The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 609
For you have killed the most beautiful and innocent woman
That e'er did lift up eye.
Who ever lived.
OTHELLO
[Rising] O, she was foul!
She was evil!
I scarce did know you, uncle: there lies your niece,
I barely knew you, Uncle Gratiano, but there is your niece,
Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopp'd:
Whose breath I have recently stopped by choking her.
I know this act shows horrible and grim.
I know this sounds horrible.
GRATIANO
Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father's dead:
Poor Desdemona! I am glad your father is dead:
Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief
The marriage was too much for him and from his sadness
Shore his old thread in twain: did he live now,
He died before his time. If he were alive now,
This sight would make him do a desperate turn,
Seeing this would cause him to do desperate things.
Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
Yes, he would even curse his goodness
And fall to reprobation.
And end up in hell.
OTHELLO
'Tis pitiful; but yet Iago knows
This is sad, but Iago knows
That she with Cassio hath the act of shame
That she and Cassio have slept together
A thousand times committed; Cassio confess'd it:
A thousand times. Cassio confessed to it.
And she did gratify his amorous works
And she returned her favor to his love
With that recognizance and pledge of love
With a pledge of her own love by giving him
Which I first gave her; I saw it in his hand:
What I first gave to her. I saw it in his hand:
It was a handkerchief, an antique token
It was my handkerchief, an old token
My father gave my mother.
That my father game to my mother.
EMILIA
O heaven! O heavenly powers!
O heaven! O God!
IAGO
Come, hold your peace.
Stop, be quiet.
EMILIA
'Twill out, 'twill out: I peace!
The truth will come out! Me keep quiet?
No, I will speak as liberal as the north:
No, I will as openly as I want.
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all,
God and men and devils, all of them
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.
Can say that I am shameful for speaking, but I will.
IAGO
Be wise, and get you home.
Be smart and go home.
EMILIA
I will not.
I will not.
IAGO offers to stab EMILIA
GRATIANO
Fie!
What!
Your sword upon a woman?
You draw your sword to attack a woman?
EMILIA
O thou dull Moor! that handkerchief thou speak'st of
You stupid Moor! That handkerchief you were talking about
I found by fortune and did give my husband;
Was the same one I found and gave to Iago.
For often, with a solemn earnestness,
He often, and very seriously,
More than indeed belong'd to such a trifle,
Giving an importance to it that such a small thing does not have,
He begg'd of me to steal it.
Begged me to steal it.
IAGO
Villanous whore!
Evil whore!
EMILIA
She give it Cassio! no, alas! I found it,
You think she gave it to Cassio! No! I found it
And I did give't my husband.
And gave it to Iago.
IAGO
Filth, thou liest!
You trash, you are lying!
EMILIA
By heaven, I do not, I do not, gentlemen.
By God, I am not lying, gentlemen.
O murderous coxcomb! what should such a fool
You murderous, conceited man! How did such a fool
Do with so good a woman?
Get such a wonderful woman?
OTHELLO
Are there no stones in heaven
Why won’t God throw down stones at Iago
But what serve for the thunder?--Precious villain!
Like the ones that make the noise of thunder? – You villain!
He runs at IAGO IAGO, from behind, stabs EMILIA, and exit
GRATIANO
The woman falls; sure, he hath kill'd his wife.
This woman has fallen: he has killed his wife.
EMILIA
Ay, ay: O, lay me by my mistress' side.
Yes, yes, place me next to my mistress.
GRATIANO
He's gone, but his wife's kill'd.
He is gone, but his wife is dead.
MONTANO
'Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon,
He is the worst kind of criminal. Take this weapon
Which I have here recover'd from the Moor:
Which I have taken from the Moor,
Come, guard the door without; let him not pass,
And come, guard the door outside. Do not let the Moor pass,
But kill him rather. I'll after that same villain,
But kill him if he tries to leave. I will go after Iago;
For 'tis a damned slave.
He is a damn slave.
Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO
OTHELLO
I am not valiant neither,
I am not very strong
But ever puny whipster gets my sword:
If every little wimp can take my sword.
But why should honour outlive honesty?
But why should my reputation go on longer than my honesty?
Let it go all.
It’s all gone.
EMILIA
What did thy song bode, lady?
Lady, what did your song mean?
Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the swan.
Can you hear me? I will be like a swan
And die in music.
And die singing.
Singing
Willow, willow, willow,--
Willow, willow, willow–
Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor;
Moor, she was pure and loved you, cruel Moor.
So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true;
I swear by my soul I speak truly,
So speaking as I think, I die, I die.
And as I speak my honest thoughts, I die.
Dies
OTHELLO
I have another weapon in this chamber;
I have another sword in this room.
It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper:--
It is a Spanish sword, tempered by ice water –
O, here it is. Uncle, I must come forth.
Here it is. Uncle, I am coming out.
GRATIANO
[Within] If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear:
If you do, it will cost you your life.
Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.
You do not have a weapon and so you will suffer.
OTHELLO
Look in upon me then and speak with me,
Look in at me and speak to me,
Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee.
Or, weaponless, I will attack you.
Re-enter GRATIANO
GRATIANO
What is the matter?
What is it?
OTHELLO
Behold, I have a weapon;
Look, I have a sword,
A better never did itself sustain
One better t
han any that laid
Upon a soldier's thigh: I have seen the day,
On a soldier’s leg. I have,
That, with this little arm and this good sword,
With this single arm and this good sword,
I have made my way through more impediments
Fought through more obstacles,
Than twenty times your stop: but, O vain boast!
Twenty times more, than your guard. But what an arrogant comment!
Who can control his fate? 'tis not so now.
It is not like I can control my fate.
Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd;
Don’t be afraid, even though I have a weapon.
Here is my journey's end, here is my butt,
This is the end of my journey,
And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.
The last place my sail will take me.
Do you go back dismay'd? 'tis a lost fear;
Are you backing away in fear? It is not necessary.
Man but a rush against Othello's breast,
Rush against my chest,
And he retires. Where should Othello go?
And I will back down. Where should Othello go?
Now, how dost thou look now? O ill-starr'd wench!
O, look at you, Desdemona, your cruel fate!
Pale as thy smock! when we shall meet at compt,
As pale as your nightgown! When we shall meet at the end of time,
This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,
This look of yours will throw my soul out of heaven
And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl!
And demons will take it. Cold, cold, my wife!
Even like thy chastity. O cursed slave!
You are as white as your purity. O I am accursed!
Whip me, ye devils,
Devils, whip me,
From the possession of this heavenly sight!
And keep me from looking at this angel!
Blow me about in winds! roast me in sulphur!
Blow on me with the winds of hell! Roast me in sulphur!
Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!
Wash me in lava fire!
O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead!
O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Oh, Oh, Oh!
Enter LODOVICO. MONTANO, CASSIO carried in a chair, and Officers with IAGO, prisoner
LODOVICO
Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?
Where is this poor, reckless man?
OTHELLO
That's he that was Othello: here I am.
You are speaking of him who was Othello. I am him.
LODOVICO
Where is that viper? bring the villain forth.
Where is that snake, Iago? Bring him forward.
OTHELLO
I look down towards his feet; but that's a fable.
I look down at your feet, but it is a fable that the devil has cloven hooves.
If that thou best a devil, I cannot kill thee.
If you are the devil truly, I will not be able to kill you.
Wounds IAGO
LODOVICO
Wrench his sword from him.
Take his sword away.
IAGO
I bleed, sir; but not kill'd.
I bleed, sir, but am not dead.
OTHELLO
I am not sorry neither: I'ld have thee live;
I am not sorry about that. I want you to live,
For, in my sense, 'tis happiness to die.
Since to me, death is happiness.
LODOVICO
O thou Othello, thou wert once so good,
Othello, you used to be so good,
Fall'n in the practise of a damned slave,
But then you fell victim to the words of this damn slave.
