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Antony and Cleopatra

Act I, Scene 1

Alexandria. A room in CLEOPATRA'S palace.
 
[Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO]
 
PHILO
       ,               ,       ,        ,     ,
      Aye, but | this dot|age of | our gen|eral's
           ,          ,          ,           ,       ,
      Oreflows | the meas|ure: those | his good|ly eyes
            ,          ,          ,        ,        ,
      That ore | the files | and must|ers of | the war,
              ,            ,       ,
      Have glowed | like plat|ed Mars:
                                              ,           ,
                                       Now* bend,| now* turn
           ,       ,       ,       ,           ,
      The of|fice and | devo|tion of | their view
        ,       ,       ,          ,           ,
      Upon | a taw|ny front.| His cap|tain's heart,
        ,              ,              ,      ,            ,
      Which in | the scuf|fles of / great fights | hath burst
            ,       ,          ,         ,           ,      ->
      The buck|les on | his breast,| reneges | all* temp||er,
       ,      2    ,         ,        ,         ,
      And | is become | the bel|lows and | the fan
           ,       ,         ,
      To cool | a gyp|sy's lust.
 
[Flourish. Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, her Ladies, the Train, with Eunuchs fanning her]
                                   ,                 ,
                                 Look where | they come:
        ,                ,         ,           ,        ,
      Take but | good* note,| and you | shall see | in him
             ,      ,       ,         ,             ,
      (The trip|le pil|lar of | the world)| transformed
       ,          ,          ,        ,         ,
      Into | a strump|et's fool.| Behold | and see.
 
CLEOPATRA
       ,           ,        ,      ,              ,
      If it | be love | indeed,| tell me | how* much.
 
MARK ANTONY
               ,    2   ,         ,          ,         ,       ->
      There's beg|gary in | the love | that can | be reck||oned.
 
CLEOPATRA
        ,       2    ,           ,        ,       ,
      I'll | set a bourn | how* far | to be | beloved.
 
MARK ANTONY
             ,           ,           ,            x           ,
      Then must | thou needs | find^out | new* heaven,| new^earth.
 
[Enter an Attendant]
 
ATTENDANT
        ,                ,           ,
      News (my | good* lord)| from Rome.
 
MARK ANTONY
                                           ,             ,
                                        Grates me,| the sum.
 
CLEOPATRA
             ,          ,    2  ->
      Nay* hear | them Ant||ony.    \\
       ,    2       ,         ,            ,    ,
      Fulv|ia perchance | is ang|ry: or / who knows,
                  ,     ,       ,              ,    ,
      If the / scarce-beard|ed Cae|sar have / not sent
            x        ,    ,    2           ,         ,
      His power|ful man|date to you.| Do this,| or this;
        T   .   T    T                 ,   ,     ,
      Take in that king|dom, and en//franchise that;
             x          ,         ,
      Perform it,| or else | we damn | thee.
 
MARK ANTONY
                                             ,         ,
                                            How,| my love?
 
CLEOPATRA
            ,      ,                ,
      Perchance?| Nay, and | most like:  \\
                 ,    ,      ,   ,           2     ,
      You must^/not stay | here long/er, your dis|mission
           ,          ,         ,            x      ,  2
      Is come | from Cae|sar, there|fore hear it | Antony.
         ,     ,           ,          ,                    ,     ,
      Where's Fulv/ia's | process?| (Caesar's | I would / say) both?
        ,            ,       ,       ,       ,         ,
      Call in | the mes|sengers:| as I | am Eg|ypt's queen,  (hex with prev)
             ,        ,   2    ,           ,          ,
      Thou blush|est Ant|ony, and | that blood | of thine
          ,         ,    ,      ,    2        T     T    T
      Is Cae|sar's hom|ager:| else so thy | cheek pays shame
              ,      ,        ,         ,          ,       ,
      When shrill-|tongued | Fulvi|a scolds.| The mes|sengers. (hex with prev)
 
MARK ANTONY
            ,        ,       ,                ,    ,
      Let Rome | in Tib|er melt,| and the / wide arch
        2       ,      T  T    T      ,            ,
      Of the ranged | empire fall:| Here is | my space,
        ,              ,          ,      ,        ,
      Kingdoms | are clay:| Our dung|y earth | alike
        T     T    .  T         ,      ,         ,
      Feeds beast as man;| the nob|leness | of life
       T  .  T   T           ,       ,   2    ,
      Is to do thus:| when such | a mu|tual pair,
            ,        ,           x          ,         ,
      And such | a twain | can do it,| in which | I bind
           ,        ,       ,          ,          ,
      On pain | of pun|ishment,| the world | to weet
           ,          ,
      We stand | up^peer|less.
 
CLEOPATRA
                                ,             ,    ,
                               Ex|cellent / falsehood:
       ,     2      ,       ,  2         ,      ,
      Why did he | marry | Fulvia,| and not | love her?
             ,          ,     2    ,     ,  2          ,         ,  ->
      I'll seem | the fool | I am not.| Antony | will be || himself.
 
MARK ANTONY
             ,          ,    ,     o
      But stirred | by Cle|opat|ra.
       ,              ,         ,                ,    ,
      Now for | the love | of Love | and her / soft hours,
             ,         ,           ,           ,           ,
      Let's^not | confound | the time | with confe|rence harsh;
               ,       ,       ,         ,               ,
      There's not | a min|ute of | our lives | should stretch
           ,           ,        ,           ,         ,
      Without | some^pleas|ure now.| What sport | tonight?
 
CLEOPATRA
        ,     2   ,
      Hear the ambas|sadors./
 
MARK ANTONY
                               ,     ,         ,
                              Fie wrang|ling queen:
            ,       ,         ,          ,          ,
      Whom eve|ry thing | becomes,| to chide,| to laugh,
           ,           ,       ,       ,        ,
      To weep:| whose^eve|ry pass|ion ful|ly strives
           ,        ,         ,      ,             ,
      To make | itself |(in thee)| fair, and | admired.
           ,      ,          ,          ,       ,         ,   ->
      No* mes|senger | but thine,| and all | alone,|| tonight
              ,        ,             ,            ,
      We'll wand|er through | the streets,| and note
           ,      ,        ,         ,         ,
      The qual|ities | of peo|ple. Come | my queen,
             ,          ,          x       ,    ,
      Last^night | you did | desire it.| speak not / to us.
 
[Exeunt MARK ANTONY and CLEOPATRA with their train]
 
DEMETRIUS
          ,        ,       ,   2     ,           ,
      Is Cae|sar with | Anton|ius prized | so slight?
 
PHILO
       T    T   T       ,           ,     ,  2
      Sir sometimes | when he | is not | Antony,
       .   T    T    T                 ,    ,      ,
      He comes too short | of that / great prop|erty
              ,             ,         ,    ,   oo
      Which still | should go | with Ant|ony.|
 
DEMETRIUS
I am full sorry, that he approves the common liar who thus speaks of him at Rome; but I will hope of better deeds tomorrow. Rest you happy.
 
[Exeunt]

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