William Shakespeare's
Antony and Cleopatra

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Act III. Scene vi.
Rome. CAESAR'S house.

Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA and MAECENAS.

CAESAR

Contemning¹ Rome, he has done all this and more
In Alexandria. Here's the manner of't:
I' th' market place, on a tribunal silvered²,
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 issue³ that their lust
Since hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the stablishment⁴ of Egypt, made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,
Absolute queen.

MAECENAS

This in the public eye?

CAESAR

I' th' common show-place, 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'habiliments⁵ of the goddess Isis
That day appeared, and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.

MAECENAS

Let Rome be thus informed.

AGRIPPA

Who, queasy with his insolence already,
Will their good thoughts call from him.

CAESAR

The people knows it, and have now recieved
His accusations.

AGRIPPA

Who does he accuse?

CAESAR

Caesar: and that having in Sicily
Pompey spoiled, we had not rated him⁶
His part o' the isle. Then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestored. Lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be deposed; and, being, that we detain
All his rev<é>nue.

AGRIPPA

Sir, this should be answered.

CAESAR

'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.
I have told him that 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
Demand the like.

MAECENAS

He'll never yield to that.

CAESAR

Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA with her train.

OCTAVIA

Hail, Caesar, and my lords! Hail, most dear Caesar!

CAESAR

That I should ever call thee castaway!

OCTAVIA

You have not called me so, nor have you cause.

CAESAR

Why have you stolen upon us thus? You come not
Like Caesar's sister. The wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and
The neighs of a horse to tell of her approach
Long ere she did appear. The trees by th' way
Should have borne men, and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not⁷. Nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Raised by your populous troops. But you are come
A market-maid to Rome, and have prevented
The ostentation of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unloved. We should have met you
By sea and land, supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

OCTAVIA

Good my lord,
To come thus I was not constrained, but did it
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My griev<è>d ear withal; whereon I begged
His pardon for return.

CAESAR

Which soon he granted,
Beig an abstract⁸ 'tween his lust and him.

OCTAVIA

Do not say so, my lord

CAESAR

I have eyes upon him,
And his affairs come to me on the wind.
Where is he now?

OCTAVIA

My lord, in Athens.

CAESAR

No, most wronged sister, Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire
Up to a whore, who now are levying
The kings o' the earth for war. He hath assembled
Bocchus, the King of Libya, Archelaus
Of Cappadocia, Philadelphos, King
Of Paphlagonia, the Thracian King Adallas,
King Manchus of Arabia, King of Pont,
Herod of Jewry, Mithridates, King
Of Comagene, Polemon and Amyntas,
The Kings of Mede and Lycaonia,
With a more larger list of sceptres.

OCTAVIA

Ay me, most wretched,
That have my heart parted betwixt two friends
That does afflict each other.

CAESAR

Welcome hither.
Your letters sis withhold our breaking forth
Till we percieved both how you were wrong led⁹,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart:
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities,
But let determined things to desstiny
Hold unbewailed their way¹⁰. Welcome to Rome;
Nothing more dear to me. You are abused
Beyond the mark of thought, and the high gods,
To do you justice, makes his ministers
Of us and those that love you. Best of comfort,
And ever welcome to us.

AGRIPPA

Welcome, lady.

MAECENAS

Welcome, dear madam,
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you.
Only th' adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off,
And gives his potent regiment to a trull¹¹,
That noises it against us.

OCTAVIA

Is it so, sir?

CAESAR

Most certain. Sister, welcome. Pray you,
Be ever known to patience. My dear'st sister!

Exeunt.

Next

Notes:
1. contemning: having contempt for
2. tribunal silvered: a raised platform plated with silver
3. unlawful issue: illegitimate children
4. stablishment: posession
5. habiliments: dress (from the French, habiller)
6. rated him: allotted him his share
7. expectation... not: those waiting to see her should have grown faint while they waited longingly
8. absract: in the way (?)
9. withold... danger: prevented me from showing my anger until I saw you were being misled
10. cheer... way: accept calmly the hand fate has dealt you
11. trull: prostitute

Summary:
Caesar derides Antony for returning to Egypt and giving away his spoils to Cleopatra and their children. Caeser the master politician is careful to give the impression that it is Antony who has broken the treaties and provoked war, but we have previously learned that the reverse is true. When Octavia enters Caeser, ever conscious of appearance, berates her for not announcing her arrival with the pomp and circumstance afforded to royalty and for the manner in which she has allowed Antony to treat her. She is unaware of Antony's actions, protesting that she has come of her own free will. Caeser informs her of the truth and advises her not to fight the forces of fate. His ruthlessness is exposed in this scene and we cannot help but admire the manner in which he twists the truth to his needs. Jsut as he originally had no qualms about using his sister by giving her to Antony, he is now pleased to be able to use her misfortune for political gain. He constantly acts as if he is in the "public eye" and his description of the coronation ceremony gives the impression that Antony's decadence has reached new lows.

I transcribed this by hand from the 1998 edition of the New Swan Shakespeare, which is published by the Longman Group and edited by John Ingledew. Hence, any errors are my own. Also mine is the summary. Most of the footnotes are taken verbatim from the New Swan.
dustfromamoth started this project, I have ripped off her format.