Othello

Please see the bottom of this page for full explanatory notes.

ACT IV SCENE II	A room in the castle.
	Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA.
OTHELLO	You have seen nothing then?
EMILIA	Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.
OTHELLO	Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.
EMILIA	But then I saw no harm, and then I heard	5
	Each syllable that breath made up between them.
OTHELLO	What, did they never whisper?
EMILIA	Never, my lord.
OTHELLO	Nor send you out o' the way?
EMILIA	Never.	10
OTHELLO	To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?
EMILIA	Never, my lord.
OTHELLO	That's strange.
EMILIA	I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
	Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,	15
	Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
	If any wretch have put this in your head,
	Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!
	For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
	There's no man happy; the purest of their wives	20
	Is foul as slander.
OTHELLO	Bid her come hither: go.
	Exit EMILIA.
	She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd
	That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
	A closet lock and key of villanous secrets	25
	And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't.
	Enter DESDEMONA with EMILIA.
DESDEMONA	My lord, what is your will?
OTHELLO	Pray, chuck, come hither.
DESDEMONA	What is your pleasure?
OTHELLO	Let me see your eyes;	30
	Look in my face.
DESDEMONA	What horrible fancy's this?
OTHELLO	To EMILIA.
	Leave procreants alone and shut the door;
	Cough, or cry 'hem,' if any body come:
	Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.	35
	Exit EMILIA.
DESDEMONA	Upon my knees, what doth your speech import?
	I understand a fury in your words.
	But not the words.
OTHELLO	Why, what art thou?
DESDEMONA	Your wife, my lord; your true	40
	And loyal wife.
OTHELLO	Come, swear it, damn thyself
	Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves
	Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd:
	Swear thou art honest.	45
DESDEMONA	Heaven doth truly know it.
OTHELLO	Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.
DESDEMONA	To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false?
OTHELLO	O Desdemona! away! away! away!
DESDEMONA	Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep?	50
	Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?
	If haply you my father do suspect
	An instrument of this your calling back,
	Lay not your blame on me: If you have lost him,
	Why, I have lost him too.	55
OTHELLO	Had it pleased heaven
	To try me with affliction; had they rain'd
	All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head.
	Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips,
	Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,	60
	I should have found in some place of my soul
	A drop of patience: but, alas, to make me
	A fixed figure for the time of scorn
	To point his slow unmoving finger at!
	Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:	65
	But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,
	Where either I must live, or bear no life;
	The fountain from the which my current runs,
	Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!
	Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads	70
	To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,
	Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin,--
	Ay, there, look grim as hell!
DESDEMONA	I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
OTHELLO	O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles,	75
	That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,
	Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet
	That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst
	ne'er been born!
DESDEMONA	Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?	80
OTHELLO	Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
	Made to write 'whore' upon? What committed!
	Committed! O thou public commoner!
	I should make very forges of my cheeks,
	That would to cinders burn up modesty,	85
	Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
	Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks,
	The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets
	Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,
	And will not hear it. What committed!	90
	Impudent strumpet!
DESDEMONA	By heaven, you do me wrong.
OTHELLO	Are you not a strumpet?
DESDEMONA	No, as I am a Christian:
	If to preserve this vessel for my lord	95
	From any other foul unlawful touch
	Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
OTHELLO	What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA	No, as I shall be saved.
OTHELLO	Is't possible?	100
DESDEMONA	O, heaven forgive us!
OTHELLO	I cry you mercy, then:
	I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
	That married with Othello.
	Raising his voice.
	You, mistress,	105
	That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
	And keep the gate of hell!
	Re-enter EMILIA.
	You, you, ay, you!
	We have done our course; there's money for your pains:
	I pray you, turn the key and keep our counsel.	110
	Exit
EMILIA	Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
	How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady?
DESDEMONA	'Faith, half asleep.
EMILIA	Good madam, what's the matter with my lord?
DESDEMONA	With who?	115
EMILIA	Why, with my lord, madam.
DESDEMONA	Who is thy lord?
EMILIA	He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA	I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia;
	I cannot weep; nor answer have I none,	120
	But what should go by water. Prithee, tonight
	Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember;
	And call thy husband hither.
EMILIA	Here's a change indeed!
	Exit
DESDEMONA	'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.	125
	How have I been behaved, that he might stick
	The small'st opinion on my least misuse?
	Re-enter EMILIA with IAGO.
IAGO	What is your pleasure, madam?
	How is't with you?
DESDEMONA	I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes	130
	Do it with gentle means and easy tasks:
	He might have chid me so; for, in good faith,
	I am a child to chiding.
IAGO	What's the matter, lady?
EMILIA	Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her.	135
	Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
	As true hearts cannot bear.
DESDEMONA	Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO	What name, fair lady?
DESDEMONA	Such as she says my lord did say I was.	140
EMILIA	He call'd her whore: a beggar in his drink
	Could not have laid such terms upon his callet.
IAGO	Why did he so?
DESDEMONA	I do not know; I am sure I am none such.
IAGO	Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day!	145
EMILIA	Hath she forsook so many noble matches,
	Her father and her country and her friends,
	To be call'd whore? would it not make one weep?
DESDEMONA	It is my wretched fortune.
IAGO	Beshrew him for't!	150
	How comes this trick upon him?
DESDEMONA	Nay, heaven doth know.
EMILIA	I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain,
	Some busy and insinuating rogue,
	Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,	155
	Have not devised this slander; I'll be hang'd else.
IAGO	Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible.
DESDEMONA	If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
EMILIA	A halter pardon him! and hell gnaw his bones!
	Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?	160
	What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
	The Moor's abused by some most villanous knave,
	Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.
	O heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold,
	And put in every honest hand a whip	165
	To lash the rascals naked through the world
	Even from the east to the west!
IAGO	Speak within door.
EMILIA	O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
	That turn'd your wit the seamy side without,	170
	And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO	You are a fool; go to.
DESDEMONA	O good Iago,
	What shall I do to win my lord again?
	Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,	175
	I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel:
	If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
	Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
	Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
	Delighted them in any other form;	180
	Or that I do not yet, and ever did.
	And ever will--though he do shake me off
	To beggarly divorcement--love him dearly,
	Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much;
	And his unkindness may defeat my life,	185
	But never taint my love. I cannot say 'whore:'
	It does abhor me now I speak the word;
	To do the act that might the addition earn
	Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
IAGO	I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humour:	190
	The business of the state does him offence,
	And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA	If 'twere no other--
IAGO	'Tis but so, I warrant.
	Trumpets within.
	Hark, how these instruments summon to supper!	195
	The messengers of Venice stay the meat;
	Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
	Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA.
	Enter RODERIGO.
	How now, Roderigo!
RODERIGO	I do not find that thou dealest justly with me.
IAGO	What in the contrary?	200
RODERIGO	Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago;
	and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me
	all conveniency than suppliest me with the least
	advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure
	it, nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace what	205
	already I have foolishly suffered.
IAGO	Will you hear me, Roderigo?
RODERIGO	'Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and
	performances are no kin together.
IAGO	You charge me most unjustly.	210
RODERIGO	With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of
	my means. The jewels you have had from me to
	deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a
	votarist: you have told me she hath received them
	and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden	215
	respect and acquaintance, but I find none.
IAGO	Well; go to; very well.
RODERIGO	Very well! go to! I cannot go to, man; nor 'tis
	not very well: nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin
	to find myself fobbed in it.	220
IAGO	Very well.
RODERIGO	I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make myself
	known to Desdemona: if she will return me my
	jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my
	unlawful solicitation; if not, assure yourself I	225
	will seek satisfaction of you.
IAGO	You have said now.
RODERIGO	Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of doing.
IAGO	Why, now I see there's mettle in thee, and even from
	this instant to build on thee a better opinion than	230
	ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo: thou hast
	taken against me a most just exception; but yet, I
	protest, I have dealt most directly in thy affair.
RODERIGO	It hath not appeared.
IAGO	I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your	235
	suspicion is not without wit and judgment. But,
	Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I
	have greater reason to believe now than ever, I mean
	purpose, courage and valour, this night show it: if
	thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona,	240
	take me from this world with treachery and devise
	engines for my life.
RODERIGO	Well, what is it? is it within reason and compass?
IAGO	Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice
	to depute Cassio in Othello's place.	245
RODERIGO	Is that true? why, then Othello and Desdemona
	return again to Venice.
IAGO	O, no; he goes into Mauritania and takes away with
	him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be
	lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be	250
	so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
RODERIGO	How do you mean, removing of him?
IAGO	Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place;
	knocking out his brains.
RODERIGO	And that you would have me to do?	255
IAGO	Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right.
	He sups to-night with a harlotry, and thither will I
	go to him: he knows not yet of his horrorable
	fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which
	I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one,	260
	you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near
	to second your attempt, and he shall fall between
	us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with
	me; I will show you such a necessity in his death
	that you shall think yourself bound to put it on	265
	him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows
	to waste: about it.
RODERIGO	I will hear further reason for this.
IAGO	And you shall be satisfied.
	Exeunt

