Daniel, Samuel · published 1599 · first performed or written 1593 [revised 1607] (Annals) tragedy T54 Antony and Cleopatra: love, death and mo typicality 0.86 · 502 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T54: antony, caesar, anthony, cleopatra, antonius, love, death, die, heart, breast.
Basely enduring to survive my state: That Rome should see my scepter-bearing hands Behind me bound, and glory in my tears, That I should pass whereas Octavia stands, To view my misery that purchased hers. No, I disdain that head which wore a crown Should stoop to take up that which others give; I must not be, unless I be mine own. 'tis sweet to die when we are forced to live, Nor had I staid behind myself this space, Nor paid such interest for this borrowed breath, But that hereby I seek to purchase grace For my distressed seed after my death. It's that which doth my dearest blood control, That's it alas detains me from my tomb, While nature brings to contradict my soul The argument of mine unhappy womb. You luckless' issue of an woeful mother, The wretched pledges of a wanton bed, You Kings designed, must subjects live to other; Or else, I fear, scarce live, when I am dead. It is for you I temporize with Caesar, And stay this while to mediate your safety: For you I feign content and soothe his pleasure, Calamity herein hath made me crafty. But this is but to try what may be done, For come what will, this stands, I must die free, And die myself vncaptiued, and unwon. Blood, Children, Nature, all must pardon me. My soul yields honour up the victory, And I must be a Queen, forget a mother, Though mother would I be, were I not I; And Queen would not be now, could I be other. But what know I if th' heavens have decred, And that the sins of Egypt have deserved The Ptolemy's should fail and none succeed, And that my weakness was thereto reserved That I should bring confusion to my state, And fill the measure of iniquity, luxuriousness in me should raise the rate Of lose and ill-dispensed liberty. If it be so, then what need these delays? Since I was made the means of misery: Why should I strive but to make death my praise, That had my life but for my infamy? And let me write in letters of my blood A fit memorial for the times to come, To be example to such Princes good As please themselves and care not what become. And Antony, because the world takes note That my defects have only ruined thee: And my ambitious practices are thought The motive and the cause of all to be: Though God thou knowst, how just this stain is laid Upon my soul, whom ill success makes ill: Yet since condemned misfortune hath no aid Against proud luck that argues what it will, I have no means to undeceive their minds, But to bring in the witness of my blood, To testify the faith and love that binds My equal shame, to fall with whom I stood. Defects I grant I had, but this was worst, That being the first to fall I died not first.
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 65–127 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 2 of 27 in this edition
Length
502 words · 624 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T54 — Antony and Cleopatra: love, death and mourningcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.861 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: T51 · seed 44: T48 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Basely induring to suruiue my state: That Rome should see my scepter-bearing hands Behind me bound, and glory in my teares, That I should passe whereas Octauia stands, To view my misery that purchas'd hers. No, I disdaine that head which wore a crowne Should stoope to take vp that which others giue; I must not be, vnlesse I be mine owne. Tis sweet to die when we are forc'd to liue, Nor had I staide behind my selfe this space, Nor paid such intrest for this borrow'd breath, But that hereby I seeke to purchase grace For my distressed seed after my death. It's that which doth my deerest bloud controule, That's it alas detaines me from my tombe, VVhiles nature brings to contradict my soule The argument of mine vnhappy wombe. You luckles issue of an wofull mother, The wretched pledges of a wanton bed, You Kings design'd, must subiects liue to other; Or else, I feare, scarse liue, when I am dead. It is for you I temporize with Caesar, And staie this while to mediate your saftie: For you I faine content and sooth his pleasure, Calamity herein hath made me craftie. But this is but to trie what may be done, For come what will, this stands, I must die free, And die my selfe vncaptiu'd, and vnwon. Bloud, Children, Nature, all must pardon me. My soule yeelds honor vp the victory, And I must be a Queene, forget a mother, Though mother would I be, were I not I; And Queene would not be now, could I be other. But what know I if th' heauens haue de cred, And that the sinnes of AEgypt haue deseru'd The Ptolomies should faile and none succeed, And that my weakenes was thereto reseru'd That I should bring confusion to my state, And fill the measure of iniquitie, Luxuriousnesse in me should raise the rate Of loose and ill-dispensed libertie. If it be so, then what neede these delaies? Since I was made the meanes of miserie: Why shuld I striue but to make death my praise, That had my life but for my infamie? And let me write in letters of my bloud A fit memoriall for the times to come, To be example to such Princes good As please themselues and care not what becom. And Antony, because the world takes note That my defects haue only ruin'd thee: And my ambitious practises are thought The motiue and the cause of all to be: Though God thou know'st, how iust this staine is laid Vpon my soule, whom ill successe makes ill: Yet since condemn'd misfortune hath no ayd Against proud luck that argues what it will, I haue no meanes to vndeceiue their mindes, But to bring in the witnesse of my bloud, To testifie the faith and loue that bindes My equall shame, to fall with whom I stood. Defects I grant I had, but this was worst, That being the first to fall I dy'd not first.