OTHELLO

Act 1 Scene 1

(Enter Iago and Roderigo)
l1l	Roderigo	 Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly
l2l		That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
l3l		As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.
l4l	Iago	’Sblood, but you’ll not hear me!
l5l		If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me.
l6l	Roderigo	Thou told’st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
l7l	Iago	Despise me
l8l		If I do not. Three great ones of the city,
l9l		In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
l10l		Off-capped to him# and by the faith of man
l11l		I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.
l12l		But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
l13l		Evades them with a bombast circumstance
l14l		Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,
l15l		Nonsuits my mediators# for “Certes,” says he,
l16l		“I have already chose my officer.”
l17l		And what was he?
l18l		Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
l19l		One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,
l20l		A fellow almost damned in a fair wife,
l21l		That never set a squadron in the field
l22l		Nor the division of a battle knows
l23l		More than a spinster—unless the bookish theoric,
l24l		Wherein the togaed consuls can propose
l25l		As masterly as he. Mere prattle without practice
l26l		Is all his soldiership# but he, sir, had th’ election,
l27l		And I—of whom his eyes had seen the proof
l28l		At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds
l29l		Christened and heathen—must be beleed and calmed
l30l		By debitor and creditor. This counter-caster,
l31l		He in good time must his lieutenant be,
l32l		And I—God bless the mark!—his Moorship’s ensign.
l33l	Roderigo	By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.
l34l	Iago	Why, there’s no remedy. ’Tis the curse of service.
l35l		Preferment goes by letter and affection,
l36l		And not by old gradation, where each second
l37l		Stood heir to th’ first. Now, sir, be judge yourself
l38l		Whether I in any just term am affined
l39l		To love the Moor.
l40l	Roderigo	I would not follow him then.
l41l	Iago	O sir, content you.
l42l		I follow him to serve my turn upon him.
l43l		We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
l44l		Cannot be truly followed. You shall mark
l45l		Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave
l46l		That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
l47l		Wears out his time much like his master’s ass
l48l		For naught but provender, and when he’s old, cashiered.
l49l		Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are
l50l		Who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty,
l51l		Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,
l52l		And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,
l53l		Do well thrive by ’em, and when they have lined their coats,
l54l		Do themselves homage. These fellows have some soul,
l55l		And such a one do I profess myself—for, sir,
l56l		It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
l57l		Were I the Moor I would not be Iago.
l58l		In following him I follow but myself.
l59l		Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
l60l		But seeming so for my peculiar end.
l61l		For when my outward action doth demonstrate
l62l		The native act and figure of my heart
l63l		In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
l64l		But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
l65l		For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.
l66l	Roderigo	What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe
l67l		If he can carry ’t thus!
	Iago	Call up her father,
l68l		Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight,
l69l		Proclaim him in the streets# incense her kinsmen,
l70l		And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
l71l		Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,
l72l		Yet throw such chances of vexation on ’t
l73l		As it may lose some colour.
l74l	Roderigo	Here is her father’s house. I’ll call aloud.
l75l	Iago	Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell
l76l		As when, by night and negligence, the fire
l77l		Is spied in populous cities.
l78l	Roderigo	(calling)
		 What ho, Brabanzio, Signor Brabanzio, ho!
l79l	Iago	(calling)
		 Awake, what ho, Brabanzio, thieves, thieves, thieves!
l80l		Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags.
l81l		Thieves, thieves!
		(Enter Brabanzio in his nightgown at a window above)
l82l	Brabanzio	 What is the reason of this terrible summons?
l83l		What is the matter there?
l84l	Roderigo	Signor, is all your family within?
l85l	Iago	Are your doors locked?
	Brabanzio	Why, wherefore ask you this?
l86l	Iago	’Swounds, sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your gown.
l87l		Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul.
l88l		Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
l89l		Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!
l90l		Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
l91l		Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.
l92l		Arise, I say.
	Brabanzio	What, have you lost your wits?
l93l	Roderigo	Most reverend signor, do you know my voice?
l94l	Brabanzio	Not I. What are you?
l95l	Roderigo	My name is Roderigo.
l96l	Brabanzio	The worser welcome.
l97l		I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors.
l98l		In honest plainness thou hast heard me say
l99l		My daughter is not for thee, and now in madness,
l100l		Being full of supper and distempering draughts,
l101l		Upon malicious bravery dost thou come
l102l		To start my quiet.
l103l	Roderigo	Sir, sir, sir.
l104l	Brabanzio	But thou must needs be sure
l105l		My spirits and my place have in their power
l106l		To make this bitter to thee.
	Roderigo	Patience, good sir.
l107l	Brabanzio	What tell’st thou me of robbing? This is Venice.
l108l		My house is not a grange.
	Roderigo	Most grave Brabanzio,
l109l		In simple and pure soul I come to you.
l110l	Iago	(to Brabanzio)
		 ’Swounds, sir, you are one of those
l111l		that will not serve God if the devil bid you. Because we
l112l		come to do you service and you think we are ruffians,
l113l		you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary
l114l		horse, you’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll
l115l		have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.
l116l	Brabanzio	 What profane wretch art thou?
l117l	Iago	 I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter
l118l		and the Moor are now making the beast with two
l119l		backs.
l120l	Brabanzio	 Thou art a villain.
	Iago	You are a senator.
l121l	Brabanzio	This thou shalt answer. I know thee, Roderigo.
l122l	Roderigo	Sir, I will answer anything. But I beseech you,
l123l		If ’t be your pleasure and most wise consent—
l124l		As partly I find it is—that your fair daughter,
l125l		At this odd-even and dull watch o’ th’ night,
l126l		Transported with no worse nor better guard
l127l		But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
l128l		To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor—
l129l		If this be known to you, and your allowance,
l130l		We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs.
l131l		But if you know not this, my manners tell me
l132l		We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe
l133l		That, from the sense of all civility,
l134l		I thus would play and trifle with your reverence.
l135l		Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,
l136l		I say again hath made a gross revolt,
l137l		Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes
l138l		In an extravagant and wheeling stranger
l139l		Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself.
l140l		If she be in her chamber or your house,
l141l		Let loose on me the justice of the state
l142l		For thus deluding you.
	Brabanzio	
		(calling)
		 Strike on the tinder, ho!
l143l		Give me a taper, call up all my people.
l144l		This accident is not unlike my dream#
l145l		Belief of it oppresses me already.
l146l		Light, I say, light!
		(Exit)
		
