Othello (8 page)

Trumpet within

CASSIO
   ’Tis truly so.

DESDEMONA
   Let’s meet him and receive him.

CASSIO
  
Lo
¹⁹⁰
, where he comes!

Enter Othello and Attendants

OTHELLO
   O my fair warrior!

DESDEMONA
   My dear Othello!

OTHELLO
   It gives me wonder great as my content
     To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!
     If after every tempest come such calms,
     May the winds blow till they have wakened death!
     And let the labouring
bark
¹⁹⁷
climb hills of seas
     
Olympus-high
¹⁹⁸
and duck again as low
     As hell’s from heaven! If it were now
to die
¹⁹⁹
,
     ’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear
     My soul hath her content so absolute
     That not another comfort like to this
     
Succeeds
²⁰³
in unknown fate.

DESDEMONA
   The heavens forbid
     But that our loves and comforts should increase,
     Even as our days do grow!

OTHELLO
   Amen to that, sweet powers!
     I cannot speak enough of this content:
     It
stops
²⁰⁹
me here: it is too much of joy.
     And this, and this, the greatest discords be

Kisses her

     That e’er our hearts shall make!

IAGO
   O, you are well tuned now!

Aside

     But I’ll
set down
²¹³
the pegs that make this music,
     As honest as I am.

OTHELLO
   Come, let us to the castle.—

To Desdemona

     News, friends: our wars are done, the Turks are drowned.
     How does my old acquaintance of this isle?—
     Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus:
     I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet,
     I
prattle
²²⁰
out of fashion, and I dote
     In mine own
comforts
²²¹
. I prithee, good Iago,
     Go to the bay and disembark my
coffers
²²²
.
     Bring thou the
master
²²³
to the citadel:
     He is a good one, and his worthiness
     Does
challenge
²²⁵
much respect.— Come, Desdemona,
     Once more, well met at Cyprus.

Exeunt Othello and Desdemona

[
with Attendants. Iago and Rodorigo remain
]

IAGO
   Do thou meet me presently at the

To an Attendant

     harbour.—

as he exits

Come hither. If thou be’st valiant — as they say

To Rodorigo

base
²²⁹
men being in love have then a nobility in their natures
      more than is native to them —
list
²³⁰
me: the lieutenant tonight
     
watches on the court of guard
²³¹
is on duty at the guardhouse. First, I must tell thee this:
     Desdemona is
directly
²³²
in love with him.

RODORIGO
   With him? Why, ’tis not possible.

IAGO
   Lay thy finger
thus
²³⁴
, and let thy soul be instructed.
     
Mark me
²³⁵
with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for
     bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for
     
prating
²³⁷
? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be
     fed: and what delight shall she have to look on the devil?
     When the blood is made
dull
²³⁹
with the act of sport, there
     should be
a game
²⁴⁰
to inflame it and to give satiety a fresh
     appetite, loveliness in
favour
²⁴¹
, sympathy in years, manners
     and beauties, all which the Moor is defective in. Now,
     for want of these
required conveniences
²⁴³
, her delicate
     tenderness will find itself abused, begin to
heave the gorge
²⁴⁴
,
     
disrelish
²⁴⁵
and abhor the Moor: very nature will instruct her in
     it and compel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this
     granted — as it is a most
pregnant
²⁴⁷
and unforced position—
     who stands so
eminent in the degree
²⁴⁸
of this fortune as Cassio
     does? A knave very
voluble
²⁴⁹
, no further conscionable than
     in putting on the mere form of civil and
humane
²⁵⁰
seeming
     for the better
compass
²⁵¹
of his salt and most hidden loose
     affection? Why, none, why, none. A
slipper
²⁵²
and subtle knave,
     a finder of
occasion
²⁵³
, that has an eye can stamp and
     counterfeit
advantages
²⁵⁴
, though true advantage never
     present itself: a devilish knave. Besides, the knave is
     handsome, young, and hath all those requisites in him that
     
folly
²⁵⁷
and green minds look after. A pestilent complete knave,
     and the woman hath found him already.

RODORIGO
   I cannot believe that in her: she’s full of most
     blessed
condition
²⁶⁰
.

IAGO
  
Blessed fig’s-end!
The wine she drinks is made of
²⁶¹
     grapes
. If she had been blessed, she would never have loved
     the Moor. Blessed
pudding
²⁶³
! Didst thou not see her paddle
     with the palm of his hand? Didst not mark that?

RODORIGO
   Yes, that I did, but that was but courtesy.

IAGO
   Lechery, by this hand: an
index
²⁶⁶
and obscure
     prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met
     so near with their lips that their breaths embraced together.
     Villainous thoughts, Rodorigo! When these
mutabilities
²⁶⁹
so
     marshal the way,
hard
²⁷⁰
at hand comes the master and main
     
exercise
²⁷¹
, th’incorporate conclusion. Pish! But, sir, be you
     ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice.
Watch you
²⁷²
     tonight:
for the command, I’ll lay’t upon you
²⁷³
. Cassio knows
     you not. I’ll not be far from you. Do you find some occasion
     to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or
tainting his
²⁷⁵
     discipline
, or from what other course you please, which the
     time shall more favourably
minister
²⁷⁷
.

