Othello (35 page)

¹⁹⁰
Lo
look

¹⁹⁷
bark
sailing ship

¹⁹⁸
Olympus-high
as high as Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods

¹⁹⁹
to die
my time to die

²⁰³
Succeeds
can follow

²⁰⁹
stops
arrests/chokes here at this very moment/in my heart or throat

²¹³
set down
loosen

²²⁰
prattle
chatter
out of fashion
contrary to my usual manner/unfashionably dote behave foolishly/indulge

²²¹
comforts
happiness

²²²
coffers
boxes, trunks

²²³
master
ship’s captain

²²⁵
challenge
claim, require

²²⁹
base
lowborn/unworthy

²³⁰
list
listen to

²³¹
watches…guard

²³²
directly
completely

²³⁴
thus
i.e. on the lips

²³⁵
Mark me
note, recollect but only

²³⁷
prating
chattering discreet discerning, prudent

²³⁹
dull
sluggish
act of sport
sex

²⁴⁰
a game
sexual play/a new quarry

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favour
appearance sympathy similarity

²⁴³
required conveniences
necessary correspondences (or “advantages”)

²⁴⁴
heave the gorge
retch

²⁴⁵
disrelish
find distasteful

²⁴⁷
pregnant
evident position proposition, assertion

²⁴⁸
eminent…degree
i.e. first in line eminent high/conspicuous degree step

²⁴⁹
voluble
inconstant/glib conscionable ruled by conscience

²⁵⁰
humane
courteous/kindly seeming appearance

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compass
achievement salt lecherous

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slipper
slippery subtle cunning

²⁵³
occasion
opportunity stamp coin

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advantages
opportunities true genuine/honest

²⁵⁷
folly
foolishness/lewdness green young/inexperienced after out for pestilent poisonous/confounded complete perfect, consummate

²⁶⁰
condition
disposition

²⁶¹
Blessed fig’s-end!
exclamation of dismissive contempt fig’s-end vagina

²⁶¹
The…grapes
i.e. she’s as mortal (and open to desire) as the next person

²⁶³
pudding
sausage/penis paddle stroke/play with her fingers

²⁶⁶
index
table of contents/preface (plays on the sense of the pointing “forefinger”) obscure hidden

²⁶⁹
mutabilities
changes, signs of sexual fickleness

²⁷⁰
hard
close main may contribute to the language of hands and fingers with a play on the French
main
(“hand”)

²⁷¹
exercise
action/sexual act incorporate carnal, united in one body

²⁷²
Watch you
remain alert, be on the lookout

²⁷³
for…you
I’ll bestow on you the leading role in carrying out our plan/I’ll give you instructions about what to do

²⁷⁵
tainting his discipline
casting aspersions on his military skill

²⁷⁷
minister
provide

²⁷⁹
choler
anger haply perhaps/with any luck

²⁸¹
these
i.e. the people whose…again i.e. who will not be appeased

²⁸³
displanting
uprooting, supplanting

²⁸⁴
prefer
promote, advance

²⁸⁶
prosperity
success

²⁸⁷
I…opportunity
it will bring about any opportunity for me

²⁸⁸
warrant
assure

²⁸⁹
his
i.e. Othello’s

²⁹²
apt
likely/appropriate of great credit very believable

²⁹³
howbeit…not
although I cannot bear him

²⁹⁶
dear
beloved, precious (with grim play on the sense of “costly”)

²⁹⁷
peradventure
perhaps/probably

²⁹⁸
accountant
accountable

²⁹⁹
diet
feed

³⁰⁰
For that
because

³⁰¹
leaped into
plays on the sense of “mounted sexually” seat official place/saddle/(wife’s) vagina

³⁰⁸
poor…Venice
i.e. Rodorigo trace follow

³⁰⁹
For
on account of stand…on continues to respond to my incitements (suggestive of urging dogs on in a hunt)

³¹⁰
on the hip
at a disadvantage

³¹¹
right garb
way I plan/most effective manner

³¹²
night-cap
wife/(wife’s) vagina; Iago suspects Cassio of having sex with Emilia

