The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (993 page)

OTHELLO retires

Now will I question Cassio of Bianca,

I will ask Cassio about Bianca,

A housewife that by selling her desires

A prostitute that sells sex

Buys herself bread and clothes: it is a creature

So that she can buy food and clothes. She

That dotes on Cassio; as 'tis the strumpet's plague

Loves Cassio – it is the loose woman’s curse

To beguile many and be beguiled by one:

To convince many to love her, but to be in love with one.

He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain

When he hears talk about her, he won’t be able to stop

From the excess of laughter. Here he comes:

Laughing. Here he comes.

Re-enter CASSIO

As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad;

He will smile, and Othello will go crazy.

And his unbookish jealousy must construe

His unhinged jealousy will interpret

Poor Cassio's smiles, gestures and light behavior,

Cassio’s smiles, actions, and happy behavior

Quite in the wrong. How do you now, lieutenant?

Wrongly. How are you, lieutenant?

CASSIO

The worser that you give me the addition

I am worse when you call me by that rank

Whose want even kills me.

Since I want it back so badly.

IAGO

Ply Desdemona well, and you are sure on't.

Beg Desdemona well, and you will get it.

Speaking lower

Now, if this suit lay in Bianca's power,

Now if it were up to Bianca,

How quickly should you speed!

You would have it back so quickly!

CASSIO

Alas, poor caitiff!

Ah, poor awful woman.

OTHELLO

Look, how he laughs already!

Look how he laughs!

IAGO

I never knew woman love man so.

I never knew a woman who was so in love with a man.

CASSIO

Alas, poor rogue! I think, i' faith, she loves me.

That poor rogue! I think that she really does love me.

OTHELLO

Now he denies it faintly, and laughs it out.

Now he denies it quietly and tries to laugh it away.

IAGO

Do you hear, Cassio?

Have you heard this, Cassio?

OTHELLO

Now he importunes him

Now Iago is asking him

To tell it o'er: go to; well said, well said.

To tell the story again. Well played.

IAGO

She gives it out that you shall marry hey:

She says that you are to marry – 

Do you intend it?

Do you intend to do this?

CASSIO

Ha, ha, ha!

Ha ha ha!

OTHELLO

Do you triumph, Roman? do you triumph?

Do you think you have won, really?

CASSIO

I marry her! what? a customer! Prithee, bear some

I marry her! What? I am only a customer! Please, give

charity to my wit: do not think it so unwholesome.

my intelligence some credit – I am not that dumb.

Ha, ha, ha!

Ha ha ha!

OTHELLO

So, so, so, so: they laugh that win.

Well, well, well – the true winner has the last laugh.

IAGO

'Faith, the cry goes that you shall marry her.

Really! The word is that you are going to marry her.

CASSIO

Prithee, say true.

Please, speak honestly.

IAGO

I am a very villain else.

I am, and would be a villain to say otherwise.

OTHELLO

Have you scored me? Well.

Have you made her pregnant as well? Fine.

CASSIO

This is the monkey's own giving out: she is

Then this is made up by her, that monkey. She

persuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and

thinks I will marry her because she loves me and

flattery, not out of my promise.

flatters herself, but it is not backed up by me.

OTHELLO

Iago beckons me; now he begins the story.

Iago is motioning that Cassio is beginning the story.

CASSIO

She was here even now; she haunts me in every place.

She was just here – she follows me everywhere.

I was the other day talking on the sea-bank with

The other day I was talking on the shore with

certain Venetians; and thither comes the bauble,

a few Venetians and here comes that fool,

and, by this hand, she falls me thus about my neck--

takes me by the hand, and puts her arms around me like this–

OTHELLO

Crying 'O dear Cassio!' as it were: his gesture imports it.

It looks like he is motioning how she cried out his name.

CASSIO

So hangs, and lolls, and weeps upon me; so hales,

She hangs on me, and cries over me, and shakes me like this,

and pulls me: ha, ha, ha!

and pulls on me like this. Ha ha ha!

