Anthony and Cleopatra.

Act I. Scene I.

“The triple pillars of the world …”

“The wide arch of the ranged empire …”

“To-night we'll wander through the streets and note

The qualities of people.” (That is so true a pleasure of lovers.)

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Act I. Scene 2.

“A Roman thought hath struck him …”
“Ah, then we bring forth weeds
When our quick minds lie still …”

Enobarbus constantly amazes me, e.g. his first speeches with Anthony about Cleopatra's celerity in dying.

“Your old smock brings forth a new petticoat.”

Act I. Scene 3. Like Scene 2. (I) “Saw you my lord?” (2) “Where is he?” The married woman. There's jealousy! And then her fury that he's not more upset at Fulvia's death!

‘Now I know how you'll behave when I die!’

These are beautiful lines of Anthony's:

“Our separation so abides and flies
That thou, residing here, goes yet with me,
And I, hence fleeing, here remain with thee.”

Act I. Scene 4.

“Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream
Goes to and back, lackeying the varying tide
To rot itself with motion.”

Marvellous words! I can apply them. There is a short story. And then it seems that the weed gets caught up and it sinks; it is gone out to sea and lost. But comes a day, a like tide, a like occasion, and it reappears more sickeningly rotten still! Shall he? Will he? Are there any letters? No letters? The post? Does he miss me? No. Then sweep it all out to sea. Clear the water for ever! Let me write this one day.

“His cheek so much as lanked not.” (Economy of utterance.)

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Act III. The short scene between Anthony and the Soothsayer is very remarkable. It explains the tone of Caesar's remarks to Anthony…. And Anthony's concluding speech shows his uneasiness at the truth of it. He'll go to Egypt. He'll go where his weakness is praised for strength. There's a hankering after Egypt between the lines.

Scene 5. “Tawny-finned fishes … their shiny jaws….” and the adjectives seem part of the nouns when Shakespeare uses them. They grace them so beautifully, attend and adorn so modestly, and yet with such skill. It so often happens with lesser writers that we are more conscious of the servants than we are of the masters, and quite forget that their office is to serve, to enlarge, to amplify the power of the master.

“Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in my ears
That long time have been barren.”

Good lines! And another example of the choice of the place of words. I suppose it was instinctive. But ‘fruitful’ seems to be just where it ought to be, to be resolved (musically speaking) by the word ‘barren’ One reads ‘fruitful’ expecting ‘barren’ almost from the “sound-sense.”

“‘But yet’ is as a jailor to bring forth
Some monstrous malefactor.”

There's matter indeed! Does not that give the pause that always follows those hateful words. ‘But yet’—and one waits. And both look towards the slowly opening door. What is coming out? And sometimes there's a sigh of relief after. Well, it was nothing so very awful. The gaol- page 206 mouse, so to speak, comes mousing through and cleans his face with his paw.

“I am pale, Charmian.”

Reminds me of Mary Shelley. “Byron had never seen any one so pale as I.”

“Since I myself
Have given myself the cause.”

What does that mean exactly? That she sent Anthony away? or let Anthony go?

“In praising Anthony I have dispraised Caesar …
I am paid for it now.”

A creature like Cleopatra always expects to be paid for things.