Othello

dream

     Of such a matter, abhor me.RODORIGO   Thou told’st me

     Thou didst hold him⁷ in thy hate.IAGO   Despise me

     If I do not. Three great ones⁹ of the city,

     In personal suit¹⁰ to make me his lieutenant,

     Off-capped¹¹ to him, and by the faith of man,

     I know my price, I am worth no worse a place:

     But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,

     Evades them with a bombast circumstance¹⁴

     Horribly stuffed with epithets of war¹⁵,

     Nonsuits my mediators¹⁶. For ‘Certes’, says he,

     ‘I have already chose my officer.’

     And what was he?

     Forsooth¹⁹, a great arithmetician,

     One Michael Cassio, a Florentine²⁰ —

     A fellow almost damned in a fair wife²¹ —

     That never set a squadron²² in the field

     Nor the division of a battle knows²³

     More than a spinster²⁴, unless the bookish theoric,

     Wherein the toga’d consuls²⁵ can propose

     As masterly as he. Mere prattle²⁶ without practice

     Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had th’election²⁷;

     And I — of whom his²⁸ eyes had seen the proof

     At Rhodes²⁹, at Cyprus and on others’ grounds,

     Christened³⁰ and heathen — must be beleed and calmed

     By debitor and creditor³¹: this counter-caster,

     He — in good time³² — must his lieutenant be,

     And I — bless the mark³³! — his Moorship’s ancient.RODORIGO   By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.IAGO   Why, there’s no remedy: ’tis the curse of service³⁵;

     Preferment³⁶ goes by letter and affection,

     And not by old gradation³⁷, where each second

     Stood heir to th’first. Now, sir, be judge yourself

     Whether I in any just term³⁹ am affined

     To love the Moor.RODORIGO   I would not follow⁴¹ him then.IAGO   O, sir, content you:

     I follow him to serve my turn⁴³ upon him.

     We cannot all be masters, nor all masters

     Cannot be truly⁴⁵ followed. You shall mark

     Many a duteous and knee-crooking⁴⁶ knave

     That — doting on his own obsequious bondage —

     Wears out his time⁴⁸, much like his master’s ass,

     For nought but provender⁴⁹, and when he’s old, cashiered:

     Whip me⁵⁰ such honest knaves. Others there are

     Who, trimmed⁵¹ in forms and visages of duty,

     Keep yet their hearts attending on⁵² themselves,

     And throwing but shows of service on their lords,

     Do well thrive by them,

     And when they have lined their coats⁵⁵

     Do themselves homage⁵⁶: these fellows have some soul,

     And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,

     It is as sure as you are Rodorigo,

     Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago⁵⁹:

     In following him, I follow but myself.

     Heaven is my judge, not I for⁶¹ love and duty,

     But seeming so, for my peculiar⁶² end,

     For when my outward action doth demonstrate⁶³

     The native⁶⁴ act and figure of my heart

     In compliment extern⁶⁵, ’tis not long after

     But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve

     For daws⁶⁷ to peck at: I am not what I am.RODORIGO   What a full⁶⁸ fortune does the thick-lips owe

     If he can carry’t⁶⁹ thus!IAGO   Call up her father:

     Rouse him, make after⁷¹ him, poison his delight,

     Proclaim⁷² him in the streets, incense her kinsmen,

     And though⁷³ he in a fertile climate dwell,

     Plague him with flies: though that⁷⁴ his joy be joy,

     Yet throw such chances⁷⁵ of vexation on’t

     As it may⁷⁶ lose some colour.RODORIGO   Here is her father’s house, I’ll call aloud.IAGO   Do, with like timorous accent⁷⁸ and dire yell

     As when, by night and negligence, the fire

     Is spied in populous cities.RODORIGO   What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho! IAGO   Awake! What, ho! Brabantio, thieves, thieves!

     Look to your house, your daughter and your bags⁸³!

     Thieves, thieves!BRABANTIO   What is the reason of this terrible summons?Above⁸⁵

At a window

     What is the matter there?RODORIGO   Signior, is all your family within?IAGO   Are your doors locked?BRABANTIO   Why? Wherefore⁸⁹ ask you this?IAGO   Sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your gown⁹⁰!

     Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul:

     Even now, now, very now, an old black ram⁹²

     Is tupping⁹³ your white ewe. Arise, arise!

     Awake the snorting⁹⁴ citizens with the bell,

     Or else the devil⁹⁵ will make a grandsire of you.

     Arise, I say!BRABANTIO   What, have you lost your wits?RODORIGO   Most reverend⁹⁸ signior, do you know my voice?BRABANTIO   Not I: what are you?RODORIGO   My name is Rodorigo.BRABANTIO   The worser welcome.

     I have charged¹⁰² thee not to haunt about my doors:

     In honest plainness thou hast heard me say

     My daughter is not for thee: and now in madness —

     Being full of supper and distemp’ring draughts¹⁰⁵ —

     Upon malicious knavery dost thou come

     To start¹⁰⁷ my quiet.RODORIGO   Sir, sir, sir—BRABANTIO   But thou must needs be sure

     My spirits and my place¹¹⁰ have in their power

     To make this bitter to thee.RODORIGO   Patience, good sir.BRABANTIO   What tell’st thou me of robbing?

     This is Venice: my house is not a grange¹¹⁴.RODORIGO   Most grave¹¹⁵ Brabantio,

     In simple¹¹⁶ and pure soul I come to you.IAGO   Sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if

     the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service and you

     think we are ruffians, you’ll have your daughter covered¹¹⁹

     with a Barbary horse¹²⁰: you’ll have your nephews neigh to

     you: you’ll have coursers¹²¹ for

     cousins and jennets for germans¹²².BRABANTIO   What profane¹²³ wretch art thou?IAGO   I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter

     and the Moor are making the beast with two backs¹²⁵.BRABANTIO   Thou art a villain.IAGO   You are a senator.BRABANTIO   This thou shalt answer¹²⁸. I know thee, Rodorigo.RODORIGO   Sir, I will answer anything. But I beseech you

     If’t be your pleasure¹³⁰ and most wise consent —

     As partly I find it is — that your fair daughter,

     At this odd-even¹³² and dull watch o’th’night,

     Transported with¹³³ no worse nor better guard

     But with¹³⁴ a knave of common hire, a gondolier,

     To the gross¹³⁵ clasps of a lascivious Moor:

     If this be known to you and your allowance¹³⁶

     We then have done you bold and saucy¹³⁷ wrongs:

     But if you know not this, my manners tell me

     We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe

     That, from¹⁴⁰ the sense of all civility,

     I thus would play and trifle with your reverence¹⁴¹.

     Your daughter — if you have not given her leave¹⁴² —

     I say again, hath made a gross¹⁴³ revolt,

     Tying her duty, beauty, wit¹⁴⁴ and fortunes

     In¹⁴⁵ an extravagant and wheeling stranger

     Of here and everywhere. Straight¹⁴⁶ satisfy yourself:

     If she be in her chamber or your house,

     Let loose on me the justice of the state