The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1003 page)

BOOK: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
3.04Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

 

GRATIANO

He's gone, but his wife's kill'd.

He is gone, but his wife is dead.

 

MONTANO

'Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon,

He is the worst kind of criminal. Take this weapon

Which I have here recover'd from the Moor:

Which I have taken from the Moor,

Come, guard the door without; let him not pass,

And come, guard the door outside. Do not let the Moor pass,

But kill him rather. I'll after that same villain,

But kill him if he tries to leave. I will go after Iago;

For 'tis a damned slave.

He is a damn slave.

Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO

 

OTHELLO

I am not valiant neither,

I am not very strong

But ever puny whipster gets my sword:

If every little wimp can take my sword.

But why should honour outlive honesty?

But why should my reputation go on longer than my honesty?

Let it go all.

It’s all gone.

 

EMILIA

What did thy song bode, lady?

Lady, what did your song mean?

Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the swan.

Can you hear me? I will be like a swan

And die in music.

And die singing.

Singing

Willow, willow, willow,--

Willow, willow, willow–

Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor;

Moor, she was pure and loved you, cruel Moor.

So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true;

I swear by my soul I speak truly,

So speaking as I think, I die, I die.

And as I speak my honest thoughts, I die.

Dies

 

OTHELLO

I have another weapon in this chamber;

I have another sword in this room.

It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper:--

It is a Spanish sword, tempered by ice water –

O, here it is. Uncle, I must come forth.

Here it is. Uncle, I am coming out.

 

GRATIANO

[Within] If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear:

If you do, it will cost you your life.

Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.

You do not have a weapon and so you will suffer.

 

OTHELLO

Look in upon me then and speak with me,

Look in at me and speak to me,

Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee.

Or, weaponless, I will attack you.

Re-enter GRATIANO

 

GRATIANO

What is the matter?

What is it?

 

OTHELLO

Behold, I have a weapon;

Look, I have a sword,

A better never did itself sustain

One better than any that laid

Upon a soldier's thigh: I have seen the day,

On a soldier’s leg. I have,

That, with this little arm and this good sword,

With this single arm and this good sword,

I have made my way through more impediments

Fought through more obstacles,

Than twenty times your stop: but, O vain boast!

Twenty times more, than your guard. But what an arrogant comment!

Who can control his fate? 'tis not so now.

It is not like I can control my fate.

Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd;

Don’t be afraid, even though I have a weapon.

Here is my journey's end, here is my butt,

This is the end of my journey,

And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.

The last place my sail will take me.

Do you go back dismay'd? 'tis a lost fear;

Are you backing away in fear? It is not necessary.

Man but a rush against Othello's breast,

Rush against my chest,

And he retires. Where should Othello go?

And I will back down. Where should Othello go?

Now, how dost thou look now? O ill-starr'd wench!

O, look at you, Desdemona, your cruel fate!

Pale as thy smock! when we shall meet at compt,

As pale as your nightgown! When we shall meet at the end of time,

This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,

This look of yours will throw my soul out of heaven

And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl!

And demons will take it. Cold, cold, my wife!

Even like thy chastity. O cursed slave!

You are as white as your purity. O I am accursed!

Whip me, ye devils,

Devils, whip me,

From the possession of this heavenly sight!

And keep me from looking at this angel!

Blow me about in winds! roast me in sulphur!

Blow on me with the winds of hell! Roast me in sulphur!

Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!

Wash me in lava fire!

O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead!

O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead!

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Oh, Oh, Oh!

Enter LODOVICO. MONTANO, CASSIO carried in a chair, and Officers with IAGO, prisoner

 

LODOVICO

Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?

Where is this poor, reckless man?

 

OTHELLO

That's he that was Othello: here I am.

You are speaking of him who was Othello. I am him.

 

LODOVICO

Where is that viper? bring the villain forth.

Where is that snake, Iago? Bring him forward.

 

OTHELLO

I look down towards his feet; but that's a fable.

I look down at your feet, but it is a fable that the devil has cloven hooves.

If that thou best a devil, I cannot kill thee.

If you are the devil truly, I will not be able to kill you.

