OTHELLO

Act 1 Scene 3

(Enter the Duke and Senators set at a table, with lights and officers)
l1l	Duke	 There is no composition in these news
l2l		That gives them credit.
	First Senator	Indeed, they are disproportioned.
l3l		My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.
l4l	Duke	And mine a hundred-forty.
	Second Senator	And mine two hundred.
l5l		But though they jump not on a just account—
l6l		As, in these cases, where the aim reports
l7l		’Tis oft with difference—yet do they all confirm
l8l		A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus.
l9l	Duke	Nay, it is possible enough to judgement.
l10l		I do not so secure me in the error,
l11l		But the main article I do approve
l12l		In fearful sense.
	Sailor	
		(within)
		 What ho, what ho, what ho!
		(Enter a Sailor)
l13l	Officer	 A messenger from the galleys.
	Duke	Now, what’s the business?
l14l	Sailor	The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes.
l15l		So was I bid report here to the state
l16l		By Signor Angelo.
l17l	Duke	(to Senators)
		 How say you by this change?
l18l	First Senator	This cannot be,
l19l		By no assay of reason—’tis a pageant
l20l		To keep us in false gaze. When we consider
l21l		The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk,
l22l		And let ourselves again but understand
l23l		That, as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes,
l24l		So may he with more facile question bear it,
l25l		For that it stands not in such warlike brace,
l26l		But altogether lacks th’ abilities
l27l		That Rhodes is dressed in—if we make thought of this,
l28l		We must not think the Turk is so unskilful
l29l		To leave that latest which concerns him first,
l30l		Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain
l31l		To wake and wage a danger profitless.
l32l	Duke	Nay, in all confidence, he’s not for Rhodes.
l33l	Officer	Here is more news.
		(Enter a Messenger)
l34l	Messenger	 The Ottomites, reverend and gracious,
l35l		Steering with due course toward the Isle of Rhodes,
l36l		Have there injointed them with an after fleet.
l37l	First Senator	Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess?
l38l	Messenger	Of thirty sail, and now they do restem
l39l		Their backward course, bearing with frank appearance
l40l		Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signor Montano,
l41l		Your trusty and most valiant servitor,
l42l		With his free duty recommends you thus,
l43l		And prays you to believe him.
	Duke	’Tis certain then for Cyprus.
l44l		Marcus Luccicos, is not he in town?
l45l	First Senator	He’s now in Florence.
l46l	Duke	Write from us to him post-post-haste. Dispatch.
		(Enter Brabanzio, Othello, Roderigo, Iago, Cassio, and officers)
l47l	First Senator	 Here comes Brabanzio and the valiant Moor.
l48l	Duke	Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you
l49l		Against the general enemy Ottoman.
l50l		(To Brabanzio)
		 I did not see you. Welcome, gentle signor.
l51l		We lacked your counsel and your help tonight.
l52l	Brabanzio	So did I yours. Good your grace, pardon me.
l53l		Neither my place, nor aught I heard of business,
l54l		Hath raised me from my bed, nor doth the general care
l55l		Take hold on me# for my particular grief
l56l		Is of so floodgate and o’erbearing nature
l57l		That it engluts and swallows other sorrows,
l58l		And it is still itself.
	Duke	Why, what’s the matter?
l59l	Brabanzio	My daughter, O, my daughter!
	[Senators]	Dead?
	Brabanzio	Ay, to me.
l60l		She is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted
l61l		By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks.
l62l		For nature so preposterously to err,
l63l		Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense,
l64l		Sans witchcraft could not.
l65l	Duke	Whoe’er he be that in this foul proceeding
l66l		Hath thus beguiled your daughter of herself
l67l		And you of her, the bloody book of law
l68l		You shall yourself read in the bitter letter
l69l		After your own sense, yea, though our proper son
l70l		Stood in your action.
	Brabanzio	Humbly I thank your grace.
l71l		Here is the man, this Moor, whom now it seems
l72l		Your special mandate for the state affairs
l73l		Hath hither brought.
	Senators	We are very sorry for ’t.
l74l	Duke	(to Othello)
		 What in your own part can you say to this?
l75l	Brabanzio	Nothing but this is so.
l76l	Othello	Most potent, grave, and reverend signors,
l77l		My very noble and approved good masters,
l78l		That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter,
l79l		It is most true, true I have married her.
l80l		The very head and front of my offending
l81l		Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech,
l82l		And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace,
l83l		For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith
l84l		Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used
l85l		Their dearest action in the tented field,
l86l		And little of this great world can I speak
l87l		More than pertains to feats of broils and battle.
l88l		And therefore little shall I grace my cause
l89l		In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,
l90l		I will a round unvarnished tale deliver
l91l		Of my whole course of love, what drugs, what charms,
l92l		What conjuration and what mighty magic—
l93l		For such proceeding I am charged withal—
l94l		I won his daughter.
