Antony and Cleopatra, Act 3 Scene 12 runs 42 lines of dialogue, spoken by 4 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 85 lines. This scene is part of Act 3 of Antony and Cleopatra.
Full Dialogue
Octavius Caesar ♂
Let him appear that's come from Antony.
Know you him?
Know you him?
Dolabella ♂
Caesar, 'tis his schoolmaster:
An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He sends so poor a pinion off his wing,
Which had superfluous kings for messengers
Not many moons gone by.
An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He sends so poor a pinion off his wing,
Which had superfluous kings for messengers
Not many moons gone by.
Octavius Caesar ♂
Approach, and speak.
Euphronius ♂
Such as I am, I come from Antony:
I was of late as petty to his ends
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle-leaf
To his grand sea.
I was of late as petty to his ends
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle-leaf
To his grand sea.
Octavius Caesar ♂
Be't so: declare thine office.
Euphronius ♂
Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and
Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted,
He lessens his requests; and to thee sues
To let him breathe between the heavens and earth,
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;
Submits her to thy might; and of thee craves
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.
Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted,
He lessens his requests; and to thee sues
To let him breathe between the heavens and earth,
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;
Submits her to thy might; and of thee craves
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.
Octavius Caesar ♂
For Antony,
I have no ears to his request. The queen
Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend,
Or take his life there: this if she perform,
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.
I have no ears to his request. The queen
Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend,
Or take his life there: this if she perform,
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.
Euphronius ♂
Fortune pursue thee!
Octavius Caesar ♂
Bring him through the bands.
From Antony win Cleopatra: promise,
And in our name, what she requires; add more,
From thine invention, offers: women are not
In their best fortunes strong; but want will perjure
The ne'er touch'd vestal: try thy cunning, Thyreus;
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.
From Antony win Cleopatra: promise,
And in our name, what she requires; add more,
From thine invention, offers: women are not
In their best fortunes strong; but want will perjure
The ne'er touch'd vestal: try thy cunning, Thyreus;
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.
Thyreus ♂
Caesar, I go.
Octavius Caesar ♂
Observe how Antony becomes his flaw,
And what thou think'st his very action speaks
In every power that moves.
And what thou think'st his very action speaks
In every power that moves.
Thyreus ♂
Caesar, I shall.
42 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Octavius Caesar | 21 | 50.0% |
| Euphronius | 14 | 33.3% |
| Dolabella | 5 | 11.9% |
| Thyreus | 2 | 4.8% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 21 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 11 lines.
Total speakers on stage
4 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 3
This is Scene 12 of 13 in Act 3 of Antony and Cleopatra.
Scene length vs. play average
At 42 lines, this scene is shorter than the Antony and Cleopatra average scene in Antony and Cleopatra (~85 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 3 Scene 11 · Next: Act 3 Scene 13