Original: All is lost;
Modern: Everything is ruined;

Original: This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me:
Modern: This terrible Egyptian woman has betrayed me:

Original: My fleet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder
Modern: My navy has surrendered to the enemy; and over there

Original: They cast their caps up and carouse together
Modern: They throw their hats in the air and celebrate together

Original: Like friends long lost. Triple-turn’d whore! ‘tis thou
Modern: Like old friends reunited. You whore who’s changed sides three times! It’s you

Original: Hast sold me to this novice; and my heart
Modern: Who has sold me out to this inexperienced boy; and my heart

Original: Makes only wars on thee. Bid them all fly;
Modern: Now wages war only against you. Tell them all to run away;

Original: For when I am revenged upon my charm,
Modern: Because once I’ve gotten revenge on my enchantress,

Original: I have done all. Bid them all fly; begone.
Modern: I’ll have done everything. Tell them all to flee; get out of here.

Original: O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more:
Modern: Oh sun, I will never see you rise again:

Original: Fortune and Antony part here; even here
Modern: Good luck and Antony separate right here; right at this moment

Original: Do we shake hands. All come to this? The hearts
Modern: We say goodbye to each other. Has it all come to this? The hearts

Original: That spaniel’d me at heels, to whom I gave
Modern: That followed me like loyal dogs, to whom I gave

Original: Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets
Modern: Everything they wanted, now dissolve, pour out their sweet devotion

Original: On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark’d,
Modern: On the rising Caesar; and this tall pine tree has had its bark stripped off,

Original: That overtopp’d them all. Betray’d I am:
Modern: That once stood taller than all the others. I have been betrayed:

Original: O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,
Modern: Oh, this deceitful Egyptian woman! This dangerous enchantress,

Original: Whose eye beck’d forth my wars, and call’d them home;
Modern: Whose glance sent me into battles, and summoned me back home;

Original: Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,
Modern: Whose embrace was my crown, my ultimate goal,

Original: Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose,
Modern: Like a true con artist, has, through a cheating game,

Original: Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.
Modern: Tricked me into complete and utter ruin.

Original: What, Eros, Eros!
Modern: Hey, Eros, Eros!

In Act IV, Scene 12 of “Antony and Cleopatra,” Antony enters with Scarus and witnesses the devastating spectacle of the Egyptian fleet surrendering to Caesar’s forces. From his vantage point, Antony watches in horror as Cleopatra’s ships yield to the enemy without engaging in battle, rowing toward Caesar’s galleys and joining with them. This betrayal in the midst of combat proves to be the final blow to Antony’s military hopes and his trust in Cleopatra.

Overcome with rage and despair, Antony interprets this naval surrender as evidence of Cleopatra’s treachery, believing she has deliberately betrayed him to Caesar. He curses her vehemently, calling her a “triple-turned whore” and a “spell” that has led to his destruction. Antony declares that all is lost and vows to kill Cleopatra for what he perceives as her ultimate act of betrayal. He orders Scarus to command his remaining forces to flee, while he himself resolves to confront Cleopatra. His fury is absolute as he exits, determined to exact revenge on the woman he now believes has sold him to his enemy.

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.