Before the Castle. | |
| |
Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA, and Clown. | |
| Des. Do you know, sirrah, where Lieutenant Cassio Lies? | |
| Clo. I dare not say he lies any where. | 4 |
| Des. Why, man? | |
| Clo. He is a soldier; and for one to say a soldier lies, is stabbing. | |
| Des. Go to; where lodges he? | |
| Clo. To tell you where he lodges is to tell you where I lie. | 8 |
| Des. Can anything be made of this? | |
| Clo. I know not where he lodges, and for me to devise a lodging, and say he lies here or he lies there, were to lie in mine own throat. | |
| Des. Can you inquire him out, and be edified by report? | |
| Clo. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make questions, and by them answer. | 12 |
| Des. Seek him, bid him come hither; tell him I have moved my lord in his behalf, and hope all will be well. | |
| Clo. To do this is within the compass of man’s wit, and therefore I will attempt the doing it. [Exit. | |
| Des. Where should I lose that handkerchief, Emilia? | |
| Emil. I know not, madam. | 16 |
| Des. Believe me, I had rather have lost my purse | |
| Full of cruzadoes; and, but my noble Moor | |
| Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness | |
| As jealous creatures are, it were enough | 20 |
| To put him to ill thinking. | |
| Emil. Is he not jealous? | |
| Des. Who! he? I think the sun where he was born | |
| Drew all such humours from him. | 24 |
| Emil. Look! where he comes. | |
| Des. I will not leave him now till Cassio | |
| Be call’d to him. | |
| |
Enter OTHELLO. | 28 |
| How is ’t with you, my lord? | |
| Oth. Well, my good lady. [Aside.] O! hardness to dissemble. | |
| How do you, Desdemona? | |
| Des. Well, my good lord. | 32 |
| Oth. Give me your hand. This hand is moist, my lady. | |
| Des. It yet has felt no age nor known no sorrow. | |
| Oth. This argues fruitfulness and liberal heart; | |
| Hot, hot, and moist; this hand of yours requires | 36 |
| A sequester from liberty, fasting and prayer, | |
| Much castigation, exercise devout; | |
| For here’s a young and sweating devil here, | |
| That commonly rebels. ’Tis a good hand, | 40 |
| A frank one. | |
| Des. You may, indeed, say so; | |
| For ’twas that hand that gave away my heart. | |
| Oth. A liberal hand; the hearts of old gave hands, | 44 |
| But our new heraldry is hands not hearts. | |
| Des. I cannot speak of this. Come now, your promise. | |
| Oth. What promise, chuck? | |
| Des. I have sent to bid Cassio come speak with you. | 48 |
| Oth. I have a salt and sorry rheum offends me. | |
| Lend me thy handkerchief. | |
| Des. Here, my lord. | |
| Oth. That which I gave you. | 52 |
| Des. I have it not about me. | |
| Oth. Not? | |
| Des. No, indeed, my lord. | |
| Oth. That is a fault. | 56 |
| That handkerchief | |
| Did an Egyptian to my mother give; | |
| She was a charmer, and could almost read | |
| The thoughts of people; she told her, while she kept it, | 60 |
| ’Twould make her amiable and subdue my father | |
| Entirely to her love, but if she lost it | |
| Or made a gift of it, my father’s eye | |
| Should hold her loathed, and his spirits should hunt | 64 |
| After new fancies. She dying gave it me; | |
| And bid me, when my fate would have me wive, | |
| To give it her. I did so: and take heed on ’t; | |
| Make it a darling like your precious eye; | 68 |
| To lose’t or give’t away, were such perdition | |
| As nothing else could match. | |
| Des. Is ’t possible? | |
| Oth. ’Tis true; there’s magic in the web of it; | 72 |
| A sibyl, that had number’d in the world | |
| The sun to course two hundred compasses, | |
| In her prophetic fury sew’d the work; | |
| The worms were hallow’d that did breed the silk, | 76 |
| And it was dy’d in mummy which the skilful | |
| Conserv’d of maidens’ hearts. | |
| Des. Indeed! is ’t true? | |
| Oth. Most veritable; therefore look to ’t well. | 80 |
| Des. Then would to heaven that I had never seen it! | |
| Oth. Ha! wherefore? | |
| Des. Why do you speak so startingly and rash? | |
| Oth. Is ’t lost? is ’t gone? speak, is it out o’ the way? | 84 |
| Des. Heaven bless us! | |
| Oth. Say you? | |
| Des. It is not lost: but what an if it were? | |
| Oth. How! | 88 |
| Des. I say, it is not lost. | |
| Oth. Fetch ’t, let me see ’t. | |
| Des. Why, so I can, sir, but I will not now. | |
| This is a trick to put me from my suit: | 92 |
| Pray you let Cassio be receiv’d again. | |
| Oth. Fetch me the handkerchief; my mind misgives. | |
| Des. Come, come; | |
| You’ll never meet a more sufficient man. | 96 |
| Oth. The handkerchief! | |
| Des. I pray, talk me of Cassio. | |
| Oth. The handkerchief! | |
| Des. A man that all his time | 100 |
| Hath founded his good fortunes on your love, | |
| Shar’d dangers with you,— | |
| Oth. The handkerchief! | |
| Des. In sooth you are to blame. | 104 |
| Oth. Away! [Exit. | |
| Emil. Is not this man jealous? | |
| Des. I ne’er saw this before. | |
| Sure, there’s some wonder in this handkerchief; | 108 |
| I am most unhappy in the loss of it. | |
| Emil. ’Tis not a year or two shows us a man; | |
| They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; | |
