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Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA.
OTHELLO
1 You have seen nothing then?
EMILIA
2 Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.
OTHELLO
3 Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.
EMILIA
4 But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
5 Each syllable that breath made up between them.
OTHELLO
6 What, did they never whisper?
EMILIA
6 Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
7 Nor send you out o' the way?
EMILIA
8 Never.
OTHELLO
9 To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?
EMILIA
10 Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
11 That's strange.
EMILIA
12 I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
13 Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,
14 Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
15 If any wretch have put this in your head,
16 Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!
17 For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
18 There's no man happy; the purest of their wives
19 Is foul as slander.
OTHELLO
19 Bid her come hither: go.
Exit Emilia.
20 She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd
21 That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
22 A closet lock and key of villainous secrets
23 And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't.
Enter DESDEMONA and EMILIA.
DESDEMONA
24 My lord, what is your will?
OTHELLO
24 Pray you, chuck, come hither.
DESDEMONA
25 What is your pleasure?
OTHELLO
25 Let me see your eyes;
26 Look in my face.
DESDEMONA
26 What horrible fancy's this?
OTHELLO [To Emilia.]
27 Some of your function, mistress;
28 Leave procreants alone and shut the door;
29 Cough, or cry "hem," if anybody come:
30 Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.
Exit Emilia.
DESDEMONA
31 Upon my knees, what doth your speech import?
32 I understand a fury in your words.
33 But not the words.
OTHELLO
34 Why? What art thou?
DESDEMONA
34 Your wife, my lord; your true
35 And loyal wife.
OTHELLO
35 Come, swear it, damn thyself
36 Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves
37 Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd:
38 Swear thou art honest.
DESDEMONA
39 Heaven doth truly know it.
OTHELLO
39 Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.
DESDEMONA
40 To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false?
OTHELLO
41 Ah Desdemon! Away! away! away!
DESDEMONA
42 Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep?
43 Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?
44 If haply you my father do suspect
45 An instrument of this your calling back,
46 Lay not your blame on me: If you have lost him,
47 Why, I have lost him too.
OTHELLO
47 Had it pleased heaven
48 To try me with affliction; had they rain'd
49 All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head.
50 Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips,
51 Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,
52 I should have found in some place of my soul
53 A drop of patience: but, alas, to make me
54 A fixed figure for the time of scorn
55 To point his slow unmoving finger at!
56 Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:
57 But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,
58 Where either I must live, or bear no life;
59 The fountain from the which my current runs,
60 Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!
61 Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
62 To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,
63 Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin,—
64 Ay, there, look grim as hell!
DESDEMONA
65 I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
OTHELLO
66 O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles,
67 That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,
68 Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet
69 That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been born!
DESDEMONA
70 Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
OTHELLO
71 Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
72 Made to write "whore" upon? What committed?
73 Committed? O thou public commoner!
74 I should make very forges of my cheeks,
75 That would to cinders burn up modesty,
76 Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
77 Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks,
78 The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets
79 Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,
80 And will not hear it. What committed?
81 Impudent strumpet!
DESDEMONA
81 By heaven, you do me wrong.
OTHELLO
82 Are you not a strumpet?
DESDEMONA
82 No, as I am a Christian:
83 If to preserve this vessel for my lord
84 From any other foul unlawful touch
85 Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
OTHELLO
86 What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA
86 No, as I shall be saved.
OTHELLO
87 Is't possible?
DESDEMONA
88 O, heaven forgive us!
OTHELLO
88 I cry you mercy, then:
89 I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
90 That married with Othello.
[Calling out to Emilia.]
90 You, mistress,
Enter EMILIA.
91 That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
92 And keeps the gate of hell! You, you, ay, you!
93 We have done our course; there's money for your pains:
94 I pray you, turn the key and keep our counsel.
Exit.
EMILIA
95 Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
96 How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady?
DESDEMONA
97 'Faith, half asleep.
EMILIA
98 Good madam, what's the matter with my lord?
DESDEMONA
99 With who?
EMILIA
100 Why, with my lord, madam.
DESDEMONA
101 Who is thy lord?
EMILIA
101 He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA
102 I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia;
103 I cannot weep; nor answer have I none,
104 But what should go by water. Prithee, tonight
105 Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember;
106 And call thy husband hither.
EMILIA
106 Here's a change indeed!
Exit.
DESDEMONA
107 'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.
108 How have I been behaved, that he might stick
109 The small'st opinion on my least misuse?
Enter IAGO and EMILIA.
IAGO
110 What is your pleasure, madam? How is't with you?
DESDEMONA
111 I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes
112 Do it with gentle means and easy tasks:
113 He might have chid me so; for, in good faith,
114 I am a child to chiding.
IAGO
114 What is the matter, lady?
EMILIA
115 Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her.
