Original: Hark! the land bids me tread no more upon’t;
Modern: Listen! The ground is telling me not to walk on it anymore;

Original: It is ashamed to bear me! Friends, come hither:
Modern: It’s embarrassed to hold me up! Friends, come here:

Original: I am so lated in the world, that I
Modern: I have arrived so late in life, that I

Original: Have lost my way for ever: I have a ship
Modern: Have lost my direction forever: I have a ship

Original: Laden with gold; take that, divide it; fly,
Modern: Loaded with gold; take it, split it among yourselves; escape,

Original: And make your peace with Caesar.
Modern: And make a deal with Caesar to save yourselves.

Original: I have fled myself; and have instructed cowards
Modern: I have run away from my own true self; and I’ve taught cowards

Original: To run and show their shoulders. Friends, be gone;
Modern: How to run away and turn their backs in battle. Friends, leave;

Original: I have myself resolved upon a course
Modern: I have decided on a path for myself

Original: Which has no need of you; be gone:
Modern: That doesn’t require you; go away:

Original: My treasure’s in the harbour, take it. O,
Modern: My treasure is at the harbor, take it. Oh,

Original: I follow’d that I blush to look upon:
Modern: I chased after something I’m now ashamed to even look at:

Original: My very hairs do mutiny; for the white
Modern: Even the hairs on my head are fighting each other; because the white ones

Original: Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
Modern: Scold the brown ones for being reckless, and the brown ones scold them back

Original: For fear and doting. Friends, be gone: you shall
Modern: For being fearful and foolish. Friends, leave: you will

Original: Have letters from me to some friends that will
Modern: Get letters from me to some influential friends who will

Original: Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad,
Modern: Clear the path for you. Please, don’t look sad,

Original: Nor make replies of loathness: take the hint
Modern: And don’t reluctantly argue with me: take the suggestion

Original: Which my despair proclaims; let that be left
Modern: That my despair is announcing; let what’s abandoning itself

Original: Which leaves itself: to the sea-side straightway:
Modern: Be abandoned: go straight to the seashore:

Original: I will possess you of that ship and treasure.
Modern: I will give you ownership of that ship and treasure.

Original: Leave me, I pray, a little: pray you now:
Modern: Leave me alone, I beg you, for a little while: I’m begging you now:

Original: Nay, do so; for, indeed, I have lost command,
Modern: No, really, do it; because, truly, I’ve lost my authority to command,

Original: Therefore I pray you: I’ll see you by and by.
Modern: So that’s why I have to beg you: I’ll see you soon.

In Act III, Scene ix (also numbered as Scene 11 in some editions) of “Antony and Cleopatra,” Caesar surveys the aftermath of the naval battle at Actium from his camp. He observes that Antony’s forces have been decisively defeated, with many of his ships either captured or destroyed. Caesar recognizes that this victory has effectively broken Antony’s military power and left him in a significantly weakened position. The scene establishes Caesar’s strategic assessment of the battle’s outcome and his understanding that he has gained a crucial advantage over his rival.

Caesar then gives orders to his officers regarding the next phase of his campaign. He instructs them to pursue the retreating forces and consolidate their victory, demonstrating his methodical approach to warfare and his intention to capitalize fully on Antony’s defeat. The scene serves to show Caesar’s position of strength following the Battle of Actium and sets up the subsequent developments as he presses his advantage against the now-vulnerable Antony. Caesar’s calm, calculated demeanor contrasts with the chaos and defeat that has befallen Antony’s forces.

Antony and Cleopatra follows the tragic downfall of Mark Antony, one of Rome’s three ruling triumvirs, who becomes consumed by his passionate love affair with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The play opens with Antony already established in Alexandria, neglecting his Roman duties while reveling in the exotic pleasures of Cleopatra’s court. When news arrives that his wife Fulvia has died and that Pompey threatens Roman territories, Antony reluctantly returns to Rome, where he reconciles with Octavius Caesar and marries Caesar’s sister Octavia to strengthen their political alliance, temporarily abandoning Cleopatra.

Despite his marriage to Octavia, Antony cannot resist returning to Egypt and Cleopatra, effectively declaring war on Rome and Caesar. The political and personal tensions culminate in the naval Battle of Actium, where Cleopatra’s fleet flees mid-battle, and Antony, following her, seals both their military defeat and political doom. Back in Egypt, as Caesar’s forces close in, the lovers face their inevitable destruction with a series of miscommunications and desperate acts.

The tragedy reaches its climax when Cleopatra, fearing Antony’s rage, sends word that she has died. Devastated, Antony falls on his sword but survives long enough to be carried to Cleopatra’s monument, where he dies in her arms. Rather than face the humiliation of being paraded through Rome as Caesar’s prisoner, Cleopatra takes her own life by allowing an asp (cobra) to bite her. The play ends with Caesar’s arrival to find both lovers dead, and his recognition of their tragic grandeur, ordering them to be buried together with full honors.