Thidias, the messenger of Octavius Caesar, arrives and speaks to Cleopatra. Thidias suggests that Cleopatra should leave Antony (lines 55-56), and Cleopatra responds that she will submit to Octavius (indirectly in lines 60-62 and directly in lines 74-78). Enobarbus (in an aside, lines 62-65) exits the stage to inform Antony that Cleopatra appears to be submitting to Octavius.
Antony enters the stage (at line 85) and sees Thidias kissing Cleopatra’s hand. Antony becomes angry. He is angry that a messenger is kissing his queen’s hand. But he is even angrier that Cleopatra is deserting him and siding with Octavius. Antony even calls Cleopatra a “boggler,” which here means a fickle woman (line 111). A change occurs in Antony. His anger shakes him out of his depression and his sense of defeat. He declares, “I am Antony yet” (9293). Antony then orders Thidias to be whipped, and after Thidias is led off of the stage, the angry Antony rails at (criticizes) Cleopatra. Eventually his anger subsides and he makes peace with Cleopatra. And, more importantly, he then decides to fight against Octavius once again. Antony asks himself, “Where hast thou been, my heart” (175). The word heart stands for bravery or courage here. Antony, for a while, had become a weak and submissive coward.
But that has now passed. He will be Antony yet.
The scene (and act) ends with a brief soliloquy by Enobarbus. Enobarbus believes that Antony no longer has a chance against Octavius. He does not think that Antony can defeat Octavius. He states, “When valour preys on reason, it eats the sword it fights with” 201-02). Valor or bravery is also an emotion, and Enobarbus believes that this emotion has also weakened Antony’s reason. Reason is a sword, reason is a weapon. Without reason a soldier is defenseless. He cannot hope to win. So, Enobarbus fears that Antony is doomed and decides to abandon (or desert) his leader (lines 202-03). However, Enobarbus is making a mistake here. Valor and courage are not emotions that are strong enough to defeat Antony’s reason. In Antony, valor and reason unite to work together. Later (in Act IV), Enobarbus will regret his decision to leave Antony.