RODORIGO
   Well.

IAGO
   Sir, he’s rash and very sudden in
choler
²⁷⁹
, and haply
     may strike at you: provoke him that he may, for even out
     of that will I cause
these
²⁸¹
of Cyprus to mutiny, whose
     qualification shall come into no true taste again but by the
     
displanting
²⁸³
of Cassio. So shall you have a shorter journey to
     your desires by the means I shall then have to
prefer
²⁸⁴
them,
     and the impediment most profitably removed, without the
     which there were no expectation of our
prosperity
²⁸⁶
.

RODORIGO
  
I will do this, if you can bring it to any opportunity
²⁸⁷
.

IAGO
   I
warrant
²⁸⁸
thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel: I
     must fetch
his
²⁸⁹
necessaries ashore. Farewell.

RODORIGO
   Adieu.

Exit

IAGO
   That Cassio loves her, I do well believe’t:
     That she loves him, ’tis
apt
²⁹²
and of great credit.
     The Moor —
howbeit that I endure him not
²⁹³
—
     Is of a constant, loving, noble nature,
     And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona
     A most
dear
²⁹⁶
husband. Now, I do love her too,
     Not out of absolute lust — though
peradventure
²⁹⁷
     I stand
accountant
²⁹⁸
for as great a sin —
     But partly led to
diet
²⁹⁹
my revenge,
     
For that
³⁰⁰
I do suspect the lusty Moor
     Hath
leaped into
³⁰¹
my seat, the thought whereof
     Doth — like a poisonous mineral — gnaw my inwards:
     And nothing can or shall content my soul
     Till I am evened with him, wife for wife,
     Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor
     At least into a jealousy so strong
     That judgement cannot cure. Which thing to do,
     If this
poor trash of Venice
³⁰⁸
, whom I trace
     
For
³⁰⁹
his quick hunting, stand the putting on,
     I’ll have our Michael Cassio
on the hip
³¹⁰
,
     Abuse him to the Moor in the
right garb
³¹¹
—
     For I fear Cassio with my
night-cap
³¹²
too —
     Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me
     For making him
egregiously
³¹⁴
an ass
     And
practising upon
³¹⁵
his peace and quiet
     Even to madness.
’Tis here
³¹⁶
, but yet confused:
     Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.

Exit

Location: Cyprus

Enter Othello’s Herald with a proclamation

HERALD
   It is Othello’s pleasure, our noble and valiant
     general, that upon certain tidings now arrived, importing
     the
mere perdition
³
of the Turkish fleet, every man put
     himself into
triumph
⁴
: some to dance, some to make bonfires,
     each man to what sport and revels his
addition
⁵
leads him, for
     besides these beneficial news, it is the celebration of his
     
nuptial
. So much was his pleasure should be proclaimed. All
     
offices
⁸
are open, and there is full liberty of feasting from this
     present hour of five till the bell have
told
⁹
eleven. Bless the isle
     of Cyprus and our noble general Othello!

Exit

Location: Cyprus (the citadel)

Enter Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Attendants

OTHELLO
   Good Michael, look you to the guard tonight:
     Let’s teach ourselves that honourable
stop
²
     Not to
outsport discretion
³
.

CASSIO
   Iago hath direction what to do,
     But notwithstanding, with my personal eye
     Will I look to’t.

OTHELLO
   Iago is most honest.
     Michael, goodnight: tomorrow
with your earliest
⁸
     Let me have speech with you.—
          Come, my dear love,

To Desdemona

     
The purchase made, the fruits are to ensue
¹⁰
:
     That profit’s yet to come ’tween me and you.—
     Goodnight.

Exeunt [Othello, Desdemona and Attendants
]

Enter Iago

CASSIO
   Welcome, Iago: we must to the watch.

IAGO
   Not this hour, lieutenant: ’tis not yet ten o’th’clock.
     Our general
cast
¹⁵
us thus early for the love of his Desdemona,
     who let us not therefore blame: he hath not yet made
     
wanton
¹⁷
the night with her, and she is sport for Jove.

CASSIO
   She’s a most
exquisite
¹⁸
lady.

IAGO
   And, I’ll warrant her,
full of game
¹⁹
.

CASSIO
   Indeed, she’s a most fresh and
delicate
²⁰
creature.

IAGO
   What an eye she has! Methinks it
sounds a parley
²¹
to
     provocation.

CASSIO
   An inviting eye, and yet methinks right modest.

IAGO
   And when she speaks, is it not an
alarum
²³
to love?

CASSIO
   She is indeed perfection.

IAGO
   Well, happiness to their sheets! Come, lieutenant, I
     have a
stoup
²⁶
of wine, and here without are a brace of Cyprus
     
gallants
²⁷
that would fain have a measure to the health of
     black Othello.

CASSIO
   Not tonight, good Iago: I have very poor and
     
unhappy
³⁰
brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy
     would invent some other custom of entertainment.