116 Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
117 As true hearts cannot bear.
DESDEMONA
118 Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO
118 What name, fair lady?
DESDEMONA
119 Such as she says my lord did say I was.
EMILIA
120 He call'd her whore. A beggar in his drink
121 Could not have laid such terms upon his callet.
IAGO
122 Why did he so?
DESDEMONA
123 I do not know; I am sure I am none such.
IAGO
124 Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day!
EMILIA
125 Hath she forsook so many noble matches,
126 Her father and her country and her friends,
127 To be call'd whore? would it not make one weep?
DESDEMONA
128 It is my wretched fortune.
IAGO
128 Beshrew him for't!
129 How comes this trick upon him?
DESDEMONA
129 Nay, heaven doth know.
EMILIA
130 I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain,
131 Some busy and insinuating rogue,
132 Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
133 Have not devised this slander; I will be hang'd else.
IAGO
134 Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible.
DESDEMONA
135 If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
EMILIA
136 A halter pardon him! and hell gnaw his bones!
137 Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?
138 What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
139 The Moor's abused by some most villainous knave,
140 Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.
141 O heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold,
142 And put in every honest hand a whip
143 To lash the rascals naked through the world
144 Even from the east to the west!
IAGO
144 Speak within door.
EMILIA
145 O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
146 That turn'd your wit the seamy side without,
147 And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO
148 You are a fool; go to.
DESDEMONA
148 Alas, Iago,
149 What shall I do to win my lord again?
150 Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,
151 I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel:
152 If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
153 Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
154 Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
155 Delighted them in any other form;
156 Or that I do not yet, and ever did.
157 And ever will—though he do shake me off
158 To beggarly divorcement—love him dearly,
159 Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much;
160 And his unkindness may defeat my life,
161 But never taint my love. I cannot say "whore":
162 It does abhor me now I speak the word;
163 To do the act that might the addition earn
164 Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
IAGO
165 I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humor:
166 The business of the state does him offence,
167 And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA
168 If 'twere no other—
IAGO
168 'Tis but so, I warrant.
[Trumpets within.]
169 Hark, how these instruments summon to supper!
170 The messengers of Venice stay the meat;
171 Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
Exeunt Desdemona and Emilia.
Enter RODERIGO.
172 How now, Roderigo!
RODERIGO
173 I do not find that thou dealest justly with me.
IAGO
174 What in the contrary?
RODERIGO
175 Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago;
176 and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me
177 all conveniency than suppliest me with the least
178 advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure
179 it, nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace what
180 already I have foolishly suffered.
IAGO
181 Will you hear me, Roderigo?
RODERIGO
182 'Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and
183 performances are no kin together.
IAGO
184 You charge me most unjustly.
RODERIGO
185 With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of
186 my means. The jewels you have had from me to
187 deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a
188 votarist: you have told me she hath received them
189 and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden
190 respect and acquaintance, but I find none.
IAGO
191 Well; go to; very well.
RODERIGO
192 Very well! go to! I cannot go to, man; nor 'tis
193 not very well: nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin
194 to find myself fopp'd in it.
IAGO
195 Very well.
RODERIGO
196 I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make myself
197 known to Desdemona: if she will return me my
198 jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my
199 unlawful solicitation; if not, assure yourself I
200 will seek satisfaction of you.
IAGO
201 You have said now.
RODERIGO
202 Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment
203 of doing.
IAGO
204 Why, now I see there's mettle in thee, and even from
205 this instant to build on thee a better opinion than
206 ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo: thou hast
207 taken against me a most just exception; but yet, I
208 protest, I have dealt most directly in thy affair.
RODERIGO
209 It hath not appeared.
IAGO
210 I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your
211 suspicion is not without wit and judgment. But,
212 Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I
213 have greater reason to believe now than ever, I mean
214 purpose, courage and valor, this night show it: if
215 thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona,
216 take me from this world with treachery and devise
217 engines for my life.
RODERIGO
218 Well, what is it? is it within reason and
219 compass?
IAGO
220 Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice
221 to depute Cassio in Othello's place.
RODERIGO
222 Is that true? why, then Othello and Desdemona
223 return again to Venice.
IAGO
224 O, no; he goes into Mauritania and takes away with
225 him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be
226 lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be
227 so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
RODERIGO
228 How do you mean, removing of him?
IAGO
229 Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place;
230 knocking out his brains.
RODERIGO
231 And that you would have me to do?
IAGO
232 Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right.
233 He sups tonight with a harlotry, and thither will I
234 go to him: he knows not yet of his honorable
235 fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which
236 I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one,
237 you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near
238 to second your attempt, and he shall fall between
239 us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with
240 me; I will show you such a necessity in his death
241 that you shall think yourself bound to put it on
242 him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows
243 to waste: about it.
RODERIGO
244 I will hear further reason for this.
IAGO
245 And you shall be satisfied.
Exeunt.
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