	Iago	 Farewell, for I must leave you.
l147l		It seems not meet nor wholesome to my place
l148l		To be producted—as, if I stay, I shall—
l149l		Against the Moor, for I do know the state,
l150l		However this may gall him with some check,
l151l		Cannot with safety cast him, for he’s embarked
l152l		With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars,
l153l		Which even now stands in act, that, for their souls,
l154l		Another of his fathom they have none
l155l		To lead their business, in which regard—
l156l		Though I do hate him as I do hell pains—
l157l		Yet for necessity of present life
l158l		I must show out a flag and sign of love,
l159l		Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him,
l160l		Lead to the Sagittary the raisèd search,
l161l		And there will I be with him. So farewell.
		(Exit)
l162l		(Enter below Brabanzio in his nightgown, and servants with torches)
		Brabanzio	 It is too true an evil. Gone she is,
l163l		And what’s to come of my despisèd time
l164l		Is naught but bitterness. Now, Roderigo,
l165l		Where didst thou see her?—O unhappy girl!—
l166l		With the Moor, sayst thou?—Who would be a father?—
l167l		How didst thou know ’twas she?—O, she deceives me
l168l		Past thought!—What said she to you?
		(To servants)
		 Get more tapers,
l169l		Raise all my kindred.
		(Exit one or more)
		
		(To Roderigo)
		 Are they married, think you?
l170l	Roderigo	Truly, I think they are.
l171l	Brabanzio	O heaven, how got she out? O, treason of the blood!
l172l		Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds
l173l		By what you see them act. Is there not charms
l174l		By which the property of youth and maidhood
l175l		May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo,
l176l		Of some such thing?
	Roderigo	Yes, sir, I have indeed.
l177l	Brabanzio	(to servants)
		 Call up my brother.
		(To Roderigo)
		 O, would you had had her.
l178l		(To servants)
		 Some one way, some another.
		( 178B Exit one or more)
		
		(To Roderigo)
		 Do you know
l179l		Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?
l180l	Roderigo	I think I can discover him, if you please
l181l		To get good guard and go along with me.
l182l	Brabanzio	Pray you lead on. At every house I’ll call#
l183l		I may command at most.
		(Calling)
		 Get weapons, ho,
l184l		And raise some special officers of night.
l185l		On, good Roderigo. I will deserve your pains.
		(Exeunt)