OTHELLO

Act 5 Scene 2

(Enter Othello with a light. He draws back a curtain, revealing Desdemona asleep in her bed)
l1l	Othello	 It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul.
l2l		Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars.
l3l		It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed her blood,
l4l		Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
l5l		And smooth as monumental alabaster.
l6l		Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.
l7l		Put out the light, and then put out the light.
l8l		If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
l9l		I can again thy former light restore
l10l		Should I repent me# but once put out thy light,
l11l		Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,
l12l		I know not where is that Promethean heat
l13l		That can thy light relume. When I have plucked thy rose
l14l		I cannot give it vital growth again.
l15l		It needs must wither. I’ll smell thee on the tree.
		(He kisses her)
l16l		O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
l17l		Justice to break her sword! One more, one more.
l18l		Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee
l19l		And love thee after. One more, and that’s the last.
		(He kisses her)
l20l		So sweet was ne’er so fatal. I must weep,
l21l		But they are cruel tears. This sorrow’s heavenly,
l22l		It strikes where it doth love. She wakes.
l23l	Desdemona	Who’s there? Othello?
l24l	Othello	Ay, Desdemona.
l25l	Desdemona	Will you come to bed, my lord?
l26l	Othello	Have you prayed tonight, Desdemon?
l27l	Desdemona	Ay, my lord.
l28l	Othello	If you bethink yourself of any crime
l29l		Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace,
l30l		Solicit for it straight.
l31l	Desdemona	Alack, my lord, what may you mean by that?
l32l	Othello	Well, do it, and be brief. I will walk by.
l33l		I would not kill thy unpreparèd spirit.
l34l		No, heavens forfend! I would not kill thy soul.
l35l	Desdemona	Talk you of killing?
	Othello	Ay, I do.
	Desdemona	Then heaven
l36l		Have mercy on me.
	Othello	Amen, with all my heart.
l37l	Desdemona	If you say so, I hope you will not kill me.
l38l	Othello	Hum!
l39l	Desdemona	And yet I fear you, for you’re fatal then
l40l		When your eyes roll so. Why I should fear I know not,
l41l		Since guiltiness I know not, but yet I feel I fear.
l42l	Othello	Think on thy sins.
l43l	Desdemona	They are loves I bear to you.
l44l	Othello	Ay, and for that thou diest.
l45l	Desdemona	That death’s unnatural that kills for loving.
l46l		Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip?
l47l		Some bloody passion shakes your very frame.
l48l		These are portents, but yet I hope, I hope
l49l		They do not point on me.
	Othello	Peace, and be still.
l50l	Desdemona	I will so. What’s the matter?
	Othello	That handkerchief
l51l		Which I so loved and gave thee, thou gav’st to Cassio.
l52l	Desdemona	No, by my life and soul. Send for the man
l53l		And ask him.
l54l	Othello	Sweet soul, take heed, take heed of perjury.
l55l		Thou art on thy deathbed.
l56l	Desdemona	Ay, but not yet to die.
l57l	Othello	Presently.
l58l		Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin,
l59l		For to deny each article with oath
l60l		Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception
l61l		That I do groan withal. Thou art to die.
l62l	Desdemona	Then Lord have mercy on me.
	Othello	I say amen.
l63l	Desdemona	And have you mercy, too. I never did
l64l		Offend you in my life, never loved Cassio
l65l		But with such general warranty of heaven
l66l		As I might love. I never gave him token.
l67l	Othello	By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in ’s hand.
l68l		O perjured woman! Thou dost stone my heart,
l69l		And makes me call what I intend to do
l70l		A murder, which I thought a sacrifice.
l71l		I saw the handkerchief.
	Desdemona	He found it, then.
l72l		I never gave it him. Send for him hither.
l73l		Let him confess a truth.
	Othello	He hath confessed.
l74l	Desdemona	What, my lord?
