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

by William Shakespeare

  Though great ones are their object. 'Tis even so;

  When the more important ones are their true object. It’s true for us too,

  For let our finger ache, and it indues

  When our finger hurts, it makes

  Our other healthful members even to that sense

  The rest of our body align with that pain

  Of pain: nay, we must think men are not gods,

  And hurt as well. No, we must not think men are gods,

  Nor of them look for such observances

  Nor think that they will always act as if

  As fit the bridal. Beshrew me much, Emilia,

  It is their wedding day. O curse me, Emilia,

  I was, unhandsome warrior as I am,

  I am such a poor soldier, and I

  Arraigning his unkindness with my soul;

  Blamed him for his unkindness,

  But now I find I had suborn'd the witness,

  When really I was judging him

  And he's indicted falsely.

  And thinking of him wrongly.

  EMILIA

  Pray heaven it be state-matters, as you think,

  I pray that it is state matters, like you think,

  And no conception nor no jealous toy

  And no imagination or jealousy

  Concerning you.

  That is about you.

  DESDEMONA

  Alas the day! I never gave him cause.

  I would rue that day! I never gave him a reason for such thoughts.

  EMILIA

  But jealous souls will not be answer'd so;

  But jealous men do not need reason.

  They are not ever jealous for the cause,

  They are not jealous for a cause,

  But jealous for they are jealous: 'tis a monster

  But simply because they are jealous. It’s a monster

  Begot upon itself, born on itself.

  That creates itself.

  DESDEMONA

  Heaven keep that monster from Othello's mind!

  God, keep that monster away from Othello!

  EMILIA

  Lady, amen.

  Amen to that.

  DESDEMONA

  I will go seek him. Cassio, walk hereabout:

  I will go to him. Cassio, stay here –

  If I do find him fit, I'll move your suit

  If I find him able to talk to, I will plead your case

  And seek to effect it to my uttermost.

  With all my strength.

  CASSIO

  I humbly thank your ladyship.

  I humbly thank you.

  Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA

  Enter BIANCA

  BIANCA

  Save you, friend Cassio!

  Hello, Cassio!

  CASSIO

  What make you from home?

  How are you so far from home?

  How is it with you, my most fair Bianca?

  How are you, my beautiful Bianca?

  I' faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house.

  Truly, sweet love, I was on my way to you.

  BIANCA

  And I was going to your lodging, Cassio.

  And I was on my way to your house, Cassio.

  What, keep a week away? seven days and nights?

  What, should I stay away from you for a full week? Seven days and nights?

  Eight score eight hours? and lovers' absent hours,

  One hundred and sixty eight hours? And these are the hours of lovers apart,

  More tedious than the dial eight score times?

  Which are much longer than regular ones.

  O weary reckoning!

  O what a tedious waiting!

  CASSIO

  Pardon me, Bianca:

  Forgive me, Bianca –

  I have this while with leaden thoughts been press'd:

  I have been depressed with heavy thoughts,

  But I shall, in a more continuate time,

  But hopefully I will soon

  Strike off this score of absence. Sweet Bianca,

  Make up this absent time. Sweet Bianca,

  Giving her DESDEMONA's handkerchief

  Take me this work out.

  Could you copy this pattern for me?

  BIANCA

  O Cassio, whence came this?

  Cassio, where did this come from?

  This is some token from a newer friend:

  This must be a gift from a newer girl.

  To the felt absence now I feel a cause:

  Now I know why you were absent.

  Is't come to this? Well, well.

  Has it come to this?

  CASSIO

  Go to, woman!

  Go do it, woman!

  Throw your vile guesses in the devil's teeth,

  Get rid of your evil guesses and send them back

  From whence you have them. You are jealous now

  To where you got them. You are jealous

  That this is from some mistress, some remembrance:

  That this is from some new mistress of mine:

  No, in good troth, Bianca.

  It’s not, truly, Bianca.

  BIANCA

  Why, whose is it?

  Then whose is it?

  CASSIO

  I know not, sweet: I found it in my chamber.

  I don’t know, my sweet. I found it in my room.

  I like the work well: ere it be demanded--

  I like the stitching, and before I have to give it back –

  As like enough it will--I'ld have it copied:

  Which I certainly will – I would like to have it copied for me.

  Take it, and do't; and leave me for this time.

  Take it and stitch it for me, and leave me for now.

  BIANCA

  Leave you! wherefore?

  Leave you! Why?

