Othello (33 page)

Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: Othello

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¹¹³practices
tricks/treachery/schemes

¹¹⁵mixtures
potions, medicines (perhaps with connotations of “unlawful sexual intercourse”)
blood
passions/sexual appetite

¹¹⁶dram
small draught, dose

¹¹⁷wrought
worked

¹¹⁹test
evidence/trial

¹²⁰habits
clothes (i.e. appearances)

¹²¹modern seeming
commonplace appearance
prefer
put forward

¹²³indirect
devious, deceitful
forcèd courses
forcible means

¹²⁵question
conversation

¹²⁶affordeth
grants, yields naturally

¹³¹office
official position

¹³⁷blood
nature/ passions/anger

¹³⁸justly
exactly/truthfully
present
legal term meaning “to lay before a court”

¹⁴³Still
continually

¹⁴⁵passed
experienced/got through

¹⁴⁸disastrous
unlucky/calamitous

¹⁴⁹moving
changeable/emotionally stirring
accidents
events
flood and field
water and land/sea and battlefield

¹⁵⁰scapes
escapes
i’th’imminent deadly breach
in the gap in a fortification (made by a battery), which presents an imminent danger of death

¹⁵¹insolent
proud, overbearing

¹⁵³portance
bearing/conduct

¹⁵⁴antres
caves
deserts idle
empty wildernesses

¹⁵⁶hint
occasion/opportunity
process
story, account

¹⁵⁸Anthropophagi
man-eaters
159
these…hear
in order to hear these things

¹⁶⁰seriously
earnestly
incline
be disposed mentally/lean in physically

¹⁶⁵pliant
suitable, accommodating

¹⁶⁷pilgrimage
i.e. his life’s journey and its adventures
dilate
relate/expand upon

¹⁶⁸parcels
small parts

¹⁶⁹intentively
intently, with close attention

¹⁷⁰beguile her of
coax from her (perhaps a deliberate shift from the sense of “cheat” employed by the duke in line 74)

¹⁷¹stroke
blow

¹⁷³kisses
could mean “gentle touches”

¹⁷⁴passing
surpassingly, exceedingly

¹⁷⁷made her
created her to be/made for her

¹⁸⁰hint
opportunity/indication

¹⁸⁴witness
testify to

¹⁸⁷Take…best
i.e. make the best of a bad situation

¹⁹²bad
mistaken/wrongful

¹⁹⁸education
upbringing

¹⁹⁹learn
teach

²⁰¹hitherto
thus far

²⁰³preferring
promoting/esteeming

²⁰⁴challenge
claim, assert as a right

²⁰⁷Please it
if it please

²⁰⁸get
beget, conceive

²¹¹but
were it not that

²¹²For your sake
because of you

²¹⁴escape
transgression/ elopement

²¹⁵clogs
blocks of wood attached to the neck or leg to prevent escape

²¹⁶like yourself
on your behalf/as you would speak if you were calm
lay
apply
sentence
opinion/saying, maxim

²¹⁷grise
flight of stairs/single step

²¹⁸remedies are past
it is too late for remedies
griefs
hardships, suffering/distress

²¹⁹late
recently

²²⁰mischief
misfortune/wicked action

²²¹next
nearest

²²²takes
takes away/seizes hold/strikes

²²³Patience…makes
enduring it patiently enables one to make light of the
injury
inflicted by
fortune

²²⁵spends
engages in/exhausts/expends (perhaps with the suggestion of tears)
bootless
pointless/incurable

²²⁶beguile
cheat/deprive

²²⁸He…hears
he who derives only the easy comfort of such a saying certainly bears out your maxim (
bears the sentence
plays on the sense of “undergoes judicial sentence”)

²²⁹free
easy/unrestrained/costless

²³¹to…borrow
must try to abate his grief with the scant resources of patience
poor
unfortunate/feeble/impecunious

²³²These…equivocal
i.e. such maxims are just as sweet as they are bitter, so they are equally valid in whichever fashion they are applied

²³⁵bruisèd
crushed, battered
pierced
affected, moved (i.e. soothed)
through the ears
i.e. by words

²³⁸fortitude
strength

²³⁹allowed sufficiency
acknowledged ability, demonstrable competence

²⁴⁰opinion
public opinion
effects
events/outcomes

²⁴¹throws…you
votes for you as the more secure choice

²⁴²slubber
soil, smear

²⁴³stubborn
difficult/unyielding
boisterous
rough, violent

²⁴⁵flinty
hard, stony
couch
bed (in addition to the nature of
war
in general, Othello also refers to having to sleep on the ground in one’s armor)

²⁴⁶thrice-driven
i.e. extremely soft, having had the lightest feathers separated from the rest three times over
down
fine feathers of young birds
agnize
acknowledge

²⁴⁷alacrity
readiness

²⁴⁸hardness
hardship/a hard bed

²⁵⁰bending…state
submitting (possibly bowing) to your authority as duke

²⁵¹fit disposition
suitable arrangements

²⁵²reference…exhibition
assignment of lodgings and financial maintenance

²⁵³accommodation
provision/lodgings
besort
suitable company

²⁵⁴levels with
equals/befits

²⁶⁰eye
sight

²⁶¹unfolding
ensuing speech/explanation
prosperous
favorable

²⁶²charter
permission/ privilege

²⁶³simpleness
unassuming disposition/guilelessness/foolishness

²⁶⁶violence
violation of convention/extreme strength of feeling
storm of fortunes
the tempestuous nature of my lot/the disruption of my privileged life

²⁶⁷subdued Even to
entirely submissive to/wholly conquered by

²⁶⁸very quality
fundamental nature

²⁷⁰parts
qualities

²⁷¹consecrate
dedicate solemnly, devote

²⁷³moth
i.e. insignificant creature/ creature that hovers idly/source of expense

²⁷⁴rites
rites of love/rights, privileges

²⁷⁶dear
heartfelt/costly

²⁷⁷voice
support, consent

²⁷⁸Vouch
witness

²⁸⁰comply with heat
submit to sexual desire
young affects
youthful passions

²⁸¹defunct…satisfaction
no longer active (
defunct
, dead) desire for sexual satisfaction

²⁸²free
generous

²⁸³heaven
may heaven
that
if

²⁸⁴scant
neglect/diminish

²⁸⁵toys
trifles/Cupid’s arrows

²⁸⁶feathered
alludes either to Cupid’s wings or to his arrows
Cupid
Roman god of love (traditionally depicted as a blind boy with wings)
seel
blind (literally to sew up the eyes of a young hawk for training purposes)
wanton dullness
postcoital lethargy

²⁸⁷speculative…instrument
i.e. eyes, official faculties of vision

²⁸⁸That
so that
disports
(sexual) entertainments

²⁸⁹skillet
cooking pot
helm
helmet

²⁹⁰indign
unworthy, dishonorable

²⁹¹Make head
advance/raise troops
estimation
reputation

²⁹³cries
calls for

³⁰⁰quality and respect
significance and relevance

³⁰¹import
concern

³⁰⁴conveyance
escorting

³⁰⁹delighted
delightful

³¹⁰fair
beautiful/pale/virtuous
black
ugly/dark-complexioned/wicked

³¹⁴Honest
honorable/virtuous/truthful