The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 599
It is a green eyed monster who taunts
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Its victim. The man who is cheated on is happy
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
If he knows he is being cheated on and does not love the other man.
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er
But O how horrible for the man
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!
Who loves, yet doubts his beloved and is suspicious, yet still loves!
OTHELLO
O misery!
What misery!
IAGO
Poor and content is rich and rich enough,
Being poor and happy is rich enough,
But riches fineless is as poor as winter
But he who is rich without measure is as poor as winter is
To him that ever fears he shall be poor.
If he fears that he will someday be poor.
Good heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend
Dear God, protect all of us
From jealousy!
For jealousy!
OTHELLO
Why, why is this?
Why do you say all of this?
Think'st thou I'ld make a lie of jealousy,
Do you think that I will become so jealous
To follow still the changes of the moon
That I will watch for the moon to change phases
With fresh suspicions? No; to be once in doubt
And get suspicious each time it does? No, if I became doubtful,
Is once to be resolved: exchange me for a goat,
I would then become resolved to end doubt. I would sooner be a goat
When I shall turn the business of my soul
Than spend my energy on
To such exsufflicate and blown surmises,
Such meaningless and trivial guesswork,
Matching thy inference. 'Tis not to make me jealous
Looking to infer what has happened. It will not make me jealous
To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company,
To hear that my wife is beautiful, cooks well, enjoys company,
Is free of speech, sings, plays and dances well;
Speaks freely, sings and has fun and dances well –
Where virtue is, these are more virtuous:
These are only great things, and she is great.
Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw
I will not overcompensate for my weakness by creating
The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt;
A fear or doubt of her leaving me.
For she had eyes, and chose me. No, Iago;
She had eyes and was not tricked, and she still chose me. No, Iago,
I'll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;
I would look before I begin to doubt, and then if I were to doubt, I would find proof,
And on the proof, there is no more but this,--
And as for proof, there is nothing –
Away at once with love or jealousy!
So my love will do away with jealousy!
IAGO
I am glad of it; for now I shall have reason
I am glad, because now I have reason
To show the love and duty that I bear you
To love you and obey your requests
With franker spirit: therefore, as I am bound,
With a more honest spirit. Therefore, since you have asked,
Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof.
I will tell you. I do not have proof of anything.
Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio;
Look at your wife, and look at her when she is with Cassio.
Wear your eye thus, not jealous nor secure:
Behave like this, carefully, but neither jealous nor unaware.
I would not have your free and noble nature,
I would not want your noble and trusting character
Out of self-bounty, be abused; look to't:
From someone else’s gain, be taken advantage of. So be wary.
I know our country disposition well;
I know the people of our county well –
In Venice they do let heaven see the pranks
In Venice, they let God see their sins,
They dare not show their husbands; their best conscience
But they never show these sins to their husbands. They think it is best
Is not to leave't undone, but keep't unknown.
When they can sin, but keep it unknown to everyone.
OTHELLO
Dost thou say so?
Do you really think so?
IAGO
She did deceive her father, marrying you;
She already tricked her father by marrying you,
And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks,
And she acted scared about your appearance
She loved them most.
Even though she loved it most.
OTHELLO
And so she did.
Yes, she did.
IAGO
Why, go to then;
Well, there it is:
She that, so young, could give out such a seeming,
She who was so young put on such an act
To seal her father's eyes up close as oak-
To trick her father
He thought 'twas witchcraft--but I am much to blame;
That he thought it was witchcraft – but I shouldn’t say that.
I humbly do beseech you of your pardon
I ask for your forgiveness for speaking
For too much loving you.
Which I do only because I love you too much.
OTHELLO
I am bound to thee for ever.
I owe you forever.
IAGO
I see this hath a little dash'd your spirits.
I see this has upset you a little.
OTHELLO
Not a jot, not a jot.
Not at all, not at all.
IAGO
I' faith, I fear it has.
Truly, I am afraid it has.
