Othello

heard

GENTLEMAN   They give this greeting to the citadel¹⁰⁴:

     This likewise is a friend.CASSIO   See for the news.    [Exit Gentleman]

     Good ancient, you are welcome.— Welcome, mistress.—

     Let it not gall¹⁰⁸ your patience, good Iago,

     That I extend my manners: ’tis my breeding¹⁰⁹

     That gives me this bold show of courtesy.               Kisses Emilia

IAGO   Sir, would she give you so much of her lips

     As of her tongue¹¹² she oft bestows on me,

     You would have enough.DESDEMONA   Alas, she has no speech¹¹⁴.IAGO   In faith, too much:

     I find it still¹¹⁶, when I have leave to sleep.

     Marry, before¹¹⁷ your ladyship, I grant,

     She puts her tongue a little in her heart

     And chides¹¹⁹ with thinking.EMILIA   You have little cause to say so.IAGO   Come on, come on: you are pictures¹²¹ out of door,

     bells¹²² in your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in

     your injuries, devils being offended, players¹²³ in your

     housewifery¹²⁴, and housewives in your beds.DESDEMONA   O, fie upon thee, slanderer! IAGO   Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk¹²⁶:

     You rise to play¹²⁷ and go to bed to work.EMILIA   You shall not write my praise.IAGO   No, let me not.DESDEMONA   What wouldst write of me, if thou shouldst praise

     me?IAGO   O gentle lady, do not put me to’t,

     For I am nothing if not critical.DESDEMONA   Come on assay¹³³. There’s one gone to the harbour?IAGO   Ay, madam.DESDEMONA   I am not merry, but I do beguile¹³⁵

     The thing I am by seeming otherwise.

     Come, how wouldst thou praise me?IAGO   I am about it, but indeed my invention¹³⁸

     Comes from my pate¹³⁹ as birdlime does from frieze,

     It plucks out brains and all. But my muse¹⁴⁰ labours,

     And thus she is delivered:

     ‘If she be fair¹⁴² and wise, fairness and wit,

     The one’s for use, the other useth it¹⁴³.’DESDEMONA   Well praised! How if she be black¹⁴⁴ and witty?IAGO   ‘If she be black, and thereto¹⁴⁵ have a wit,

     She’ll find a white¹⁴⁶ that shall her blackness fit.’DESDEMONA   Worse and worse.EMILIA   How if fair and foolish?IAGO   ‘She never yet was foolish that was fair,

     For even her folly¹⁵⁰ helped her to an heir.’DESDEMONA   These are old fond¹⁵¹ paradoxes to make fools laugh

     i’th’ale-house. What miserable praise hast thou for her

     that’s foul¹⁵³ and foolish?IAGO   ‘There’s none so foul and foolish thereunto¹⁵⁴,

     But does foul pranks¹⁵⁵ which fair and wise ones do.’DESDEMONA   O heavy¹⁵⁶ ignorance! Thou praisest the worst best.

      But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving woman

     indeed, one that, in the authority of her merit, did justly put ¹⁵⁸

     on the vouch of very malice itself?IAGO   ‘She that was ever fair and never proud,

     Had tongue¹⁶¹ at will and yet was never loud,

     Never lacked gold and yet went never gay¹⁶²,

     Fled from her wish and yet said “Now I may¹⁶³”,

     She that being ang’red, her revenge being nigh,

     Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,

     She that in wisdom never was so frail

     To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail¹⁶⁷,

     She that could think and ne’er disclose her mind,

     See suitors following and not look behind,

     She was a wight¹⁷⁰, if ever such wights were—’DESDEMONA   To do what?IAGO   ‘To suckle¹⁷² fools and chronicle small beer.’DESDEMONA   O, most lame and impotent conclusion! Do not

     learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband. How say

     you, Cassio? Is he not a most profane and liberal¹⁷⁵ counsellor?CASSIO   He speaks home¹⁷⁶, madam: you may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar.Cassio takes Desdemona’s hand and they converse apart

IAGO   He takes her by the palm: ay, well said,Aside¹⁷⁷

     whisper. With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a

     fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do: I will gyve¹⁸⁰ thee in thine

     own courtship¹⁸¹. You say true, ’tis so, indeed: if such tricks as

     these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better

     you had not kissed your three fingers¹⁸³ so oft, which now

     again you are most apt to play the sir¹⁸⁴ in. Very good: well

     kissed, and excellent courtesy¹⁸⁵! ’Tis so, indeed. Yet again your

     fingers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes¹⁸⁶ for your

     sake!—The Moor! I know his trumpet.Trumpet within

CASSIO   ’Tis truly so.DESDEMONA   Let’s meet him and receive him.CASSIO   Lo¹⁹⁰, where he comes!

Enter Othello and AttendantsOTHELLO   O my fair warrior!DESDEMONA   My dear Othello!OTHELLO   It gives me wonder great as my content

     To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!

     If after every tempest come such calms,

     May the winds blow till they have wakened death!

     And let the labouring bark¹⁹⁷ climb hills of seas

     Olympus-high¹⁹⁸ and duck again as low

     As hell’s from heaven! If it were now to die¹⁹⁹,

     ’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear

     My soul hath her content so absolute

     That not another comfort like to this

     Succeeds²⁰³ in unknown fate.DESDEMONA   The heavens forbid

     But that our loves and comforts should increase,

     Even as our days do grow!OTHELLO   Amen to that, sweet powers!

     I cannot speak enough of this content:

     It stops²⁰⁹ me here: it is too much of joy.

     And this, and this, the greatest discords beKisses her

     That e’er our hearts shall make!IAGO   O, you are well tuned now! Aside

     But I’ll set down²¹³ the pegs that make this music,

     As honest as I am.OTHELLO   Come, let us to the castle.— To Desdemona

     News, friends: our wars are done, the Turks are drowned.

     How does my old acquaintance of this isle?—

     Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus:

     I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet,

     I prattle²²⁰ out of fashion, and I dote

     In mine own comforts²²¹. I prithee, good Iago,

     Go to the bay and disembark my coffers²²².

     Bring thou the master²²³ to the citadel:

     He is a good one, and his worthiness

     Does challenge²²⁵ much respect.— Come, Desdemona,

     Once more, well met at Cyprus.Exeunt Othello and Desdemona

[with Attendants. Iago and Rodorigo remain]

IAGO   Do thou meet me presently at theTo an Attendant

     harbour.—as he exits

Come hither. If thou be’st valiant — as they sayTo Rodorigo

base²²⁹ men being in love have then a nobility in their natures

      more than is native to them — list²³⁰ me: the lieutenant tonight

     watches on the court of guard²³¹ is on duty at the guardhouse. First, I must tell thee this:

     Desdemona is directly²³² in love with him.RODORIGO   With him? Why, ’tis not possible.IAGO   Lay thy finger thus²³⁴, and let thy soul be instructed.

     Mark me²³⁵ with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for