The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra: Act 4, Scene 2 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 2 of The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, with others. ANTONY He will not fight with me, Domitius? ENOBARBUS No. ANTONY Why should he not? ENOBARBUS He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune, He is twenty men to one. 5	Antony receives news that Caesar won’t fight him man-to-man. Enobarbus proposes it’s because Caesar thinks his fortunes are about twenty times better than Antony’s, making it an unfair fight.
ANTONY Tomorrow, soldier, By sea and land I’ll fight. Or I will live Or bathe my dying honor in the blood Shall make it live again. Woo’t thou fight well? ENOBARBUS I’ll strike and cry “Take all.” 10	Antony promises to throw himself into the next day’s battle whole-heartedly.
ANTONY Well said. Come on. Call forth my household servants. Enter three or four Servitors. Let’s tonight Be bounteous at our meal.—Give me thy hand; Thou hast been rightly honest.—So hast thou,— 15 Thou,—and thou,—and thou. You have served me well, And kings have been your fellows. CLEOPATRA, aside to Enobarbus What means this? ENOBARBUS, aside to Cleopatra ’Tis one of those odd tricks which sorrow shoots 20 Out of the mind. ANTONY, to another Servitor 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 25 So good as you have done. ALL THE SERVITORS The gods forbid! ANTONY 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 30 And suffered my command.	Antony gathers all of his men and praises them in a way that makes it seem like he’s saying goodbye to them once and for all.
CLEOPATRA, aside to Enobarbus What does he mean? ENOBARBUS, aside to Cleopatra To make his followers weep.	Enobarbus and Cleopatra speak to each other in whispers, wondering what the dickens Antony is doing. The way Antony thanks his soldiers for their good fight (and wishes them farewell) makes it seem like he expects death and defeat in the next day’s battle. Not much of a morale booster.
ANTONY, to the Servitors Tend me tonight; May be it is the period of your duty. 35 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 40 Married to your good service, stay till death. Tend me tonight two hours—I ask no more— And the gods yield you for ’t! ENOBARBUS What mean you, sir, To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep, 45 And I, an ass, am onion-eyed. For shame, Transform us not to women. ANTONY Ho, ho, ho! Now the witch take me if I meant it thus! Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty 50 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 55 Where rather I’ll expect victorious life Than death and honor. Let’s to supper, come, And drown consideration. They exit.	Eventually, all the soldiers, including Enobarbus, are in tears. Antony chides them, claiming he didn’t mean to be a drama queen. He just wanted to comfort them and convince them they should make this night a great one. He even says he expects victory he next day, not death. Still, it's pretty clear Antony is in a bad way, and like many men in a bad way, he instructs them all feast so they can drown their dark thoughts with drinking.