What shall be said to thee?
What can we say about you?
OTHELLO
Why, any thing:
Anything.
An honourable murderer, if you will;
Call me an honorable murderer if you want.
For nought I did in hate, but all in honour.
I did nothing out of hate, but everything from a sense of honor.
LODOVICO
This wretch hath part confess'd his villany:
This villain has confessed part of his plans.
Did you and he consent in Cassio's death?
Did you and him plan together for Cassio’s death?
OTHELLO
Ay.
Yes.
CASSIO
Dear general, I never gave you cause.
But general, I never have you reason to think poorly of me.
OTHELLO
I do believe it, and I ask your pardon.
I believe you, and I ask that you forgive me.
Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil
Will you please make this half-devil speak
Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?
And say why he tricked my soul and body?
IAGO
Demand me nothing: what you know, you know:
Ask nothing from me. You know what you know
From this time forth I never will speak word.
And I will not say anything every again.
LODOVICO
What, not to pray?
Not even to pray?
GRATIANO
Torments will ope your lips.
Torture might make you talk.
OTHELLO
Well, thou dost best.
Do whatever is best.
LODOVICO
Sir, you shall understand what hath befall'n,
Sir, you will soon understand everything that has happened,
Which, as I think, you know not. Here is a letter
Which you do not, yet. Here is a letter
Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo;
That we found in Roderigo’s pocket,
And here another: the one of them imports
And here is another. One talks about the
The death of Cassio to be undertook
Death of Cassio and how it was meant to be accomplished
By Roderigo.
By Roderigo.
OTHELLO
O villain!
That villain!
CASSIO
Most heathenish and most gross!
So ungodly and disgusting!
LODOVICO
Now here's another discontented paper,
And here is another letter
Found in his pocket too; and this, it seems,
From his pocket. This one, it seems,
Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain;
Was from Roderigo, and he meant to give it to Iago
But that belike Iago in the interim
But then Iago
Came in and satisfied him.
Came in and killed him.
OTHELLO
O the pernicious caitiff!
O evil scoundrel!
How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief
Cassio, how did that handkerchief come to you
That was my wife's?
That was my wife’s?
CASSIO
I found it in my chamber:
It was in my room
And he himself confess'd but even now
And Iago just confessed
That there he dropp'd it for a special purpose
That he dropped it there for his own purposes
Which wrought to his desire.
Which he used for his desires.
OTHELLO
O fool! fool! fool!
Fool! fool! fool!
CASSIO
There is besides in Roderigo's letter,
In Roderigo’s letter,
How he upbraids Iago, that he made him
He criticizes Iago for making him
Brave me upon the watch; whereon
it came
Anger me during the watch where I
That I was cast: and even but now he spake,
Was assigned, and he even admitted just now,
After long seeming dead, Iago hurt him,
Though he looked like he was dead, that Iago hurt him
Iago set him on.
And tricked him to do it.
LODOVICO
You must forsake this room, and go with us:
You must leave this room and come with us.
Your power and your command is taken off,
Your rank has been removed,
And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,
And Cassio has been placed in charge of Cyprus. As for Iago,
If there be any cunning cruelty
If there is any cunning torture
That can torment him much and hold him long,
That can keep him in pain for a while but alive just as long,
It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest,
He will get it. You will stay as a prisoner
Till that the nature of your fault be known
Until your crimes are known
To the Venetian state. Come, bring him away.
In the Venetian government. Bring him away.
OTHELLO
Soft you; a word or two before you go.
Wait, I want to say a word before going.
I have done the state some service, and they know't.
I have worked for the government, and they know that.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
Nothing more needs said there. I ask that in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
When you talk about these bad events,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Talk about me as I am in reality. Do not exaggerate
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
And do not write about me in anger. Describe me
Of one that loved not wisely but too well;
As someone who did not love wisely, but did love a lot,
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought
And say that I was prone to jealousy, but was manipulated
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,
In the extreme, and say that my hand
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away