Antony and Cleopatra

by: William Shakespeare

Act 4 Scene 4

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Original Text	Modern Text
Enter ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with CHARMIAN and others attending	ANTONY and CLEOPATRA enter with CHARMIAN and others of the court.
ANTONY (calling) Eros! Mine armor, Eros!	ANTONY (calling) Eros! Bring my armor, Eros.
CLEOPATRA Sleep a little.	CLEOPATRA Get a little sleep.
ANTONY No, my chuck.—Eros, come, mine armor, Eros!	ANTONY No, my dear . . . Eros, come on, bring my armor, Eros.
Enter EROS with armor	EROS enters, carrying ANTONY’s armor.
Come, good fellow, put thine iron on. If fortune be not ours today, it is 5Because we brave her. Come.	Come on, good fellow, help me into that armor you’re carrying. If luck deserts us today, it’s because we defy it. Come on.
CLEOPATRA Nay, I’ll help too. What’s this for?	CLEOPATRA No, I’ll help too. What’s this part for?
She helps to arm him	She picks up a piece of the armor.
ANTONY Ah, let be, let be! Thou art The armorer of my heart. False, false. This, this.	ANTONY Ah, leave it alone. Leave it alone! You armor my heart. No! No! That part goes there.
CLEOPATRA Sooth, la, I’ll help. Thus it must be.	CLEOPATRA Really, I’ll help. It must go like this.
ANTONY Well, well, We shall thrive now.—Seest thou, my good fellow? 10Go put on thy defenses.	ANTONY Yes, well done. We’ve got it now.—Do you see this, my good fellow? Go and put on your own armor.
EROS Briefly, sir.	EROS In a minute, sir.
CLEOPATRA Is not this buckled well?	CLEOPATRA Didn’t I buckle this well?
ANTONY Rarely, rarely. He that unbuckles this, till we do please To doff ’t for our repose, shall hear a storm.— Thou fumblest, Eros, and my Queen’s a squire 15More tight at this than thou. Dispatch.—O love, That thou couldst see my wars today, and knew’st The royal occupation! Thou shouldst see A workman in ’t.	ANTONY Excellently, excellently. Anyone who unbuckles this before I want to take it off to rest will be sorry.—You’re fumbling, Eros. My Queen’s a better squire than you are. Hurry.—Oh, love, if you could only watch the battle today and see how expert I am at my craft.

Read the Summary of Act IV, scenes i–viii

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