Othello (36 page)

¹⁷⁸
are thus forgot
have forgotten yourself in this way

¹⁸⁰
wont
accustomed

¹⁸¹
stillness
calmness/sobriety

¹⁸³
censure
judgment

¹⁸⁴
unlace
undo (the strings of a purse in order to spend the contents)

¹⁸⁵
opinion
reputation

¹⁸⁹
offends
hurts

¹⁹⁰
aught
anything

¹⁹⁶
blood
passion/anger safer guides i.e. reason, judgment

¹⁹⁷
collied
blackened, obscured

¹⁹⁸
Assays
attempts

²⁰¹
rout
brawl

²⁰²
approved
proved (guilty)

²⁰³
twinned…birth
been my twin

²⁰⁴
town of war
garrison town

²⁰⁵
wild
excitable, unruly, not entirely under control

²⁰⁶
manage
conduct

²⁰⁷
on…safety
at the guardhouse and while on duty protecting public safety

²⁰⁸
monstrous
unnatural, outrageous (ironically, a mere period stands in the way of the answer to Othello’s question)

²⁰⁹
partially…office
if, being personally predisposed (to Cassio) or allied (to him) because of your official roles

²¹²
Touch
test/accuse/provoke near intimately/closely

²¹⁹
with…him
determined to use his sword upon him (execute plays on sense of “put to death”)

²²¹
his pause
him to stop

²²⁵
rather For that
the more rapidly because

²²⁷
high in oath
cursing loudly

²³³
forget
forget themselves

²³⁴
him
i.e. Montano

²³⁷
indignity
insult, affront

²³⁸
pass
let pass

²⁴⁰
mince
make light of

²⁴⁶
sweeting
sweetheart, darling

²⁴⁸
Myself…surgeon
i.e. I will ensure that you receive good medical care/dress your wounds

²⁵⁰
distracted
confused/caused disorder among

²⁵²
balmy
soothing

²⁶⁰
sense
physical feeling, i.e. pain

²⁶¹
idle
useless/empty

²⁶²
imposition
thing imposed on one by others

²⁶⁴
recover
regain (the favor of)

²⁶⁵
cast…mood
dismissed in his fit of anger

²⁶⁸
Sue to
petition, entreat

²⁷⁰
slight
worthless

²⁷¹
indiscreet
foolish, lacking sound judgment speak parrot babble repetitively/speak rubbish

²⁷²
discourse fustian
speak elaborate nonsense

²⁷⁵
What
who

²⁸⁰
nothing wherefore
no reason for it

²⁸²
pleasance
pleasure

²⁸⁸
frankly
openly, unreservedly

²⁸⁹
moraler
moralizer

²⁹²
mend it
improve matters

²⁹⁴
Hydra
in Greek mythology, the many-headed snake that regrew two heads for every one that was cut off

²⁹⁵
stop
stop up, silence

²⁹⁷
inordinate
immoderate

²⁹⁸
familiar
friendly (but quibbles on the sense of “malign attendant spirit”)

³⁰¹
approved it
found it to be so through experience

³⁰²
a time
some time

³⁰⁴
for that
(namely) that

³⁰⁵
mark, and denotement
observation

³⁰⁶
parts
personal qualities

³⁰⁷
importune
crave, entreat; plays on negative senses of “pester, annoy/solicit for purposes of prostitution”

³⁰⁸
free
generous, but plays ambiguously on secondary sense of “sexually available”; Iago’s speech is open to a negative construction throughout apt ready, willing

³¹¹
splinter
set with a splint

³¹²
lay
wager/laying down a woman (for sex) crack damage (with sexual, anatomical overtones)

³¹⁵
protest
declare, avow

³¹⁷
think it freely
believe so unreservedly betimes early

³¹⁸
undertake
take on the matter/vouch

³¹⁹
desperate of
hopeless about check halt

³²⁴
free
freely given/generous/frank

³²⁵
Probal
probable, credible, reasonable

³²⁷
Th’inclining
disposed to be sympathetic/yielding subdue win over

³²⁸
framed as fruitful
created as generous

³³¹
seals
pledges/tokens

³³²
enfettered
shackled, enslaved

³³³
list
desires

³³⁴
appetite
inclination/sexual desire

³³⁵
function
capabilities, intellectual faculties (weak because he is so enamored of her); possible play on the sense of “sexual potency”

