Othello (9 page)

IAGO
   O, they are our friends. But one cup: I’ll drink for
     you.

CASSIO
   I have drunk but one cup tonight, and that was
     
craftily qualified
³⁴
too, and behold what innovation it makes
     here: I am
infortunate
³⁵
in the infirmity and dare not task my
     weakness with any more.

IAGO
   What, man? ’Tis a night of revels: the gallants
     desire it.

CASSIO
   Where are they?

IAGO
   Here at the door. I pray you call them in.

CASSIO
   I’ll do’t, but
it dislikes me
⁴⁰
.

Exit

IAGO
   If I can fasten but one cup upon him,
     With that which he hath drunk tonight already,
     He’ll be as full of quarrel and
offence
⁴³
     As
my young mistress’ dog
⁴⁴
. Now, my sick fool Rodorigo,
     Whom love hath turned almost the wrong side out,
     To Desdemona hath tonight
caroused
⁴⁶
     
Potations pottle-deep
⁴⁷
; and he’s to watch:
     Three else of Cyprus, noble
swelling
⁴⁸
spirits —
     
That hold their honours in a wary distance
⁴⁹
,
     The very
elements
⁵⁰
of this warlike isle —
     Have I tonight
flustered
⁵¹
with flowing cups,
     And they
watch
⁵²
too. Now, ’mongst this flock of drunkards
     Am I to put our Cassio in some
action
⁵³
     That may offend the isle.— But here they come:

Enter Cassio, Montano and Gentlemen

Servants following with wine

     If consequence do but
approve
⁵⁵
my dream,
     My boat sails freely, both with wind and
stream
⁵⁶
.

CASSIO
   ’Fore heaven, they have given me a
rouse
⁵⁷
already.

MONTANO
   Good faith, a little one, not past a pint, as I am a
     soldier.

IAGO
   Some wine, ho!

Sings

     And let me the
cannikin
⁶⁰
clink, clink,

     And let me the cannikin clink.
     A soldier’s a man,
     O, man’s life’s but a
span
⁶³
:

Why, then, let a soldier drink.
     Some wine, boys!

CASSIO
   ’Fore heaven, an excellent song.

IAGO
   I learned it in England, where indeed they are
most potent
⁶⁷
     in potting
: your Dane, your German, and
     your
swag-bellied
⁶⁸
Hollander— Drink, ho!— are nothing to your
     English.

CASSIO
   Is your Englishman so exquisite in his drinking?

IAGO
   Why, he
drinks
⁷²
      you
with facility, your Dane dead drunk: he sweats not to overthrow your
Almain
⁷³
: he gives
     your Hollander a vomit ere the next
pottle
⁷⁴
can be filled.

CASSIO
   To the health of our general!

MONTANO
   I am for it, lieutenant, and I’ll
do you justice
⁷⁶
.

IAGO
   O sweet England!

Sings

King Stephen
⁷⁸
was and-a worthy peer,

His breeches cost him but a
crown
⁷⁹
:

He
held
⁸⁰
them sixpence all too dear,

With that he called the tailor
lown
⁸¹
.

He was a wight of high renown,

And thou art but of low degree:

’Tis pride that pulls the country down:
     Then take thy
auld
⁸⁵
cloak about thee.
     Some wine, ho!

CASSIO
   Why, this is a more exquisite song than the other.

IAGO
   Will you hear’t again?

CASSIO
   No, for I hold him to be unworthy of his place that
     does those things. Well, heav’n’s above all, and there be souls
     must be saved, and there be souls must not be saved.

IAGO
   It’s true, good lieutenant.

CASSIO
   For mine own part — no offence to the general, nor
     any man of
quality
⁹⁴
— I hope to be saved.

IAGO
   And so do I too, lieutenant.

CASSIO
   Ay, but, by your leave, not before me: the lieutenant
     is to be saved before the ancient. Let’s have no more of this:
      let’s to our affairs. Forgive us our sins! Gentlemen, let’s look
     to our business. Do not think, gentlemen, I am drunk: this is
     my ancient, this is my right hand, and this is my left. I am not
     drunk now: I can stand well enough, and I speak well
     enough.

GENTLEMEN
   Excellent well.

CASSIO
   Why, very well then: you must not think then, that I
     am drunk.

Exit

MONTANO
   To
th’platform
¹⁰⁶
, masters. Come, let’s set the watch.

Starts to leave

[
Exeunt Gentlemen?
]

IAGO
   You see this fellow that is gone before:

To Montano

     He’s a soldier fit to stand by Caesar
     And give direction. And do but see his vice:
     ’Tis to his virtue a
just equinox
¹¹⁰
,
     The one as long as th’other. ’Tis
pity of
¹¹¹
him.
     I fear the trust Othello puts him in
     On some odd time of his infirmity
     Will shake this island.

MONTANO
   But is he often thus?

IAGO
   ’Tis evermore his prologue to his sleep:
     He’ll
watch the horologe a double set
¹¹⁷
,
     If drink rock not his cradle.

MONTANO
   It were well
     The general were put in mind of it.
     Perhaps he sees it not, or his good nature
     Prizes the virtue that appears in Cassio
     And looks not on his evils: is not this true?

Enter Rodorigo

IAGO
   How now, Rodorigo?

Aside to Rodorigo

     I pray you, after the lieutenant, go.

[
Exit Rodorigo
]

MONTANO
   And ’tis great pity that the noble Moor
     Should
hazard such a place as his own second
¹²⁷
     With one of an
ingraft
¹²⁸
infirmity:
     It were an honest action to say so
     To the Moor.

