Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2, Scene 6 summary
Act 2, Scene 6 of 42 · 6 min to read the scene
In Act 2, Scene 6, Pompey accepts Sicily and Sardinia in exchange for suppressing piracy and supplying Rome with wheat, turning a military confrontation into plans for feasting. Menas regrets the agreement, while Enobarbus argues that Antony’s marriage to Octavia serves political interests rather than love and predicts conflict over Cleopatra.
What happens
- Pompey invokes his father’s wrongs, while Caesar, Antony, and Lepidus press him to answer their peace proposals.
- Pompey accepts the islands and agrees to remove pirates and supply Rome with wheat.
- Antony acknowledges Pompey’s kindness to his mother, and the leaders arrange to record their agreement and exchange feasts.
- Pompey invites the company aboard his galley, leaving Menas and Enobarbus to talk.
- Menas regrets the treaty and learns that Antony marries Caesar’s sister Octavia.
- Enobarbus predicts that Antony’s attachment to Cleopatra makes the marriage a source of conflict, and both men leave to drink.
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In this scene
What to notice
Enobarbus separates Antony’s private attachment from his public marriage. His judgment challenges Menas’s belief that the marriage permanently unites Antony and Caesar.
Quick check
What must Pompey do in return for Sicily and Sardinia?
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