No Fear Shakespeare
Antony and Cleopatra
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 2, Scene 5
Original Text |
Modern Text |
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Enter CLEOPATRA,
CHARMIAN, IRAS, and
ALEXAS
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CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN,
IRAS, and ALEXAS
enter. |
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CLEOPATRA
Give me some music. Music, moody food
Of us that trade in love.
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CLEOPATRA
Play me some music. Music feeds the melancholy moods of us
lovers.
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ALL
The music,
ho!
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ALL
Musicians, come in!
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Enter MARDIAN the
eunuch |
MADRIAN enters. |
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CLEOPATRA
Let it alone. Let’s to billiards. Come, Charmian.
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CLEOPATRA
Never mind. Let’s play billiards. Play with me, Charmian.
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CHARMIAN
My arm is sore. Best play with Mardian.
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CHARMIAN
My arm is sore. You’ll have a better game with Mardian.
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5 |
CLEOPATRA
As well a woman with an eunuch played
As with a woman.—Come, you’ll play with me, sir?
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CLEOPATRA
Playing with a eunuch is the same as playing with a woman. Will
you play with me, sir?
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MARDIAN
As well as I can, madam.
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MARDIAN
I’ll do my best, madam.
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10 15 |
CLEOPATRA
And when good will is showed, though ’t come too short,
The actor may plead pardon. I’ll none now.
Give me mine angle. We’ll to th’ river. There,
My music playing far off, I will betray
Tawny-finned fishes. My bended hook shall pierce
Their slimy jaws, and as I draw them up
I’ll think them every one an Antony
And say, “Aha! You’re caught.”
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CLEOPATRA
When a person tries in good faith, even if he fails he cannot be
blamed. I don’t want to play now. Give me my fishing rod. We’ll go
to the river. With my music playing in the background, I’ll lure
fish. My hook will go through their slimy jaws and as I pull them up
I’ll imagine each one is Antony. I’ll say, “Aha! I caught
you!”
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CHARMIAN
’Twas
merry when
You wagered on your angling, when your diver
Did hang a salt fish on his hook, which he
With fervency drew up.
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CHARMIAN
It was funny when you and Antony bet on who could catch the first
fish. You had a diver put a salted fish on his hook. He was so
excited as he hurried to pull it in!
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20 |
CLEOPATRA
That time—Oh,
times!—
I laughed him out of patience, and that night
I laughed him into patience. And next morn,
Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed,
Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst
I wore his sword Philippan.
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CLEOPATRA
That time? Oh, there were so many fun times. I would play some
trick on him and laugh until he lost his patience. Then, that night,
I would laugh with him while we made love until he was patient
again. Then by nine in the morning I would have him so drunk I could
dress him in my clothes while I wore the sword he used at the famous
battle of Philippi.
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