 

Wounds IAGO

 

LODOVICO

Wrench his sword from him.

Take his sword away.

 

IAGO

I bleed, sir; but not kill'd.

I bleed, sir, but am not dead.

 

OTHELLO

I am not sorry neither: I'ld have thee live;

I am not sorry about that. I want you to live,

For, in my sense, 'tis happiness to die.

Since to me, death is happiness.

 

LODOVICO

O thou Othello, thou wert once so good,

Othello, you used to be so good,

Fall'n in the practise of a damned slave,

But then you fell victim to the words of this damn slave.

What shall be said to thee?

What can we say about you?

 

OTHELLO

Why, any thing:

Anything.

An honourable murderer, if you will;

Call me an honorable murderer if you want.

For nought I did in hate, but all in honour.

I did nothing out of hate, but everything from a sense of honor.

 

LODOVICO

This wretch hath part confess'd his villany:

This villain has confessed part of his plans.

Did you and he consent in Cassio's death?

Did you and him plan together for Cassio’s death?

 

OTHELLO

Ay.

Yes.

 

CASSIO

Dear general, I never gave you cause.

But general, I never have you reason to think poorly of me.

 

OTHELLO

I do believe it, and I ask your pardon.

I believe you, and I ask that you forgive me.

Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil

Will you please make this half-devil speak

Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?

And say why he tricked my soul and body?

 

IAGO

Demand me nothing: what you know, you know:

Ask nothing from me. You know what you know

From this time forth I never will speak word.

And I will not say anything every again.

 

LODOVICO

What, not to pray?

Not even to pray?

 

GRATIANO

Torments will ope your lips.

Torture might make you talk.

 

OTHELLO

Well, thou dost best.

Do whatever is best.

 

LODOVICO

Sir, you shall understand what hath befall'n,

Sir, you will soon understand everything that has happened,

Which, as I think, you know not. Here is a letter

Which you do not, yet. Here is a letter

Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo;

That we found in Roderigo’s pocket,

And here another: the one of them imports

And here is another. One talks about the

The death of Cassio to be undertook

Death of Cassio and how it was meant to be accomplished

By Roderigo.

By Roderigo.

 

OTHELLO

O villain!

That villain!

 

CASSIO

Most heathenish and most gross!

So ungodly and disgusting!

 

LODOVICO

Now here's another discontented paper,

And here is another letter

Found in his pocket too; and this, it seems,

From his pocket. This one, it seems,

Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain;

Was from Roderigo, and he meant to give it to Iago

But that belike Iago in the interim

But then Iago

Came in and satisfied him.

Came in and killed him.

 

OTHELLO

O the pernicious caitiff!

O evil scoundrel!

How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief

Cassio, how did that handkerchief come to you

That was my wife's?

That was my wife’s?

 

CASSIO

I found it in my chamber:

It was in my room

And he himself confess'd but even now

And Iago just confessed

That there he dropp'd it for a special purpose

That he dropped it there for his own purposes

Which wrought to his desire.

Which he used for his desires.

 

OTHELLO

O fool! fool! fool!

Fool! fool! fool!

 

CASSIO

There is besides in Roderigo's letter,

In Roderigo’s letter,

How he upbraids Iago, that he made him

He criticizes Iago for making him

Brave me upon the watch; whereon it came

Anger me during the watch where I

That I was cast: and even but now he spake,

Was assigned, and he even admitted just now,

After long seeming dead, Iago hurt him,

Though he looked like he was dead, that Iago hurt him

Iago set him on.

And tricked him to do it.

 

LODOVICO

You must forsake this room, and go with us:

You must leave this room and come with us.

Your power and your command is taken off,

Your rank has been removed,

And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,

And Cassio has been placed in charge of Cyprus. As for Iago,

If there be any cunning cruelty

If there is any cunning torture

That can torment him much and hold him long,

Other books

As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman
Pink Slip Party by Cara Lockwood
Taboo by Casey Hill
Lord of the Black Isle by Elaine Coffman
Lily’s War by June Francis
Missing Sisters -SA by Gregory Maguire