Antony and Cleopatra, in Modern English
The full play, original text on one side, plain modern English on the other — every scene, free.
- Year
- 1606
- Genre
- Tragedy
- Setting
- Rome, Alexandria
- Acts & scenes
- 5 acts · 42 scenes
- Reading time
- ~3 hours
- Audio runtime
- ~2h 38m (in app)
What it's about
In this play, Shakespeare explores the passionate and tragic love affair between the Roman general Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, amidst the backdrop of political intrigue, power struggles, and the clash between personal desire and duty.
In this play, Shakespeare explores the passionate and tragic love affair between the Roman general Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, amidst the backdrop of political intrigue, power struggles, and the clash between personal desire and duty.
Study guide
Everything we have for Antony and Cleopatra, all on one page.
Read
The full play, scene by scene, original beside modern English.
Characters
Who's who — and what each one wants.
Themes
What the play is about, beneath the plot.
Motifs & Symbols
Patterns Shakespeare keeps returning to.
Famous Quotes
The lines you know, paraphrased and explained.
Scene Summaries
What happens in each scene, and why it matters.
Quiz
Fifteen questions. No login.
About this Play
Year, setting, length, why people read it.
Read by scene
Tap any scene below to start reading.
Act I
- Scene 1. Alexandria. A room in CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 2. The same. Another room
- Scene 3. The same. Another room
- Scene 4. Rome. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's house
- Scene 5. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
Act II
- Scene 1. Messina. POMPEY's house
- Scene 2. Rome. The house of LEPIDUS
- Scene 3. The same. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's house
- Scene 4. The same. A street
- Scene 5. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 6. Near Misenum
- Scene 7. On board POMPEY's galley, off Misenum
Act III
- Scene 1. A plain in Syria
- Scene 2. Rome. An ante-chamber in OCTAVIUS CAESAR's house
- Scene 3. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 4. Athens. A room in MARK ANTONY's house
- Scene 5. The same. Another room
- Scene 6. Rome. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's house
- Scene 7. Near Actium. MARK ANTONY's camp
- Scene 8. A plain near Actium
- Scene 9. Another part of the plain
- Scene 10. Another part of the plain
- Scene 11. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 12. Egypt. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's camp
- Scene 13. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
Act IV
- Scene 1. Before Alexandria. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's camp
- Scene 2. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 3. The same. Before the palace
- Scene 4. The same. A room in the palace
- Scene 5. Alexandria. MARK ANTONY's camp
- Scene 6. Alexandria. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's camp
- Scene 7. Field of battle between the camps
- Scene 8. Under the walls of Alexandria
- Scene 9. OCTAVIUS CAESAR's camp
- Scene 10. Between the two camps
- Scene 11. Another part of the same
- Scene 12. Another part of the same
- Scene 13. Alexandria. CLEOPATRA's palace
- Scene 14. The same. Another room
- Scene 15. The same. Another room
Act V
Hear every line of Antony and Cleopatra, narrated.
Common questions
Is the modern English translation accurate?
Yes — every line is matched to its original. Our translations preserve meaning over cleverness: where Shakespeare uses a metaphor, we keep it; where the wordplay turns on a sound that no longer exists, we explain rather than fake it. This is a translation, not a summary.
How long does Antony and Cleopatra take to read?
About 3 hours at a steady pace. With synced narration in the app, the runtime is roughly 2h 38m — and you can pause anywhere without losing your place.
Is the original text complete and unabridged?
Yes. We use the full public-domain First Folio text, with no cuts. The simplified column runs in parallel — every line of original Shakespeare has its modern English match.
Where can I listen to it?
Synced read-along narration is in the Fluid Shakespeare app on iOS and Android. Tap a line; press play; the words highlight as they're read. Get the app →