Foundation first: how to read the Antony of Scene 1
A proscription is a list of political enemies who may be killed, and whose property is taken. To "prick" a name is to mark it with a pin or pen. When Antony says "their names are prick'd", the killing is already decided.
Three figures of speech carry the scene. Learn what each is and where it appears.
| Device | Meaning | Example in Scene 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | compares using like or as | "as the ass bears gold" |
| Metaphor | says one thing is another | "we are at the stake" (a bear tied for baiting) |
| Contempt through animal imagery | treating a man as a beast | Lepidus is an ass, then a horse |
Animal imagery is a favourite examiner topic. Ask yourself: if a man is compared to a donkey or a horse, what is the speaker saying about him? Answer: that he has no will of his own and exists to be used.
Tone. Tone is the speaker's attitude. Antony's tone to Lepidus is contemptuous; to Octavius it is confident and instructive. Always name the tone before you explain a line.
1. "These many, then, shall die"
Antony, Octavius and Lepidus sit around a table at Antony's house in Rome, marking ("pricking") the names of men who are to be put to death. This is a proscription: a list of political enemies whose lives and property are forfeit.
They bargain over lives like merchants. Octavius tells Lepidus that his brother must die; Lepidus agrees, on condition that Publius, Antony's sister's son, also dies. Antony agrees at once: "He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him." The coldness is shocking: Lepidus and Antony each sacrifice a relative to gain a political advantage. The men who accused the conspirators of murder are now planning many more murders.
2. Cutting Caesar's legacies
Antony sends Lepidus to Caesar's house to fetch the will, so that they can "determine / How to cut off some charge in legacies" — that is, reduce the gifts Caesar left to the people. This is the same will Antony waved before the crowd in the Forum to win their love. Now that the people have served his purpose, he wants to cut their legacies. It shows Antony as a cynical, ruthless politician.
3. "A slight unmeritable man"
As soon as Lepidus has gone, Antony speaks of him with contempt:
"This is a slight unmeritable man, Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit, The three-fold world divided, he should stand One of the three to share it?"
Slight means insignificant; unmeritable means without merit; meet means fit. Antony thinks Lepidus is fit only to run errands, not to share the "three-fold world" (the Roman world divided among three rulers). (2025 specimen Q1(iv).)
Octavius points out that Antony himself chose Lepidus and accepted his vote on who should die. Antony replies that he has "seen more days" than Octavius. They are using Lepidus to carry the blame ("slanderous loads") for their harsh actions. Antony then compares Lepidus to an ass carrying gold: he will "groan and sweat under the business, / Either led or driven, as we point the way"; when he has carried their treasure where they want it, they will "take down his load, and turn him off, / Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears, / And graze in commons."
Octavius objects that Lepidus is "a tried and valiant soldier." Antony answers, "So is my horse, Octavius": Antony feeds his horse and teaches it to fight, turn, stop and run; Lepidus is no more than that:
"He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth; A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds On objects, arts and imitations, Which, out of use and staled by other men, Begin his fashion: do not talk of him, But as a property."
Lepidus is "barren-spirited" (without ideas of his own); he picks up fashions only after others have tired of them; he is merely a "property" — a tool to be used. (2027 specimen Q1(iv).)
4. "Brutus and Cassius are levying powers"
Then Antony turns to "great things": Brutus and Cassius are raising armies ("levying powers"); the triumvirs must gather their forces, combine their alliance, and decide in council how to uncover hidden dangers and meet open ones. Octavius agrees: they are like a bear tied to a stake and "bay'd about with many enemies", and "some that smile have in their hearts, I fear, / Millions of mischiefs."
Reading between the lines
- "These many, then, shall die." Many is not a number. The list may hold hundreds. Antony speaks as if it were a shopping list. The calm tone is the horror.
- Brother for nephew. Lepidus and Antony each sacrifice a relative. They are not weak about family; they are strong about power. The bargain shows they will pay any price to rule.
- Why send Lepidus away? Antony wants to speak freely. The moment Lepidus leaves, the tone changes. That shows Antony is two-faced: polite to Lepidus's face, scornful behind his back.