³³⁶
parallel
i.e. to Iago’s scheming intentions

³³⁷
Divinity
theology

³³⁸
put on
urge, incite (men to commit)

³³⁹
suggest
tempt

³⁴¹
Plies
solicits, works on

³⁴³
pestilence
plague/wickedness

³⁴⁴
repeals him
tries to get him reinstated

³⁴⁶
credit
trust/reputation

³⁴⁷
pitch
sticky black tar-like substance

³⁵⁰
chase
hunt

³⁵¹
fills…cry
makes up one of the pack

³⁵²
cudgelled
beaten

³⁵³
issue
outcome

³⁵⁴
wit
sense

³⁵⁹
dilatory
slow/delaying

³⁶¹
cashiered
(got) dismissed

³⁶²
against
exposed to

³⁶³
Yet…ripe
i.e. the dismissal of Cassio demonstrates that our plan is blossoming and will ensure that the eventual outcome (fruit) of our schemes is successful

³⁶⁴
troth
truth

³⁷⁰
move
entreat, solicit

³⁷²
the while
meanwhile

³⁷³
jump
precisely

³⁷⁵
device
scheming

Musicians
music was traditionally played outside a bridal bedroom at dawn

¹
content your pains
pay for your efforts

⁴
Naples
southwestern Italian city i’th’nose with a nasal twang like that of the Neapolitan accent/like one whose nasal tissue has been damaged by syphilis, of which there was a high incidence in Naples

⁵
How
what

⁸
tail
penis (though the Musician hears “tale,” i.e. story)

¹⁰
wind instrument
sense has now shifted to “flatulent anus”

¹²
love’s
the love you bear him/Othello’s lovemaking with Desdemona

¹³
noise
plays on nose

¹⁹
up
away

²³
keep…quillets
hold back your quibbles

²⁴
gentlewoman
female attendant

²⁵
stirring
up and about (but in his response the Clown shifts the sense to “sexually arousing”)

²⁷
seem
arrange, contrive

²⁹
In happy time
(you have come at) an opportune moment

³⁶
presently
immediately

³⁷
mean
method

⁴¹
A Florentine
i.e. even a Florentine (one of Cassio’s own countrymen)

⁴³
displeasure
being out of favor

⁴⁶
fame
reputation

⁴⁷
affinity
family/connections wholesome sound, beneficial

⁴⁹
suitor
petitioner

⁵³
advantage of
a favorable opportunity for

⁵⁷
bosom
heart, inmost thoughts

²
do my duties
convey my respects

³
works
fortifications

⁴
Repair
return/make your way

³
I warrant
I’m sure

¹³
strangeness
aloofness, unfriendliness

¹⁴
politic
discreet/expedient

¹⁷
nice and waterish
insubstantial and thin (or possibly “luxurious and succulent”)

¹⁸
breed…circumstances
renew itself out of various events/generate so few opportunities (for my reinstatement)

¹⁹
supplied
filled

²¹
doubt
fear

²²
warrant
assurance, guarantee

²⁵
watch him tame
tame him by preventing him from sleeping (a method for training hawks)

²⁶
board a shrift
table (shall seem) a confessional

²⁹
solicitor
pleader/representative/ lawyer (legal language continues with
cause
)

³⁰
away
up

³⁶
do your discretion
obey your own judgment

⁴⁶
suitor
petitioner (Desdemona unconsciously puns on the sense of “lover”)

⁵⁰
grace
virtue/favor with you

⁵¹
present reconciliation take
restore him to your favor immediately/accept the reconciliation he now seeks

⁵³
in cunning
deliberately

⁵⁷
sooth
truly

⁶⁵
dinner
lunch

⁷²
trespass
fault, offense common reason everyday judgment

⁷⁴
best
best men not almost hardly even

⁷⁵
check
reprimand

⁷⁸
mamm’ring
stammering hesitantly

⁸²
in
i.e. into favor

⁸⁵
boon
favor graciously granted

⁸⁸
peculiar
particular, personal

⁹⁰
touch
test

⁹¹
poise
heaviness, importance/balance, equipoise (making choice hard) difficult weight hard to assess or weigh

⁹⁴
Whereon
as a result of which

⁹⁷
straight
straightaway, very soon

⁹⁸
fancies
inclinations, whims