Modern English

*A room in Antony's house. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus sit at a table with a list.* ANTONY. All these men on the list will die. Their names are checked off. OCTAVIUS. Your brother has to die too. Do you agree, Lepidus? LEPIDUS. I agree. OCTAVIUS. Mark him down, Antony. LEPIDUS. On one condition — Publius doesn't survive either. He's your sister's son, Mark Antony. ANTONY. He won't survive. See? One mark and he's condemned. Now, Lepidus, go to Caesar's house and bring back the will. We need to figure out how to reduce some of the payments Caesar promised. LEPIDUS. Where will I find you? OCTAVIUS. Either here or at the Capitol. *Lepidus exits.*

Modern English

ANTONY. He's a lightweight — an insignificant man only good for running errands. Is it really right that when the world is divided three ways, this man should be one of the three who share it? OCTAVIUS. You thought so yourself when you agreed to let him have a vote on who lives and dies in our execution lists. ANTONY. Octavius, I've been around longer than you. We're only loading honors onto this man to shield ourselves from criticism. He'll carry those honors the way a donkey carries gold — groaning and sweating under the weight, led or driven wherever we tell him to go. And once he's hauled our treasure where we want it, we'll unload him, turn him loose, and let him wander off like an empty pack animal to flap his ears and graze in a field. OCTAVIUS. Do what you want. But he is a proven and brave soldier. ANTONY. So is my horse, Octavius, and for that reason I make sure it gets plenty of hay. But come — let's sit down and plan how to deal with hidden threats and prepare for the dangers we can already see. *They exit.*