He'll make demand of her, and spend that kiss,
Which is my heaven to have. Come, thou mortal wretch,

[To the asp, which she applies to her breast.
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate 72
Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool
Be angry, and despatch. O! couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Cæsar, ass
Unpolicied! 73

Char. O eastern star!
Cleo.

Peace, peace!
Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,
That sucks the nurse asleep?
Char.

0, break! O, break!
Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,
O Antony! Nay, I will take thee too.

[Applying another asp to her arm. 7* What should I stay

[Falls on a bed, and dies. Char. In this vild 75 world? So, fare thee well. Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies A lass unparallel'd. - Downy windows, 76 close; And golden Phæbus never be beheld Of eyes again so royal! Your crown 's awry; I 'll mend it, and then play.

77

78

Enter the Guard, rushing in.
1 Guard. Where is the queen ?
Char.

Speak softly; wake her not.
1 Guard. Cæsar hath sent
Char.

Too slow a messenger.

[Applies the asp.

79

72) intrinsicate in sich verschlungen, wie es scheint, von Sh. aus intricate and intrin

secal gebildet. In demselben Sinne hat er in K. Lear (A. 2, Sc. 2) intrinse. 73) Wenn die Schlange sprechen könnte, so würde sie den Octavius einen unerfabrenen,

in Staatsgeschäften ungeschulten Esel nennen, dass er sich so von ihr um den Besitz

der Cleopatra prellen lässt. 74) Diese Bühnenweisung wie die vorhergehende und folgende ist von den Hgg. hinzu

gefügt. Die Fol. hat nur Dies hinter What should I stay. 75) vild, Sh.'s Wort für vile, emendirt Steevens das wild der Fol. Wie Dyce nach

weisst, wurde wild in den Drucken jener Zeit öfter mit vild verwechselt. 76) downy windows sind die von den weichen Augenwimpern bedeckten Augen. 77) awry verbesserte Pope das away der Fol. ; indem er dabei dem Plutarch folgte.

Vgl. Einleitung pag. XII. 78) to play = spielen, müssig gehen: wenn ich ihr die Krone zurecht gerückt habe, so kann

ich müssig gehen; ich habe als Dienerin meiner Herrin nichts weiter zu thun. So

hatte Cleopatra selbst ihr vorher gesagt: I'll give thee leave to play till dooms-day. 79) Auch diese Bühnenweisung ist ein Zusatz der Hgg.

01 come; apace; despatch: I partly feel thee.

1 Guard. Approach, ho! All 's not well: Cæsar''s beguil'd.
2 Guard. There is Dolabella sent from Cæsar: call him.
1 Guard. What work is here? Charmian, is this well done?

Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess
Descended of so many royal kings. 80
Ah, soldier!

[Dies.

Enter DOLABELLA.
Dol. How goes it here?
2 Guard.

All dead.
Dol.

Cæsar, thy thoughts
Touch their effects in this: thyself art coming
To see perform'd the dreaded act, which thou
So sought'st to hinder.

Within. A way there! a way for Cæsar!

Enter Caesar, and all his Train.
Dol. 0, Sir! you are too sure an augurer :
That you did fear, is done.
Cæs.

Bravest at the last:
She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal,
Took her own way.

The manner of their deaths ?
I do not see them bleed.
Dol.

Who was last with them?
1 Guard. A simple countryman that brought her figs :
This was his basket.
Cos.

Poison'd then.
1 Guard.

0 Cæsar!
This Charmian lived but now; she stood, and spake.
I found her trimming up the diadem
On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood,
And on the sudden dropp'd.
Cæs.

O noble weakness!
If they had swallow'd poison, 't would appear
By external swelling; but she looks like sleep,
As she would catch another Antony
In her strong toil of grace.
Dol.

Here, on her breast,
There is a vent of blood, and something blown: 81
The like is on her arm.

80) Fast wörtllich aus Plutarch. Vgl. Einleitung pag. XII.
81) auf ihrer Brust ist eine Blutergiessung und etwas Geschwollenes.

something adverbial, was in die Construction nicht passen will.

Johnson fasst

1 Guard. This is an aspick's trail; and these fig-leaves
Have slime upon them, such as the aspick leaves
Upon the caves of Nile.
Cæs.

Most probable,
That so she died; for her physician tells me,
She hath pursu'd conclusions infinite 82
Of easy ways to die. Take up her bed,
And bear her women from the monument.
She shall be buried by her Antony:
No grave upon the earth shall clip 83 in it
A pair so famous. High events as these
Strike those that make them; and their story is
No less in pity than his glory, which
Brought them to be lamented. 84 Our army shall,
In solemn show, attend this funeral,
And then to Rome. Come, Dolabella , see
High order in this great solemnity.

[Exeunt.

82) conclusion = Versuch, Experiment. 83) Vgl. A. 4, Sc. 8, Anm. 3. 84) Ihre Geschichte erregt ebensoviel Mitleid für sie selbst, wie Ruhm für den, der zu

ihrer Bemitleidung den Anlass gab.

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