Summary

This brief scene describes Antony’s reaction to the battle that has begun. Apparently, Antony’s forces are winning, although the odds were initially against it. Scarus, one of Antony’s men, is badly wounded, but he bravely urges the rest of his men to continue the fight, “snatching them [the enemy] up like hares.” Antony praises the soldier’s valor, and he and his men leave to rejoin the battle.

Analysis

Here, we have another brief glimpse of Antony’s impulsiveness and bravery. We also meet Scarus, a brave soldier who replaces Enobarbus, to some extent, as Antony’s closest comrade. Unlike Enobarbus, however, whose intelligence and insight were useful to Antony precisely because he was calmer and more rational than his general, Scarus is very much like Antony. He is much more like a brave and faithful baying dog; he can be of great help to his master, but he cannot see beyond the immediate goal, nor look beyond the decisions of his master and predict consequences.