Diomedes comes to tell Cleopatra that Antony is still alive, but soon to die. She sees the guards approaching below, carrying Antony, and calls to him; she says it is fitting that the only person to be able to conquer him is himself, but she is overtaken with sadness. He says he has delayed his death until he can kiss her one last time. She cannot come down, but tells her women to help her lift Antony up. It is difficult since he is heavy, but they are able to get him up, and she kisses him. He wants to speak, but she does as well, and curses Fortune (luck) for bringing this tragedy. He tells her that she must trust no one except Proculeius, and she agrees. Antony begs her not to be sad, but to think of him as he was at his most powerful, and to believe that his death was honorable. She asks him how she could possibly live without him, and he dies in her arms. Now that he is gone, she tells her women, everything is out of order and there is no sense to the world:
Cleopatra faints, and upon stirring, tells Charmian and Iras that she could blame the gods for this, and tell them that the earth was as good as heaven before they took away Antony from her; now, what they must do, is follow one noble act with more, and join Antony in death.
