"All for Love" Act II

The second Act takes us to Cleopatra and her followers. Cleopatra has heard that Ventidius has overcome Antony and he has decided to go away. What is she to do now ? Alexas tells her that he is only going to fight for her.

But Cleopatra says that if that was so he would have come to see her. She is sure that if he goes away he would not be hers any longer and all her hopes would be lost. Since Antony has abandoned her she does not mind even being made a slave by Octavius. There is no reason in her love for Antony. It is sheer madness. Iras urges her to forget Antony.

But Cleopatra cannot forget him. She would always love him even if he is unfaithful and cruel.

           

           Cleopatra had sent Charmion with a message to Antony that she wanted to meet him to bid a last farewell to him. Ventidius wanted to prevent Charmion from seeing Antony but Antony saw her and gave orders that she should be allowed to come to him. When he heard her request he sighed. He told Charmion to convey to her that he would always respect her but if he saw her he would not be able to leave.

Cleopatra is pained at the use of the word 'respect.' He should have used that word for his wife Octavia who had no warm feelings for him. Alexas feels that Antony has great love for her and if Cleopatra sees him he would agree to stay. He needs her help to rid him of the influence of Ventidius who wants to take him to fight.

Antony along with Ventidius and his commanders and troops is going out of Alexandria. They talk about Octavius. He has no manly courage but knows how to take secret revenge, Antony had challenged him to fight a single combat with him. Octavius replied that he knew more ways than one to die. Antony says that Octavius would choose all the ways to the except death by fighting.

Ventidius says that this man would prefer to die of fever. Antony says that Octavius is cold by temperament and so he cannot die of fever. He would prefer to die of old age and in his bed. Ventidius says that Antony won the battle of Philippi against Brutus and Cassius and caned out a vast empire and now this man wants to push him out like rubbish. Just as the order is to be given to the troops to march, Alexas comes with a message from Cleopatra.

Alexas flatters Antony and says that he is like a god and requests him to listen to the message which mournful Cleopatra sends to her lord. She sends a thousand wishes, ten thousand prayers and millions of blessings for his success in the wars. She as also sent millions of Sighs and tears. She would have also sent ma dear embraces and parting kisses but he is already tired of them. Antony asks Alexas what the queen wants. Alexas replies that in the first place the queen wants that the noble warriors who are accompanying Antony should take the fullest care of him. Alexas presents jewels to all the important commanders as tokens ot affection from the queen. She has sent one fine jewel for Ventidius whom she does not regard as her enemy because he loves her lord.

Ventidius does not accept the jewel because It IS a sort of bribe. For Antony she would have sent her soul but she gave that to him a long I time back. She sends a ruby bracelet studded with bleeding hearts which is her emblem. Ventidius asks Antony not to touch the gift as it has been poisoned by the touch of the sender.

But Antony says that a lady's gifts of love should be accepted with honour. He says that when he is alone in his tent in the wakeful hours of winter nights he will pass the time by rolling the pretty beads of this bracelet. The beads will remind him of her love.

Antony finds it difficult to tie the bracelet. He asks Alexas to tie it for him. Alexas suggests that some lady's hand should tie it and the hest person would be the lady who sent the gift to him. Alexas sends an attendant to call Cleopatra. Ventidius requests him not to see Cleopatra. But Antony says that he would only bid farewell to her. Ventidius says that the enchantment exercised by her eyes would do Caesar's work of defeating him. Antony says that he is a Roman trained in the rules of gentle courtesy and so as he is her guest he must hid farewell to her while leaving.

Cleopatra then comes there. Antony tells her that they have loved each other and brought about each other's ruin. Cleopatra tells him that the gods are jealous of her happiness. The world is bent upon separating them. Even he has become the enemy of her love. Antony tells her that she is the sole cause of her ruin. He tells her that he loved her even before Julius Caesar met her and enjoyed her in her young days.

After Caesar was murdered he came to Egypt and neglected his Official duties and gave himself up entirely to her love. He loved her passionately. His wife Fulvia grew jealous and raised a war in Italy to call him back. But he did not go. While he lay enfolded Within her arms his authority over the part of the Roman Empire that he ruled slipped away. All that remained in his possession was Alexandria.

Fulvia's death caused some peace in the Roman Empire. He married Octavia, the sister of Octavius. Cleopatra called him and he deserted Octavia and came to her. This made Octavius hostile to him and so the entire Roman world turned against him. She was responsible for this. He was strongest by land but she advised him to fight at sea and .then at a crucial moment in the battle of Actium she deserted with her fleet and so he lost the battle. All this ruin has been brought on him by her. He asks her whether she wants ro ruin him further by sticking to him. He has twelve legions left with him and with the help ot these he wants to retrieve his honour and she has come to intercept him and expose him again to shameful defeat.

Cleopatra asks him how she can defend herself when her judge, Antony, has already condemned her. She is sorry that Julius Caesar first enjoyed her love. She is sure that if Antony had been her first choice she would not have felt the need of second choice. Julius Caesar only possessed her body but she only loved Antony. It is true that she kept him away from his wife (Fulvia) who used to cause mischiefs and wars.

But she is not to be blamed for Antony's desertion of Octavia. She pleads that at Actium she did not betray him. The cause of her flight was fear.

Antony asks her whether she wants that he should stay on at Alexandria and perish. She replies that as a friend she would.advise him to go but as a lover she would appeal to him to stay even if it means his ruin.

Cleopatra shows him a letter which she had received from Octavius. The letter offered to make her the absolute ruler of Egypt and Syria if she separated from Antony. It was a fine offer if she wanted to live separately from Antony.

But she had rejected the offer as she regarded the love of Antony as more precious than kingdoms.

Antony recognizes the handwriting of Octavius. Cleopatra tells him that she loves him so much that she cannot live without him. If she cannot live with him she would like to die with him. She tells him to go and earn glory as a soldier and leave her dying there. She says that she is a weak and forsaken woman and she wants to die at this very time in his arms.

Antony is tremendously moved and wishes that he should die first. Ventidius asks him to remember that Cleopatra is a toy as compared to his fortune, honour and fame. But Antony tells him that Cleopatra means much more to him than his fortune, honour and fame. He is convinced that his queen is innocent and loves him. He asks Ventidius to beg her pardon. Ventidius says that he would rather die than do that. Antony decides that he will not go from one who is so good as to reject kingdoms for the sake of his love, Ventidius leaves Saying, "O woman, you ere capable of doing more harm to man than all the gods have the power of doing good to him".

Antony is very angry with Octavius for the treachery he wanted to do to him. He wants to attack him and defeat him just then, so that when night came they could enjoy the pleasure of mutual love and triumph over Caesar before they died.