The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (974 page)

And she in mine.

And how she grew in mine.

DUKE OF VENICE

Say it, Othello.

Tell us, Othello.

OTHELLO

Her father loved me; oft invited me;

Her father has loved me and often invited me to their home

Still question'd me the story of my life,

Where he asked me to recount the story of my life,

From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,

Each year, the battles and sieges and fortunes,

That I have passed.

That I have experienced.

I ran it through, even from my boyish days,

I told it all, even stories from my childhood,

To the very moment that he bade me tell it;

Everything up to the moment I was talking to him.

Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,

I spoke of dangerous risks,

Of moving accidents by flood and field

Of adventures on sea and land,

Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent deadly breach,

Of escaping by a hair from imminent death,

Of being taken by the insolent foe

Of being taken by an enemy

And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence

And sold into slavery, of buying my freedom.

And portance in my travels' history:

I told him also of the travels I have had,

Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,

Of deep caves and empty deserts,

Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven

Rocky places, mountains and hills that reach up to heaven,

It was my hint to speak,--such was the process;

I spoke about everything – that was the routine –

And of the Cannibals that each other eat,

About Cannibals that eat each other

The Anthropophagi and men whose heads

Called the Anthropophagi and those whose heads

Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear

Grow beneath their shoulders. All the while

Would Desdemona seriously incline:

Desdemona would lean in and listen seriously,

But still the house-affairs would draw her thence:

Though soon enough she would have to leave to do chores,

Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,

Which she did quickly so she could return

She'ld come again, and with a greedy ear

And listen again, wanting to hear

Devour up my discourse: which I observing,

Everything I was saying. I observed all of this

Took once a pliant hour, and found good means

 And when I was relaxing, I was able

To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart

To speak with her. She prayed earnestly

That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,

That I would tell her of everything

Whereof by parcels she had something heard,

Since she had heard some parts of the stories

But not intentively: I did consent,

But not everything. I agreed,

And often did beguile her of her tears,

And often my stories caused her to cry

When I did speak of some distressful stroke

When I spoke of some hardship

That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,

That I had suffered when I was younger. When I had finished,

She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

She sighed at the thought of my former pains

She swore, in faith, twas strange, 'twas passing strange,

And told me how strange

'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful:

And sad, truly sad, my story was.

She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'd

She said she wished that she had not heard it and yet that she wished

That heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me,

That heaven had made a man like me for her. She thanked me

And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,

And requested that, if I ever had a friend who loved her,

I should but teach him how to tell my story.

I would teach him how to tell a story like me,

And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:

And that she would fall in love with such a man. I took this hint and spoke to her.

She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,

She loved me for the dangerous events I had experienced

And I loved her that she did pity them.

And I loved her because she felt so strongly for me from the stories.

This only is the witchcraft I have used:

This is the only magic that I used.

Here comes the lady; let her witness it.

Here comes Desdemona herself, she can support what I have said.

Enter DESDEMONA, IAGO, and Attendants

DUKE OF VENICE

I think this tale would win my daughter too.

I think such a story would win my daughter’s heart, as well.

Good Brabantio,

Brabantio,

Take up this mangled matter at the best:

Try to make the most of this business.

Men do their broken weapons rather use

Using a broken weapon, even if its not what you want, is better

Than their bare hands.

Than using your empty, bare hands.

BRABANTIO

I pray you, hear her speak:

Please, here her side.

If she confess that she was half the wooer,

If she agrees and says it was mutual,

Destruction on my head, if my bad blame

Then I curse myself for allowing mistaken blame

Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress:

To come to someone. Come here, gentle woman:

Do you perceive in all this noble company

Do you understand in this group of noblemen

Where most you owe obedience?

To which one you owe your strongest obedience?

DESDEMONA

My noble father,

My noble father,

I do perceive here a divided duty:

I am conflicted:

To you I am bound for life and education;

I owe my life and education to you

My life and education both do learn me

And both have taught me

How to respect you; you are the lord of duty;

To respect you. You are the lord I give my duty to,

I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,

And up to this point I am your daughter. But over here is my husband,

And so much duty as my mother show'd

And as my mother gave more obedience

To you, preferring you before her father,

You over her own father,

So much I challenge that I may profess

So too I wish to announce

Due to the Moor my lord.

My obedience to the Moor.

BRABANTIO

God be wi' you! I have done.

God be with you! I am done with this.

Please it your grace, on to the state-affairs:

Please, your grace, move on to the national business:

I had rather to adopt a child than get it.

I would rather adopt a child.

Come hither, Moor:

Come here, Moor:

I here do give thee that with all my heart

I hereby give you with all my heart

Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart

That which if you didn’t already have it, with all my heart

I would keep from thee. For your sake, jewel,

I would keep from you. For your sake, daughter,

I am glad at soul I have no other child:

I am glad in my soul that I have no other child,

For thy escape would teach me tyranny,

For your running off would make me become tyrannous,

To hang clogs on them. I have done, my lord.

And want to tie them up at home. I am done, my lord.

DUKE OF VENICE

Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence,

Let me say something briefly, and give you some advice

Which, as a grise or step, may help these lovers.

Which may help you forgive these lovers.

When remedies are past, the griefs are ended

When it is too late to fix something, a sad situation often ends

By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.

By seeing it in the worst light since our hopes rested on fixing it.

To mourn a mischief that is past and gone

To stay sad when that situation is over

Is the next way to draw new mischief on.

Is the sure way to bring on new troubles.

What cannot be preserved when fortune takes

Luck may take something we want to keep,

Patience her injury a mockery makes.

But being patient through that situation mocks and injures Luck.

The robb'd that smiles steals something from the thief;

He who smiles while he is being robbed steals something from the thief,

He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.

But he who grieves robs himself of even more.

BRABANTIO

So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile;

Then we should let the Turks take Cyprus:

We lose it not, so long as we can smile.

As long as we smile, we do not really lose it.

He bears the sentence well that nothing bears

It’s easy to give advice when you do not have to feel the pain

But the free comfort which from thence he hears,

And instead can sit in your comfort and hear of others’ pain.

But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow

But he who has to bear the pain and listen to such advice

That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.

Might lose his patience from the weight of it all.

These sentences, to sugar, or to gall,

Your advice, both sweet and sour,

Being strong on both sides, are equivocal:

Is so extremely sweet and sour that it ends up meaning nothing.

But words are words; I never yet did hear

But words are only words and I have never heard

That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.

Of someone’s pain being comforted by hearing talk.

I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of state.

Please, move on to the state affairs.

DUKE OF VENICE

The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for

The Turk with a great fleet is heading to

Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude of the place is best

Cyprus. Othello, the strength of Cyprus is best

known to you; and though we have there a substitute

known to you and though we have an officer there

of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a

who is very good, the opinion here,

sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer

which ultimately makes decisions, is that you are  a better

voice on you: you must therefore be content to

option. Therefore, you must be ok

slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this

with putting off the celebrations of your marriage

more stubborn and boisterous expedition.

for this expedition.

OTHELLO

The tyrant custom, most grave senators,

The military life, respected senators,

Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war

Has made the dangerous bed of war

My thrice-driven bed of down: I do agnise

As comfortable as a bed of down feathers. I have