OTHELLO

Act 3 Scene 1

(Enter Cassio with Musicians)
l1l	Cassio	 Masters, play here—I will content your pains—
l2l		Something that’s brief, and bid “Good morrow, general”.
		(Music. Enter Clown)
l3l	Clown	 Why, masters, ha’ your instruments been in
l4l		Naples, that they speak i’ th’ nose thus?
l5l	Musician	How, sir, how?
l6l	Clown	Are these, I pray you, wind instruments?
l7l	Musician	Ay, marry are they, sir.
l8l	Clown	O, thereby hangs a tail.
l9l	Musician	Whereby hangs a tale, sir?
l10l	Clown	Marry, sir, by many a wind instrument that I
l11l		know. But masters, here’s money for you, and the
l12l		general so likes your music that he desires you, for
l13l		love’s sake, to make no more noise with it.
l14l	Musician	Well, sir, we will not.
l15l	Clown	If you have any music that may not be heard,
l16l		to ’t again# but, as they say, to hear music the general
l17l		does not greatly care.
l18l	Musician	We ha’ none such, sir.
l19l	Clown	Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I’ll away.
l20l		Go, vanish into air, away.
		(Exeunt Musicians)
l21l	Cassio	 Dost thou hear, my honest friend?
l22l	Clown	No, I hear not your honest friend, I hear you.
l23l	Cassio	Prithee, keep up thy quillets. There’s a poor piece
l24l		of gold for thee. If the gentlewoman that attends the
l25l		general’s wife be stirring, tell her there’s one Cassio
l26l		entreats her a little favour of speech. Wilt thou do this?
l27l	Clown	She is stirring, sir. If she will stir hither, I shall
l28l		seem to notify unto her.
l29l	Cassio	 Do, good my friend.
		(Exit Clown)
		
		( 29B Enter Iago)
		 In happy time, Iago.
l30l	Iago	You ha’ not been abed, then.
	Cassio	Why, no. The day had broke
l31l		Before we parted. I ha’ made bold, Iago,
l32l		To send in to your wife. My suit to her
l33l		Is that she will to virtuous Desdemona
l34l		Procure me some access.
l35l	Iago	I’ll send her to you presently,
l36l		And I’ll devise a mean to draw the Moor
l37l		Out of the way, that your converse and business
l38l		May be more free.
	Cassio	I humbly thank you for ’t.
		(Exit Iago)
l39l		I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest.
		(Enter Emilia)
l40l	Emilia	 Good morrow, good lieutenant. I am sorry
l41l		For your displeasure, but all will sure be well.
l42l		The general and his wife are talking of it,
l43l		And she speaks for you stoutly. The Moor replies
l44l		That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus,
l45l		And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom
l46l		He might not but refuse you. But he protests he loves you,
l47l		And needs no other suitor but his likings
l48l		To take the saf’st occasion by the front
l49l		To bring you in again.
	Cassio	Yet I beseech you,
l50l		If you think fit, or that it may be done,
l51l		Give me advantage of some brief discourse
l52l		With Desdemon alone.
	Emilia	Pray you come in.
l53l		I will bestow you where you shall have time
l54l		To speak your bosom freely.
	Cassio	I am much bound to you.
		( 54B Exeunt)