Othello (40 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: Othello
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52
hie thee
hurry yourself

59
couch
lie, sleep

61
bode
foretell

65
abuse
deceive, wrong

66
gross kind
a great way/a coarse manner

74
price
prize

78
joint-ring
ring consisting of two joined halves

79
lawn
fine linen

80
exhibition
gift

82
venture
risk (going to)

89
to th’vantage
in addition, besides

90
store
populate
played
gambled/had sex

92
fall
succumb sexually
duties
marital and sexual duties

93
our…laps
the semen that is due to us into other women’s vaginas

94
peevish
senseless/perverse/willful

96
scant
reduce/withhold
our former having
what we had before/our former financial means
despite
spite, malice

97
have galls
are capable of feeling bitterness and resentment
grace
charm/virtue/mercy

98
revenge
desire for revenge

102
change
exchange
sport
entertainment/sex

103
affection
desire, lust

107
use
treat/employ sexually

109
uses
habits (of thought)

110
Not…mend
not to learn bad habits from the bad behavior of others, but to learn from such examples to improve myself

1
bulk
framework projecting from the front of a shop, a stall

2
bare
unsheathed put it home drive it firmly to the target

4
mars
destroys

6
miscarry
go wrong, fail

11
quat
pimple to the sense raw, to the tenderest part

12
angry
inflamed/enraged

14
Live Rodorigo
should Rodorigo live

16
bobbed
cheated

17
gifts
i.e. supposed gifts

21
unfold
reveal

25
coat
(thick) overcoat/metal-plated garment worn under outer clothing

26
proof
trial

33
brave
excellent/noble

35
Minion
whore (addressing Desdemona)

36
unblest
unholy, damned hies hastens

37
of
out of, from

39
passage
passersby

40
direful
dreadful, dismal, horrible

44
heavy
overcast, gloomy

46
come in to
approach

49
in his shirt
in his nightshirt/without a jacket

58
spoiled
badly damaged, injured undone ruined

72
prove
discover by testing, find praise appraise

85
may you suspect
do you have any suspicions about

89
garter
band worn to hold up the stocking or as a belt or sash (Iago requires it for use as a tourniquet)

92
trash
worthless stuff, whore (i.e. Bianca)

102
accidents
events/mishaps

108
said
done

111
For
as for

112
Save…labour
don’t bother to try and help Cassio, leave him alone

117
the…eye
her terrified look gastness terror, dread

118
stare
i.e. gaze fixedly in horror (suggestive of guilt and an imminent confession)

133
honest
chaste

136
Cassio dressed
i.e. Cassio’s wound bandaged

141
fordoes me quite
ruins me completely

1
cause
offense/reason for action

5
alabaster
used for the construction of funeral monuments

7
Put…light
quench the torch or candle and then extinguish Desdemona’s life

8
flaming minister
i.e. the torch or candle minister servant

11
cunning’st pattern
most skillfully made model (cunning reverberates with its sense of “deception”)

12
Promethean
in Greek mythology the Titan Prometheus created humankind, for whom he also stole fire from heaven

13
relume
relight

14
vital
living

17
Justice
traditionally depicted as a blindfolded woman carrying scales and a sword

20
fatal
deadly, destructive/ doomed

22
strikes
delivers a blow/withers (used of frost)/destroys (used of God or of malign planetary influence)

27
Ay
yes; Folio’s “I” could mean both “I” and “ay” (yes) and sound identical

30
Solicit
beg forgiveness

32
I…to
it is all I can do not to

34
forfend
forbid

39
say
say so, say that

45
They…you
apparently alludes to the sin of loving a human more than God

61
Presently
imminently

63
article
item forming part of an accusation

64
conception
belief/plan

65
do groan withal
suffer with/am in labor with (playing on sense of pregnancy: conception)

69
Offend
sin against, commit a crime against

70
warranty
authorization

73
stone
harden, turn to stone

82
used
had sex with (Desdemona responds to a more general sense of “employed”)

87
ta’en order
made arrangements

90
stomach
appetite

96
strive
struggle

98
Being done
i.e. as I am resolved to do the deed/while it is being done is no pause must be no hesitation

108
By and by
in a moment (addressed to Emilia)

109
like
likely

110
noise
i.e. following the attack on Cassio high loud

118
yawn at alteration
gape open at this great change in nature

122
Soft
wait a moment curtains bed curtains

127
error
roaming, wandering off course/mistake

128
wont
accustomed

135
harsh
jarring, discordant

136
falsely
wrongfully, unjustly

139
Out, and alas!
i.e. alas (
out
is an intensifier)

153
folly
lewdness

154
belie
slander

158
top
mount sexually
else
otherwise — i.e. if you do not believe me

160
But
were it not

167
chrysolite
precious stone, a name given to various gems including the topaz

170
on
of

171
slime
viscous substance/semen

172
filthy deeds
whorish or impure sexual acts

174
iterance
iteration, repetition

175
made mocks with
made sport of/made a mockery of

180
pernicious
destructive/villainous

182
filthy bargain
i.e. Othello
filthy
dirty, black

187
Peace…best
you’d be better off remaining silent

189
be hurt
endure pain inflicted by you
gull
dupe

191
make thee known
expose you

203
apt
likely

209
charm
put a spell on, i.e. silence

228
lift up eye
i.e. look up to heaven

229
foul
corrupt/wicked/guilty of an accusation

230
uncle
i.e. Gratiano, presumably Brabantio’s brother

232
grim
cruel, merciless

234
mortal
fatal

235
Shore…thread
an allusion to the three Fates: one spun the thread of a man’s life, another measured it, and the third cut it

236
do…turn
i.e. kill himself; “despair” or “desperation” are terms for the state of spiritual hopelessness thought to precede suicide
turn
act

238
reprobance
rejection by God (suicide is a sin)

242
works
sexual acts

243
recognizance
token

245
antique
ancient

249
peace
be silent

250
liberal…north
freely as the north wind

256
dull
stupid (plays on the sense of “dark”)

259
belonged
was appropriate

264
Filth
foul thing/whore

266
coxcomb
fool (from the headgear of a professional fool, which resembled a cock’s comb)

268
stones
thunderbolts

269
Precious
utter, out-and-out

273
notorious
obvious, evident

274
recovered
taken

275
without
from the outside

279
whipster
worthless wretch

280
honour
good reputation
honesty
integrity (for which
honour
is gained)

283
swan…music
proverbially, swans sang just before they died

283
swan…music
proverbially, swans sang just before they died

289
the ice-brook’s temper
tempered (i.e. made hard) by immersing it in the water of an ice-cold brook

292
perforce
of necessity

294
naked
unarmed

297
A…sustain
i.e. a soldier never wore a better one
sustain
maintain a fixed position

301
your stop
the obstruction presented by you

304
Here
various possibilities: “in this place”/“this sword” (i.e. don’t be
afraid
, this will be
my
rather than your death)/Othello uses the sword to indicate the part of himself he is going to stab/Othello gestures to Desdemona or indicates the sword (with emphasis on
my
)
butt
goal, target (archery term)

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