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Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Antony and Cleopatra is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Antony and Cleopatra
Context Illustration Reading 28/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
But this is not the best.
Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.
Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.
Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten
Ant.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Antony and Cleopatra is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 28/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 136–140

Line 1
But this is not the best.
/bʌt ðɪs ɪz nɑːt ðə best/
Line 2
Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.
Line 3
Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.
Line 4
Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten
Line 5
Ant.
/ænt/

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.

Ant noun US /ænt/

social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

Anthony noun US /ˈænθəni/

Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)

From this reading “Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten”

carriage noun US /ˈkærɪdʒ/

a railcar where passengers ride

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

chafe verb US /tʃeɪf/

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

Courteous adjective US /ˈkɜːrtiəs/

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

From this reading “Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten”

do's noun US /duːz/

possessive form of “do” — an uproarious party

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

Herculean adjective US /hərˈkjuːliən/

displaying superhuman strength or power

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

Roman adjective US /ˈroʊmən/

relating to or characteristic of people of Rome

From this reading “Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

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 Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

AntnounUS /ænt/

social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

AnthonynounUS /ˈænθəni/

Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

becomeverbUS /bɪˈkʌm/

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading But this is not the best.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But this is not the best.

carriagenounUS /ˈkærɪdʒ/

a railcar where passengers ride

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

chafeverbUS /tʃeɪf/

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

Charmian

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

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

Cleo

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

From this reading Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.

CourteousadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrtiəs/

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

do'snounUS /duːz/

possessive form of “do” — an uproarious party

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

haue

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

HerculeanadjectiveUS /hərˈkjuːliən/

displaying superhuman strength or power

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

How

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

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

Ile

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

From this reading Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading But this is not the best.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.

leaue

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

From this reading Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.

Looke

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

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

lou'd

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But this is not the best.

Obliuion

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

prythee

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

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

RomanadjectiveUS /ˈroʊmən/

relating to or characteristic of people of Rome

From this reading Looke prythee Charmian, How this Herculean Roman do's become The carriage of his chafe Ant.

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

that's

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading But this is not the best.

there's

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

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading But this is not the best.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Courteous Lord, one word: Sir, you and I must part, but that's not it: Sir, you and I haue lou'd, but there's not it: That you know well, something it is I would: Oh, my Obliuion is a very Anthony, And I am all forgotten

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Ile leaue you Lady Cleo.

Chapter 2 of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 2 of Antony and Cleopatra contain?

Chapter 2 holds 171 sentences of Antony and Cleopatra, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 2 of Antony and Cleopatra?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

How to read Antony and Cleopatra section by section

How to work through Antony and Cleopatra section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of Antony and Cleopatra to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

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.