The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (978 page)

You will not say anything good about me.

IAGO

No, let me not.

No, I won’t.

DESDEMONA

What wouldst thou write of me, if thou shouldst

What verse would you write of me if you had to say

praise me?

something nice?

IAGO

O gentle lady, do not put me to't;

Gentle lady, do not make me do that.

For I am nothing, if not critical.

I am a critical person by nature.

DESDEMONA

Come on assay. There's one gone to the harbour?

Come on, try. And has someone gone to the harbor?

IAGO

Ay, madam.

Yes, madam.

DESDEMONA

I am not merry; but I do beguile

I am not really this playful, but I don’t want to show

The thing I am, by seeming otherwise.

How I really am by seeming other than playful.

Come, how wouldst thou praise me?

Come on, how would you praise me?

IAGO

I am about it; but indeed my invention

I am thinking, but creative verse

Comes from my pate as birdlime does from frize;

Comes from my head as difficultly as sticky birdlime comes out of wool cloth.

It plucks out brains and all: but my Muse labours,

It takes all of my brains. But my Muse has worked at it,

And thus she is deliver'd.

And I have something:

If she be fair and wise, fairness and wit,

“If a woman has beauty and intelligence,

The one's for use, the other useth it.

She uses her beauty to get what she wants, and uses it as a tool of her intelligence.”

DESDEMONA

Well praised! How if she be black and witty?

Well said! But what if she is ugly and smart?

IAGO

If she be black, and thereto have a wit,

“If she is ugly, but still have brains,

She'll find a white that shall her blackness fit.

She will trick some handsome man to love her ugliness.”

DESDEMONA

Worse and worse.

This is getting even worse.

EMILIA

How if fair and foolish?

What if she is beautiful and dumb?

IAGO

She never yet was foolish that was fair;

“No beautiful woman was ever dumb,

For even her folly help'd her to an heir.

Because even her foolishness makes her seem attractive.”

DESDEMONA

These are old fond paradoxes to make fools laugh i'

These are old jokes intended for laughs in

the alehouse. What miserable praise hast thou for

the tavern. What awful things do you have to say

her that's foul and foolish?

About the woman who is ugly and dumb?

IAGO

There's none so foul and foolish thereunto,

“No matter how dumb and ugly a woman is,

But does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do.

She tricks men just like the beautiful and smart ones do.”

DESDEMONA

O heavy ignorance! thou praisest the worst best.

O you are so ignorant! You praise the worst combination most!

But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving

But what would you say about a very good woman,

woman indeed, one that, in the authority of her

one that, based on her own

merit, did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself?

good merit, can have nothing bad said of her?

IAGO

She that was ever fair and never proud,

“She who was beautiful but never proud,

Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,

Could speak well but was never loud,

Never lack'd gold and yet went never gay,

Always looked good, but not ostentatious,

Fled from her wish and yet said 'Now I may,'

Who could get what she wanted, but chose against it,

She that being anger'd, her revenge being nigh,

Who when angry was not revengeful,

Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,

And overlooked it when people wronged her,

She that in wisdom never was so frail

She whose wisdom is not so weak that she would

To change the cod's head for the salmon's tail;

Mix up the head of a codfish with the tail of a salmon,

She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind,

She who can think but doesnt need to reveal her thoughts,

See suitors following and not look behind,

Who sees suitors following after her but does not look behind at them,

She was a wight, if ever such wight were,--

She is a woman, if ever such a woman existed–

DESDEMONA

To do what?

And what would she do?

IAGO

To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.

She would raise children, and keep track of trifles.

DESDEMONA

O most lame and impotent conclusion! Do not learn

O what a pathetic ending! Do not listen

of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband. How say

to him, Emilia, even if he is your husband. What do

you, Cassio? is he not a most profane and liberal

you think, Cassio? Isn’t he the rudest

counsellor?

teacher?

CASSIO

He speaks home, madam: You may relish him more in

He speaks commonly, madam. You will find more worth in him

the soldier than in the scholar.

as a soldier than as a scholar.

