act 1, scene 3
Alexandria. A Room in CLEOPATRA'S palace.

[Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS.]

CLEOPATRA.
Where is he?

CHARMIAN.
I did not see him since.

CLEOPATRA.
See where he is, who's with him, what he does:--
I did not send you:--if you find him sad,
Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report
That I am sudden sick: quick, and return.

[Exit ALEXAS.]

CHARMIAN.
Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce
The like from him.

CLEOPATRA.
What should I do, I do not?

CHARMIAN.
In each thing give him way; cross him in nothing.

CLEOPATRA.
Thou teachest like a fool,--the way to lose him.

CHARMIAN.
Tempt him not so too far; I wish, forbear;
In time we hate that which we often fear.
But here comes Antony.

[Enter ANTONY.]

CLEOPATRA.
I am sick and sullen.

ANTONY.
I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose,--

CLEOPATRA.
Help me away, dear Charmian; I shall fall;
It cannot be thus long, the sides of nature
Will not sustain it.

ANTONY.
Now, my dearest queen,--

CLEOPATRA.
Pray you, stand farther from me.

ANTONY.
What's the matter?

CLEOPATRA.
I know by that same eye there's some good news.
What says the married woman?--You may go.
Would she had never given you leave to come!
Let her not say 'tis I that keep you here,--
I have no power upon you; hers you are.

ANTONY.
The gods best know,--

CLEOPATRA.
O, never was there queen
So mightily betray'd! Yet at the first
I saw the treasons planted.

ANTONY.
Cleopatra,--

CLEOPATRA.
Why should I think you can be mine and true,
Though you in swearing shake the throned gods,
Who have been false to Fulvia? Riotous madness,
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows,
Which break themselves in swearing!

ANTONY.
Most sweet queen,--

CLEOPATRA.
Nay, pray you, seek no colour for your going,
But bid farewell, and go: when you su'd staying,
Then was the time for words: no going then;--
Eternity was in our lips and eyes,
Bliss in our brows' bent; none our parts so poor
But was a race of heaven: they are so still,
Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world,
Art turn'd the greatest liar.

ANTONY.
How now, lady!

CLEOPATRA.
I would I had thy inches; thou shouldst know
There were a heart in Egypt.

ANTONY.
Hear me, queen:
The strong necessity of time commands
Our services awhile; but my full heart
Remains in use with you. Our Italy
Shines o'er with civil swords:  Sextus Pompeius
Makes his approaches to the port of Rome;
Equality of two domestic powers
Breed scrupulous faction: the hated, grown to strength,
Are newly grown to love: the condemn'd Pompey,
Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace
Into the hearts of such as have not thriv'd
Upon the present state, whose numbers threaten;
And quietness, grown sick of rest, would purge
By any desperate change. My more particular,
And that which most with you should safe my going,
Is Fulvia's death.

CLEOPATRA.
Though age from folly could not give me freedom,
It does from childishness:--can Fulvia die?

ANTONY.
She's dead, my queen.
Look here, and, at thy sovereign leisure, read
The garboils she awak'd;at the last, best.
See when and where she died.

CLEOPATRA.
O most false love!
Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water? Now I see, I see,
In Fulvia's death how mine receiv'd shall be.

ANTONY.
Quarrel no more, but be prepar'd to know
The purposes I bear; which are, or cease,
As you shall give theadvice. By the fire
That quickens Nilus' slime, I go from hence
Thy soldier, servant, making peace or war
As thou affect'st.

CLEOPATRA.
Cut my lace, Charmian, come;--
But let it be: I am quickly ill and well,
So Antony loves.

ANTONY.
My precious queen, forbear;
And give true evidence to his love, which stands
An honourable trial.

CLEOPATRA.
So Fulvia told me.
I pr'ythee, turn aside and weep for her;
Then bid adieu to me, and say the tears
Belong to Egypt: good now, play one scene
Of excellent dissembling; and let it look
Like perfect honour.

