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

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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 606

by William Shakespeare


  O – Desdemona –

  DESDEMONA

  My lord?

  Yes, my lord?

  OTHELLO

  Get you to bed on the instant; I will be returned

  Go to your bed immediately. I will come back

  forthwith: dismiss your attendant there: look it be done.

  soon. Dismiss your attendants as well. Make sure it is done.

  DESDEMONA

  I will, my lord.

  I will my lord.

  Exeunt OTHELLO, LODOVICO, and Attendants

  EMILIA

  How goes it now? he looks gentler than he did.

  How is it going? He looks a bit more gentle than he did.

  DESDEMONA

  He says he will return incontinent:

  He says he will return shortly

  He hath commanded me to go to bed,

  And he commanded me to go to bed

  And bade me to dismiss you.

  And dismiss you.

  EMILIA

  Dismiss me!

  Dismiss me!

  DESDEMONA

  It was his bidding: therefore, good Emilia,

  It was what he asked. So, good Emilia,

  Give me my nightly wearing, and adieu:

  Give me my pajamas and good night.

  We must not now displease him.

  I do not want to upset him now.

  EMILIA

  I would you had never seen him!

  I wish you had never met him!

  DESDEMONA

  So would not I my love doth so approve him,

  I don’t wish that – I love him regardless,

  That even his stubbornness, his cheques, his frowns--

  And even his stubbornness and meanness –

  Prithee, unpin me,--have grace and favour in them.

  Please, pin this for me – have a beauty to them.

  EMILIA

  I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed.

  I put the sheets you asked for on the bed.

  DESDEMONA

  All's one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds!

  It doesn’t matter. How foolish our minds are!

  If I do die before thee prithee, shroud me

  If I die with you around, please wrap me

  In one of those same sheets.

  In one of these sheets in my coffin.

  EMILIA

  Come, come you talk.

  Come now, don’t talk like that.

  DESDEMONA

  My mother had a maid call'd Barbara:

  My mother had a maid named Barbara.

  She was in love, and he she loved proved mad

  She was in love, and the man she loved was crazy

  And did forsake her: she had a song of 'willow;'

  And left her. She knew a song called “Willow,”

  An old thing 'twas, but it express'd her fortune,

  An old song, but it meant a lot to her

  And she died singing it: that song to-night

  And she died singing it. Tonight that song

  Will not go from my mind; I have much to do,

  Will be in my head. I have a lot to do,

  But to go hang my head all at one side,

  But all the while I hang my head to the side

  And sing it like poor Barbara. Prithee, dispatch.

  And sing like Barbara. Please, go now.

  EMILIA

  Shall I go fetch your night-gown?

  Shall I fetch your nightgown?

  DESDEMONA

  No, unpin me here.

  No, just unpin me here.

  This Lodovico is a proper man.

  Lodovico is a handsome man.

  EMILIA

  A very handsome man.

  Yes, very handsome.

  DESDEMONA

  He speaks well.

  He speaks well, also.

  EMILIA

  I know a lady in Venice would have walked barefoot

  I know a lady from Venice who would have walked barefoot

  to Palestine for a touch of his nether lip.

  all the way to Palestine just to kiss his lip.

  DESDEMONA

  [Singing] The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,

  The poor woman sat crying by the sycamore tree,

  Sing all a green willow:

  Everyone sing with the willow:

  Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,

  Her hand on her chest, her head on her knee,

  Sing willow, willow, willow:

  Sing willow, willow, willow:

  The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans;

  The fresh streams ran past her and murmured like she did,

  Sing willow, willow, willow;

  Sing willow, willow, willow:

  Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones;

  Her tears fell and softened the stones–

  Lay by these:--

  Put them here –

  Singing

  Sing willow, willow, willow;

  Sing willow, willow, willow–

  Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--

  Please, get going, he will come soon –

  Singing

  Sing all a green willow must be my garland.

  Everyone sing with the willow, a willow my necklace,

  Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-

  Let nobody blame him for he is right to hate me–

  Nay, that's not next.--Hark! who is't that knocks?

  No, that doesn’t come next – Listen! Who is knocking?

  EMILIA

  It's the wind.

  It’s only the wind.

  DESDEMONA

  [Singing] I call'd my love false love; but what

  I told me lover he didn’t really love me but what

  said he then?

