OCTAVIA                    O, my good lord,

Believe not all, or if you must believe,

Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,

If this division chance, ne’er stood between,

Praying for both parts. The good gods will mock me presently,

When I shall pray ‘O, bless my lord and husband!’,

Undo that prayer by crying out as loud

‘O, bless my brother!’ Husband win, win brother

Prays and destroys the prayer; no midway

’Twixt these extremes at all.            (3.4.9-18)

One has to feel sorry for Octavia, both her situation in general and how Antony’s putting her on the spot, but her response is an absolute model of political savviness and clear-sightedness. She’s courteous and deferential, but not spineless. O, my good lord (Antony is her lord because he is her husband, she’s not just being polite), first of all, don’t believe everything you hear. Believe not all. Or if you must believe, if there’s absolutely no two ways about it, at least try not to resent these petty slights, these discourtesies that my brother’s offering you. Stomach not all; don’t take it to heart. (She doesn’t deny that it’s happening; she doesn’t make excuses for Caesar.) Please, for my sake, don’t fall out: if this division chance, if it comes to open hostility between you, a more unhappy lady ne’er stood between, caught in the crossfire, praying for both parts and trying to keep the peace. Don’t make me choose! (An early modern audience would recognise that her greater loyalty should be to her husband, albeit narrowly: this is the dilemma that Juliet works through after Romeo kills Mercutio.) You’re putting me in an impossible situation, a ridiculous one, such that the good gods will mock me presently; I’m about to be a laughing stock, because first I pray ‘O, bless my lord and husband!’ and then, immediately, undo that prayer by crying out as loud, praying with every bit as much fervour, ‘O, bless my brother!’ I’m the loser either way, no matter who wins, whether it’s my husband or my brother. Either outcome destroys the prayer. There is no midway ’twixt these extremes at all, no possible compromise position for me if you fall out completely with each other. If Antony and Caesar go to war against each other, then Octavia’s position becomes untenable, because there is no middle ground, no place for her left to be; her very identity as both wife and sister is compromised, rendered null.