Othello (5 page)

Exeunt

Location: Venice (outside the Sagittary)

Enter Othello, Iago, Attendants with torches

IAGO
   Though in the
trade
¹
of war I have slain men,
     Yet do I hold it
very stuff
²
o’th’conscience
     To do no
contrived
³
murder: I lack iniquity
     Sometime to do me service. Nine or ten times
     I had thought t’have
yerked
⁵
him here under the ribs.

OTHELLO
   ’Tis better as it is.

IAGO
   Nay, but he
prated
⁷
     And spoke such
scurvy
⁸
and provoking terms
     Against your honour
     That with the little godliness I have
     
I did full hard forbear him
¹¹
. But I pray you, sir,
     Are you
fast
¹²
married? Be assured of this,
     That the
magnifico
¹³
is much beloved,
     And hath
in his effect
¹⁴
a voice potential
     As double as the duke’s: he will divorce you,
     Or put upon you
what
¹⁶
restraint or grievance
     The law — with all his might to enforce it on —
     Will give him
cable
¹⁸
.

OTHELLO
   Let him do his spite;
     My services which I have done the
signiory
²⁰
     Shall out-tongue his complaints. ’
Tis yet to know
²¹
—
     Which, when I know that boasting is an honour,
     I shall
promulgate
²³
— I fetch my life and being
     From men of royal
siege
²⁴
, and my demerits
     May speak,
unbonneted
²⁵
, to as proud a fortune
     As this that I have reached. For know, Iago,
     But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
     I would not my
unhousèd
²⁸
free condition
     Put into
circumscription and confine
²⁹
     For the
sea’s worth
³⁰
. But look, what lights come yond?

Enter Cassio [and Officers] with torches

IAGO
   Those are the
raisèd
³¹
father and his friends:
     You were best go in.

OTHELLO
   Not I: I must be found.
     My
parts
³⁴
, my title and my perfect soul
     Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they?

IAGO
   By
Janus
³⁶
, I think no.

OTHELLO
   The servants of the duke’s? And my lieutenant?—
     The goodness of the night upon you, friends!
     What is the news?

CASSIO
   The duke does greet you, general,
     And he requires your
haste-post-haste
⁴¹
appearance
     Even on the instant.

OTHELLO
   What is the
matter
⁴³
, think you?

CASSIO
   Something from Cyprus, as I may
divine
⁴⁴
.
     It is a business of some
heat
⁴⁵
: the galleys
     Have sent a dozen
sequent
⁴⁶
messengers
     This very night at one another’s heels,
     And many of the consuls, raised and met,
     Are at the duke’s already. You have been hotly called for:
     When, being not at your lodging to be found,
     The senate hath sent about three
several quests
⁵¹
     To search you out.

OTHELLO
   ’Tis well I am found by you.
     I will but spend a word here in the house
     And go with you.

[Exit]

CASSIO
   Ancient, what
makes he
⁵⁶
here?

IAGO
  
Faith
⁵⁷
, he tonight hath boarded a land caract:
     If it prove lawful prize, he’s made for ever.

CASSIO
   I do not understand.

IAGO
   He’s married.

CASSIO
   To who?

IAGO
  
Marry
⁶²
, to—

[
Enter Othello

     Come, captain, will you go?

OTHELLO
  
Have with you
⁶³
.

CASSIO
   Here comes another troop to seek for you.

Enter Brabantio, Rodorigo, with Officers and torches
And weapons

IAGO
   It is Brabantio. General, be
advised
⁶⁵
:
     He comes
to
⁶⁶
bad intent.

OTHELLO
  
Holla
⁶⁷
, stand there!

RODORIGO
   Signior, it is the Moor.

BRABANTIO
   Down with him, thief!

They draw

IAGO
   You, Rodorigo? Come, sir, I am for you.

OTHELLO
   Keep
up
⁷¹
your bright swords, for the dew will rust
     them.
     Good signior, you shall more command with years
     Than with your weapons.

BRABANTIO
   O thou
foul
⁷⁴
thief,
     Where hast thou
stowed
⁷⁵
my daughter?
     Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her,
     For I’ll
refer me to
⁷⁷
all things of sense —
     If she in chains of magic were not bound —
     Whether a maid so
tender
⁷⁹
, fair and happy,
     So
opposite
⁸⁰
to marriage that she shunned
     The wealthy
curlèd
⁸¹
dearling of our nation,
     Would ever have — t’incur
a general mock
⁸²
—
     Run from
her guardage
⁸³
to the sooty bosom
     Of such a thing as thou: to fear, not to delight.
     
Judge me the world
⁸⁵
if ’tis not gross in sense
     That thou hast
practised on
⁸⁶
her with foul charms,
     Abused her delicate youth with drugs or
minerals
⁸⁷
     That weakens
motion
⁸⁸
: I’ll have’t disputed on:
     ’Tis probable and palpable to thinking.
     I therefore apprehend and do
attach
⁹⁰
thee
     For an abuser of the world, a practiser
     Of
arts inhibited and out of warrant
⁹²
.—
     Lay hold upon him: if he do resist,
     Subdue him at his peril.

