Othello (11 page)

IAGO
   For Michael Cassio,
     I dare be sworn I think that he is honest.

OTHELLO
   I think so too.

IAGO
   Men should be what they seem,
     Or those that be not, would they might
seem none
¹⁴⁵
.

OTHELLO
   Certain, men should be what they seem.

IAGO
   Why then, I think Cassio’s an honest man.

OTHELLO
   Nay, yet there’s more in this!
     I prithee speak to me as to thy thinkings,
     As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts
     The worst of words.

IAGO
   Good my lord, pardon me:
     Though I am bound to every act of duty,
     I am not bound to
that all slaves are free
¹⁵⁴
.
     Utter my thoughts? Why, say they are vile and false,
     As where’s that palace whereinto foul things
     Sometimes intrude not? Who has that breast so pure,
     Where no
uncleanly
¹⁵⁸
apprehensions
     Keep
leets
¹⁵⁹
and law-days and in sessions sit
     
With
¹⁶⁰
meditations lawful?

OTHELLO
   Thou dost conspire against
thy friend
¹⁶¹
, Iago,
     If thou but think’st him wronged and mak’st his ear
     A stranger to thy thoughts.

IAGO
   I do beseech you,
     Though I perchance am
vicious
¹⁶⁵
in my guess —
     As I confess it is my nature’s plague
     To spy into abuses, and oft my
jealousy
¹⁶⁷
     Shapes faults that are not — that your wisdom,
     From one that so imperfectly
conceits
¹⁶⁹
,
     Would take no notice, nor build yourself a trouble
     Out of his
scattering
¹⁷¹
and unsure observance.
     It were not for your quiet nor your good,
     Nor for my manhood, honesty and wisdom,
     To let you know my thoughts.

OTHELLO
   What dost thou mean?

IAGO
   Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
     Is the
immediate
¹⁷⁷
jewel of their souls.
     Who steals my purse steals trash, ’tis something, nothing;
     ’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands:
     But he that filches from me my good name
     Robs me of that which not enriches him
     And makes me poor indeed.

OTHELLO
   I’ll know thy thoughts.

IAGO
   You cannot,
if
¹⁸⁴
my heart were in your hand,
     Nor shall not, whilst ’tis in my custody.

OTHELLO
   Ha?

IAGO
   O, beware, my lord, of jealousy:
     It is the green-eyed monster which doth
mock
¹⁸⁸
     The meat it feeds on
. That
cuckold
¹⁸⁹
lives in bliss
     Who, certain of his fate, loves not his
wronger
¹⁹⁰
:
     But, O, what damnèd minutes
tells
¹⁹¹
he o’er
     Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet soundly loves!

OTHELLO
   O misery!

IAGO
   Poor and content is rich and rich enough,
     But riches
fineless
¹⁹⁵
is as poor as winter
     To him that ever fears he shall be poor.
     Good heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend
     From jealousy!

OTHELLO
   Why? Why is this?
     Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy,
     To
follow still the changes of the moon
²⁰¹
     With fresh suspicions
? No: to be once in doubt
     Is to be resolved. Exchange me for a
goat
²⁰³
     When I shall turn the business of my soul
     To such
exsufflicate
²⁰⁵
and blowed surmises
     Matching thy
inference
²⁰⁶
. ’Tis not to make me jealous
     To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company,
     Is free of speech, sings, plays and dances:
     Where virtue is, these are more virtuous:
     Nor from mine own weak
merits
²¹⁰
will I draw
     The smallest fear or doubt of her
revolt
²¹¹
,
     For she had eyes, and chose me. No, Iago,
     I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;
     And on the proof, there is no more but this:
     Away at once with love or jealousy.

IAGO
   I am glad of this, for now I shall have reason
     To show the love and duty that I bear you
     With franker spirit: therefore, as I am bound,
     Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof:
     Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio,
     Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor
secure
²²¹
.
     I would not have your free and noble nature,
     Out of
self-bounty
²²³
, be abused: look to’t.
     I know our
country
²²⁴
disposition well:
     In Venice they do let heaven see the
pranks
²²⁵
     They dare not show their husbands: their best conscience
     Is not to leave’t
undone
²²⁷
, but kept unknown.

OTHELLO
   Dost thou say so?

IAGO
   She did deceive her father, marrying you:
     And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks,
     She loved them most.

OTHELLO
   And so she did.

IAGO
   Why,
go to
²³³
then:
     She that so young could give out such a seeming,
     To
seel
²³⁵
her father’s eyes up close as oak,
     He thought ’twas witchcraft. But I am much to blame:
     I humbly do beseech you of your pardon
     For too much loving you.

OTHELLO
   I am
bound
²³⁹
to thee for ever.

IAGO
   I see this hath a little dashed your spirits.

OTHELLO
   Not a jot, not a jot.

IAGO
   Trust me, I fear it has.
     I hope you will consider what is spoke
     Comes from
your love
²⁴⁴
. But I do see you’re moved:
     I am to pray you not to strain my speech
     To
grosser
²⁴⁶
issues nor to larger reach
     Than to
suspicion
²⁴⁷
.

OTHELLO
   I will not.

IAGO
   Should you do so, my lord,
     My speech should fall into such vile
success
²⁵⁰
     Which my thoughts aimed not. Cassio’s my worthy friend.
     My lord, I see you’re moved.

