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

by William Shakespeare

  She would blush at herself. And you are saying that she, against nature,

  Of years, of country, credit, every thing,

  Against difference in age, and country, and upbringing, against everything,

  To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on!

  Would fall in love with who she was afraid to look at!

  It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect

  Only a poor and imperfect judgment

  That will confess perfection so could err

  Could argue that a perfect person could do something so wrong

  Against all rules of nature, and must be driven

  Against all rules of nature – one must be forced

  To find out practises of cunning hell,

  To think that it is hell itself and the tricks of the devil

  Why this should be. I therefore vouch again

  That would make this happen. Therefore, I again hold

  That with some mixtures powerful o'er the blood,

  That some sort of powerful drug to change her desires

  Or with some dram conjured to this effect,

  Or magical spell

  He wrought upon her.

  Has been given to her by him.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  To vouch this, is no proof,

  To hold to this is not proof –

  Without more wider and more overt test

  One needs clear evidence, more

  Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods

  Than the customs and poor accusations of going against

  Of modern seeming do prefer against him.

  What you think is acceptable must stand against him.

  First Senator

  But, Othello, speak:

  But tell us, Othello:

  Did you by indirect and forced courses

  Did you use any underhanded or manipulative means

  Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?

  To persuade and poison this young girl’s desires?

  Or came it by request and such fair question

  Or did your marriage come from a simple request and a fair question,

  As soul to soul affordeth?

  Making it an equal decision?

  OTHELLO

  I do beseech you,

  I beg you

  Send for the lady to the Sagittary,

  To bring the lady herself here to the Armory

  And let her speak of me before her father:

  So that she can speak plainly of me in front of her father.

  If you do find me foul in her report,

  If in her report you find me evil,

  The trust, the office I do hold of you,

  Then the position and rank you have given me

  Not only take away, but let your sentence

  Should be taken away, and your sentence

  Even fall upon my life.

  Should also cost me my life.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  Fetch Desdemona hither.

  Bring Desdemona here.

  OTHELLO

  Ancient, conduct them: you best know the place.

  Iago, lead them – you know where she is.

  Exeunt IAGO and Attendants

  And, till she come, as truly as to heaven

  While we wait, as honestly

  I do confess the vices of my blood,

  As I confess my sins to God,

  So justly to your grave ears I'll present

  I will record to your serious listening

  How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,

  How I grew in this beautiful lady’s love,

  And she in mine.

  And how she grew in mine.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  Say it, Othello.

  Tell us, Othello.

  OTHELLO

  Her father loved me; oft invited me;

  Her father has loved me and often invited me to their home

  Still question'd me the story of my life,

  Where he asked me to recount the story of my life,

  From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,

  Each year, the battles and sieges and fortunes,

  That I have passed.

  That I have experienced.

  I ran it through, even from my boyish days,

  I told it all, even stories from my childhood,

  To the very moment that he bade me tell it;

  Everything up to the moment I was talking to him.

  Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,

  I spoke of dangerous risks,

  Of moving accidents by flood and field

  Of adventures on sea and land,

  Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach,

  Of escaping by a hair from imminent death,

  Of being taken by the insolent foe

  Of being taken by an enemy

  And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence

  And sold into slavery, of buying my freedom.

  And portance in my travels' history:

  I told him also of the travels I have had,

  Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,

  Of deep caves and empty deserts,

  Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven

  Rocky places, mountains and hills that reach up to heaven,

  It was my hint to speak,--such was the process;

  I spoke about everything – that was the routine –

  And of the Cannibals that each other eat,

  About Cannibals that eat each other

  The Anthropophagi and men whose heads

  Called the Anthropophagi and those whose heads

  Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear

  Grow beneath their shoulders. All the while

  Would Desdemona seriously incline:

  Desdemona would lean in and listen seriously,

  But still the house-affairs would draw her thence:

