Cleopatra’s barge
Shakespeare and his Use of Source Material
Here is what some doubters consider strong evidence that North was involved not just as a source but actually contributed to Shakespeare’s work or perhaps even wrote earlier versions of the plays that Shakespeare adapted. Shakespeare often relied heavily on his sources, sometimes too heavily as anyone knows after sitting through an uncut account of the casus belli in Henry V.
However, when you look closely at the sources of his historical work, comparing the similarities to other uses of the same material, an entirely opposite force compels you to admire the creativity of Shakespeare’s methods of saying exactly teh same things. Whilst you can see how closely he followed North here, (as did Dryden, Munday and John Davies of Hereford), one writer, and only one, turned Plutarch’s latin account and North’s translation of it, into one of the most famous speeches in the English language, making lasting impressions outside boundaries of language itself.
Adjacent comparison like this shows the unique expressive invention most clearly. Never mind the proximity, feel the distance between these writers.
Source Material: (North) the poop whereof was of gold, the sails of purple, and the oars of silver, which kept stroke in rowing after the sound of the music of flutes
Early Augustan Poet: (Dryden) …in a barge with gilded stern and outspread sails of purple, while oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and fifes and harps.
Amateur Shakespeare contemporary (John Davies of Hereford)* The Poop whereof was all of masy Gold; And under-neath the like most rich Pavilion She lay her self, more rich a thousand fold, Surrounded with sweet Singers; and, with all, The heaven lit Instruments.
Professional Shakespeare contemporary (Anthony Munday) the Poop whereof was of gold, the Oars of silver, the sails of purple : her self lay under a Pavilion of Gold, accompanied with sweet singers, and most excellent Musicians,
Shakespeare (William Shakespeare of Stratford) the Poop was beaten Gold, Purple the Sails: and so perfumed that The Winds were Lovesick. With them the Oars were Silver, Which to the tune of Flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat, to follow faster ; As amorous of their strokes.
Shakespeare’s additions to North are not decorations. Every one of them has agency and desire — “the water which they beat, to follow faster, as amorous of their strokes” turns oarsmen into seducers, sumptuousness into hunger. He understood what Cleopatra was doing on that barge in a way that Dryden, Munday and Davies, even Plutarch left untouched. He understood the essence of what she was — not just a queen but a vassal queen, her infinite variety a performance of survival, her choices narrowed by her dependence on Roman power. Which is why, after all the rhetoric, all the magnificence, all the lovesick winds and silver oars, he allows the grand Ptolemaic visor to fall and lets a Warwickshire commoner speak her epitaph. Five syllables. No Latin. No grandeur. A lass unparalleled. North couldn’t have written that in a thousand years.
Shakespeare 1606
Enobarbus: I will tell you,
The Barge she sat in, like a burnished Throne
Burnt on the water: the Poop was beaten Gold,
Purple the Sails: and so perfumed that
The Winds were Lovesick.
With them the Oars were Silver,
Which to the tune of Flutes kept stroke, and made
The water which they beat, to follow faster ;
As amorous of their strokes]. For her own person,
It beggared all description, she did lie
In her Pavilion, cloth of Gold, of Tissue,
Overpicturing that Venus, where we see
The fancy outwork Nature. On each side her,
Stood pretty Dimpled Boys, like smiling Cupids,
With diverse coloured Fans whose wind did seem,
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid did.
Agrippa: Oh rare for Anthony.
Enobarbus: Her Gentlewoman, like the Nereides,
So many Mermaids tended her in the eyes,
And made their bends adornings. At the Helm.
[A seeming Mermaid steers: The Silken Tackle,
Swell with the touches of those Flower-soft hands,
That yarely frame the office.[{.shakadd}] From the Barge
A strange invisible perfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent Wharfs. The City cast
Her people out upon her: and Anthony
Enthroned in the Marketplace, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air: which but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in Nature.
Agrippa: Rare Egyptian.
Enobarbus: Upon her landing, Anthony sent to her,
Invited her to Supper: she replied,
It should be better, he became her guest:
Which she entreated, our Courteous Anthony,
Whom never the word of no woman hard speak,
Being barbered ten times over, goes to the Feast ;
And for his ordinary, pays his heart,
For what his eyes eat only.
Agrippa: Royal Wench:
She made great Caesar lay his Sword to bed,
He ploughed her, and she cropped.
Enobarbus: I saw her once
Hop forty Paces through the public street,
And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,
That she did make defect, perfection,
And breathless power breathe forth.
Maecenas: Now Anthony, must leave her utterly.
Enobarbus: Never he will not:
Age can not wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry,
Where most she satisfies. For vilest things
Become themselves in her, that the holy Priests
Bless her, when she is Riggish.