I hope you will consider what is spoke
I hope that you know that what I said
Comes from my love. But I do see you're moved:
Came from love. But I see that you are sad.
I am to pray you not to strain my speech
Please do not take what I have said so seriously
To grosser issues nor to larger reach
That you stretch it to greater imaginations and situations
Than to suspicion.
Than the appropriate suspicion it deserves.
OTHELLO
I will not.
I will not.
IAGO
Should you do so, my lord,
If you do, my lord,
My speech should fall into such vile success
Then what I have said has had awful effects
As my thoughts aim not at. Cassio's my worthy friend--
That I did not intend. Cassio is a good friend –
My lord, I see you're moved.
My lord, I see that you are upset.
OTHELLO
No, not much moved:
No, not that upset.
I do not think but Desdemona's honest.
I think that Desdemona is very honest.
IAGO
Long live she so! and long live you to think so!
And may she be her whole life! And may your whole life you think so!
OTHELLO
And yet, how nature erring from itself,--
And yet, one can act against one’s true nature –
IAGO
Ay, there's the point: as--to be bold with you--
Ah, that is what I meant. To be bold,
Not to affect many proposed matches
She was not affected by any proposals
Of her own clime, complexion, and d
egree,
From men who are more similar to her, as in country, skin color, and status,
Whereto we see in all things nature tends--
Which nature tends to respect most –
Foh! one may smell in such a will most rank,
Oh! One can almost sense such a disgusting will
Foul disproportion thoughts unnatural.
In evilly overestimating such unnatural things!
But pardon me; I do not in position
But excuse me, I don’t mean
Distinctly speak of her; though I may fear
To speak specifically of her. Though, still, I worry
Her will, recoiling to her better judgment,
That her desires, against her better judgement,
May fall to match you with her country forms
Will compare you to her countrymen
And happily repent.
And choose them instead.
OTHELLO
Farewell, farewell:
Goodbye, goodbye –
If more thou dost perceive, let me know more;
If you see more, let me know,
Set on thy wife to observe: leave me, Iago:
And ask your wife to watch her. Go now, Iago.
IAGO
[Going] My lord, I take my leave.
My lord, I will go now.
OTHELLO
Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless
Why did I even marry? This honest man must
Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.
See and know much more than he says.
IAGO
[Returning] My lord, I would I might entreat your honour
My lord, I must ask you
To scan this thing no further; leave it to time:
To stop thinking about this thing. Give it time.
Though it be fit that Cassio have his place,
Though it is right that Cassio get his rank back,
For sure, he fills it up with great ability,
After all he is very able and talented,
Yet, if you please to hold him off awhile,
But if you hold him from accepting him for a while
You shall by that perceive him and his means:
You will see how he handles it.
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment
If your lady continues to insist on his return
With any strong or vehement importunity;
By strongly begging you –
Much will be seen in that. In the mean time,
You will see a lot in that. Meanwhile,
Let me be thought too busy in my fears--
Think of me as too paranoid –
As worthy cause I have to fear I am--
For I often am –
And hold her free, I do beseech your honour.
And hold her as blameless, please.
OTHELLO
Fear not my government.
Do not worry about my judgment.
IAGO
I once more take my leave.
Again, I will go now.
Exit
OTHELLO
This fellow's of exceeding honesty,
Iago is incredibly honest
And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit,
And speaks wisely of the qualities
Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard,
Of other men. If I do find out she has been cheating on me,
Though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings,
Even though she is tied to my very heartstrings
I'ld whistle her off and let her down the wind,
I will send her off
To pray at fortune. Haply, for I am black
To her own luck. Maybe because I am black
And have not those soft parts of conversation
And do not have the skilled softness of speech
That chamberers have, or for I am declined
That mannered men have, or because I have aged
Into the vale of years,--yet that's not much--
And am now old – yet not too old –
She's gone. I am abused; and my relief
She leaves me. I have been wronged and my only hope
Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage,
Is to hate her. Marriage is such a curse:
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
We think we can own these beautiful women,
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad,
And yet we cannot own their desires! I would rather be a frog
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,
Living on the germ-ridden air and mold of a dungeon
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
Than to have only part of the woman I love
For others' uses. Yet, 'tis the plague of great ones;
And share her with others. This is the plague of great men:
Prerogatived are they less than the base;
They are less favored than lower men,
'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death:
It’s an unshakeable destiny, like death.
