Authors: William Shakespeare
Trumpet within
CASSIO
’Tis truly so.
DESDEMONA
Let’s meet him and receive him.
CASSIO
Lo
190
, where he comes!
Enter Othello and Attendants
OTHELLO
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
bark
197
climb hills of seas
Olympus-high
198
and duck again as low
As hell’s from heaven! If it were now
to die
199
,
’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear
My soul hath her content so absolute
That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds
203
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
stops
209
me here: it is too much of joy.
And this, and this, the greatest discords be
Kisses her
That e’er our hearts shall make!
IAGO
O, you are well tuned now!
Aside
But I’ll
set down
213
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
prattle
220
out of fashion, and I dote
In mine own
comforts
221
. I prithee, good Iago,
Go to the bay and disembark my
coffers
222
.
Bring thou the
master
223
to the citadel:
He is a good one, and his worthiness
Does
challenge
225
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 the
To an Attendant
harbour.—
as he exits
Come hither. If thou be’st valiant — as they say
To Rodorigo
base
229
men being in love have then a nobility in their natures
more than is native to them —
list
230
me: the lieutenant tonight
watches on the court of guard
231
is on duty at the guardhouse. First, I must tell thee this:
Desdemona is
directly
232
in love with him.
RODORIGO
With him? Why, ’tis not possible.
IAGO
Lay thy finger
thus
234
, and let thy soul be instructed.
Mark me
235
with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for
bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for
prating
237
? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be
fed: and what delight shall she have to look on the devil?
When the blood is made
dull
239
with the act of sport, there
should be
a game
240
to inflame it and to give satiety a fresh
appetite, loveliness in
favour
241
, sympathy in years, manners
and beauties, all which the Moor is defective in. Now,
for want of these
required conveniences
243
, her delicate
tenderness will find itself abused, begin to
heave the gorge
244
,
disrelish
245
and abhor the Moor: very nature will instruct her in
it and compel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this
granted — as it is a most
pregnant
247
and unforced position—
who stands so
eminent in the degree
248
of this fortune as Cassio
does? A knave very
voluble
249
, no further conscionable than
in putting on the mere form of civil and
humane
250
seeming
for the better
compass
251
of his salt and most hidden loose
affection? Why, none, why, none. A
slipper
252
and subtle knave,
a finder of
occasion
253
, that has an eye can stamp and
counterfeit
advantages
254
, though true advantage never
present itself: a devilish knave. Besides, the knave is
handsome, young, and hath all those requisites in him that
folly
257
and green minds look after. A pestilent complete knave,
and the woman hath found him already.
RODORIGO
I cannot believe that in her: she’s full of most
blessed
condition
260
.
IAGO
Blessed fig’s-end!
The wine she drinks is made of
261
grapes
. If she had been blessed, she would never have loved
the Moor. Blessed
pudding
263
! Didst thou not see her paddle
with the palm of his hand? Didst not mark that?
RODORIGO
Yes, that I did, but that was but courtesy.
IAGO
Lechery, by this hand: an
index
266
and obscure
prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met
so near with their lips that their breaths embraced together.
Villainous thoughts, Rodorigo! When these
mutabilities
269
so
marshal the way,
hard
270
at hand comes the master and main
exercise
271
, th’incorporate conclusion. Pish! But, sir, be you
ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice.
Watch you
272
tonight:
for the command, I’ll lay’t upon you
273
. Cassio knows
you not. I’ll not be far from you. Do you find some occasion
to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or
tainting his
275
discipline
, or from what other course you please, which the
time shall more favourably
minister
277
.
RODORIGO
Well.
IAGO
Sir, he’s rash and very sudden in
choler
279
, and haply
may strike at you: provoke him that he may, for even out
of that will I cause
these
281
of Cyprus to mutiny, whose
qualification shall come into no true taste again but by the
displanting
283
of Cassio. So shall you have a shorter journey to
your desires by the means I shall then have to
prefer
284
them,
and the impediment most profitably removed, without the
which there were no expectation of our
prosperity
286
.
RODORIGO
I will do this, if you can bring it to any opportunity
287
.
IAGO
I
warrant
288
thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel: I
must fetch
his
289
necessaries ashore. Farewell.
RODORIGO
Adieu.
Exit
IAGO
That Cassio loves her, I do well believe’t:
That she loves him, ’tis
apt
292
and of great credit.
The Moor —
howbeit that I endure him not
293
—
Is of a constant, loving, noble nature,
And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona
A most
dear
296
husband. Now, I do love her too,
Not out of absolute lust — though
peradventure
297
I stand
accountant
298
for as great a sin —
But partly led to
diet
299
my revenge,
For that
300
I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath
leaped into
301
my seat, the thought whereof
Doth — like a poisonous mineral — gnaw my inwards:
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am evened with him, wife for wife,
Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousy so strong
That judgement cannot cure. Which thing to do,
If this
poor trash of Venice
308
, whom I trace
For
309
his quick hunting, stand the putting on,
I’ll have our Michael Cassio
on the hip
310
,
Abuse him to the Moor in the
right garb
311
—
For I fear Cassio with my
night-cap
312
too —
Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me
For making him
egregiously
314
an ass
And
practising upon
315
his peace and quiet
Even to madness.
’Tis here
316
, but yet confused:
Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.
Exit
Location: Cyprus
Enter Othello’s Herald with a proclamation
HERALD
It is Othello’s pleasure, our noble and valiant
general, that upon certain tidings now arrived, importing
the
mere perdition
3
of the Turkish fleet, every man put
himself into
triumph
4
: some to dance, some to make bonfires,
each man to what sport and revels his
addition
5
leads him, for
besides these beneficial news, it is the celebration of his
nuptial
. So much was his pleasure should be proclaimed. All
offices
8
are open, and there is full liberty of feasting from this
present hour of five till the bell have
told
9
eleven. Bless the isle
of Cyprus and our noble general Othello!
Exit
Location: Cyprus (the citadel)
Enter Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Attendants
OTHELLO
Good Michael, look you to the guard tonight:
Let’s teach ourselves that honourable
stop
2
Not to
outsport discretion
3
.
CASSIO
Iago hath direction what to do,
But notwithstanding, with my personal eye
Will I look to’t.
OTHELLO
Iago is most honest.
Michael, goodnight: tomorrow
with your earliest
8
Let me have speech with you.—
Come, my dear love,
To Desdemona
The purchase made, the fruits are to ensue
10
:
That profit’s yet to come ’tween me and you.—
Goodnight.
Exeunt [Othello, Desdemona and Attendants
]
Enter Iago
CASSIO
Welcome, Iago: we must to the watch.
IAGO
Not this hour, lieutenant: ’tis not yet ten o’th’clock.
Our general
cast
15
us thus early for the love of his Desdemona,
who let us not therefore blame: he hath not yet made
wanton
17
the night with her, and she is sport for Jove.
CASSIO
She’s a most
exquisite
18
lady.
IAGO
And, I’ll warrant her,
full of game
19
.
CASSIO
Indeed, she’s a most fresh and
delicate
20
creature.
IAGO
What an eye she has! Methinks it
sounds a parley
21
to
provocation.
CASSIO
An inviting eye, and yet methinks right modest.
IAGO
And when she speaks, is it not an
alarum
23
to love?
CASSIO
She is indeed perfection.
IAGO
Well, happiness to their sheets! Come, lieutenant, I
have a
stoup
26
of wine, and here without are a brace of Cyprus
gallants
27
that would fain have a measure to the health of
black Othello.
CASSIO
Not tonight, good Iago: I have very poor and
unhappy
30
brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy
would invent some other custom of entertainment.