Act 4, Scene 2 — Antony and Cleopatra

The argument The night before battle, Antony calls his servants and makes them weep by speaking as if he will not return — before pulling back and insisting it was meant as comfort.

Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, Alexas with

others.

ANTONY ANTONY speaks

He will not fight with me, Domitius?

he will not fight with me, domitius?

ENOBARBUS ENOBARBUS speaks

No.

no.

ANTONY ANTONY speaks

Why should he not?

why should he not?

ENOBARBUS ≋ verse ENOBARBUS speaks

He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,

He is twenty men to one.

He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune, He is twenty men to one.

he thinks, being twenty times of better fortune, he is twenty men to one.

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

Tomorrow, soldier,

By sea and land I’ll fight. Or I will live,

Or bathe my dying honour in the blood

Shall make it live again. Woo’t thou fight well?

Tomorrow, soldier, By sea and land I’ll fight. Or I will live, Or bathe my dying honour in the blood Shall make it live again. Woo’t thou fight well?

tomorrow, soldier, by sea and land i’ll fight. or i will live, or bathe my dying honour in the blood shall make it live again. woo’t thou fight well?

ENOBARBUS ENOBARBUS speaks

I’ll strike, and cry “Take all.”

i’ll strike, and cry “take all.”

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

Well said. Come on.

Call forth my household servants. Let’s tonight

Be bounteous at our meal.—

Well said. Come on. Call forth my household servants. Let’s tonight Be bounteous at our meal.—

well said. come on. call forth my household servants. let’s tonight be bounteous at our meal.—

Enter Servants.

Give me thy hand.

Thou has been rightly honest; so hast thou,

Thou, and thou, and thou. You have served me well,

And kings have been your fellows.

[_Aside to Enobarbus_.] What means this?

[_Aside to Cleopatra_.] ’Tis one of those odd tricks which sorrow

ENOBARBUS ≋ verse ENOBARBUS speaks

shoots

Out of the mind.

shoots Out of the mind.

shoots out of the mind.

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

And thou art honest too.

I wish I could be made so many men,

And all of you clapped up together in

An Antony, that I might do you service

So good as you have done.

And thou art honest too. I wish I could be made so many men, And all of you clapped up together in An Antony, that I might do you service So good as you have done.

and thou art honest too. i wish i could be made so many men, and all of you clapped up together in an antony, that i might do you service so good as y

ALL THE SERVANTS ALL THE SERVANTS speaks

The gods forbid!

the gods forbid!

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

Well, my good fellows, wait on me tonight.

Scant not my cups, and make as much of me

As when mine empire was your fellow too

And suffered my command.

Well, my good fellows, wait on me tonight. Scant not my cups, and make as much of me As when mine empire was your fellow too And suffered my command.

well, my good fellows, wait on me tonight. scant not my cups, and make as much of me as when mine empire was your fellow too and suffered my command.

[_Aside to Enobarbus_.] What does he mean?

[_Aside to Cleopatra_.] To make his followers weep.

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

Tend me tonight;

May be it is the period of your duty.

Haply you shall not see me more, or if,

A mangled shadow. Perchance tomorrow

You’ll serve another master. I look on you

As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,

I turn you not away, but, like a master

Married to your good service, stay till death.

Tend me tonight two hours, I ask no more,

And the gods yield you for’t!

Tend me tonight; May be it is the period of your duty. Haply you shall not see me more, or if, A mangled shadow. Perchance tomorrow You’ll serve another master. I look on you As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends, I turn you not away, but, like a master Married to your good service, stay ...

tend me tonight; may be it is the period of your duty. haply you shall not see me more, or if, a mangled shadow. perchance tomorrow you’ll serve anoth

🎭 Dramatic irony Antony says his servants may not see him again or may 'serve another master' tomorrow. Enobarbus, standing in the room, has already secretly decided to do exactly that.

ENOBARBUS ≋ verse ENOBARBUS speaks

What mean you, sir,

To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep,

And I, an ass, am onion-eyed. For shame,

Transform us not to women.

What mean you, sir, To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep, And I, an ass, am onion-eyed. For shame, Transform us not to women.

what mean you, sir, to give them this discomfort? look, they weep, and i, an ass, am onion-eyed. for shame, transform us not to women.

"I, an ass, am onion-eyed" Enobarbus's most endearing moment: the driest man in the play admitting he's weeping, calling himself an ass for it, and attributing it to onions — the classic Elizabethan excuse for unexplained tears.

ANTONY ≋ verse ANTONY speaks

Ho, ho, ho!

Now the witch take me if I meant it thus!

Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty friends,

You take me in too dolorous a sense,

For I spake to you for your comfort, did desire you

To burn this night with torches. Know, my hearts,

I hope well of tomorrow, and will lead you

Where rather I’ll expect victorious life

Than death and honour. Let’s to supper, come,

And drown consideration.

Ho, ho, ho! Now the witch take me if I meant it thus! Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty friends, You take me in too dolorous a sense, For I spake to you for your comfort, did desire you To burn this night with torches. Know, my hearts, I hope well of tomorrow, and will lead you Where rath...

ho, ho, ho! now the witch take me if i meant it thus! grace grow where those drops fall! my hearty friends, you take me in too dolorous a sense, for i

Why it matters Antony's recovery — insisting the speech was for their comfort — may or may not be true. The scene doesn't decide. It leaves the audience feeling the weight of a man who touched death and then stepped back.

[_Exeunt._]

The Reckoning

An extraordinary scene of emotional vertigo. Antony shakes every hand, says what sounds like a final goodbye to his household, and makes his entire court dissolve in tears — including Enobarbus, who notes drily that he's 'onion-eyed.' Then Antony insists he meant it for their comfort. Did he? The scene refuses to answer. It shows a man at the edge of his own consciousness of death, reaching toward something he can't quite name.

If this happened today…

A CEO calls a last all-hands meeting the night before the company's final court date. He goes around the room shaking hands, telling each person how honest they've been, how much he owes them. People start crying. His most deadpan colleague whispers to his assistant: 'I'm tearing up. For shame.' The CEO then says: 'No, no — I meant it as encouragement! I expect to win!' Everybody nods. Everybody wipes their eyes. Nobody quite believes him.

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