ANTONY.
You'll heat my blood: no more.

CLEOPATRA.
You can do better yet; but this is meetly.

ANTONY.
Now, by my sword,--

CLEOPATRA.
And target.--Still he mends;
But this is not the best:--look, pr'ythee, Charmian,
How this Herculean Roman does become
The carriage of his chafe.

ANTONY.
I'll leave you, lady.

CLEOPATRA.
Courteous lord, one word.
Sir, you and I must part,--but that's not it;
Sir, you and I have lov'd,--but there's not it;
That you know well: something it is I would,--
O, my oblivion is a very Antony,
And I am all forgotten.

ANTONY.
But that your royalty
Holds idleness your subject, I should take you
For idleness itself.

CLEOPATRA.
'Tis sweating labour
To bear such idleness so near the heart
As Cleopatra this. But, sir, forgive me;
Since my becomings kill me, when they do not
Eye well to you: your honour calls you hence;
Therefore be deaf to my unpitied folly,
And all the gods go with you! upon your sword
Sit laurel victory! and smooth success
Be strew'd before your feet!

ANTONY.
Let us go. Come;
Our separation so abides, and flies,
That thou, residing here, goes yet with me,
And I, hence fleeting, here remain with thee.
Away!

[Exeunt.]


gradesaver
Cleopatra's palace, in Alexandria. Cleopatra enters with Charmian, Alexas, and Iras. She tells them to find Antony, and exactly what deceptions to use to bring him to her. When Charmian suggests that honesty and obedience might be a better way to keep Antony's heart, Cleopatra replies that such behavior would be a sure way to lose him. When Antony appears and tries to tell Cleopatra that he must leave, her response is scathing. Even news of Fulvia's death only increases her distress: as Fulvia goes unmourned, Cleopatra says, so will she. Yet eventually she asks forgiveness for her behavior, and wishes Antony success. He promises that though they separate, they will be with each other in spirit.
The first three scenes of Act One all take place in Queen Cleopatra's palace, in Alexandria. They establish quickly the conflict between duty and passion, ambition and pleasure, Rome and Egypt. They also showcase Cleopatra's complexity: her incredible emotional vicissitudes, her theatricality, her manipulative streak, and her genuine passion for Antony. They also hint at the destructive powers of historical necessity, a great theme of the play, through the figure of the soothsayer and the juxtaposition of his unsettling presence with the gayness of Cleopatra's court. The first scene is short, and framed by the disparaging comments of Philo and Demetrius, two of Antony's men. The Roman soldiers disapprove of Antony's decadent affair with the queen, and are quick to write her off as a whore. Philo calls her a gipsy, which in Shakespeare's time connoted sorcery, treachery, and cheap trickery. Their view is simple and straightforward, and perhaps not perfectly in line with what we see when Antony and Cleopatra themselves appear. Cleopatra, though mocking of Antony's Roman duties, does in fact encourage him to hear the message. Her purposes for doing so are not entirely clear: she may be using reverse psychology on her lover, and her arguments already have a hint of irony, which can be played up in productions of the play. The theme of duty versus passion, and Rome versus Egypt, both come together in this scene. Antony is having too fine a time to be bothered by news from the capitol, and shirks his duties: "Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space, / Kingdoms are clay. Egypt is escape from the duties of empire, and in Alexandria Antony is able to live life as he loves to live it. But Antony's attitude will be sharply reversed by the next scene, and he will force himself back to Rome: Antony is torn throughout the play between duty and passion, between Roman power and the good life of Egypt. He is never able to reconcile the two, and their fundamental incompatibility are emphasized by the commentary provided by Philo and Demetrius. When Antony and Cleopatra appear before us, they are beautiful in their excess. They are a grand, godlike couple, a handsome Roman general and a magnificent queen, playful and exuberant, and conscious of their glamour. Youth is not part of their glamour; both are middle-aged. Their beauty is one of ripeness and maturity, and Antony revels in his Egyptian life as rest from a lifetime of fighting wars. Antony proudly proclaims, "We stand up peerless" , and within a certain realm he's right. But the world where they stand up peerless is a different one that Rome's world of duty, war, and ambition. The couple's beautiful language and delight in one another make no great impression on Philo and Demetrius, who can't understand Antony's shirking of his duties
