OTHELLO
You have seen nothing, then?
EMILIA
Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.
OTHELLO
Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.
EMILIA
But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
Each syllable that breath made up between them.
OTHELLO
What, did they never whisper?
EMILIA
Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
Nor send you out o’ the way?
EMILIA
Never.
OTHELLO
To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?
EMILIA
Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
That’s strange.
EMILIA
I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,
Remove your thought, it abuse your bosom.
If any wretch have put this in your head,
Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse,
For if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
There’s no man happy. The purest of their wives
Is foul as slander.
OTHELLO
Bid her come . Go.
OTHELLO
She says enough. Yet she’s a simple bawd
That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
A closet lock and key of villainous secrets.
And yet she’ll kneel and pray. I have seen her do ’t.
DESDEMONA
My lord, what is your will?
OTHELLO
Pray, chuck, come .
DESDEMONA
What is your pleasure?
OTHELLO
Let me see your eyes.
Look in my face.
DESDEMONA
What horrible fancy’s this?
OTHELLO
Some of your function, mistress,
Leave procreants alone, and shut the door.
Cough, or cry hem, if anybody come.
Your mystery, your mystery. Nay, dispatch.
DESDEMONA
Upon my knees, what your speech import?
I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.
OTHELLO
Why, what art ?
DESDEMONA
Your wife, my lord, your true and loyal wife.
OTHELLO
Come, swear it, damn thyself,
Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves
Should fear to seize . Therefore be double-damn’d.
Swear art honest.
DESDEMONA
Heaven truly know it.
OTHELLO
Heaven truly knows that art false as hell.
DESDEMONA
To whom, my lord? With whom? How am I false?
OTHELLO
O Desdemona, away! away! away!
DESDEMONA
Alas the heavy day, why do you weep?
Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?
If haply you my father do suspect
An instrument of this your calling back,
Lay not your blame on me. If you have lost him,
Why, I have lost him too.
OTHELLO
Had it pleas’d heaven
To try me with affliction, had they rain’d
All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head,
Steep’d me in poverty to the very lips,
Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,
I should have found in some place of my soul
A drop of patience. But, alas, to make me
A fixed figure for the time of scorn
To point his slow unmoving finger at.
Yet could I bear that too, well, very well:
But there, where I have garner’d up my heart,
Where either I must live or bear no life,
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up, to be discarded ,
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
To knot and gender in!—turn complexion there,
Patience, young and rose-lipp’d cherubin,
Ay, there, look grim as hell!
DESDEMONA
I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
OTHELLO
O, ay, as summer flies are in the shambles,
That quicken even with blowing. O weed,
Who art so lovely fair, and smell’st so sweet,
That the sense aches at ,
Would hadst been born!
DESDEMONA
Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
OTHELLO
Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
Made to write “whore” upon? What committed?
Committed! O public commoner!
I should make very forges of my cheeks,
That would to cinders burn up modesty,
Did I but speak deeds. What committed!
Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks;
The bawdy wind, that kisses all it meets,
Is hush’d within the hollow mine of earth,
And will not hear it. What committed!
Impudent strumpet!
DESDEMONA
By heaven, you do me wrong.
OTHELLO
Are not you a strumpet?
DESDEMONA
No, as I am a Christian:
If to preserve this vessel for my lord
From any other foul unlawful touch
Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
OTHELLO
What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA
No, as I shall be sav’d.
OTHELLO
Is’t possible?
DESDEMONA
O, heaven forgive us!
OTHELLO
I cry you mercy then.
I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
That married with Othello.—You, mistress,
OTHELLO
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
And keeps the gate of hell. You, you, ay, you!
We have done our course; there’s money for your pains.
I pray you turn the key, and keep our counsel.
EMILIA
Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
How do you, madam? How do you, my good lady?
DESDEMONA
Faith, half asleep.
EMILIA
Good madam, what’s the matter with my lord?
DESDEMONA
With who?
EMILIA
Why, with my lord, madam.
DESDEMONA
Who is lord?
EMILIA
He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA
I have none. Do not talk to me, Emilia,
I cannot weep, nor answer have I none
But what should go by water. , tonight
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets, remember,
And call husband .
EMILIA
Here’s a change indeed!
DESDEMONA
meet I should be us’d so, very meet.
How have I been behav’d, that he might stick
The small’st opinion on my least misuse?
IAGO
What is your pleasure, madam? How is’t with you?
DESDEMONA
I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes
Do it with gentle means and easy tasks.
