Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin,
Ay, here look, grim as hell!
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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 thou weed
Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet
That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er
been born!
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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 thou public commoner!
I should make very forges of my cheeks
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That would to cinders burn up modesty
Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks,
The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets
Is hushed within the hollow mine of earth
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And will not hear’t. 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
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From any hated foul unlawful touch
Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
OTHELLO What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA No, as I shall be saved.
OTHELLO Is’t possible?
DESDEMONA O heaven, forgive us!
OTHELLO I cry you mercy then,
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I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
That married with Othello. You! Mistress!
Enter EMILIA.
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter
And keep the gates of hell – you, you, ay you!
We have done our course, there’s money for your pains,
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I pray you turn the key and keep our counsel. Exit.
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?
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DESDEMONA With whom?
EMILIA Why, with my lord, madam.
DESDEMONA Who is thy lord?
EMILIA He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA I have none. Do not talk to me, Emilia;
I cannot weep, nor answers have I none
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But what should go by water. Prithee, tonight
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets; remember,
And call thy husband hither.
EMILIA Here’s a change indeed!
Exit.
DESDEMONA ’Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.
How have I been behaved that he might stick
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The small’st opinion on my greatest misuse?
Enter IAGO and EMILIA.
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,
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I am a child to chiding.
IAGO What is the matter, lady?
EMILIA Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her,
Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her
That true hearts cannot bear it.
DESDEMONA Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO What name, fair lady?
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DESDEMONA Such as she said my lord did say I was.
EMILIA He called her whore. A beggar in his drink
Could not have laid such terms upon his callat.
IAGO Why did he so?
DESDEMONA I do not know; I am sure I am none such.
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IAGO Do not weep, do not weep: alas the day!
EMILIA Hath she forsook so many noble matches,
Her father, and her country, and her friends,
To be called whore? would it not make one weep?
DESDEMONA It is my wretched fortune.
IAGO Beshrew him for’t,
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How comes this trick upon him?
DESDEMONA Nay, heaven doth know.
EMILIA I will be hanged if some eternal villain
Some busy and insinuating rogue,
Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
Have not devised this slander, I’ll be hanged else!
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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?
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The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave,
Some base notorious knave, 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
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Even from the east to th’ west.
IAGO Speak within doors.
EMILIA O fie upon them! some such squire he was
That turned your wit the seamy side without
And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO You are a fool, go to.
DESDEMONA O God, Iago,
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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,
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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,
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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
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Not the world’s mass of vanity could make me.
IAGO I pray you, be content, ’tis but his humour;
The business of the state does him offence
And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA If ’twere no other –
IAGO ’Tis but so, I warrant.
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[Trumpets.]
Hark how these instruments summon to supper:
The messengers of Venice stay the meat,
Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
Exeunt Desdemona and Emilia.
Enter RODERIGO.
How now, Roderigo?
RODERIGO I do not find that thou deal’st justly with me.
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IAGO What in the contrary?
RODERIGO Every day thou doff ’st me with some device,
Iago, and rather, as it seems to me now, keep’st from
me all conveniency than suppliest me with the least
advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure it;
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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; and your
words and performances are no kin together.
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RODERIGO With nought 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 hath received them, and
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returned me expectations and comforts of sudden
respect and acquittance, but I find none.
IAGO Well, go to; very well.
RODERIGO ‘Very well,’ ‘go to’! I cannot go to, man, nor
’tis not very well. By this hand, I think it is scurvy, and
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begin to find myself fopped in it.
IAGO Very well.
RODERIGO I tell you, ’tis 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
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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.
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IAGO Why, now I see there’s mettle in thee, and even
from this instant do build on thee a better opinion
than ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo. Thou
hast taken against me a most just exception – but yet I
protest I have dealt most directly in thy affair.
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RODERIGO It hath not appeared.
IAGO I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your
suspicion is not without wit and judgement. But,
Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed which I have
greater reason to believe now than ever – I mean
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purpose, courage, and valour – this night show it. If
thou 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
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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
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Desdemona return again to Venice.
IAGO O no, he goes into Mauretania and taketh 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?
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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 thither will I go to
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him. He knows not yet of his honourable fortune: if
you will watch his going thence – 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
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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.
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IAGO And you shall be satisfied. Exeunt.
4.3 Enter OTHELLO, LODOVICO, DESDEMONA, EMILIA and attendants.
LODOVICO
I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no further.
OTHELLO O, pardon me, ’twill do me good to walk.
LODOVICO
Madam, good night: I humbly thank your ladyship.
DESDEMONA Your honour is most welcome.
OTHELLO Will you walk, sir?
O, Desdemona –
DESDEMONA My lord?
OTHELLO Get you to bed
5
On th’instant, I will be returned forthwith.
Dismiss your attendant there: look’t be done.
DESDEMONA I will, my lord.
Exeunt Othello, Lodovico and attendants.
EMILIA
How goes it now? He looks gentler than he did.
DESDEMONA He says he will return incontinent,
10
And hath commanded me to go to bed
And bid me to dismiss you.
EMILIA Dismiss me?
DESDEMONA
It was his bidding; therefore, good Emilia,
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 425