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,

We want it for ourselves again; the current pleasure,

By revolution lowering, does become

Becomes less as it turns, it becomes

The opposite of itself: she's good, being gone;

The opposite of itself: she is better now that she is gone;

The hand could pluck her back that shoved her on.

That hand could pull her back that shoved her away.

I must from this enchanting queen break off:

I must leave this enchanting queen.

Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,

Ten thousand problems, more than the bad things I know,

My idleness doth hatch. How now! Enobarbus!

My lazing around causes. What now! Enobarbus!

Re-enter DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

What's your pleasure, sir?

What is your wish, sir?

MARK ANTONY

I must with haste from hence.

I must quickly leave here.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Why, then, we kill all our women:

Why, then, we would kill all our women:

we see how mortal an unkindness is to them;

we see how terribly they take any unkindness;

if they suffer our departure, death's the word.

if they must deal with us leaving, they will die.

MARK ANTONY

I must be gone.

I must leave.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Under a compelling occasion, let women die; it were

If there is a good enough reason, let the women die; it would be

pity to cast them away for nothing; though, between

a pity to throw them away for nothing; though, between

them and a great cause, they should be esteemed

them and an important cause, they should be considered

nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of

nothing. Cleopatra, hearing the smallest portion of

this, dies instantly; I have seen her die twenty

this, will die instantly; I have seen her die twenty

times upon far poorer moment: I do think there is

times for a much worse reason: I do think there is

mettle in death, which commits some loving act upon

courage in death, which gives some loving act to

her, she hath such a celerity in dying.

her, she has such a dramatic habit of dying.

MARK ANTONY

She is cunning past man's thought.

She is more cunning than any man could think.

Exit ALEXAS

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Alack, sir, no; her passions are made of nothing but

Unfortunately, sir, no; her emotions are made of nothing but

the finest part of pure love: we cannot call her

the best part of pure love: we cannot call her

winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater

winds and waters sighs and tears; they are far more huge

storms and tempests than almanacs can report: this

storms and typhoons than almanacs can predict: this

cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a

cannot be her being cunning; if it is, she makes a