Summary

On the battlefield, between the two camps, Antony and Scarus are conversing. Caesar was defeated on land yesterday, and they observe that he is now preparing for an attack on Antony by sea. Antony fearlessly states that wherever Caesar chooses to fight, he will fight him — whether on land, sea, fire, or air (the four elements of which the Elizabethans believed everything in the world to be made).

Analysis

Antony’s bravery is somewhat emotionally exaggerated, but it is exactly right for his character and for his military strategy, for we have seen that for whatever reason, his forces do fare better on land than on sea. Thus his victory on land is not altogether a surprise. The battle at sea, however, is another matter. Antony is courageous, but he is not the careful tactician that Caesar is.