- Why use Lepidus at all? A man who takes the blame can be thrown away later. The "ass bears gold" image says it exactly: Lepidus will carry the burden, not enjoy the wealth, and then be "turned off".
- "So is my horse." A horse is brave, but a horse does not rule. By choosing the horse, Antony says brave men are common; men who think for themselves are rare.
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). Antony says, 'These many, then, shall die; their names are prick'd.' These words reveal that he is ______. (a) ruthless (b) anxious (c) frustrated (d) angry
Model answer. (a) ruthless. A similar question was set in ICSE 2026, Q1(iv). He speaks about killing many men in the voice of a clerk.
Why this scores: match the word to the tone of the line. There is no anger and no worry in "their names are prick'd".
Example 2 (short answer, 3 marks). What bargain do Octavius and Lepidus make over the list?
Model answer. Octavius says that Lepidus's brother must die. Lepidus agrees, but only on condition that Publius, Antony's sister's son, also dies. Antony accepts at once: "He shall not live." Lepidus and Antony each give up a relative.
Why this scores: both victims named (1 + 1) and Antony's immediate consent (1).
Example 3 (meaning of the line, 3 marks). Explain: "So is my horse, Octavius."
Model answer. Octavius has said that Lepidus is "a tried and valiant soldier". Antony replies that his horse is brave too, and he feeds it well and trains it to fight, wheel, stop and run as he wishes. Lepidus is the same: useful and brave, but with no mind of his own. Antony thinks of him only as a tool.
Why this scores: the context (Octavius's defence), the comparison explained, and the final point about no mind of his own.
Example 4 (full extract question, 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 4). Read the extract and answer.
(i) Where are the speakers, and what are they doing? [3] (ii) What does Lepidus demand in return for agreeing to his brother's death? [3] (iii) Explain: "with a spot I damn him". [3] (iv) Why does Antony send Lepidus to Caesar's house? [3] (v) What does this extract show about the triumvirs? How is Antony different from the Antony of the Forum? [4]
Model answers. (i) They are in a house in Rome, sitting at a table. They are marking the names of the men who are to be put to death in the proscription. (ii) Lepidus agrees that his brother may be killed, but only if Publius, Antony's sister's son, is also put to death. (iii) A spot is a mark of the pen. Antony condemns his own nephew to death with a single mark on the list, as casually as ticking an item. It shows how little the life means to him. (iv) To fetch Caesar's will, so that the triumvirs can reduce the money Caesar left to the people. They want the funds for themselves and for the war. (v) The triumvirs are cold, ruthless and ready to sacrifice relatives for power. In the Forum, Antony wept for Caesar and promised every citizen money from the will. Here he treats the will as a purse to be cut. He has dropped the mask of friend and champion of the people.
Why this scores: (i) the place and the activity; (ii) the exact condition; (iii) the meaning of the mark and its effect; (iv) will plus purpose; (v) two points about the triumvirs plus a clear contrast with Act III. In the exam, write: "In the Forum Antony … but here he …".
Doubts cleared
Q. Why does Octavius defend Lepidus when he is so willing to kill? He is not defending him out of kindness. He says only that Lepidus is "a tried and valiant soldier", which is true. He is also reminding Antony that they chose Lepidus together.
Q. Is the "ass" image a simile or a metaphor? "He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold" is a simile, because it uses as. "So is my horse" is a comparison made without like or as, so it is closer to a metaphor.
Q. Does Lepidus know that Antony despises him? No. He has left the room when Antony speaks. The audience knows and Lepidus does not. That is dramatic irony.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing that Antony "likes" Lepidus. He despises him.
- Saying the triumvirs spare their own families. They sacrifice them.
- Explaining the ass image without saying what it means for Lepidus: a servant that carries the burden and gets no reward.
- Forgetting the setting: Scene 1 is in a house in Rome, not in the camp.
Check yourself
- Whose names are pricked first, and what is Lepidus's condition?
- What two animals does Antony compare Lepidus to?
- Who is sent to fetch the will, and why?
Answers: 1. Lepidus's brother; Lepidus's condition is that Publius, Antony's nephew, must also die. 2. An ass and a horse. 3. Lepidus is sent to Caesar's house to fetch the will, so the triumvirs can cut the legacies left to the people.