| They eat us hungerly, and when they are full | 112 |
| They belch us. Look you! Cassio and my husband. | |
| |
Enter IAGO and CASSIO. | |
| Iago. There is no other way; ’tis she must do ’t: | |
| And, lo! the happiness: go and importune her. | 116 |
| Des. How now, good Cassio! what’s the news with you? | |
| Cas. Madam, my former suit: I do beseech you | |
| That by your virtuous means I may again | |
| Exist, and be a member of his love | 120 |
| Whom I with all the office of my heart | |
| Entirely honour; I would not be delay’d. | |
| If my offence be of such mortal kind | |
| That nor my service past, nor present sorrows, | 124 |
| Nor purpos’d merit in futurity, | |
| Can ransom me into his love again, | |
| But to know so must be my benefit; | |
| So shall I clothe me in a forc’d content, | 128 |
| And shut myself up in some other course | |
| To fortune’s alms. | |
| Des. Alas! thrice-gentle Cassio! | |
| My advocation is not now in tune; | 132 |
| My lord is not my lord; nor should I know him, | |
| Were he in favour as in humour alter’d. | |
| So help me every spirit sanctified, | |
| As I have spoken for you all my best | 136 |
| And stood within the blank of his displeasure | |
| For my free speech. You must awhile be patient; | |
| What I can do I will, and more I will | |
| Than for myself I dare: let that suffice you. | 140 |
| Iago. Is my lord angry? | |
| Emil. He went hence but now, | |
| And, certainly in strange unquietness. | |
| Iago. Can he be angry? I have seen the cannon, | 144 |
| When it hath blown his ranks into the air, | |
| And, like the devil, from his very arm | |
| Puff’d his own brother; and can he be angry? | |
| Something of moment then; I will go meet him; | 148 |
| There’s matter in ’t indeed, if he be angry. | |
| Des. I prithee, do so. [Exit IAGO.] Something, sure, of state, | |
| Either from Venice, or some unhatch’d practice | |
| Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him, | 152 |
| Hath puddled his clear spirit; and, in such cases | |
| Men’s natures wrangle with inferior things, | |
| Though great ones are their object. ’Tis even so; | |
| For let our finger ache, and it indues | 156 |
| Our other healthful members ev’n to that sense | |
| Of pain. Nay, we must think men are not gods, | |
| Nor of them look for such observancy | |
| As fits the bridal. Beshrew me much, Emilia, | 160 |
| I was—unhandsome warrior as I am— | |
| Arraigning his unkindness with my soul; | |
| But now I find I had suborn’d the witness, | |
| And he’s indicted falsely. | 164 |
| Emil. Pray heaven it be state-matters, as you think, | |
| And no conception, nor no jealous toy | |
| Concerning you. | |
| Des. Alas the day! I never gave him cause. | 168 |
| Emil. But jealous souls will not be answer’d so; | |
| They are not ever jealous for the cause, | |
| But jealous for they are jealous; ’tis a monster | |
| Begot upon itself, born on itself. | 172 |
| Des. Heaven keep that monster from Othello’s mind! | |
| Emil. Lady, amen. | |
| Des. I will go seek him. Cassio, walk here-about; | |
| If I do find him fit, I’ll move your suit | 176 |
| And seek to effect it to my uttermost. | |
| Cas. I humbly thank your ladyship. [Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA. | |
| |
Enter BIANCA. | |
| Bian. Save you, friend Cassio! | 180 |
| Cas. What make you from home? | |
| How is it with you, my most fair Bianca? | |
| I’ faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house. | |
| Bian. And I was going to your lodging, Cassio. | 184 |
| What! keep a week away? seven days and nights? | |
| Eight score eight hours? and lovers’ absent hours, | |
| More tedious than the dial eight score times? | |
| O weary reckoning! | 188 |
| Cas. Pardon me, Bianca, | |
| I have this while with leaden thoughts been press’d, | |
| But I shall, in a more continuate time, | |
| Strike off this score of absence. Sweet Bianca. [Giving her DESDEMONA’S handkerchief. | 192 |
| Take me this work out. | |
| Bian. O Cassio! whence came this? | |
| This is some token from a newer friend; | |
| To the felt absence now I feel a cause; | 196 |
| Is ’t come to this? Well, well. | |
| Cas. Go to, woman! | |
| Throw your vile guesses in the devil’s teeth, | |
| From whence you have them. You are jealous now | 200 |
| That this is from some mistress, some remembrance: | |
| No, in good troth, Bianca. | |
| Bian. Why, whose is it? | |
| Cas. I know not, sweet; I found it in my chamber. | 204 |
| I like the work well; ere it be demanded,— | |
| As like enough it will,—I’d have it copied; | |
| Take it and do ’t; and leave me for this time. | |
| Bian. Leave you! wherefore? | 208 |
| Cas. I do attend here on the general, | |
| And think it no addition nor my wish | |
| To have him see me woman’d. | |
| Bian. Why, I pray you? | 212 |
| Cas. Not that I love you not. | |
| Bian. But that you do not love me. | |
| I pray you, bring me on the way a little | |
| And say if I shall see you soon at night. | 216 |
| Cas. ’Tis but a little way that I can bring you, | |
| For I attend here; but I’ll see you soon. | |
| Bian. ’Tis very good; I must be circumstanc’d. [Exeunt. | |