  Though soon enough she would have to leave to do chores,

  Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,

  Which she did quickly so she could return

  She'ld come again, and with a greedy ear

  And listen again, wanting to hear

  Devour up my discourse: which I observing,

  Everything I was saying. I observed all of this

  Took once a pliant hour, and found good means

  And when I was relaxing, I was able

  To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart

  To speak with her. She prayed earnestly

  That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,

  That I would tell her of everything

  Whereof by parcels she had something heard,

  Since she had heard some parts of the stories

  But not intentively: I did consent,

  But not everything. I agreed,

  And often did beguile her of her tears,

  And often my stories caused her to cry

  When I did speak of some distressful stroke

  When I spoke of some hardship

  That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,

  That I had suffered when I was younger. When I had finished,

  She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

  She sighed at the thought of my former pains

  She swore, in faith, twas strange, 'twas passing strange,

  And told me how strange

  'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful:

  And sad, truly sad, my story was.

  She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'd

  She said she wished that she had not heard it and yet that she wished

  That heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me,

  That heaven had made a man like me for her. She thanked me

  And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,

  And requested that, if I ever had a friend who loved her,

  I should but teach him how to tell my story.


  I would teach him how to tell a story like me,

  And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:

  And that she would fall in love with such a man. I took this hint and spoke to her.

  She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,

  She loved me for the dangerous events I had experienced

  And I loved her that she did pity them.

  And I loved her because she felt so strongly for me from the stories.

  This only is the witchcraft I have used:

  This is the only magic that I used.

  Here comes the lady; let her witness it.

  Here comes Desdemona herself, she can support what I have said.

  Enter DESDEMONA, IAGO, and Attendants

  DUKE OF VENICE

  I think this tale would win my daughter too.

  I think such a story would win my daughter’s heart, as well.

  Good Brabantio,

  Brabantio,

  Take up this mangled matter at the best:

  Try to make the most of this business.

  Men do their broken weapons rather use

  Using a broken weapon, even if its not what you want, is better

  Than their bare hands.

  Than using your empty, bare hands.

  BRABANTIO

  I pray you, hear her speak:

  Please, here her side.

  If she confess that she was half the wooer,

  If she agrees and says it was mutual,

  Destruction on my head, if my bad blame

  Then I curse myself for allowing mistaken blame

  Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress:

  To come to someone. Come here, gentle woman:

  Do you perceive in all this noble company

  Do you understand in this group of noblemen

  Where most you owe obedience?

  To which one you owe your strongest obedience?

  DESDEMONA

  My noble father,

  My noble father,

  I do perceive here a divided duty:

  I am conflicted:

  To you I am bound for life and education;

  I owe my life and education to you

  My life and education both do learn me

  And both have taught me

  How to respect you; you are the lord of duty;

  To respect you. You are the lord I give my duty to,

  I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,

  And up to this point I am your daughter. But over here is my husband,

  And so much duty as my mother show'd

  And as my mother gave more obedience

  To you, preferring you before her father,

  You over her own father,

  So much I challenge that I may profess

  So too I wish to announce

  Due to the Moor my lord.

  My obedience to the Moor.

  BRABANTIO

  God be wi' you! I have done.

  God be with you! I am done with this.

  Please it your grace, on to the state-affairs:

  Please, your grace, move on to the national business:

  I had rather to adopt a child than get it.

  I would rather adopt a child.

  Come hither, Moor:

  Come here, Moor:

  I here do give thee that with all my heart

  I hereby give you with all my heart

  Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart

  That which if you didn’t already have it, with all my heart

  I would keep from thee. For your sake, jewel,

  I would keep from you. For your sake, daughter,

  I am glad at soul I have no other child:

  I am glad in my soul that I have no other child,

  For thy escape would teach me tyranny,

  For your running off would make me become tyrannous,

  To hang clogs on them. I have done, my lord.

  And want to tie them up at home. I am done, my lord.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence,

  Let me say something briefly, and give you some advice

  Which, as a grise or step, may help these lovers.

  Which may help you forgive these lovers.

  When remedies are past, the griefs are ended

  When it is too late to fix something, a sad situation often ends

  By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.