Even then this forked plague is fated to us
We are fated to walk down this plagued path
When we do quicken. Desdemona comes:
From our birth. Here is Desdemona.
Re-enter DESDEMONA and EMILIA
If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself!
If she has lied, then God is mocking himself!
I'll not believe't.
I will not believe it.
DESDEMONA
How now, my dear Othello!
How are you, dear Othello!
Your dinner, and the generous islanders
Your dinner is waiting for you, and the islanders
By you invited, do attend your presence.
Whom you invited want to see you at dinner.
OTHELLO
I am to blame.
It is my fault.
DESDEMONA
Why do you speak so faintly?
Why do you speak so quietly?
Are you not well?
Are you sick?
OTHELLO
I have a pain upon my forehead here.
I have a headache.
DESDEMONA
'Faith, that's with watching; 'twill away again:
That’s from the guard and not sleeping. It will go away.
Let me but bind it hard, within this hour
Let me wrap it tightly and in an hour
It will be well.
It will be alright.
OTHELLO
Your napkin is too little:
This is a little too tight.
He puts the handkerchief from him; and it drops
Let it alone. Come, I'll go in with you.
Leave it alone. Come on, I will go with you.
DESDEMONA
I am very sorry that you are not well.
I am sorry that you are not feeling well.
Exeunt OTHELLO and DESDEMONA
EMILIA
I am glad I have found this napkin:
I am glad I found this napkin –
This was her first remembrance from the Moor:
It is her first keepsake from the Moor.
My wayward husband hath a hundred times
My evil husband has asked me a hundred times
Woo'd me to steal it; but she so loves the token,
To steal it from her, but she loves it,
For he conjured her she should ever keep it,
Since Othello asked her to keep it,
That she reserves it evermore about her
So she keeps it near her
To kiss and talk to. I'll have the work ta'en out,
In order to talk to it and kiss it. I will have the pattern copied
And give't Iago: what he will do with it
And given to Iago. What he does with it
&n
bsp; Heaven knows, not I;
Heaven knows, but I don’t.
I nothing but to please his fantasy.
I do whatever I can to please him.
Re-enter Iago
IAGO
How now! what do you here alone?
What’s going on? Why are you here alone?
EMILIA
Do not you chide; I have a thing for you.
Do not be mean to me. I have something for you.
IAGO
A thing for me? it is a common thing--
Something for me? Well you give that to everyone...
EMILIA
Ha!
Ha!
IAGO
To have a foolish wife.
O, to have a dumb wife.
EMILIA
O, is that all? What will you give me now
Are you done? What will you give me
For the same handkerchief?
In exchange for the handkerchief?
IAGO
What handkerchief?
What handkerchief?
EMILIA
What handkerchief?
What handkerchief?
Why, that the Moor first gave to Desdemona;
The same one that the Moor gave to Desdemona
That which so often you did bid me steal.
Which you have wanted me to steal.
IAGO
Hast stol'n it from her?
And you stole it?
EMILIA
No, 'faith; she let it drop by negligence.
No, of course not. She let it drop in passing
And, to the advantage, I, being here, took't up.
And, fortunately, I was here, and picked it up.
Look, here it is.
Here it is.
IAGO
A good wench; give it me.
You are a good woman. Give it to me.
EMILIA
What will you do with 't, that you have been so earnest
What will you do with it? Why were you so intent
To have me filch it?
On me taking it?
IAGO
[Snatching it] Why, what's that to you?
How is that your business?
EMILIA
If it be not for some purpose of import,
If it is not for some important business
Give't me again: poor lady, she'll run mad
Then give it back. The poor lady will go mad