Antony and Cleopatra

by: William Shakespeare

Act 4 Scene 15

1 2 3 4 5

Original Text	Modern Text
Enter CLEOPATRA and her maids aloft, with CHARMIAN and IRAS	CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and IRAS enter with Cleopatra’s maids in the upper gallery.
CLEOPATRA O Charmian, I will never go from hence.	CLEOPATRA Oh, Charmian, I will never leave this tomb!
CHARMIAN Be comforted, dear madam.	CHARMIAN Be calm, dear lady.
CLEOPATRA No, I will not. All strange and terrible events are welcome, But comforts we despise. Our size of sorrow, 5Proportioned to our cause, must be as great As that which makes it.	CLEOPATRA No, I won’t. Strange and terrible events are all welcome, but I despise comforts. The size of my sorrow must be as great as its source.
Enter below DIOMEDES	DIOMEDES enters below.
How now? Is he dead?	What’s the news! Is he dead?
DIOMEDES His death’s upon him, but not dead. Look out o’ th’ other side your monument. His guard have brought him thither.	DIOMEDES He is close to death, but not dead yet. Look out the other window; his guard has brought him here.
Enter below ANTONY, and the guard bearing him	Guards enter, carrying ANTONY.
CLEOPATRA O sun, 10Burn the great sphere thou mov’st in. Darkling stand The varying shore o’ th’ world! O Antony, Antony, Antony! Help, Charmian, help, Iras, help! Help, friends below! Let’s draw him hither.	CLEOPATRA Oh, sun, burn up the orbit in which you move, so that the world may be dark forever! Oh, Antony, Antony, Antony! Help, Charmian, help, Iras, help! Help, friends below; lift him up here.
ANTONY Peace! Not Caesar’s valor hath o’erthrown Antony, 15But Antony’s hath triumphed on itself.	ANTONY Be calm! It was not Caesar’s bravery that conquered Antony but Antony’s that has triumphed over himself.
CLEOPATRA So it should be, that none but Antony Should conquer Antony, but woe ’tis so!	CLEOPATRA That’s the way it should be—only Antony should conquer Antony. But how terrible that it has happened!

Read the Summary of Act IV, scenes ix–xv

1 2 3 4 5