Antony and Cleopatra Act 1, Scene 4

Caesar and Lepidus discuss Antony. Caesar says that he is more womanly than Cleopatra (to whom he refers as "the Queen of Ptolemy") for ignoring his duties and acting out of lust. He says to Lepidus:

"You shall find there
A man who is the abstract of all faults
That all men follow." Act 1, Scene 4, ll. 8-10

Topic Tracking: East/West 2

Lepidus does not want to think that Antony is truly as bad as Caesar indicates, and says that his faults are not under his control. Caesar insists that although it is not that bad to drink and enjoy women every so often, it is not acceptable that Antony is doing this when there are more important political matters at hand. He should be severely reprimanded.

A messenger enters with news: Pompey is gaining strength and a good reputation among the people who have followed Caesar only out of fear. Caesar says that he should have known this; the populace will often bring a man into power only to realize it is someone else they want, and then repeat the cycle once again.

Another messenger enters and brings the news of Menas and Menocrates, pirates and friends of Pompey, who are causing trouble in Italy. Caesar speaks about the way Antony used to be, full of courage and the ability to thrive in the roughest of situations. He tells Lepidus that he hopes that Antony's shame will make him come back and do what he should be doing. Caesar then agrees to share any news that he might receive with Lepidus.

Topic Tracking: Messengers 2