Othello (34 page)

³⁴⁷
preposterous
perverse/illogical/monstrous
conclusions
outcomes

³⁴⁸
motions
impulses, emotions
carnal stings
sexual urges (with phallic connotations)

³⁴⁹
unbitted
unbridled, unrestrained

³⁵⁰
sect or scion
cutting or shoot

³⁵³
will
personal inclination/ sexual desire

³⁵⁵
knit
tied firmly, committed
perdurable
indestructible

³⁵⁶
stead
help, support

³⁵⁷
defeat…beard
disfigure your face with a false beard (or perhaps “by growing a beard”)

³⁶²
answerable sequestration
corresponding separation

³⁶⁴
locusts
fruit of the carob tree

³⁶⁵
coloquintida
colocynth, a
bitter
apple

³⁶⁶
change for youth
exchange Othello for a younger man/because she’s young (and therefore changeable)

³⁶⁸
delicate
enjoyable/elegant/ingenious

³⁶⁹
Make
raise

³⁷⁰
sanctimony
holiness
erring
roving/blundering/sinful
barbarian
person from Barbary/uncivilized savage

³⁷¹
supersubtle
extremely refined/supremely cunning

³⁷³
pox of
plague on
pox
plague, venereal disease
clean…way
entirely the wrong measure to take

³⁷⁴
in
for
compassing
achieving/sexually embracing
joy
sexual pleasure/Desdemona

³⁷⁶
fast
reliable/constant

³⁷⁷
issue
outcome

³⁷⁸
art
i.e. may be

³⁸⁰
hearted
grounded in the heart

³⁸¹
conjunctive
united

³⁸²
cuckold him
make him a cuckold (i.e. a man with an unfaithful wife)

³⁸⁴
Traverse
move (a military command)

³⁸⁸
betimes
early

³⁸⁹
Go to
expression of dismissive impatience

³⁹²
profane
abuse/treat irreverently

³⁹³
snipe
fool, dupe/type of bird

³⁹⁴
But
except

³⁹⁵
abroad
i.e. widely

³⁹⁶
done my office
performed my role (i.e. had sex with my wife)

³⁹⁷
in that kind
of that nature

³⁹⁸
do…surety
proceed as if it were a certainty
holds me well
has a good opinion of me

⁴⁰⁰
proper
handsome/fine/accomplished

⁴⁰¹
plume up
glorify/put a feather in the cap of

⁴⁰⁴
he
i.e. Cassio

⁴⁰⁵
person
presence/appearance
dispose
disposition/manner

⁴⁰⁶
framed
formed
false
unfaithful (to their husbands)

⁴⁰⁷
free
frank/generous

⁴⁰⁹
tenderly
easily

⁴¹¹
engend’red
conceived

⁴¹²
monstrous
unnatural, deformed

¹
cape
headland

²
high-wrought flood
agitated sea

³
main
sea

⁴
Descry
catch sight of

⁷
ruffianed
behaved as a ruffian, i.e. raged

⁸
ribs
strengthening timbers in the framework of a ship mountains mountainous waves

⁹
hold the mortise
keep their joints secure

¹⁰
segregation
dispersal

¹²
chidden
rebuked, repelled (by the shore) billow ocean swell

¹³
mane
puns on “main” (i.e. sea)

¹⁴
burning bear
the constellation Ursa Minor (used for navigation)

¹⁵
guards
the two stars in Ursa Minor that were second in brightness to the Pole Star pole the Pole Star or North Star

¹⁶
like molestation
similar turbulence

¹⁷
enchafèd
furious, roused

¹⁹
embayed
sheltered in a bay

²³
designment
enterprise

²⁴
sufferance
damage

²⁸
Veronesa
ship from or built in Verona (city in northern Italy)

³¹
in…here
on his way here with full delegated authority

³⁴
Touching
regarding sadly serious, grave

³⁵
pray
i.e. prays

³⁹
full
complete, perfect

⁴²
the…regard
the blueness of the sea and the sky one indistinguishable sight

⁴⁶
arrivancy
people arriving

⁴⁸
approve
praise, testify to the worth of

⁵²
bark
ship pilot ship’s captain

⁵³
Of… allowance
acknowledged to be a man of proven expertise

⁵⁴
not…cure
not being fatally overindulged, remain confident of a good outcome (medical metaphor: “surfeit” refers to the gastrointestinal problems that result from too much food and drink)

⁵⁸
brow o’th’sea
i.e. a cliff top

⁶⁰
shape him for
imagine it to be

⁶¹
shot of courtesy
welcoming cannon shot

⁶⁷
achieved
won

⁶⁸
paragons
excels wild unrestrained/excited fame report

⁶⁹
quirks
clever conceits/verbal tricks blazoning praising/proclaiming/vividly descriptive