cliffnotes
The scene opens with Cleopatra instructing her attendants, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras, to aid her in a plan. They are to find Antony and observe what sort of mood he is in. If he seems to be happy, they are to tell him that Cleopatra is ill. But if he seems sad or moody, on the other hand, they are to tell him that she is "dancing." Presumably, her purpose is to make Antony feel guilty about being away from her; she wants to make him think about her -- anything to draw his attention to her. It is a transparent and childish device, more typical of an adolescent than of a woman deeply in love. Antony enters and wants to tell Cleopatra the sad news of Fulvia's death. However, Cleopatra is so involved in the game that she is playing that she doesn't notice that Antony is trying to tell her something important. He keeps trying to interrupt her egotistical monologue, but he cannot manage to communicate his sorrow. First, Cleopatra feigns illness, but when she sees that Antony doesn't notice, she begins berating him for his faithlessness. After a good deal of melodramatic emoting from Cleopatra, Antony is finally able to tell her that he must leave immediately. She is caught off-guard and is so distraught that he plans to leave so quickly that she accuses him of playacting. She accuses him further of being as false to her as he is false to Fulvia. At this point, Antony is finally able to tell her that Fulvia is dead. This announcement, however, does not have the expected effect on Cleopatra. She merely retorts, selfishly, "Now I see, I see / In Fulvia's death, how mine receiv'd shall be." But Antony is not moved by her childish histrionics, and he repeats that he must return to Rome. Cleopatra continues to goad Antony, but to no effect. She repeats the charge that he is an excellent actor and that he plays well the role of an irritated, angry man. He answers Cleopatra that her own show of grief at his leaving might also be merely an act. She vows that her love for him is real and that her pain is as real as the pain of a woman in labor. Finally, it seems, she realizes that Antony's emotions may be genuine, and she also seems to realize that the quality of love is something that a person must take on faith. When the scene ends, Cleopatra is reconciled to the fact that Antony must leave, and thus they separate and swear vows of fidelity.
Several themes are developed here. Once again, we see Cleopatra in a rather unfavorable light. She still seems to be more of a scheming coquette than a woman who loves Antony sincerely. Yet Cleopatra's insecurity, her constant comparing of her own situation with that of Fulvia, could also be interpreted to mean that she does love Antony a great deal and fears to lose him. If this scene could be said to have one basic focus, it probably centers on acting and the theater -- illusion as opposed to the real world. The second half of the scene, in particular, with its many references to acting, echoes the actual "staged scene" that we saw in the first half -- that is, when Cleopatra instructed her servants to encourage Antony to worry about her and thus attract his attention. It is ironic that it is Cleopatra who accuses Antony of only acting as if he loves her; significantly, it was she, not he, who planned the earlier scenario with her servants. She herself "acts" according to plan when Antony enters, but her scheme fails when Antony refuses to humor her. As a result, they argue about whether or not their love is genuine. The familiar Shakespearean theme of reality vs. illusion is paramount here. Egypt is a dream world, a world of romance and sensual delight, compared to Rome, a world of harsh reality, a world of politics and war. As a parallel, the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra exhibits dreamlike features, as well as serious sparring. Their love vacillates between a tawdry, superficial romance, a sort of romp in the garden of earthly delights, and a love that is sadder, a deeper kind of love that is more than sensual and may possibly survive the burdens placed on it by time and the world. At this point, Shakespeare is still developing his theme of love and intrigue according to the popular ideas of his time concerning Antony and Cleopatra. Traditionally, these lovers have been presented as being entirely devoted to sensuality and self-gratification. Now, however, we see that while the faults of Shakespeare's hero and heroine are not entirely dispelled, the characters gain considerably in depth and humanity as the play progresses.