	Othello	That he hath usèd thee.
l75l	Desdemona	How, unlawfully?
l76l	Othello	Ay.
l77l	Desdemona	He will not say so.
l78l	Othello	No, his mouth is stopped.
l79l		Honest Iago hath ta’en order for ’t.
l80l	Desdemona	O, my fear interprets! What, is he dead?
l81l	Othello	Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge
l82l		Had stomach for ’em all.
l83l	Desdemona	(weeping)
		 Alas, he is betrayed, and I undone.
l84l	Othello	Out, strumpet! Weep’st thou for him to my face?
l85l	Desdemona	O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not.
l86l	Othello	(attacking her)
		 Down, strumpet.
l87l	Desdemona	Kill me tomorrow# let me live tonight.
l88l	Othello	Nay, an you strive—
l89l	Desdemona	But half an hour.
l90l	Othello	Being done, there is no pause.
l91l	Desdemona	But while I say one prayer.
l92l	Othello	It is too late.
		(He smothers her)
l93l	Desdemona	 O Lord, Lord, Lord!
		(Emilia at the door)
l94l	Emilia	(within)
		 My lord, my lord, what ho, my lord, my lord!
l95l	Othello	What noise is this? Not dead? Not yet quite dead?
l96l		I that am cruel am yet merciful.
l97l		I would not have thee linger in thy pain.
l98l		So, so.
	Emilia	
		(within)
		 What ho, my lord, my lord!
	Othello	Who’s there?
l99l	Emilia	(within)
		 O, good my lord, I would speak a word with you.
l100l	Othello	(calling)
		 Yes.—’Tis Emilia.
		( 100 Calling)
		 By and by!—She’s dead.
l101l		’Tis like she comes to speak of Cassio’s death.
l102l		The noise was high. Ha! No more moving.
l103l		Still as the grave. Shall she come in? Were ’t good?
l104l		I think she stirs again. No. What’s best to do?
l105l		If she come in, she’ll sure speak to my wife.
l106l		My wife, my wife! What wife? I ha’ no wife.
l107l		O insupportable, O heavy hour!
l108l		Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
l109l		Of sun and moon, and that th’ affrighted globe
l110l		Should yawn at alteration.
	Emilia	
		(within)
		 I do beseech you
l111l		That I may speak with you. O, good my lord!
l112l	Othello	I had forgot thee.—O, come in, Emilia.—
l113l		Soft, by and by. Let me the curtains draw.
		(He closes the bed-curtains)
l114l		Where art thou?
		(He opens the door. Enter Emilia)
		 What’s the matter with thee now?
l115l	Emilia	O my good lord, yonder’s foul murder’s done.
l116l	Othello	What, now?
l117l	Emilia	But now, my lord.
l118l	Othello	It is the very error of the moon,
l119l		She comes more nearer earth than she was wont,
l120l		And makes men mad.
l121l	Emilia	Cassio, my lord, hath killed a young Venetian
l122l		Called Roderigo.
	Othello	Roderigo killed
l123l		And Cassio killed?
	Emilia	No, Cassio is not killed.
l124l	Othello	Not Cassio killed? Then murder’s out of tune,
l125l		And sweet revenge grows harsh.
l126l	Desdemona	O, falsely, falsely murdered!
l127l	Emilia	O Lord, what cry is that?
l128l	Othello	That? What?
l129l	Emilia	Out and alas, that was my lady’s voice!
		(She opens the bed-curtains)
l130l		Help, help, ho, help! O lady, speak again!
l131l		Sweet Desdemona, O sweet mistress, speak!
l132l	Desdemona	A guiltless death I die.
	Emilia	O, who hath done this deed?
l133l	Desdemona	Nobody, I myself. Farewell.
l134l		Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!
		(She dies)
l135l	Othello	 Why, how should she be murdered?
	Emilia	Alas, who knows?
l136l	Othello	You heard her say herself it was not I.
l137l	Emilia	She said so, I must needs report the truth.
l138l	Othello	She’s like a liar gone to burning hell.
l139l		’Twas I that killed her.
l140l	Emilia	O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil!
l141l	Othello	She turned to folly, and she was a whore.
l142l	Emilia	Thou dost belie her, and thou art a devil.
l143l	Othello	She was false as water.
	Emilia	Thou art rash as fire
l144l		To say that she was false. O, she was heavenly true!
l145l	Othello	Cassio did top her. Ask thy husband else.
l146l		O, I were damned beneath all depth in hell
l147l		But that I did proceed upon just grounds
l148l		To this extremity! Thy husband knew it all.
l149l	Emilia	My husband?
	Othello	Thy husband.