	Brabanzio	A maiden never bold,
l95l		Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion
l96l		Blushed at herself—and she in spite of nature,
l97l		Of years, of country, credit, everything,
l98l		To fall in love with what she feared to look on!
l99l		It is a judgement maimed and most imperfect
l100l		That will confess perfection so could err
l101l		Against all rules of nature, and must be driven
l102l		To find out practices of cunning hell
l103l		Why this should be. I therefore vouch again
l104l		That with some mixtures powerful o’er the blood,
l105l		Or with some dram conjured to this effect,
l106l		He wrought upon her.
	Duke	To vouch this is no proof
l107l		Without more wider and more overt test
l108l		Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods
l109l		Of modern seeming do prefer against him.
l110l	A Senator	But Othello, speak.
l111l		Did you by indirect and forcèd courses
l112l		Subdue and poison this young maid’s affections,
l113l		Or came it by request and such fair question
l114l		As soul to soul affordeth?
	Othello	I do beseech you,
l115l		Send for the lady to the Sagittary,
l116l		And let her speak of me before her father.
l117l		If you do find me foul in her report,
l118l		The trust, the office I do hold of you
l119l		Not only take away, but let your sentence
l120l		Even fall upon my life.
	Duke	
		(to officers)
		 Fetch Desdemona hither.
l121l	Othello	Ensign, conduct them. You best know the place.
		(Exit Iago with two or three officers)
l122l		And till she come, as truly as to heaven
l123l		I do confess the vices of my blood,
l124l		So justly to your grave ears I’ll present
l125l		How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love,
l126l		And she in mine.
	Duke	Say it, Othello.
l127l	Othello	Her father loved me, oft invited me,
l128l		Still questioned me the story of my life
l129l		From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes
l130l		That I have passed.
l131l		I ran it through even from my boyish days
l132l		To th’ very moment that he bade me tell it,
l133l		Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances,
l134l		Of moving accidents by flood and field,
l135l		Of hair-breadth scapes i’ th’ imminent deadly breach,
l136l		Of being taken by the insolent foe
l137l		And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence,
l138l		And portance in my traveller’s history,
l139l		Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,
l140l		Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven,
l141l		It was my hint to speak. Such was my process,
l142l		And of the cannibals that each other eat,
l143l		The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads
l144l		Do grow beneath their shoulders. These things to hear
l145l		Would Desdemona seriously incline,
l146l		But still the house affairs would draw her thence,
l147l		Which ever as she could with haste dispatch
l148l		She’d come again, and with a greedy ear
l149l		Devour up my discourse# which I observing,
l150l		Took once a pliant hour, and found good means
l151l		To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart
l152l		That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
l153l		Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
l154l		But not intentively. I did consent,
l155l		And often did beguile her of her tears
l156l		When I did speak of some distressful stroke
l157l		That my youth suffered. My story being done,
l158l		She gave me for my pains a world of kisses.
l159l		She swore in faith ’twas strange, ’twas passing strange,
l160l		’Twas pitiful, ’twas wondrous pitiful.
l161l		She wished she had not heard it, yet she wished
l162l		That heaven had made her such a man. She thankèd me,
l163l		And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,
l164l		I should but teach him how to tell my story,
l165l		And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake.
l166l		She loved me for the dangers I had passed,
l167l		And I loved her that she did pity them.
l168l		This only is the witchcraft I have used.
		(Enter Desdemona, Iago, and attendants)
l169l		Here comes the lady. Let her witness it.
l170l	Duke	I think this tale would win my daughter, too.—
l171l		Good Brabanzio,
l172l		Take up this mangled matter at the best.
l173l		Men do their broken weapons rather use
l174l		Than their bare hands.
	Brabanzio	I pray you hear her speak.
l175l		If she confess that she was half the wooer,
l176l		Destruction on my head if my bad blame
l177l		Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress.
l178l		Do you perceive in all this noble company
l179l		Where most you owe obedience?
	Desdemona	My noble father,
l180l		I do perceive here a divided duty.
l181l		To you I am bound for life and education.
l182l		My life and education both do learn me
l183l		How to respect you. You are the lord of duty,
l184l		I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband,
l185l		And so much duty as my mother showed
l186l		To you, preferring you before her father,
l187l		So much I challenge that I may profess
l188l		Due to the Moor my lord.
	Brabanzio	God b’ wi’ you, I ha’ done.
l189l		Please it your grace, on to the state affairs.
l190l		I had rather to adopt a child than get it.
l191l		Come hither, Moor.
l192l		I here do give thee that with all my heart
l193l		Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart
l194l		I would keep from thee.