³¹⁴
egregiously
monstrously, shamefully

³¹⁵
practising upon
scheming against

³¹⁶
’Tis here
i.e. the plan exists/the plan is in my head

³
mere perdition
total destruction

⁴
triumph
public celebration of victory

⁵
addition
rank/occupation

⁷
nuptial
marriage

⁸
offices
kitchens, pantries

⁹
told
counted, struck

²
stop
restraint

³
outsport discretion
make merry beyond the bounds of prudence

⁸
with your earliest
at your earliest convenience

¹⁰
the…ensue
i.e. though married, Othello and Desdemona have yet to consummate their union

¹⁵
cast
dismissed

¹⁷
wanton
sportive/amorous/lascivious Jove the supreme Roman god was known for his amorous encounters with beautiful women

¹⁸
exquisite
accomplished, perfect

¹⁹
full of game
sexually sportive, lustful

²⁰
delicate
charming/ dainty/elegant

²¹
sounds a parley
issues a summons (literally, to military negotiations)

²³
alarum
call to arms

²⁶
stoup
cup, tankard without outside brace pair

²⁷
gallants
fine young men disposed to pleasure fain gladly have a measure i.e. drink a toast

³⁰
unhappy
unfortunate

³⁴
craftily qualified
skillfully diluted innovation alteration/ revolution

³⁵
infortunate
unfortunate, unlucky

⁴⁰
it dislikes me
it displeases me/I do it reluctantly

⁴³
offence
aggression, readiness to take offense

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my…dog
the overindulged lapdog of a young lady sick lovesick

⁴⁶
caroused
drunk as a toast

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Potations pottle-deep
half-gallon draughts watch remain alert, be on the lookout (for a chance to provoke Cassio)

⁴⁸
swelling
proud

⁴⁹
That… distance
who are very conscious of protecting their honors (and thus quick to take offense)

⁵⁰
elements
essence, typical constituents

⁵¹
flustered
made drunkenly excitable

⁵²
watch
are awake

⁵³
action
deed/fight

⁵⁵
approve
prove, bear out

⁵⁶
stream
current

⁵⁷
rouse
large quantity of drink

⁶⁰
cannikin
small drinking vessel

⁶³
span
brief period (literally, span of the hand)

⁶⁷
most…potting
big drinkers

⁶⁸
swag-bellied
with a belly that sags heavily

⁷²
drinks you
drinks (you is emphatic)

⁷³
Almain
German

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pottle
half-gallon drinking vessel

⁷⁶
do you justice
i.e. match you in the amount you drink

⁷⁸
King Stephen
twelfth-century king of England and-a a

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crown
gold coin of varying value in different countries

⁸⁰
held
considered

⁸¹
lown
loon, rascal, base person

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auld
old

⁹⁴
quality
rank

¹⁰⁶
th’platform
the terrace on which guns were mounted and where the night watch stood guard set the watch mount the guard

¹¹⁰
just equinox
exact equal equinox moment when day and night are of equal length

¹¹¹
pity of
a pity about

¹¹⁷
watch…set
remain awake during two revolutions of the clock (horologe)

¹²⁷
hazard…second
risk as important a place as lieutenant

¹²⁸
ingraft
engrained

¹³⁶
knave
rogue/servant, low-ranking person

¹³⁷
twiggen bottle
wicker basket (i.e. Rodorigo’s body will be crisscrossed with wounds and bruises)

¹⁴¹
hold
hold back

¹⁴³
mazzard
head

¹⁴⁹
masters
sirs

¹⁵⁰
bell
town alarm bell Diablo devil (Spanish)

¹⁵¹
rise
rise up/riot

¹⁵²
ashamed
filled with shame/dishonored

¹⁵⁷
place
(your) official positions

¹⁶⁰
turned Turks
converted to Islam/betrayed ourselves that…Ottomites attack each other, which the heaven-sent storm prevented the Turks from doing to us; may also allude to Islamic prohibitions against alcohol/internecine strife

¹⁶³
carve
i.e. with his sword

¹⁶⁴
light
of small value he dies i.e. I’ll kill him

¹⁶⁵
dreadful
inspiring dread and terror

¹⁶⁶
From her propriety
out of its rightful ordered state

¹⁶⁷
grieving
distress, sorrow

¹⁶⁸
love
loyal affection for me

¹⁷⁰
quarter
conduct toward one another terms speech/relations with one another

¹⁷¹
Devesting them
undressing themselves

¹⁷²
unwitted men
deprived men of their senses

¹⁷³
tilting
thrusting

¹⁷⁵
peevish odds
senseless quarrel/headstrong conflict

¹⁷⁶
would
wish