  CASSIO

  I do attend here on the general;

  I am waiting here for Othello,

  And think it no addition, nor my wish,

  And I do not think it will help me

  To have him see me woman'd.

  If he sees me with a woman.

  BIANCA

  Why, I pray you?

  Why?

  CASSIO

  Not that I love you not.

  Though I do love you.

  BIANCA

  But that you do not love me.

  But you don’t love me.

  I pray you, bring me on the way a little,

  Please, bring me along with you

  And say if I shall see you soon at night.

  And tell me if I will see you later.

  CASSIO

  'Tis but a little way that I can bring you;

  I can only bring you a little ways

  For I attend here: but I'll see you soon.

  Since I must wait here. I will see you soon.

  BIANCA

  'Tis very good; I must be circumstanced.

  Alright, fine. I will obey the circumstance.

  Exeunt

  Enter OTHELLO and IAGO

  IAGO

  Will you think so?

  Do you think so?

  OTHELLO

  Think so, Iago!

  Think so! Iago!

  IAGO

  What,

  What,

  To kiss in private?

  Did they kiss in private?

  OTHELLO

  An unauthorized kiss.

  A wrong, secret kiss.

  IAGO

  Or to be naked with her friend in bed

  Or perhaps they were naked together in bed

  An hour or more, not meaning any harm?

  For an hour or so, but didn’t do anything?

  OTHELLO

  Naked in bed, Iago, and not mean harm!

  Naked in bed, and not do anything! Absurd!

  It is hypocrisy against the devil:

  That would be like the devil being a hypocrite and not really doing evil.


  They that mean virtuously, and yet do so,

  If they meant to not have sex, and yet laid together like that,

  The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven.

  Then they are asking to be tempted, and condemned.

  IAGO

  So they do nothing, 'tis a venial slip:

  Then if they do not do anything, it is only a minor slip-up.

  But if I give my wife a handkerchief,--

  But, if I give my wife a handkerchief–

  OTHELLO

  What then?

  Then what?

  IAGO

  Why, then, 'tis hers, my lord; and, being hers,

  Well, then it is hers, my lord. And since it is hers,

  She may, I think, bestow't on any man.

  She can give it to anyone.

  OTHELLO

  She is protectress of her honour too:

  She is also the owner of her honor, though –

  May she give that?

  Can she give that to anyone?

  IAGO

  Her honour is an essence that's not seen;

  Her honor is a quality, not a tangible object.

  They have it very oft that have it not:

  Many times people do not even have the honor they think they do.

  But, for the handkerchief,--

  But a handkerchief–

  OTHELLO

  By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it.

  By God, I wish I could forget about it

  Thou said'st, it comes o'er my memory,

  What you said clouds my thinking

  As doth the raven o'er the infected house,

  And, like a raven flying over a cursed house,

  Boding to all--he had my handkerchief.

  Foreshadows evil. He has my handkerchief!

  IAGO

  Ay, what of that?

  So, what of it?

  OTHELLO

  That's not so good now.

  That is no good.

  IAGO

  What,

  Well

  If I had said I had seen him do you wrong?

  What if I said that I had seen him do something wrong?

  Or heard him say,--as knaves be such abroad,

  Or if I heard him say – like evil men,

  Who having, by their own importunate suit,

  Who of their own forceful manipulation

  Or voluntary dotage of some mistress,

  Or the love of some woman

  Convinced or supplied them, cannot choose

  Get what they are after, cannot help themselves

  But they must blab--

  But talk about it–

  OTHELLO

  Hath he said any thing?

  Did he say something?

  IAGO

  He hath, my lord; but be you well assured,

  He did, my lord, but you should know

  No more than he'll unswear.

  That he will only deny it.

  OTHELLO

  What hath he said?

  What did he say?

  IAGO

  'Faith, that he did--I know not what he did.

  Well, that he did– I don’t know what he did.

  OTHELLO

  What? what?

  What? Tell me.

  IAGO

  Lie--

  That he laid

  OTHELLO

  With her?

  With her?

  IAGO

  With her, on her; what you will.

  With her, on her, whatever you think.

  OTHELLO

  Lie with her! lie on her! We say lie on her, when

  Lay with her! On her! I would rather hear, instead of “lie on her”

  they belie her. Lie with her! that's fulsome.

  that people were lying about her. Lay with her! That’s disgusting.

  --Handkerchief--confessions--handkerchief!--To

  –Handkerchief–confessions–handkerchief! He must

  confess, and be hanged for his labour;--first, to be

  confess and then be hung for his confession. –No, first

  hanged, and then to confess.--I tremble at it.

  hung, and then he can confess. – I am shaking with anger.

  Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing

  Nature would not let me feel like this, in such

  passion without some instruction. It is not words

  passion, if there was no truth to the matter. Simple words

  that shake me thus. Pish! Noses, ears, and lips.

  can’t shake me like this. Bah! Noses, ears, lips.

  --Is't possible?--Confess--handkerchief!--O devil!--

  Is it possible? – Confess – handkerchief! – O devil!

  Falls in a trance

  IAGO

  Work on,

  Keep going,

  My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught;

  My poisonous imaginations that I gave him! Naively trusting fools are easily caught

  And many worthy and chaste dames even thus,

  And many worthy, pure women are,

  All guiltless, meet reproach. What, ho! my lord!

  Even though they are blameless, punished. What, Othello!

  My lord, I say! Othello!

  Othello!

  Enter CASSIO

  How now, Cassio!

  Hello, Cassio!

  CASSIO

  What's the matter?

  What is going on?

  IAGO

  My lord is fall'n into an epilepsy:

  Othello has fallen into an epileptic fit.

  This is his second fit; he had one yesterday.

  This is his second one – the first one was yesterday.

  CASSIO

  Rub him about the temples.

  Rub his temples.

  IAGO

  No, forbear;

  No, just wait –

  The lethargy must have his quiet course:

  The fit should run its course.

  If not, he foams at mouth and by and by

  If it doesn’t, he begins to foam at the mouth

  Breaks out to savage madness. Look he stirs:

  And become mad. Look, he wakes.

  Do you withdraw yourself a little while,

  Go away for a little while,

  He will recover straight: when he is gone,

  He will recover quickly. When he is gone,

  I would on great occasion speak with you.

  I greatly need to talk to you.

  Exit CASSIO

  How is it, general? have you not hurt your head?

  General, how are you? Did you hurt your head?

  OTHELLO

  Dost thou mock me?

  Are you mocking me?

  IAGO

  I mock you! no, by heaven.

  Mocking you! Of course not.

  Would you would bear your fortune like a man!

  But I wish you could bear your misfortune like a man!

  OTHELLO

  A horned man's a monster and a beast.

  A man who has been cheated on is more of a monster and an animal.

  IAGO

  There's many a beast then in a populous city,

  Well there are many animals, then, in a crowded city,

  And many a civil monster.

  And many monsters are still polite.

  OTHELLO

  Did he confess it?

  Did he confess to it?

  IAGO

  Good sir, be a man;

  Good sir, act like a man.

  Think every bearded fellow that's but yoked

  Every married fellow

  May draw with you: there's millions now alive

  Has the same situation you do. There are millions

  That nightly lie in those unproper beds

  Who go to bed each night with their cheating wives

  Which they dare swear peculiar: your case is better.

  Whom they think are loyal to them
. Your situation is better.

  O, 'tis the spite of hell, the fiend's arch-mock,

  O, it is indeed a curse, the worst kind of mocking,

  To lip a wanton in a secure couch,

  To kiss a loose woman

  And to suppose her chaste! No, let me know;

  And believe she is pure! No, I would rather know,

  And knowing what I am, I know what she shall be.

  And then I will know what I really am and what she really is.

  OTHELLO

  O, thou art wise; 'tis certain.

  You are certainly wise.

  IAGO

  Stand you awhile apart;

  Go away from the situation for a little

  Confine yourself but in a patient list.

  And calm down in patience.

  Whilst you were here o'erwhelmed with your grief--

  While you were overwhelmed here in a fit of sadness –

  A passion most unsuiting such a man--

  Which is not the proper response for a man –

  Cassio came hither: I shifted him away,

  Cassio came here. I ushered him away

  And laid good 'scuse upon your ecstasy,

  And made up an excuse for your fit,

  Bade him anon return and here speak with me;

  But asked him to come back and talk with me,

  The which he promised. Do but encave yourself,

  Which he agreed to do. So hide yourself

  And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorns,

  And make a note of all of the sneers and scorns

  That dwell in every region of his face;

  That will show up on his face.

  For I will make him tell the tale anew,

  I will make him tell the story again –

  Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when

  Where, how, how often, when it started, and when

  He hath, and is again to cope your wife:

  He plans again to go to your wife.

  I say, but mark his gesture. Marry, patience;

  Again, make a note of his actions. Be patient,

  Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen,

  Or I will think that you are taken up by your rage

  And nothing of a man.

  And not really a man.