IAGO
   Not I, for this fair island:
     I do love Cassio well and would do much
     To cure him of this evil.—

Cry within

          But, hark! What noise?

Enter Cassio pursuing Rodorigo

CASSIO
   You rogue! You rascal!

MONTANO
   What’s the matter, lieutenant?

CASSIO
   A
knave
¹³⁶
teach me my duty?
     I’ll beat the knave into a
twiggen bottle
¹³⁷
.

RODORIGO
   Beat me?

CASSIO
   Dost thou prate, rogue?

Strikes Rodorigo

MONTANO
   Nay, good lieutenant:

Stops him

     I pray you, sir,
hold
¹⁴¹
your hand.

CASSIO
   Let me go, sir,
     Or I’ll knock you o’er the
mazzard
¹⁴³
.

MONTANO
   Come, come, you’re drunk.

CASSIO
   Drunk?

They fight

IAGO
   Away, I say: go out and cry a

Aside to Rodorigo

     mutiny.—

[
Exit Rodorigo
]

     Nay, good lieutenant— Alas, gentlemen—
     Help, ho!— Lieutenant— Sir Montano— Sir—
     Help,
masters
¹⁴⁹
!— Here’s a goodly watch indeed!

Bell rings

     Who’s that which rings the
bell
¹⁵⁰
?—
Diablo
, ho!
     The town will
rise
¹⁵¹
. Fie, fie, lieutenant!
     You’ll be
ashamed
¹⁵²
for ever.

Enter Othello and Attendants

With weapons

OTHELLO
   What is the matter here?

MONTANO
   I bleed still: I am hurt to th’death. He dies!

Attacks Cassio?

OTHELLO
   Hold, for your lives!

IAGO
   Hold, ho! Lieutenant— Sir Montano— Gentlemen,
     Have you forgot all sense of
place
¹⁵⁷
and duty?
     Hold! The general speaks to you. Hold, for shame!

OTHELLO
   Why, how now, ho! From whence ariseth this?
     Are we
turned Turks
¹⁶⁰
, and to ourselves do that
     Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites?
     For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl!
     He that stirs next to
carve
¹⁶³
for his own rage
     Holds his soul
light
¹⁶⁴
: he dies upon his motion.—
     Silence that
dreadful
¹⁶⁵
bell: it frights the isle
     
From her propriety
¹⁶⁶
.— What is the matter, masters?
     Honest Iago, that looks dead with
grieving
¹⁶⁷
,
     Speak: who began this? On thy
love
¹⁶⁸
, I charge thee.

IAGO
   I do not know. Friends all but now, even now,
     In
quarter
¹⁷⁰
and in terms like bride and groom
     
Devesting them
¹⁷¹
for bed: and then, but now —
     As if some planet had
unwitted men
¹⁷²
—
     Swords out, and
tilting
¹⁷³
one at other’s breasts
     In opposition bloody. I cannot speak
     Any beginning to this
peevish odds
¹⁷⁵
,
     And
would
¹⁷⁶
in action glorious I had lost
     Those legs that brought me to a part of it!

OTHELLO
   How comes it, Michael, you
are thus forgot
¹⁷⁸
?

CASSIO
   I pray you pardon me: I cannot speak.

OTHELLO
   Worthy Montano, you were
wont
¹⁸⁰
to be civil:
     The gravity and
stillness
¹⁸¹
of your youth
     The world hath noted, and your name is great
     In mouths of wisest
censure
¹⁸³
. What’s the matter
     That you
unlace
¹⁸⁴
your reputation thus
     And spend your rich
opinion
¹⁸⁵
for the name
     Of a night-brawler? Give me answer to it.

MONTANO
   Worthy Othello, I am hurt to danger:
     Your officer, Iago, can inform you —
     While I spare speech, which something now
offends
¹⁸⁹
me —
     Of all that I do know, nor know I
aught
¹⁹⁰
     By me that’s said or done amiss this night,
     Unless self-charity be sometimes a vice,
     And to defend ourselves it be a sin
     When violence assails us.

OTHELLO
   Now, by heaven,
     My
blood
¹⁹⁶
begins my safer guides to rule,
     And passion — having my best judgement
collied
¹⁹⁷
—
     
Assays
¹⁹⁸
to lead the way: if I once stir,
     Or do but lift this arm, the best of you
     Shall sink in my rebuke. Give me to know
     How this foul
rout
²⁰¹
began, who set it on,
     And he that is
approved
²⁰²
in this offence,
     Though he had
twinned with me, both at a birth
²⁰³
,
     Shall lose me. What, in a
town of war
²⁰⁴
     Yet
wild
²⁰⁵
, the people’s hearts brim-full of fear,
     To
manage
²⁰⁶
private and domestic quarrel?
     In night, and
on the court and guard of safety
²⁰⁷
?
     ’Tis
monstrous
²⁰⁸
. Iago, who began’t?

MONTANO
   If
partially affined, or leagued in office
²⁰⁹
,

To Iago

     Thou dost deliver more or less than truth,
     Thou art no soldier.

IAGO
  
Touch
²¹²
me not so near:
     I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth
     Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio,
     Yet, I persuade myself, to speak the truth
     Shall nothing wrong him. This it is, general:
     Montano and myself being in speech,
     There comes a fellow crying out for help,
     And Cassio following him
with determined sword
²¹⁹
     To execute upon him
. Sir, this gentleman