	Emilia	That she was false to wedlock?
l150l	Othello	Ay, with Cassio. Had she been true,
l151l		If heaven would make me such another world
l152l		Of one entire and perfect chrysolite
l153l		I’d not have sold her for it.
	Emilia	My husband?
l154l	Othello	Ay, ’twas he that told me on her first.
l155l		An honest man he is, and hates the slime
l156l		That sticks on filthy deeds.
	Emilia	My husband?
l157l	Othello	What needs this iterance? Woman, I say thy husband.
l158l	Emilia	O mistress, villainy hath made mocks with love.
l159l		My husband say she was false?
	Othello	He, woman.
l160l		I say thy husband. Dost understand the word?
l161l		My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.
l162l	Emilia	If he say so, may his pernicious soul
l163l		Rot half a grain a day. He lies to th’ heart.
l164l		She was too fond of her most filthy bargain.
l165l	Othello	Ha?
l166l	Emilia	Do thy worst.
l167l		This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven
l168l		Than thou wast worthy her.
	Othello	Peace, you were best.
l169l	Emilia	Thou hast not half that power to do me harm
l170l		As I have to be hurt. O gull, O dolt,
l171l		As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed—
l172l		I care not for thy sword, I’ll make thee known
l173l		Though I lost twenty lives. Help, help, ho! Help!
l174l		The Moor hath killed my mistress. Murder, murder!
		(Enter Montano, Graziano, and Iago)
l175l	Montano	 What is the matter? How now, general?
l176l	Emilia	O, are you come, Iago? You have done well,
l177l		That men must lay their murders on your neck.
l178l	Graziano	What is the matter?
l179l	Emilia	(to Iago)
		 Disprove this villain if thou beest a man.
l180l		He says thou told’st him that his wife was false.
l181l		I know thou didst not. Thou’rt not such a villain.
l182l		Speak, for my heart is full.
l183l	Iago	I told him what I thought, and told no more
l184l		Than what he found himself was apt and true.
l185l	Emilia	But did you ever tell him she was false?
l186l	Iago	I did.
l187l	Emilia	You told a lie, an odious, damnèd lie,
l188l		Upon my soul a lie, a wicked lie.
l189l		She false with Cassio? Did you say with Cassio?
l190l	Iago	With Cassio, mistress. Go to, charm your tongue.
l191l	Emilia	I will not charm my tongue. I am bound to speak.
l192l		My mistress here lies murdered in her bed.
l193l	[Montano And Graziano]	O heavens forfend!
l194l	Emilia	(to Iago)
		 And your reports have set the murder on.
l195l	Othello	Nay, stare not, masters. It is true indeed.
l196l	Graziano	’Tis a strange truth.
	Montano	O monstrous act!
l197l	Emilia	Villainy, villainy, villainy!
l198l		I think upon ’t, I think. I smell ’t. O villainy!
l199l		I thought so then. I’ll kill myself for grief.
l200l		O villainy, villainy!
l201l	Iago	What, are you mad? I charge you get you home.
l202l	Emilia	Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak.
l203l		’Tis proper I obey him, but not now.
l204l		Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home.
l205l	Othello	O, O, O!
		(Othello falls on the bed)
		
	Emilia	 Nay, lay thee down and roar,
l206l		For thou hast killed the sweetest innocent
l207l		That e’er did lift up eye.
	Othello	
		(rising)
		 O, she was foul!
l208l		(To Graziano)
		 I scarce did know you, uncle. There lies your niece,
l209l		Whose breath indeed these hands have newly stopped.
l210l		I know this act shows horrible and grim.
l211l	Graziano	Poor Desdemon, I am glad thy father’s dead.
l212l		Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief
l213l		Shore his old thread in twain. Did he live now
l214l		This sight would make him do a desperate turn,
l215l		Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
l216l		And fall to reprobance.
l217l	Othello	’Tis pitiful. But yet Iago knows
l218l		That she with Cassio hath the act of shame
l219l		A thousand times committed. Cassio confessed it,
l220l		And she did gratify his amorous works
l221l		With that recognizance and pledge of love
l222l		Which I first gave her. I saw it in his hand.
l223l		It was a handkerchief, an antique token
l224l		My father gave my mother.
	Emilia	O God! O heavenly God!
l225l	Iago	’Swounds, hold your peace!