  Did he say?

  Sing willow, willow, willow:

  Sing willow, willow, willow:

  If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!

  If I chase more women, you will sleep with more men!

  So, get thee gone; good night, Mine eyes do itch;

  So get going, goodnight. My eyes itch–

  Doth that bode weeping?

  Does that mean I will soon start crying?

  EMILIA

  'Tis neither here nor there.

  It doesn’t mean anything.

  DESDEMONA

  I have heard it said so. O, these men, these men!

  I have heard something about it before. O, these men!

  Dost thou in conscience think,--tell me, Emilia,--

  Do you honestly think – be true, Emilia –

  That there be women do abuse their husbands

  That women hurt their husbands

  In such gross kind?

  Just as much?

  EMILIA

  There be some such, no question.

  Some do, undoubtedly.

  DESDEMONA

  Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?

  Would you ever do such a thing for all the money in the world?

  EMILIA

  Why, would not you?

  Why, would you?

  DESDEMONA

  No, by this heavenly light!

  No, I swear by heaven!

  EMILIA

  Nor I neither by this heavenly light;

  Well I wouldn’t by heaven’s light either,

  I might do't as well i' the dark.

  But I might in the dark.

  DESDEMONA

  Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?

  Is there anything in the world that could make you do it?

  EMILIA

  The world's a huge thing: it is a great price.

  The world is a big, expensive thing

  For a small vice.

  For a small sin.

  DESDEMONA

  In troth, I think thou wouldst not.

  Truly, I don’t think you would do it.

&
nbsp; EMILIA

  In troth, I think I should; and undo't when I had

  Actually, I might do it, and then undo it when it was

  done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a

  done. I wouldn’t do such a thing for

  joint-ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for

  a ring or for a garden, not for

  gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty

  dresses or petticoats or caps or any small

  exhibition; but for the whole world,--why, who would

  thing, but for the wholed world... why, would wouldn’t

  not make her husband a cuckold to make him a

  cheat on her husband if afterwards she could make him

  monarch? I should venture purgatory for't.

  a king? I would risk purgatory for it.

  DESDEMONA

  Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong

  Curse me if I would do such a thing,

  For the whole world.

  Even for the whole world.

  EMILIA

  Why the wrong is but a wrong i' the world: and

  Well it is only wrong insofar as it is in the world, and

  having the world for your labour, tis a wrong in your

  if your wrong ends up winning you the whole world, than it is wrong

  own world, and you might quickly make it right.

  in your world – you might as well make it right, then.

  DESDEMONA

  I do not think there is any such woman.

  I don’t think such a woman exists.

  EMILIA

  Yes, a dozen; and as many to the vantage as would

  They do, dozens of them, as many as would exist

  Store the world they played for.

  In the world they did it for.

  But I do think it is their husbands' faults

  But I do think it is the husbands’ faults

  If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties,

  If wives cheat on them. Say that the husbands stop their duties to us as their wives

  And pour our treasures into foreign laps,

  And insteand sleep with other women,

  Or else break out in peevish jealousies,

  Or say they become annoyingly jealous,

  Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,

  And make us stick to rules they impose, or say they hit us

  Or scant our former having in despite;

  Or stop letting us have access to money –

  Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace,

  Well, we have backbones, and even though we might be gracious,

  Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know

  We can take our revenge. Husbands should know

  Their wives have sense like them: they see and smell

  That their wives are like them: they see and smell

  And have their palates both for sweet and sour,

  And have tastes for sweet and sour

  As husbands have. What is it that they do

  Just like their husbands. Why do they

  When they change us for others? Is it sport?

  Exchange us for other women? For fun?

  I think it is: and doth affection breed it?

  I think so. For lust and affection?

  I think it doth: is't frailty that thus errs?

  That too. Is it their weaknesses that makes them fall?

  It is so too: and have not we affections,

  Yes, that too: but don’t we have lust as well,

  Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?

  And desire for fun, and weaknesses, just like men do?

  Then let them use us well: else let them know,

  Then we should use them also, or else we should let them know

  The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.

  That if we do something wrong, it is because they do.

  DESDEMONA

  Good night, good night: heaven me such uses send,

  Goodnight, goodnight. I pray God will help me use this information

  Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!