		(To Desdemona)
		 For your sake, jewel,
l195l		I am glad at soul I have no other child,
l196l		For thy escape would teach me tyranny,
l197l		To hang clogs on ’em. I have done, my lord.
l198l	Duke	Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence
l199l		Which, as a grece or step, may help these lovers
l200l		Into your favour.
l201l		When remedies are past, the griefs are ended
l202l		By seeing the worst which late on hopes depended.
l203l		To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
l204l		Is the next way to draw new mischief on.
l205l		What cannot be preserved when fortune takes,
l206l		Patience her injury a mockery makes.
l207l		The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief#
l208l		He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.
l209l	Brabanzio	So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile,
l210l		We lose it not so long as we can smile.
l211l		He bears the sentence well that nothing bears
l212l		But the free comfort which from thence he hears,
l213l		But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow
l214l		That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.
l215l		These sentences, to sugar or to gall,
l216l		Being strong on both sides, are equivocal.
l217l		But words are words. I never yet did hear
l218l		That the bruised heart was piercèd through the ear.
l219l		I humbly beseech you proceed to th’ affairs of state.
l220l	Duke	The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes
l221l		for Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude of the place is best
l222l		known to you, and though we have there a substitute
l223l		of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a more
l224l		sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice
l225l		on you. You must therefore be content to slubber the
l226l		gloss of your new fortunes with this more stubborn
l227l		and boisterous expedition.
l228l	Othello	 The tyrant custom, most grave senators,
l229l		Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
l230l		My thrice-driven bed of down. I do agnize
l231l		A natural and prompt alacrity
l232l		I find in hardness, and do undertake
l233l		This present wars against the Ottomites.
l234l		Most humbly therefore bending to your state,
l235l		I crave fit disposition for my wife,
l236l		Due reference of place and exhibition,
l237l		With such accommodation and besort
l238l		As levels with her breeding.
l239l	Duke	Why, at her father’s!
l240l	Brabanzio	I will not have it so.
l241l	Othello	Nor I.
l242l	Desdemona	Nor would I there reside,
l243l		To put my father in impatient thoughts
l244l		By being in his eye. Most gracious Duke,
l245l		To my unfolding lend your prosperous ear,
l246l		And let me find a charter in your voice
l247l		T’ assist my simpleness.
	Duke	What would you, Desdemona?
l248l	Desdemona	That I did love the Moor to live with him,
l249l		My downright violence and storm of fortunes
l250l		May trumpet to the world. My heart’s subdued
l251l		Even to the very quality of my lord.
l252l		I saw Othello’s visage in his mind,
l253l		And to his honours and his valiant parts
l254l		Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate#
l255l		So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,
l256l		A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
l257l		The rites for why I love him are bereft me,
l258l		And I a heavy interim shall support
l259l		By his dear absence. Let me go with him.
l260l	Othello	(to the Duke)
		 Let her have your voice.
l261l		Vouch with me heaven, I therefor beg it not
l262l		To please the palate of my appetite,
l263l		Nor to comply with heat—the young affects
l264l		In me defunct—and proper satisfaction,
l265l		But to be free and bounteous to her mind#
l266l		And heaven defend your good souls that you think
l267l		I will your serious and great business scant
l268l		When she is with me. No, when light-winged toys
l269l		Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness
l270l		My speculative and officed instruments,
l271l		That my disports corrupt and taint my business,
l272l		Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,
l273l		And all indign and base adversities
l274l		Make head against my estimation.
l275l	Duke	Be it as you shall privately determine,
l276l		Either for her stay or going. Th’ affair cries haste,
l277l		And speed must answer it.
	A Senator	
		(to Othello)
		 You must away tonight.
l278l	Desdemona	Tonight, my lord?
	Duke	This night.
	Othello	With all my heart.
l279l	Duke	At nine i’ th’ morning here we’ll meet again.
l280l		Othello, leave some officer behind,
l281l		And he shall our commission bring to you,
l282l		And such things else of quality and respect
l283l		As doth import you.
	Othello	So please your grace, my ensign.
l284l		A man he is of honesty and trust.
l285l		To his conveyance I assign my wife,
l286l		With what else needful your good grace shall think
l287l		To be sent after me.
	Duke	Let it be so.
l288l		Good night to everyone.
		(To Brabanzio)
		 And, noble signor,
l289l		If virtue no delighted beauty lack,
l290l		Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.
l291l	A Senator	Adieu, brave Moor. Use Desdemona well.
l292l	Brabanzio	Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see.
l293l		She has deceived her father, and may thee.
