Enter Antony and Enobarbus
ANTONY Set we our squadrons on yon side o’th’ hill
In eye of Caesar’s battle, from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,
And so proceed accordingly.
[Exeunt] (3.9.1-4)
That it’s a new scene in modern editions is meaningless; it’s continuous in the folio text and the action must be too. The effect is of a cut from one camera to another, as the preparations of the two camps are contrasted. Caesar has his army and the unquestioningly efficient Taurus as his lieutenant; here, Antony has his familiar sidekick Enobarbus, who is a veteran but not noted as a strategist and who here, for once, apparently has nothing to say. Antony is giving his orders for the disposal of his troops on land: the squadrons are to be set on yon side o’th’ hill, in eye of Caesar’s battle. He wants to retain visual contact with the enemy, to see and be seen—but he needs also to be able to keep track of the number of the ships, the progress of the battle at sea (and especially the size of Caesar’s fleet relative to his and Cleopatra’s), and so proceed accordingly. It’s been established already that Antony is short of men (and that he and Enobarbus are apparently alone, in comparison with Caesar, reinforces this—although stage directions are poor evidence in this respect); his strategy on land will be entirely determined by what happens in the naval battle, which is logical but also precarious; he doesn’t have the luxury of spare troops.
The extra little scenes also allows more time for the battle—about to begin—to be prepared, at the level of its extras, sound effects, and other special effects. And so, the battle of Actium begins…
(The images show the text of this scene and the previous one as they appear in the 1623 folio)