sparknotes
Cleopatra orders her servant Alexas to fetch Antony. When Antony enters, Cleopatra feigns a fainting spell, lamenting that Fulvia ever gave Antony leave to come to Egypt. She asks how she can have believed the vows of a man so willing to break his vows to his wife. Antony tells her of the volatile political situation in Rome and of Fulvia's death. Cleopatra notes how little he mourns and predicts that he will grieve as little after her own death. They argue about the depth and truth of his feelings, until Antony finally departs, promising that distance will not threaten their love
Act I, scenes i-iii Shakespeare organizes the plot of Antony and Cleopatra around the conflict between East and West, Egypt and Rome. He immediately establishes this opposition in the opening scene, when two Roman soldiers pass judgment on their commander, Mark Antony, for surrendering his martial duties to the exotic pleasures of Cleopatra's Egypt. The battle is not merely between two geographically distinct empires but also between two diametrically opposed worldviews. As Philo and Demetrius lament Antony's decline, claiming that his "captain's heart" now serves as "the bellows and the fan / To cool a gipsy's lust," they illustrate a divide between a world that is governed by reason, discipline, and prudence, and another ruled by passion, pleasure, and love . Cleopatra, however, is much more than the high-class prostitute that the Romans believe her to be. Often considered Shakespeare's strongest female character, Cleopatra is a consummate actress. As her first scene with Antony shows, she conducts her affair with the Roman general in a highly theatrical fashion, her actions fueled as much by the need to create a public spectacle as by the desire to satisfy a private passion. Later, upon learning of Antony's plan to return to Rome, the queen shifts from grief to anger with astonishing speed. No sooner does she recover from a fainting spell than she rails at Antony for his inability to mourn his dead wife adequately. As he prepares to leave, Cleopatra says, "But sir, forgive me, / Since my becomings kill me when they do not / Eye well to you" . Here, "becomings" refers not only to the graces that become or suit the queen but also to her fluid transformations, her many moods, and the many different versions of herself she presents. In Act I, scene i, Antony points to this mutability when he notes that Cleopatra is a woman "hom everything becomes-to chide, to laugh, / To weep" . This talent for perpetual change lends Cleopatra her characteristic sense of drama as well as her complexity. Antony, meanwhile, seems to enjoy indulging in hyperbole as much as Cleopatra. When she tells him that his duties call him home, he declares: Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space.Kingdoms are clay. Our dungy earth alikeFeeds beast as man.           His speech stands in contrast to the measured, unadorned speech of Philo and Demetrius and, later, Octavius Caesar. Antony delights in depicting himself in heroic terms--indeed, he occupies himself with thoughts of winning nobleness and honor--but already we detect the sharp tension between his rhetoric and his action. From the beginning of the play, Antony is strongly attracted to both Rome and Egypt, and his loyalty vacillates from one to the other. In these first scenes, he goes from letting "Rome in Tiber melt" to deciding that he "must from this enchanting queen break off" . His infatuation with the queen is not strong enough to overcome his sense of responsibility to Rome, and while Octavius Caesar, his efficient antagonist, has yet to appear onstage, the lengthy discussion of the strife between Fulvia, Caesar, and young Pompey reminds us of the political context of this love affair. Antony governs a third of the Roman Empire, which has endured decades of civil strife, and he and Caesar, though allies, are not true friends. Such an unstable situation does not bode well for the future of Antony's romance with the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. Here, as throughout the play, Enobarbus, Antony's most loyal supporter, serves as the voice of reason; he speaks plainly, in prose rather than verse. His estrangement from Antony increases as Antony's power wanes; for the moment, however, he represents -Antony's connection to the West and his political duties. Enobarbus's blunt honesty contrasts sharply with Cleopatra's theatricality.