IAGO

[Aside] He takes her by the palm: ay, well said,

He holds her hand. Yes, good,

whisper: with as little a web as this will I

whisper together. This itself is enough

ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon

for me to use Cassio for my plans. Good, smile

her, do; I will gyve thee in thine own courtship.

at her. Your manners will help me bind you.

You say true; 'tis so, indeed: if such tricks as

You speak truly  of your manners: if they

these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had

will be used to take your rank away from you, maybe you should

been better you had not kissed your three fingers so

not have done such polite mannerisms so

oft, which now again you are most apt to play the

often, which you are very good at

sir in. Very good; well kissed! an excellent

doing. Very good, kiss her! A wonderful

courtesy! 'tis so, indeed. Yet again your fingers

gesture indeed. And again you place your fingers

to your lips? would they were clyster-pipes for your sake!

to your lips? If only they were enema tubes to clean out your crap!

Trumpet within

The Moor! I know his trumpet.

That’s the Moor; I recognize his trumpet!

CASSIO

'Tis truly so.

It’s true.

DESDEMONA

Let's meet him and receive him.

Let’s go meet him.

CASSIO

Lo, where he comes!

There he is, coming to us.

Enter OTHELLO and Attendants

OTHELLO

O my fair warrior!

O my beautiful warrior!

DESDEMONA

My dear Othello!

My dear Othello!

OTHELLO

It gives me wonder great as my content

I am amazed as well as happy

To see you here before me. O my soul's joy!

To see you here before I arrived. O joy!

If after every tempest come such calms,

If every storm had after it such calms,

May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!

Then the winds should blow so hard that they wake the dead!

And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas

Let the ships ride the high waves,

Olympus-high and duck again as low

As high as Mt. Olympus, and duck low again,

As hell's from heaven! If it were now to die,

As far as hell is from heaven! If I died now,

'Twere now to be most happy; for, I fear,

I would die most happy, for I fear

My soul hath her content so absolute

That since I am so completely content,

That not another comfort like to this

No comfort will come close to this

Succeeds in unknown fate.

In my lifetime.

DESDEMONA

The heavens forbid

I pray to God

But that our loves and comforts should increase,

That our love and comfort increases

Even as our days do grow!

As we grow older!

OTHELLO

Amen to that, sweet powers!

Amen to that!

I cannot speak enough of this content;

I cannot say anything more about my happiness,

It stops me here; it is too much of joy:

It forces me to stop speaking because it is too much to comprehend.

And this, and this, the greatest discords be

And I hope this kiss is the greatest fight

Kissing her

That e'er our hearts shall make!

That we ever face!

IAGO

[Aside] O, you are well tuned now!

O, you are in good spirits now!

But I'll set down the pegs that make this music,

I’ll bring you down from this height,

As honest as I am.

Since I am the honest man.

OTHELLO

Come, let us to the castle.

Come, let’s go to the castle.

News, friends; our wars are done, the Turks are drown'd.

Friends, our fighting is over; the Turks have drowned.

How does my old acquaintance of this isle?

How are my old friends on the island?

Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus;

Honey, you will be loved here in Cyprus;

I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet,

I myself have been treated well here. O my sweet,

I prattle out of fashion, and I dote

I am talking nonsense and I am obsessing

In mine own comforts. I prithee, good Iago,

Over my happiness. Please, good Iago,

Go to the bay and disembark my coffers:

Go to the bay and get me things,

Bring thou the master to the citadel;

And bring the captain of the ship to the castle.

He is a good one, and his worthiness

He is a good soldier, and his worth

Does challenge much respect. Come, Desdemona,

Makes me respect him greatly. Come, Desdemona,

Once more, well met at Cyprus.

I’ll say it again, I am happy to see you at Cyprus!

Exeunt OTHELLO, DESDEMONA, and Attendants

IAGO

Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. Come

Meet me at the harbor now. Come

hither. If thou be'st valiant,-- as, they say, base

on. If you are brave – as they say, evil