OTHELLO
  
Hold
⁹⁵
your hands,
     Both you
of my inclining
⁹⁶
and the rest:
     Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it
     Without a prompter.—
Whither will you that I
⁹⁸
go
     To answer this your charge?

BRABANTIO
   To prison, till fit time
     Of law and
course of direct session
¹⁰¹
     Call thee to answer.

OTHELLO
   What if I do obey?
     How may the duke be therewith satisfied,
     Whose messengers are here about my side
     Upon some
present
¹⁰⁶
business of the state
     To bring me to him?

OFFICER
   ’Tis true, most worthy signior:
     The duke’s in council and your noble self,
     I am sure, is sent for.

BRABANTIO
   How? The duke in council?
     In this time of the night? Bring him away;
     Mine’s not an idle cause: the duke himself,
     Or any of my
brothers of the state
¹¹⁴
,
     Cannot but feel this wrong as ’twere their own:
     For if such actions may
have passage free
¹¹⁶
,
     Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.

Exeunt

Location: Venice (duke’s residence/council chamber)

Enter Duke, Senators and Officers

With torches

They sit at a table

DUKE
   There’s no
composition
¹
in this news
     That gives
them
²
credit.

FIRST SENATOR
   Indeed, they are
disproportioned
³
;
     My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.

DUKE
   And mine a hundred forty.

SECOND SENATOR
   And mine two hundred:
     But though they
jump
⁷
not on a just account —
     As in these cases where the
aim
⁸
reports,
     ’Tis oft with difference — yet do they all confirm
     A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus.

DUKE
   Nay, it is possible enough to judgement:
     
I do not so secure
¹²
me in the error
     But the main article I do approve
     In fearful sense.

SAILOR
   What ho, what ho, what ho!

Within

Enter Sailor

OFFICER
   A messenger from the galleys.

DUKE
   Now? What’s the business?

SAILOR
   The Turkish
preparation
¹⁸
makes for Rhodes:
     So was I bid report here to the state
     By Signior Angelo.

[Exit Sailor]

DUKE
  
How say you by
²¹
this change?

FIRST SENATOR
   This cannot be
     By no
assay
²³
of reason: ’tis a pageant,
     To keep us
in false gaze
²⁴
. When we consider
     
Th’importancy
²⁵
of Cyprus to the Turk,
     And let ourselves again but understand
     That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes,
     
So may he with more facile question bear it
²⁸
,
     
For that
²⁹
it stands not in such warlike brace,
     But altogether lacks
th’abilities
³⁰
     That Rhodes is
dressed in
³¹
: if we make thought of this,
     We must not think the Turk is so unskilful
     To leave that
latest
³³
which concerns him first,
     Neglecting an
attempt
³⁴
of ease and gain
     To wake and
wage
³⁵
a danger profitless.

DUKE
   Nay, in all confidence, he’s not for Rhodes.

OFFICER
   Here is more news.

Enter a Messenger

MESSENGER
   The
Ottomites
³⁸
, reverend and gracious,
     Steering with due course toward the isle of Rhodes,
     Have there
injointed them
⁴⁰
with an after fleet.

FIRST SENATOR
   Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess?

MESSENGER
   Of thirty sail: and now they do
restem
⁴²
     Their backward course
, bearing with
frank
⁴³
appearance
     Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signior Montano,
     Your trusty and most valiant
servitor
⁴⁵
,
     With his
free
⁴⁶
duty recommends you thus,
     And prays you to believe him.

[
Exit Messenger
]

DUKE
   ’Tis certain then for Cyprus.
     Marcus Luccicos, is not he in town?

FIRST SENATOR
   He’s now in Florence.

DUKE
   Write from us to him:
post-post-haste
⁵¹
, dispatch!

FIRST SENATOR
   Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor.

Enter Brabantio, Othello, Cassio, Iago, Rodorigo and Officers

DUKE
   Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you
     Against the
general enemy Ottoman
⁵⁴
.—

To Brabantio

     I did not see you: welcome,
gentle
⁵⁵
signior,
     We lacked your counsel and your help tonight.

BRABANTIO
   So did I yours. Good your grace, pardon me:
     Neither my
place
⁵⁸
nor aught I heard of business
     Hath raised me from my bed, nor doth
the general care
⁵⁹
     Take hold on me, for my
particular
⁶⁰
grief
     Is of so
floodgate
⁶¹
and o’erbearing nature
     That it
engluts
⁶²
and swallows other sorrows
     And it
is still itself
⁶³
.

DUKE
   Why? What’s the matter?

BRABANTIO
   My daughter! O, my daughter!

SENATORS
   Dead?

BRABANTIO
   Ay, to me:
     She is
abused
⁶⁸
, stol’n from me and corrupted
     By spells and medicines bought of
mountebanks
⁶⁹
;
     For nature so
prepost’rously
⁷⁰
to err —
     Being not deficient, blind, or lame of
sense
⁷¹
—
     
Sans
⁷²
witchcraft could not.