	Emilia	’Twill out, ’twill out. I peace?
l226l		No, I will speak as liberal as the north.
l227l		Let heaven, and men, and devils, let ’em all,
l228l		All, all cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.
l229l	Iago	Be wise and get you home.
l230l	Emilia	I will not.
		(Iago draws his sword)
l231l	Graziano	(to Iago)
		 Fie, your sword upon a woman?
l232l	Emilia	O thou dull Moor, that handkerchief thou speak’st of
l233l		I found by fortune and did give my husband,
l234l		For often, with a solemn earnestness—
l235l		More than indeed belonged to such a trifle—
l236l		He begged of me to steal ’t.
	Iago	Villainous whore!
l237l	Emilia	She give it Cassio? No, alas, I found it,
l238l		And I did give ’t my husband.
	Iago	Filth, thou liest.
l239l	Emilia	By heaven I do not, I do not, gentlemen.
l240l		O murderous coxcomb! What should such a fool
l241l		Do with so good a wife?
	Othello	Are there no stones in heaven
l242l		But what serves for the thunder? Precious villain!
		(The Moor runs at Iago. Montano disarms Othello. Iago wounds his wife)
l243l	Graziano	 The woman falls. Sure he hath killed his wife.
l244l	Emilia	Ay, ay. O, lay me by my mistress’ side!
		(Exit Iago)
l245l	Graziano	 He’s gone, but his wife’s killed.
l246l	Montano	’Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon
l247l		Which I have here recovered from the Moor.
l248l		Come, guard the door without. Let him not pass,
l249l		But kill him rather. I’ll after that same villain,
l250l		For ’tis a damnèd slave.
		(Exeunt Montano and Graziano)
		
	Othello	 I am not valiant neither,
l251l		But every puny whipster gets my sword.
l252l		But why should honour outlive honesty?
l253l		Let it go all.
	Emilia	What did thy song bode, lady?
l254l		Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the swan,
l255l		And die in music.
		(Sings)
		 “Willow, willow, willow.”—
l256l		Moor, she was chaste. She loved thee, cruel Moor.
l257l		So come my soul to bliss as I speak true.
l258l		So, speaking as I think, alas, I die.
		(She dies)
l259l	Othello	 I have another weapon in this chamber.
l260l		It was a sword of Spain, the ice-brook’s temper.
l261l		O, here it is.
		(Calling)
		 Uncle, I must come forth.
l262l	Graziano	(within)
		 If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear.
l263l		Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.
l264l	Othello	Look in upon me then, and speak with me,
l265l		Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee.
		(Enter Graziano)
l266l	Graziano	 What is the matter?
	Othello	Behold, I have a weapon#
l267l		A better never did itself sustain
l268l		Upon a soldier’s thigh. I have seen the day
l269l		That, with this little arm and this good sword,
l270l		I have made my way through more impediments
l271l		Than twenty times your stop. But O, vain boast!
l272l		Who can control his fate? ’Tis not so now.
l273l		Be not afraid, though you do see me weaponed.
l274l		Here is my journey’s end, here is my butt
l275l		And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.
l276l		Do you go back dismayed? ’Tis a lost fear.
l277l		Man but a rush against Othello’s breast
l278l		And he retires. Where should Othello go?
l279l		(To Desdemona)
		 Now, how dost thou look now? O ill- starred wench,
l280l		Pale as thy smock! When we shall meet at count
l281l		This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,
l282l		And fiends will snatch at it.
		(He touches her)
		 Cold, cold, my girl,
l283l		Even like thy chastity. O cursèd, cursèd slave!
l284l		Whip me, ye devils,
l285l		From the possession of this heavenly sight.
l286l		Blow me about in winds, roast me in sulphur,
l287l		Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!
l288l		O Desdemon! Dead Desdemon! Dead! O! O!
		(Enter Lodovico, Montano, Iago guarded by officers, with Cassio in a chair)
l289l	Lodovico	 Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?
l290l	Othello	That’s he that was Othello. Here I am.
l291l	Lodovico	Where is that viper? Bring the villain forth.
l292l	Othello	I look down towards his feet, but that’s a fable.
l293l		(To Iago)
		 If that thou beest a devil I cannot kill thee.
