Antonius, Marcus, 83 B.C.?-30 B.C. -- Drama; Caesar, Julius -- Drama; Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, -30 B.C. -- Drama
CAESAR (_with quiet authority_). Go to the balcony; and you shall see
us take the Pharos. You must learn to look on battles. Go. (_She goes,
downcast, and looks out from the balcony._) That is well. Now, Rufio.
March.
CLEOPATRA (_suddenly clapping her hands_). Oh, you will not be able to
go!
CAESAR. Why? What now?
CLEOPATRA. They are drying up the harbor with buckets--a multitude of
soldiers--over there (_pointing out across the sea to her left_)--they
are dipping up the water.
RUFIO (_hastening to look_). It is true. The Egyptian army! Crawling
over the edge of the west harbor like locusts. (_With sudden anger he
strides down to Caesar._) This is your accursed clemency, Caesar.
Theodotus has brought them.
CAESAR (_delighted at his own cleverness_). I meant him to, Rufio.
They have come to put out the fire. The library will keep them busy
whilst we seize the lighthouse. Eh? (_He rushes out buoyantly through
the loggia, followed by Britannus._)
RUFIO (_disgustedly_). More foxing! Agh! (_He rushes off. A shout from
the soldiers announces the appearance of Caesar below._)
CENTURION (_below_). All aboard. Give way there. (_Another shout._)
CLEOPATRA (_waving her scarf through the loggia arch_). Goodbye,
goodbye, dear Caesar. Come back safe. Goodbye!
ACT III
_The edge of the quay in front of the palace, looking out west over
the east harbor of Alexandria to Pharos island, just off the end of
which, and connected with it by a narrow mole, is the famous
lighthouse, a gigantic square tower of white marble diminishing in
size storey by storey to the top, on which stands a cresset beacon.
The island is joined to the main land by the Heptastadium, a great
mole or causeway five miles long bounding the harbor on the south._
_In the middle of the quay a Roman sentinel stands on guard, pilum in
hand, looking out to the lighthouse with strained attention, his left
hand shading his eyes. The pilum is a stout wooden shaft 4½ feet
long, with an iron spit about three feet long fixed in it. The
sentinel is so absorbed that he does not notice the approach from the
north end of the quay of four Egyptian market porters carrying rolls
of carpet, preceded by Ftatateeta and Apollodorus the Sicilian.
Apollodorus is a dashing young man of about 24, handsome and debonair,
dressed with deliberate æstheticism in the most delicate purples and
dove greys, with ornaments of bronze, oxydized silver, and stones of
jade and agate. His sword, designed as carefully as a medieval cross,
has a blued blade showing through an openwork scabbard of purple
leather and filagree. The porters, conducted by Ftatateeta, pass along
the quay behind the sentinel to the steps of the palace, where they
put down their bales and squat on the ground. Apollodorus does not
pass along with them: he halts, amused by the preoccupation of the
sentinel._
APOLLODORUS (_calling to the sentinel_). Who goes there, eh?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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