Othello, Act 4, Scene 3

___________

Explanatory Notes for Act 4, Scene 2

From Othello. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark & Maynard.

Abbreviations. — A.-S. = Anglo-Saxon: M.E. = Middle English (from the 13th to the 15th century) ; Fr. = French ; Ger. = German ; Gr. = Greek ; Cf. = compare (Lat. confer) ; Abbott refers to the excellent Shakespearean Grammar of Dr. Abbott; Schmidt, to Dr. Schmidt's invaluable Shakespeare Lexicon.

____

4. She. Shakespeare's inflexion of pronouns is very irregular.

14. Durst to wager. See note on ii. 3, 190.

15. Other, otherwise.

35. Mystery, business, trade, profession.

57. They, the gods in heaven.

64, 65. Text doubtful here. Proposed changes numerous and unsatisfactory.

71. Knot and gender, to breed. Turn, change.

115. With who. See note on line 3, supra.

121. Water, tears.

126. Have I been behaved. A relic of the passive is still kept up in well-behaved.

127. Opinion, ill opinion.

142. Callet, a bad woman, a strumpet.

150. Beshrew, curse.

153. Eternal. Some think this word an inaccuracy here for infernal.

155. Cog, cheat. Cozen, act as a cousin, thence, to sponge upon, beguile.

162. Abused, cheated.

201. Daff, put off. Same word as doff.

203. Conveniency, enjoyment of advantage.

214. Votarist, one vowed to a life of religion, a recluse.

220. Fobbed, cozened, cheated.

How to cite the explanatory notes:

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Brainerd Kellogg. New York: Clark & Maynard, 1892. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/othello_4_2.html >.

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