		(He wounds Iago)
l294l	Lodovico	 Wrench his sword from him.
		(Officers disarm Othello)
		
	Iago	 I bleed, sir, but not killed.
l295l	Othello	I am not sorry, neither. I’d have thee live,
l296l		For in my sense ’tis happiness to die.
l297l	Lodovico	O thou Othello, that was once so good,
l298l		Fall’n in the practice of a cursèd slave,
l299l		What shall be said to thee?
	Othello	Why, anything#
l300l		An honourable murderer, if you will,
l301l		For naught I did in hate, but all in honour.
l302l	Lodovico	This wretch hath part confessed his villainy.
l303l		Did you and he consent in Cassio’s death?
l304l	Othello	Ay.
l305l	Cassio	Dear general, I never gave you cause.
l306l	Othello	I do believe it, and I ask your pardon.
l307l		Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil
l308l		Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?
l309l	Iago	Demand me nothing. What you know, you know.
l310l		From this time forth I never will speak word.
l311l	Lodovico	(to Iago)
		 What, not to pray?
l312l	Graziano	(to Iago)
		 Torments will ope your lips.
l313l	Othello	Well, thou dost best.
l314l	Lodovico	Sir, you shall understand what hath befall’n,
l315l		Which as, I think, you know not. Here is a letter,
l316l		Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo,
l317l		And here another. The one of them imports
l318l		The death of Cassio, to be undertook
l319l		By Roderigo.
l320l	Othello	O villain!
l321l	Cassio	Most heathenish and most gross.
l322l	Lodovico	Now here’s another discontented paper
l323l		Found in his pocket too, and this it seems
l324l		Roderigo meant to’ve sent this damnèd villain,
l325l		But that, belike, Iago in the interim
l326l		Came in and satisfied him.
l327l	Othello	(to Iago)
		 O thou pernicious caitiff!
l328l		How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief
l329l		That was my wife’s?
	Cassio	I found it in my chamber,
l330l		And he himself confessed it, but even now,
l331l		That there he dropped it for a special purpose
l332l		Which wrought to his desire.
	Othello	O fool, fool, fool!
l333l	Cassio	There is besides in Roderigo’s letter
l334l		How he upbraids Iago, that he made him
l335l		Brave me upon the watch, whereon it came
l336l		That I was cast# and even but now he spake
l337l		After long seeming dead, Iago hurt him,
l338l		Iago set him on.
l339l	Lodovico	(to Othello)
		 You must forsake this room and go with us.
l340l		Your power and your command is taken off,
l341l		And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,
l342l		If there be any cunning cruelty
l343l		That can torment him much and hold him long,
l344l		It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest
l345l		Till that the nature of your fault be known
l346l		To the Venetian state.
		(To officers)
		 Come, bring away.
l347l	Othello	Soft you, a word or two before you go.
l348l		I have done the state some service, and they know ’t.
l349l		No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
l350l		When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
l351l		Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,
l352l		Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
l353l		Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
l354l		Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
l355l		Perplexed in the extreme# of one whose hand,
l356l		Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
l357l		Richer than all his tribe# of one whose subdued eyes,
l358l		Albeit unusèd to the melting mood,
l359l		Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees
l360l		Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
l361l		And say besides that in Aleppo once,
l362l		Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
l363l		Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
l364l		I took by th’ throat the circumcisèd dog
l365l		And smote him thus.
		(He stabs himself)
l366l	Lodovico	 O bloody period!
l367l	Graziano	All that is spoke is marred.
l368l	Othello	(to Desdemona)
		 I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this:
l369l		Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
		(He kisses Desdemona and dies)
l370l	Cassio	 This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon,
l371l		For he was great of heart.
	Lodovico	
		(to Iago)
		 O Spartan dog,
l372l		More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea,
l373l		Look on the tragic loading of this bed.
l374l		This is thy work. The object poisons sight.
l375l		Let it be hid.
		(They close the bed-curtains)
		 Graziano, keep the house,
l376l		And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,
l377l		For they succeed on you.
		(To Cassio)
		 To you, Lord Governor,
l378l		Remains the censure of this hellish villain.
l379l		The time, the place, the torture, O, enforce it!
l380l		Myself will straight aboard, and to the state
l381l		This heavy act with heavy heart relate.
		(Exeunt with Emilia's body)