'Cleopatre A Marc Antonio' cartoon by Charles Addams

Meaning \~ *Cleopatra to Mark Antony*

Addams uses a hybrid naming choice here. "Cleopatre" and "Marc" follow the French spelling of Cleopatra and Mark, while "Antonio" follows the Spanish form instead of the French "Antoine" or the English "Antony".

"à" (or in this case, "A") means "to" in French.

Very likely based on the poem, "Cleopatra to Marc Anthony", by Edward Henry Bickersteth

In Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra', Marc Antony attempted suicide after a false report that Cleopatra had died, and later died in her presence after they were reunited.

*Synopsis (Act 4, scene 14):*

>Antony, receiving the news that Cleopatra has taken her own life, orders Eros to kill him. Eros instead kills himself. Antony then stabs himself but does not die. When a new message comes that Cleopatra is alive, he asks to be taken to her.

So the gag in the cartoon is...tortoise mail from Cleopatra. Couldn't get to Antony any faster.

And after Mark Antony died, Cleopatra decided to kill herself.

>*Act 5, Scene 2*  
  
**CLEOPATRA:**   
  
Which is my heaven to have.—Come, thou mortal  
wretch, \[*She places an asp on her breast.\]*  
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate  
Of life at once untie. Poor venomous fool,  
Be angry and dispatch.

>\[...\]

>O Antony!—Nay, I will take thee too.  
  
*\[She places an asp on her arm.\]*  
  
What should I stay— \[*Dies.\]*

In my BINGO card: Subplot based on the tragic love story of the Roman triumvir Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra