OCTAVIA                    Good my lord, To come thus was I not constrained, but did it On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony, Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted My grieved ear withal, whereon I begged His pardon for return. CAESAR                      Which soon he granted, Being an obstruct ’tween his lust and him. OCTAVIA        Do […]

Enter Octavia with her train OCTAVIA        Hail, Caesar, and my lord; hail, most dear Caesar! CAESAR          That ever I should call thee castaway! OCTAVIA        You have not called me so, nor have you cause. CAESAR          Why have you stol’n upon us thus? You come not Like Caesar’s sister. The wife of Antony Should have an […]

AGRIPPA                    Sir, this should be answered. CAESAR          ’Tis done already, and the messenger gone. I have told him Lepidus was grown too cruel, That he his high authority abused And did deserve his change. For what I have conquered, I grant him part; but then in his Armenia, And other of his conquered kingdoms, I […]

MAECENAS                Let Rome be thus informed. AGRIPPA        Who, queasy with his insolence already, Will their good thoughts call from him. CAESAR                      The people know it, And have now received his accusations. AGRIPPA        Who does he accuse? CAESAR                      Caesar, and that having in Sicily Sextus Pompeius spoiled, we had not rated him His part o’th’ isle. […]

MAECENAS                            This in the public eye? CAESAR          I’th’ common showplace, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaimed the kings of kings; Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia He gave to Alexander. To Ptolemy he assigned Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia. She In th’habiliments of the goddess Isis That day appeared, and oft before gave audience, As […]

Enter Agrippa, Maecenas, and Caesar CAESAR          Contemning Rome, he has done all this and more In Alexandria. Here’s the manner of’t: I’th’ market place on a tribunal silvered, Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold Were publicly enthroned. At the feet sat Caesarion, whom they call my father’s son, And all the unlawful issue that […]

ENOBARBUS  Then, world, thou hast a pair of chops, no more, And throw between them all the food thou hast, They’ll grind the one the other. Where’s Antony? EROS   He’s walking in the garden, thus, and spurns The rush that lies before him, cries ‘Fool Lepidus!’ And threats the throat of that his officer That […]

Enter Enobarbus and Eros ENOBARBUS  How now, friend Eros? EROS   There’s strange news come, sir. ENOBARBUS  What, man? EROS   Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey. ENOBARBUS  This is old. What is the success? EROS   Caesar, having made use of him in the wars ’gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality, would not let him […]

OCTAVIA                    Thanks to my lord. The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak, Your reconciler! Wars ’twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men Should solder up the rift. ANTONY         When it appears to you where this begins, Turn your displeasure that way, for our faults […]

ANTONY                                 Gentle Octavia, Let your best love draw to that point which seeks Best to preserve it. If I lose mine honour, I lose myself. Better I were not yours Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested, Yourself shall go between’s. The meantime, lady, I’ll raise the preparation of a war Shall stain your […]