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Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Antony and Cleopatra
Context Illustration Reading 21/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.
Come, his Fortune, his Fortune.
Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.
Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.
Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.
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Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 21/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105

Line 1
Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.
Line 2
Come, his Fortune, his Fortune.
/kʌm hɪz ˈfɔːrtʃən hɪz ˈfɔːrtʃən/
Line 3
Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.
Line 4
Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.
Line 5
Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Amen noun US /eɪˈmen/

a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes

From this reading “Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.”

beseech verb US /biˈsiːtʃ/

ask for or request earnestly

From this reading “Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.”

deere noun US /dɪr/

United States industrialist who manufactured plows suitable for working the prairie soil (1804-1886)

From this reading “Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.”

dye verb US /daɪ/

color with dye

From this reading “Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.”

Iras noun US /ˈaɪrəz/

plural of “ira” — a militant organization of Irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland and achieve a united independent Ireland

From this reading “Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.”

Isis noun US /ˈaɪsəs/

Egyptian goddess of fertility; daughter of Geb; sister and wife of Osiris

From this reading “Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.”

mend verb US /mend/

restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

From this reading “Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.”

prayer noun US /prer/

the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)

From this reading “Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.”

All words in this reading · 56

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

Alexas

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

AmennounUS /eɪˈmen/

a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes

From this reading Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

beseechverbUS /biˈsiːtʃ/

ask for or request earnestly

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

cannot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Come, his Fortune, his Fortune.

Cuckoldnoun

a man whose wife committed adultery

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

deerenounUS /dɪr/

United States industrialist who manufactured plows suitable for working the prairie soil (1804-1886)

From this reading Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.

denie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

dyeverbUS /daɪ/

color with dye

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

fifty-fold

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

followverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊ/

to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

FortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading Come, his Fortune, his Fortune.

giue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

Goddesse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

graue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

heare

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

Heauens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Come, his Fortune, his Fortune.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

IrasnounUS /ˈaɪrəz/

plural of “ira” — a militant organization of Irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive British forces from Northern Ireland and achieve a united independent Ireland

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

IsisnounUS /ˈaɪsəs/

Egyptian goddess of fertility; daughter of Geb; sister and wife of Osiris

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

laughingadjectiveUS /ˈlæfɪŋ/

showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

marynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

mendverbUS /mend/

restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

OurdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the people.

PrayernounUS /prer/

the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

waight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Good Isis heare me this Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight: good Isis I beseech thee Iras.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

worseadjectiveUS /wɜːrs/

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

worser

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Our worser thoughts Heauens mend Alexas.

worstnounUS /wɜːrst/

the least favorable outcome

From this reading Oh let him mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee, and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold.

Chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra contain?

Chapter 1 holds 126 sentences of Antony and Cleopatra, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of Antony and Cleopatra?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Antony and Cleopatra

Common questions about reading Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Antony and Cleopatra?

Yes. All 2188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1130 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Antony and Cleopatra is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1130, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Antony and Cleopatra take to read?

About 182 minutes of reading across 438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in Antony and Cleopatra

Words and structures a reader meets early in Antony and Cleopatra, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tragedie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Antony and Cleopatra; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Anthonie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Antony and Cleopatra; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cleopatra
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Antony and Cleopatra; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Actus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Antony and Cleopatra; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.