⁷⁰
th’essential…creation
the innate God-given beauty of body or soul vesture clothing

⁷¹
tire the engineer
exhaust the writer trying to describe her (tire, picking up on vesture, puns on “attire”) engineer author

⁷²
put in
i.e. arrived at the harbor

⁷⁴
speed
haste/good fortune

⁷⁶
guttered
jagged congregated sands massed sands, i.e. sandbanks

⁷⁷
ensteeped
immersed in water enclog obstruct

⁷⁸
As
as if omit neglect

⁷⁹
mortal
deadly

⁸³
in…of
to be escorted by

⁸⁴
footing
landing anticipates…speed occurs a week earlier than we had expected

⁸⁵
sennight’s
week’s Jove supreme Roman god

⁸⁷
tall
brave/fine/tall-masted

⁸⁸
quick
lively/rapid/burning

⁸⁹
extincted
extinguished

⁹⁵
Enwheel
encircle

¹⁰²
fellowship
company, i.e. group of ships

¹⁰⁴
citadel
fortress (where a garrison would have been stationed)

¹⁰⁸
gall
vex, irritate

¹⁰⁹
breeding
upbringing

¹¹²
tongue
i.e. in speaking incessantly/in kissing

¹¹⁴
has no speech
is not a great talker/has been rendered silent with embarrassment at Iago’s words

¹¹⁶
still
always leave a free moment/permission

¹¹⁷
before
in the presence of

¹¹⁹
chides
scolds

¹²¹
pictures
i.e. silent/attractive in appearance

¹²²
bells
i.e. noisy and jangling parlours nods at the original meaning of the word: “room set aside for conversation”

¹²³
players
triflers as opposed to serious workers

¹²⁴
housewifery
housekeeping housewives hussies, whores

¹²⁶
Turk
i.e. an infidel, not to be trusted

¹²⁷
play
with sexual connotations work do chores/have sex

¹³³
assay
try/put me to the test

¹³⁵
beguile
divert attention from

¹³⁸
invention
inventiveness

¹³⁹
pate
head/brains birdlime sticky substance spread on twigs to catch birds frieze coarse woolen cloth

¹⁴⁰
muse
inspiring goddess labours toils/is in the process of giving birth (a sense continued with delivered)

¹⁴²
fair
beautiful/fair-haired wit intelligence, perhaps playing on a “genital” sense

¹⁴³
The…it
i.e. wisdom will make use of fairness; use plays on sense of “sexual employment”

¹⁴⁴
black
dark-haired and/or complexioned

¹⁴⁵
thereto
in addition

¹⁴⁶
white
fair-complexioned person (puns on “wight,” meaning “person,” and possibly “wit,” witty fellow) blackness plays on sense of “vagina”
fit
suit/fit into during sex

¹⁵⁰
folly
foolishness/lewdness
to an heir
to marry an heir/get pregnant

¹⁵¹
fond
foolish

¹⁵³
foul
ugly/black

¹⁵⁴
thereunto
in addition

¹⁵⁵
foul pranks
lewd acts

¹⁵⁶
heavy
grievous/burdensome

¹⁵⁸
one…itself
one whose virtue is so powerful that it rightfully compels the approving testimony of malice itself

¹⁶¹
tongue
i.e. speech, plays on sense of “oral sex”
at will
when she wanted, plays on sense of “will”—carnal desire/penis

¹⁶²
gay
showily dressed

¹⁶³
Fled…may
denied her own wishes even when she knew she might indulge them/denied her lover until she chose

¹⁶⁷
change…tail
i.e. have (adulterous) sex
cod’s head
penissalmon’s tail vagina

¹⁷⁰
wight
person, plays on “white” meaning “target” (vagina)

¹⁷²
suckle
breastfeed
chronicle small beer
concern herself with trivial matters

¹⁷⁵
liberal
freely spoken/licentious

¹⁷⁶
home
directly

¹⁷⁷
in the
in the role of a

¹⁸⁰
gyve
shackle

¹⁸¹
courtship
courtly manners (plays on sense of “wooing”)
You…indeed
Iago mockingly pretends to speak to Cassio tricks fashionable mannerisms, courtly practices

¹⁸³
kissed…fingers
a gesture of courtesy to a lady

¹⁸⁴
sir
i.e. well-bred gentleman

¹⁸⁵
courtesy
bow, courteous gesture

¹⁸⁶
clyster-pipes
tubes used for anal administration of medicine or enemas