OTHELLO

Now he tells how she plucked him to my chamber. O,

Now he is telling how she took him to my room. O,

I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall

I see your nose, but I cannot yet see the dog that I will

throw it to.

throw it to.

CASSIO

Well, I must leave her company.

Well, I must stay away from her.

IAGO

Before me! look, where she comes.

Then look out, for here she comes.

CASSIO

'Tis such another fitchew! marry a perfumed one.

It’s a whore like all of the others, wearing perfume.

Enter BIANCA

What do you mean by this haunting of me?

Why do you keep following me?

BIANCA

Let the devil and his dam haunt you! What did you

I hope the devil and his wife haunt you! Why did

mean by that same handkerchief you gave me even now?

you give me that handkerchief earlier?

I was a fine fool to take it. I must take out the

I was a fool to take it. And I must copy it for you?

work?--A likely piece of work, that you should find

A likely story, that you would find it

it in your chamber, and not know who left it there!

in your room and not know who put it there!

This is some minx's token, and I must take out the

This is some token from another woman, and you want me to

work? There; give it your hobby-horse: wheresoever

copy it? There, take it, give it back to the other woman

you had it, I'll take out no work on't.

For I will not copy it for you.

CASSIO

How now, my sweet Bianca! how now! how now!

Oh don’t be like that, sweet Bianca!

OTHELLO

By heaven, that should be my handkerchief!

By God, that is my handkerchief!

BIANCA

An you'll come to supper to-night, you may; an you

If you want to have dinner with me tonight, you may.

will not, come when you are next prepared for.

If you do not want to, then come some other time.

Exit

IAGO

After her, after her.

Go after her.

CASSIO

'Faith, I must; she'll rail in the street else.

Truly, I must or else she will scream in the streets.

IAGO

Will you sup there?

Will you eat there tonight?

CASSIO

'Faith, I intend so.

Yes, I think so.

IAGO

Well, I may chance to see you; for I would very fain

Well I might see you then. I would very much like

speak with you.

to speak with you.

CASSIO

Prithee, come; will you?

Please do come.

IAGO

Go to; say no more.

Go after her and say no more now.

Exit CASSIO

OTHELLO

[Advancing] How shall I murder him, Iago?

How should I kill him, Iago?

IAGO

Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice?

So you saw how he laughed at his sins?

OTHELLO

O Iago!

O Iago!

IAGO

And did you see the handkerchief?

Did you see the handkerchief?

OTHELLO

Was that mine?

Was that mine?

IAGO

Yours by this hand: and to see how he prizes the

Yes, yours. And you can see how highly he prizes

foolish woman your wife! she gave it him, and he

your foolish wife, for she gave it to him and he

hath given it his whore.

gave it to his whore.

OTHELLO

I would have him nine years a-killing.

I would like to kill him for nine years straight.

A fine woman! a fair woman! a sweet woman!

She is such a fine, sweet woman!

IAGO

Nay, you must forget that.

No, forget about that.

OTHELLO

Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to-night;

Yes, she can rot and die and be damned,

for she shall not live: no, my heart is turned to

because she will no longer live. No, my heart has turned

stone; I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the

to stone and it hurts my hand when I hit it. The

world hath not a sweeter creature: she might lie by

world has not seen a sweeter woman – she could sleep

an emperor's side and command him tasks.

with the emperor himself and still tell him what to do.

IAGO

Nay, that's not your way.

No, that is not who you are.

OTHELLO

Hang her! I do but say what she is: so delicate

Damn her! I am only saying what she is in reality. She

with her needle: an admirable musician: O! she

is a good seamstress and a wonderful musician – she

will sing the savageness out of a bear: of so high

could calm a bear with her voice – and she has such

and plenteous wit and invention:--

a clever mind –

IAGO

She's the worse for all this.

All the worse that she ended up like this.

OTHELLO

O, a thousand thousand times: and then, of so

A thousand times worse – O and she has

gentle a condition!

such a sweet personality.

IAGO

Ay, too gentle.

Too sweet, perhaps.

OTHELLO