  Not so that I learn from the bad, but so that I can avoid becoming like that!

  Exeunt

  Enter IAGO and RODERIGO

  IAGO

  Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:

  Stand here behind the wall and he will come here soon.

  Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home:

  Keep your sword unsheathed, and then drive it in him.

  Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow:

  Do it quickly and do not fear, I will be beside you.

  It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,

  This will help us or it will hurt us, so think about that

  And fix most firm thy resolution.

  And carry through with determination.

  RODERIGO

  Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.

  Be close, I may miss him.

  IAGO

  Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.

  Here, stay close. Be bold and take a stand.

  Retires

  RODERIGO

  I have no great devotion to the deed;

  I don’t really want to do this,

  And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons:

  But he gave me strong reasons.

  'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.

  One man gone. First my sword in him, and then he dies.

  IAGO

  I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,

  I have inflamed this pimple until it is ready to pop,

  And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,

  And he is getting angry. Now. whether he kills Cassio

  Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

  Or Cassio kills him, or they kill each other–

  Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,

  Every combination can work for me. But if Roderigo lives,

  He calls me to a restitution large

  Then he will ask me to repay him

  Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,

  For the gold and jewels I stole from him

  As gifts to Desdemona;

  As if they were gifts to Desdemona.

  It must not be: if Cassio do remain,

  That shouldn’t happen. If Cassio remains,

  He hath a daily beauty in his life

  Then his natural handsomeness

  That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor

  Makes me comparatively look ugly. And besides, the Moor

  May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril:

  Might talk to him about what I have been telling him. That would be dangerous for me.

  No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.

  No, he must die as well. I hear him coming.

  Enter CASSIO

  RODERIGO

  I know his gait, 'tis he.--Villain, thou diest!

  I know those steps, it’s Cassio. –Villain! Die!

  Makes a pass at CASSIO

  CASSIO

  That thrust had been mine enemy indeed,

  That is the thrust of an enemy,

  But that my coat is better than thou know'st

  But I have armor underneath my coat,

  I will make proof of thine.

  And now we will see how strong your clothing is.

  Draws, and wounds RODERIGO

  RODERIGO

  O, I am slain!

  O, I am dead!

  IAGO from behind wounds CASSIO in the leg, and exit

  CASSIO

  I am maim'd for ever. Help, ho! murder! murder!

  I am injured forever! Help! Murder! Murder!

  Falls

  Enter OTHELLO

  OTHELLO

  The voice of Cassio: Iago keeps his word.

  That’s the voice of Cassio. Iago has kept his word.


  RODERIGO

  O, villain that I am!

  O I am such a villain!

  OTHELLO

  It is even so.

  That’s true.

  CASSIO

  O, help, ho! light! a surgeon!

  O, help! Get a light! Get a surgeon!

  OTHELLO

  'Tis he:--O brave Iago, honest and just,

  It’s he. O brave Iago, honest and just,

  That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong!

  You have such a noble understanding of your friend’s hurt!

  Thou teachest me. Minion, your dear lies dead,

  You teach me well. Whore, here, dead, is your lover,

  And your unblest fate hies: strumpet, I come.

  And your fate is coming soon.

  Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted;

  Your eyes have been shut out of my heart.

  Thy bed, lust-stain'd, shall with lust's blood be spotted.

  You stained the bed with lust, now your lusting blood will stain it.

  Exit

  Enter LODOVICO and GRATIANO

  CASSIO

  What, ho! no watch? no passage? murder! murder!

  What! No guard? No one here? Murder!

  GRATIANO

  'Tis some mischance; the cry is very direful.

  Something is wrong – that cry sounds very bad.

  CASSIO

  O, help!

  Help!

  LODOVICO

  Hark!

  Listen!

  RODERIGO

  O wretched villain!

  O evil man!

  LODOVICO

  Two or three groan: it is a heavy night:

  Two or three are groaning there. It is a dark night,

  These may be counterfeits: let's think't unsafe

  These might be fake. It might be unsafe

  To come in to the cry without more help.

  To go to the cry without more help with us.

  RODERIGO

  Nobody come? then shall I bleed to death.

  Nobody is coming? I will bleed to death!

  LODOVICO

  Hark!

  Listen!

  Re-enter IAGO, with a light

  GRATIANO

 

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