  By seeing it in the worst light since our hopes rested on fixing it.

  To mourn a mischief that is past and gone

  To stay sad when that situation is over

  Is the next way to draw new mischief on.

  Is the sure way to bring on new troubles.

  What cannot be preserved when fortune takes

  Luck may take something we want to keep,

  Patience her injury a mockery makes.

  But being patient through that situation mocks and injures Luck.

  The robb'd that smiles steals something from the thief;

  He who smiles while he is being robbed steals something from the thief,

  He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.

  But he who grieves robs himself of even more.

  BRABANTIO

  So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile;

  Then we should let the Turks take Cyprus:

  We lose it not, so long as we can smile.

  As long as we smile, we do not really lose it.

  He bears the sentence well that nothing bears

  It’s easy to give advice when you do not have to feel the pain

  But the free comfort which from thence he hears,

  And instead can sit in your comfort and hear of others’ pain.

  But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow

  But he who has to bear the pain and listen to such advice

  That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.

  Might lose his patience from the weight of it all.

  These sentences, to sugar, or to gall,

  Your advice, both sweet and sour,

  Being strong on both sides, are equivocal:

  Is so extremely sweet and sour that it ends up meaning nothing.

  But words are words; I never yet did hear

  But words are only words and I have never heard

  That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.

  Of someone’s pain being comforted by hearing talk.

  I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of state.

  Please, move on to the state affairs.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for

  The Turk with a great fleet is heading to

  Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude of the place is best

  Cyprus. Othello, the strength of Cyprus is best

  known to you; and though we have there a substitute

  known to you and though we have an officer there

  of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a

  who is very good, the opinion here,

  sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer

  which ultimately makes decisions, is that you are a better

  voice on you: you must therefore be content to

  option. Therefore, you must be ok

  slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this

  with putting off the celebrations of your marriage

  more stubborn and boisterous expedition.

  for this expedition.

  OTHELLO

  The tyrant custom, most grave senators,

  The military life, respected senators,

  Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war

  Has made the dangerous bed of war

  My thrice-driven bed of down: I do agnise

  As comfortable as a bed of down feathers. I have

  A natural and prompt alacrity

  A natural readiness

 
I find in hardness, and do undertake

  That has come from hardness and will take on

  These present wars against the Ottomites.

  These battles against the Turks.

  Most humbly therefore bending to your state,

  I humbly obey, but also ask the state for a favor

  I crave fit disposition for my wife.

  Since I desire the right environment for my wife.

  Due reference of place and exhibition,

  Please provide her with a place to to live

  With such accommodation and besort

  As well as the accommodations and people

  As levels with her breeding.

  That match her high place in society.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  If you please,

  If you don’t mind,

  Be't at her father's.

  She can stay at her father’s.

  BRABANTIO

  I'll not have it so.

  I will not allow it.

  OTHELLO

  Nor I.

  I won’t either.

  DESDEMONA

  Nor I; I would not there reside,

  Neither will I. I would not want to stay there

  To put my father in impatient thoughts

  And tempt my father to become upset

  By being in his eye. Most gracious duke,

  By being seen by him. Gracious duke,

  To my unfolding lend your prosperous ear;

  Please listen to my request

  And let me find a charter in your voice,

  And let me hear you help me

  To assist my simpleness.

  By allowing a simple favor.

  DUKE OF VENICE

  What would You, Desdemona?

  What would you like, Desdemona?

  DESDEMONA

  That I did love the Moor to live with him,

  When I decided to love the Moor, I decided to live with him,

  My downright violence and storm of fortunes

  As the violence and poor fortunes I now have

  May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdued

  Attest to everyone. My heart has become

  Even to the very quality of my lord:

  Similar to Othello’s – I am part soldier now, too.

  I saw Othello's visage in his mind,

  I saw Othello truly when I saw his mind,

  And to his honour and his valiant parts

  And he has such honor and courage

  Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.

  That I pledged my soul and life to respect these things.

  So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,

  So, noblemen, if I am left here

  A moth of peace, and he go to the war,