		(Exeunt Duke, Brabanzio, Cassio, Senators, and officers)
l294l	Othello	 My life upon her faith. Honest Iago,
l295l		My Desdemona must I leave to thee.
l296l		I prithee let thy wife attend on her,
l297l		And bring them after in the best advantage.
l298l		Come, Desdemona. I have but an hour
l299l		Of love, of worldly matter and direction
l300l		To spend with thee. We must obey the time.
		(Exeunt Othello and Desdemona)
l301l	Roderigo	 Iago.
l302l	Iago	What sayst thou, noble heart?
l303l	Roderigo	What will I do, think’st thou?
l304l	Iago	Why, go to bed and sleep.
l305l	Roderigo	I will incontinently drown myself.
l306l	Iago	If thou dost, I shall never love thee after. Why, thou
l307l		silly gentleman!
l308l	Roderigo	It is silliness to live when to live is torment#
l309l		and then have we a prescription to die when death is
l310l		our physician.
l311l	Iago	O, villainous! I ha’ looked upon the world for four
l312l		times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt
l313l		a benefit and an injury I never found man that knew
l314l		how to love himself. Ere I would say I would drown
l315l		myself for the love of a guinea-hen, I would change
l316l		my humanity with a baboon.
l317l	Roderigo	What should I do? I confess it is my shame to
l318l		be so fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it.
l319l	Iago	Virtue? A fig! ’Tis in ourselves that we are thus or
l320l		thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our
l321l		wills are gardeners# so that if we will plant nettles or
l322l		sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it
l323l		with one gender of herbs or distract it with many,
l324l		either to have it sterile with idleness or manured with
l325l		industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of
l326l		this lies in our wills. If the beam of our lives had not
l327l		one scale of reason to peise another of sensuality, the
l328l		blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us
l329l		to most preposterous conclusions. But we have reason
l330l		to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our
l331l		unbitted lusts# whereof I take this that you call love to
l332l		be a sect or scion.
l333l	Roderigo	It cannot be.
l334l	Iago	It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of
l335l		the will. Come, be a man. Drown thyself? Drown cats
l336l		and blind puppies. I have professed me thy friend, and
l337l		I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of
l338l		perdurable toughness. I could never better stead thee
l339l		than now. Put money in thy purse. Follow thou the
l340l		wars, defeat thy favour with an usurped beard. I say,
l341l		put money in thy purse. It cannot be long that
l342l		Desdemona should continue her love to the Moor—put
l343l		money in thy purse—nor he his to her. It was a violent
l344l		commencement in her, and thou shalt see an
l345l		answerable sequestration—put but money in thy purse.
l346l		These Moors are changeable in their wills—fill thy
l347l		purse with money. The food that to him now is as
l348l		luscious as locusts shall be to him shortly as bitter as
l349l		coloquintida. She must change for youth. When she is
l350l		sated with his body, she will find the error of her
l351l		choice. Therefore put money in thy purse. If thou wilt
l352l		needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than
l353l		drowning. Make all the money thou canst. If
l354l		sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring barbarian
l355l		and a super-subtle Venetian be not too hard for my
l356l		wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her#
l357l		therefore make money. A pox o’ drowning thyself—it
l358l		is clean out of the way. Seek thou rather to be hanged
l359l		in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go
l360l		without her.
l361l	Roderigo	Wilt thou be fast to my hopes if I depend on
l362l		the issue?
l363l	Iago	Thou art sure of me. Go, make money. I have told
l364l		thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate
l365l		the Moor. My cause is hearted, thine hath no less
l366l		reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against
l367l		him. If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a
l368l		pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the
l369l		womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse, go,
l370l		provide thy money. We will have more of this
l371l		tomorrow. Adieu.
l372l	Roderigo	 Where shall we meet i’ th’ morning?
	Iago	At my lodging.
l373l	Roderigo	I’ll be with thee betimes.
	Iago	Go to, farewell—
l374l		Do you hear, Roderigo?
	Roderigo	I’ll sell all my land.
		(Exit)
l375l	Iago	 Thus do I ever make my fool my purse—
l376l		For I mine own gained knowledge should profane
l377l		If I would time expend with such a snipe
l378l		But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor,
l379l		And it is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets
l380l		He has done my office. I know not if ’t be true,
l381l		But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
l382l		Will do as if for surety. He holds me well:
l383l		The better shall my purpose work on him.
l384l		Cassio’s a proper man. Let me see now,
l385l		To get his place, and to plume up my will
l386l		In double knavery—how, how? Let’s see.
l387l		After some time to abuse Othello’s ears
l388l		That he is too familiar with his wife#
l389l		He hath a person and a smooth dispose
l390l		To be suspected, framed to make women false.
l391l		The Moor is of a free and open nature,
l392l		That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,
l393l		And will as tenderly be led by th’ nose
l394l		As asses are.
l395l		I ha ’t. It is ingendered. Hell and night
l396l		Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.
		(Exit)