Nay, weep not, gentle Eros. There is
left us
Ourselves to end ourselves.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Summary: Act IV, scene ix
Antony returns from war, vowing to destroy Caesar’s army
completely on the following day. He praises his soldiers for their
valor and commands them to regale their families with tales of the
day’s battle. When Cleopatra enters, Antony declares his love for
her. He announces that she is the only thing that can pierce his
armor and reach his heart. Antony asks Cleopatra to commend Scarus,
one of his bravest soldiers. The queen promises the man a suit of
golden armor that once belonged to a king. Antony leads his troops
and his lover in a triumphant march through the streets of Alexandria
to mark the joyous occasion.
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Act IV, scene ix →
Summary: Act IV, scene x
Caesar’s sentries discuss the coming battle as Enobarbus
berates himself nearby. Unaware that he is being watched, Enobarbus
rails against his life, wishing for its end and hoping that history
will mark him as a traitor and a fugitive. After he collapses, the
sentries decide to rouse him but discover that he has died. Because
he is an important man, they bear his body to their camp.
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Act IV, scene x →
Summary: Act IV, scene xi
Antony determines that Caesar means to attack him by sea
and declares himself ready. He wishes his enemy were equipped to
fight in fire or air, swearing he would meet him in those places
if he could.
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Act IV, scene xi →
Summary: Act IV, scene xii
Caesar holds his armies back, preparing to attack Antony
at sea.
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Act IV, scene xii →
Summary: Act IV, scene xiii
Anthony has gone with Scarus to watch the naval battle.
Scarus, in an aside, condemns Cleopatra’s fleet as weak, and laments
that the soothsayers refuse to share their knowledge regarding the
battle’s outcome. Antony watches as the Egyptian fleet betrays him
and defects to Caesar. Realizing his predicament, Antony commands Scarus
to order his army to flee. Alone, the general blames Cleopatra as
a deadly enchantress who has beguiled him to a state of absolute loss.
When the queen enters, Antony drives her away, threatening to kill
her for her betrayal.
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Act IV, scene xiii →
Summary: Act IV, scene xiv
Cleopatra returns to her maids with tales of Antony’s
murderous rage. Charmian suggests that her mistress lock herself
in a monument and send Antony word that she has killed herself,
to quell his anger. Abiding by the plan, she bids Mardian deliver
the news to Antony and asks him to return with word of her lover’s
reaction.