OTHELLO
   No, not much moved:
     I do not think but Desdemona’s
honest
²⁵⁴
.

IAGO
   Long live she so; and long live you to think so!

OTHELLO
   And yet, how nature erring from itself—

IAGO
   Ay, there’s the point: as — to be bold with you —
     Not to
affect
²⁵⁸
many proposèd matches
     Of her own
clime, complexion and degree
²⁵⁹
,
     Whereto we see in all things nature tends—
     Foh, one may smell in such a
will
²⁶¹
most rank,
     
Foul
²⁶²
disproportions, thoughts unnatural.
     But pardon me: I do not
in position
²⁶³
     
Distinctly
²⁶⁴
speak of her, though I may fear
     Her will, recoiling to her better judgement,
     May
fall to match you with her country forms
²⁶⁶
     And
happily
²⁶⁷
repent.

OTHELLO
   Farewell, farewell.
     If more thou dost perceive, let me know more:
     Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, Iago.

IAGO
   My lord, I take my leave.

Starts to leave

OTHELLO
   Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless
     Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.

IAGO
   My lord, I would I might entreat your honour

Returns

     To
scan
²⁷⁵
this thing no further: leave it to time.
     Although ’tis fit that Cassio have his
place
²⁷⁶
,
     For sure he fills it up with great ability,
     Yet, if you please to put him off awhile,
     You shall by that perceive him and his
means
²⁷⁹
.
     Note, if your lady
strain his entertainment
²⁸⁰
     With any strong or vehement importunity,
     Much will be seen in that. In the meantime,
     Let me be thought too
busy
²⁸³
in my fears —
     As worthy cause I have to fear I am —
     And
hold her free
²⁸⁵
, I do beseech your honour.

OTHELLO
   Fear not my
government
²⁸⁶
.

IAGO
   I once more take my leave.

Exit

OTHELLO
   This fellow’s of exceeding honesty,
     And knows all
quantities
²⁸⁹
, with a learnèd spirit,
     Of human
dealings
²⁹⁰
. If I do prove her haggard,
     Though that her
jesses
²⁹¹
were my dear heartstrings,
     I’d
whistle her off and let her down the wind
²⁹²
     To
prey at fortune
²⁹³
. Haply, for I am black
     And have not those
soft parts of conversation
²⁹⁴
     That
chamberers
²⁹⁵
have, or for I am declined
     Into the vale of years — yet that’s not much —
     She’s gone. I am
abused
²⁹⁷
, and my relief
     Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage!
     That we can call these
delicate
²⁹⁹
creatures ours
     And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad
     And live upon the vapour of a dungeon
     Than keep a
corner
³⁰²
in the thing I love
     For others’
uses
³⁰³
. Yet, ’tis the plague to great ones,
     
Prerogatived
³⁰⁴
are they less than the base:
     ’Tis destiny unshunnable, like death:
     Even then this
forkèd plague
³⁰⁶
is fated to us
     When we
do quicken
³⁰⁷
. Look where she comes:
     If she be false, heaven
mocked
³⁰⁸
itself!
     I’ll not believe’t.

Enter Desdemona and Emilia

DESDEMONA
   How now, my dear Othello?
     Your dinner, and the
generous
³¹¹
islanders
     By you invited, do
attend
³¹²
your presence.

OTHELLO
   I am to blame.

DESDEMONA
   Why do you speak so faintly?
     Are you not well?

OTHELLO
   I have a
pain upon my forehead
³¹⁶
here.

DESDEMONA
   Why, that’s with
watching
³¹⁷
. ’Twill away again:
     Let me but bind it hard, within this hour

Offers her handkerchief

     It will be well.

OTHELLO
   Your
napkin
³²⁰
is too little:

He pushes away the handkerchief and it drops

     Let it alone. Come, I’ll go in with you.

Exit

DESDEMONA
   I am very sorry that you are not well.

Following him

EMILIA
   I am glad I have found this napkin:

Picks up the handkerchief

     This was her first
remembrance
³²⁴
from the Moor:
     My wayward husband hath a hundred times
     
Wooed
³²⁶
me to steal it, but she so loves the token —
     For he
conjured her
³²⁷
she should ever keep it —
     That she
reserves
³²⁸
it evermore about her
     To kiss and talk to. I’ll have the
work ta’en out
³²⁹
,
     And give’t Iago: what he will do with it
     Heaven knows, not I:
     
I nothing
³³²
but to please his fantasy.

Enter Iago

IAGO
   How now? What do you here alone?

EMILIA
   Do not you chide: I have a thing for you.

IAGO
   You have a thing for me? It is a
common
³³⁵
thing—

EMILIA
   Ha?

IAGO
   To have a foolish wife.

EMILIA
   O, is that all? What will you give me now
     For the same handkerchief?

IAGO
   What handkerchief?

EMILIA
   What handkerchief?
     Why, that the Moor first gave to Desdemona,
     That which so often you did bid me steal.

IAGO
   Hast stol’n it from her?

EMILIA
   No, but she let it drop by negligence.
     And,
to th’advantage
³⁴⁶
, I, being here, took’t up.
     Look, here ’tis.

IAGO
   A good wench: give it me.

EMILIA
   What will you do with’t, that you have been
     So earnest to have me filch it?