He might have chid me so, for, in good faith,
I am a child to chiding.
IAGO
What’s the matter, lady?
EMILIA
Alas, Iago, my lord so bewhor’d her,
Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
As true hearts cannot bear.
DESDEMONA
Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO
What name, fair lady?
DESDEMONA
Such as she says my lord did say I was.
EMILIA
He call’d her whore: a beggar in his drink
Could not have laid such terms upon his callet.
IAGO
Why did he so?
DESDEMONA
I do not know. I am sure I am none such.
IAGO
Do not weep, do not weep: alas the day!
EMILIA
she forsook so many noble matches,
Her father, and her country, and her friends,
To be call’d whore? would it not make one weep?
DESDEMONA
It is my wretched fortune.
IAGO
Beshrew him for’t!
How comes this trick upon him?
DESDEMONA
Nay, heaven know.
EMILIA
I will be hang’d, if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
Have not devis’d this slander. I’ll be hang’d else.
IAGO
Fie, there is no such man. It is impossible.
DESDEMONA
If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
EMILIA
A halter pardon him, and hell gnaw his bones!
Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?
What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
The Moor’s abused by some most villainous ,
Some base notorious , some scurvy fellow.
O heaven, that such companions thou’dst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip
To lash the rascals naked through the world
Even from the east to the west!
IAGO
Speak within door.
EMILIA
O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
That turn’d your wit the seamy side without,
And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO
You are a fool. Go to.
DESDEMONA
Alas, Iago,
What shall I do to win my lord again?
Good friend, go to him. For by this light of heaven,
I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel.
If e’er my will did trespass ’gainst his love,
Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
Delighted them in any other form,
Or that I do not yet, and ever did,
And ever will, (though he do shake me off
To beggarly divorcement) love him dearly,
Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much;
And his unkindness may defeat my life,
But never taint my love. I cannot say “whore,”
It does abhor me now I speak the word;
To do the act that might the addition earn
Not the world’s mass of vanity could make me.
IAGO
I pray you, be content. but his .
The business of the state does him offence,
And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA
If ’twere no other,—
IAGO
but so, I warrant.
IAGO
Hark, how these instruments summon to supper.
The messengers of Venice stay the meat.
Go in, and weep not. All things shall be well.
IAGO
How now, Roderigo?
RODERIGO
I do not find that dealest justly with me.
IAGO
What in the contrary?
RODERIGO
Every day daffest me with some device, Iago, and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me all conveniency than suppliest me with the least advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure it. Nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace what already I have foolishly suffered.
IAGO
Will you hear me, Roderigo?
RODERIGO
Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and performances are no kin together.
IAGO
You charge me most unjustly.
RODERIGO
With but truth. I have wasted myself out of my means. The jewels you have had from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a votarist: you have told me she received them, and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden respect and acquaintance, but I find none.
IAGO
Well, go to, very well.
RODERIGO
Very well, go to, I cannot go to, man, nor not very well. Nay, I say very scurvy, and begin to find myself fopped in it.
IAGO
Very well.
RODERIGO
I tell you not very well. I will make myself known to Desdemona. If she will return me my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation. If not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you.
IAGO
You have said now.
RODERIGO
Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of doing.
IAGO
Why, now I see there’s mettle in , and even from this instant do build on a better opinion than ever before. Give me hand, Roderigo. taken against me a most just exception, but yet I protest, I have dealt most directly in affair.
RODERIGO
It not appeared.
IAGO
I grant indeed it not appeared, and your suspicion is not without wit and judgement. But, Roderigo, if that in indeed, which I have greater reason to believe now than ever,—I mean purpose, courage, and valour,—this night show it. If the next night following enjoy not Desdemona, take me from this world with treachery and devise engines for my life.
RODERIGO
Well, what is it? Is it within reason and compass?
IAGO
Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice to depute Cassio in Othello’s place.
RODERIGO
Is that true? Why then Othello and Desdemona return again to Venice.
IAGO
O, no; he goes into Mauritania, and takes away with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
RODERIGO
How do you mean “removing” of him?
IAGO
Why, by making him uncapable of Othello’s place: knocking out his brains.
RODERIGO
And that you would have me to do?
IAGO
Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right. He sups tonight with a harlotry, and will I go to him. He knows not yet of his honourable fortune. If you will watch his going , which I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one, you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near to second your attempt, and he shall fall between us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with me. I will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high supper-time, and the night grows to waste. About it.
RODERIGO
I will hear further reason for this.
IAGO
And you shall be satisfied.