John Davies of Hereford 1617
MArcus Antonius (as Plutarch shoes) Commanding
Cleopatra to appear Before him (sith she succored
his fos) She came in pomp (as one that had no
Peer) Along the River Cydnus in a Galleon, The
Poop whereof was all of masy Gold; And underneath
the like most rich Pavilion She lay her self,
more rich a thousand fold, Surrounded with sweet
Singers; and, with all, The heaven lit Instruments
that Songs could grace; Her Servants clad in Robes
majestical Brodred with Pearl, t’wixt richest Goldenlace,
Thus came she gliding, on the Silver Stream,
Forced with silver Oars, and silken Sails; (Crowned
her self with dearest Diadem) Towards Anthony;
with whom she so prevails That she Captived him,
being Conqueror; For, she on Beauties Privilege did
stand (Consorted with this Wealth, Port, Pomp &
Power) That She Commands him, that did her
Command. But though she made this Pagan much
transgesse; Some Saints in show, do oft much
worse with less!
North 1579
The wonderful sumptuousness of Cleopatra,
Queen of Egypt, going unto Antonius but to take
her barge in the river of Cydnus, the poop
whereof was of gold, the sails of purple, and the
oars of silver, which kept stroke in rowing after
the sound of the music of flutes, how boys,
citherns, violls, and such other instruments as
they played upon in the barge.
And now for the person of her self: she was laid
under a pavilion of cloth of gold of tissue, apparelled
and attired like the goddess Venus, commonly
drawn in picture: and hard by her, on
either hand of her, Cydnus fl. pretty fair boys
apparelled as painters do set forth god Cupide,
with little fans in their hands,with the which
they fanned wind upon her.
Her Ladies and gentlewomen also, the fairest of
them were apparelled like the nymphs Nereides
(which are the mermaids of the waters ) and
like the Graces, some stearing the helme, others
tending the tackle and ropes of the barge, out of
the which there came a wonderful passing
sweet sauor of perfumes, that perfumed the
wharfs side, pestered with innumerable multitudes
of people. Some of them followed the
barge all alongest the rivers side: others also ran
out of the city to see her coming in.
So that in thend, there ran such multitudes of
people one after an other to see her, that Antonius
was left post alone in the market place, in
his Imperial seat to give audience: and there
went a rumour in the peoples mouths, that the
goddess Venus was come to play with the god
Bacchus, for the general good of all ASIA.
When Cleopatra landed, Antonius sent to invite
her to supper to him. But she sent him word
again, he should do better rather to come and
sup with her.
Anthony Munday
And she came, not fearful, trembling or in mean
estate, but along the River Cydnus in a Galleon,
the Poop whereof was of gold, the Oars of silver,
the sails of purple : her self lay under a Pavilion
of Gold, accompanied with sweet singers, and
most excellent Musicians, all the attendants of
her house being attired in very sumptuous
Lyueries.
When Anthonie sent to invite her to sup with
him, she sent to command him to come and sup
with her, so much did she stand upon the privilege
of her beauty, behaviour & quaintness in
speech : which she delivered with such majesty,
and had so delicate a pronunciation, as her
tongue seemed like a curious instrument of
many strings.
She could alter her speech to what language she
pleased, or as occasion served : she spake to the
Arabians, Sirians, Hebrewes, Meads, Parthians,
Ethiopia
Dryden 1683
She received several letters, both from Antony
and from his friends, to summon her, but
she took no account of these orders; and at
last, as if in mockery of them, she came
sailing up the river Cydnus, in a barge with
gilded stern and outspread sails of purple,
while oars of silver beat time to the music of
flutes and fifes and harps. She herself lay all
along, under a canopy of cloth of gold,
dressed as Venus in a picture, and beautiful
young boys, like painted Cupids, stood on
each side to fan her. Her maids were dressed
like Sea Nymphs and Graces, some steering
at the rudder, some working at the ropes.
The perfumes diffused themselves from the
vessel to the shore, which was covered with
multitudes, part following the galley up the
river on either bank, part running out of the
city to see the sight. The market-place was
quite emptied, and Antony at last was left
alone sitting upon the tribunal; while the
word went through all the multitude, that
Venus was come to feast with Bacchus, for
the common good of Asia. On her arrival,
Antony sent to invite her to supper. She
thought it fitter he should come to her; so,
willing to show his good-humor and courtesy,
he complied, and went. He found the
preparations to receive him magnificent
beyond expression, but nothing so admirable
as the great number of lights; for on a
sudden there was let down altogether so
great a number of branches with lights in
them so ingeniously disposed, some in
squares, and some in circles, that the whole
thing was a spectacle that has seldom been
equalled for beauty.