Antony and Cleopatra

by: William Shakespeare

Act 4 Scene 7

Original Text

Modern Text
Alarum. Drums and trumpets. Enter AGRIPPA and others
A call to battle is sounded. Drums and trumpets sound. AGRIPPA and other soldiers of Caesar’s enter.

AGRIPPA

Retire! We have engaged ourselves too far.
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression
Exceeds what we expected.

AGRIPPA

Retreat! We’ve advanced too far. Caesar himself is in trouble and there are more adversaries than we expected.
Exeunt
They exit.
Alarums. Enter ANTONY, and SCARUS, wounded
A battle call. ANTONY enters with SCARUS, who is wounded.

SCARUS

O my brave Emperor, this is fought indeed!
5Had we done so at first, we had droven them home
With clouts about their heads.

SCARUS

Oh, my brave Emperor, this is what I call a fight! If we’d fought like this before, we’d have driven them home with bandaged heads.

ANTONY

                                                             Thou bleed’st apace.

ANTONY

You’re bleeding a lot.

SCARUS

I had a wound here that was like a “T,”
But now ’tis made an “H.”

SCARUS

I had a scar here that looked like a “T”; now it’s an “H.”
Sound retreat far off
Distant trumpets sound the retreat.

ANTONY

                                                       They do retire.

ANTONY

They’re retreating.

SCARUS

We’ll beat ’em into bench-holes. I have yet
10Room for six scotches more.

SCARUS

We’ll chase ’em into their latrines. I still have room for six more wounds.
Enter EROS
EROS enters.

EROS

They are beaten, sir, and our advantage serves
For a fair victory.

EROS

They’re retreating, sir, and our superiority indicates a clear victory.

SCARUS

                                   Let us score their backs
And snatch ’em up, as we take hares, behind!
’Tis sport to maul a runner.

SCARUS

Let’s slash their backs and grab ’em like we do rabbits, from behind. It’s fair game to mark a coward.

ANTONY

                                                       I will reward thee
15Once for thy sprightly comfort and tenfold
For thy good valor. Come thee on.

ANTONY

I’ll reward you once for your cheerfulness and ten times for your courage. Come on.
Read the Summary of Act IV, scenes i–viii

More Help

From the SparkNotes Blog
What to Do If You Left All of Your Required Reading Until the Last Minute
By SparkLife
Every Book on Your English Syllabus Summed Up in a Quote from The Office
By Elodie
20 Incredible First Lines That Will Make You Want to Read the Rest of the Book Immediately
By Elodie
Give Us Your Required Reading and We'll Tell You What Movie You Should Watch While You're Procrastinating
By Elodie
Every Shakespeare Play Summed Up in a Quote from The Office
By Elodie