MaximumEdge.com | | Search | | E-Mail | | News | | Weather | | Finance | | Directory | | Music | | Lottery Results | | Horoscopes | | Translation | | Games | | E-Cards | | Maps | | Jobs | | Magazines | | DVDs |

MaximumEdge.com
Shakespeare

Home > Othello > ACT IV - SCENE II. A room in the castle.

Search: Othello


< (Previous) ACT IV, SCENE IACT IV, III (Next) >

ACT IV - SCENE II. A room in the castle.
Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA

OTHELLO
1    You have seen nothing then?
EMILIA
2    Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.
OTHELLO
3    Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.
EMILIA
4    But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
5    Each syllable that breath made up between them.
OTHELLO
6    What, did they never whisper?
EMILIA
7    Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
8    Nor send you out o' the way?
EMILIA
9    Never.
OTHELLO
10   To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?
EMILIA
11   Never, my lord.
OTHELLO
12   That's strange.
EMILIA
13   I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
14   Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,
15   Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
16   If any wretch have put this in your head,
17   Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!
18   For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
19   There's no man happy; the purest of their wives
20   Is foul as slander.
OTHELLO
21   Bid her come hither: go.
Exit EMILIA
22   She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd
23   That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
24   A closet lock and key of villanous secrets
25   And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't.
Enter DESDEMONA with EMILIA

DESDEMONA
26   My lord, what is your will?
OTHELLO
27   Pray, chuck, come hither.
DESDEMONA
28   What is your pleasure?
OTHELLO
29   Let me see your eyes;
30   Look in my face.
DESDEMONA
31   What horrible fancy's this?
OTHELLO
To EMILIA
32    Some of your function, mistress;
33   Leave procreants alone and shut the door;
34   Cough, or cry 'hem,' if any body come:
35   Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.
Exit EMILIA

DESDEMONA
36   Upon my knees, what doth your speech import?
37   I understand a fury in your words.
38   But not the words.
OTHELLO
39   Why, what art thou?
DESDEMONA
40   Your wife, my lord; your true
41   And loyal wife.
OTHELLO
42   Come, swear it, damn thyself
43   Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves
44   Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd:
45   Swear thou art honest.
DESDEMONA
46   Heaven doth truly know it.
OTHELLO
47   Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.
DESDEMONA
48   To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false?
OTHELLO
49   O Desdemona! away! away! away!
DESDEMONA
50   Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep?
51   Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?
52   If haply you my father do suspect
53   An instrument of this your calling back,
54   Lay not your blame on me: If you have lost him,
55   Why, I have lost him too.
OTHELLO
56   Had it pleased heaven
57   To try me with affliction; had they rain'd
58   All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head.
59   Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips,
60   Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,
61   I should have found in some place of my soul
62   A drop of patience: but, alas, to make me
63   A fixed figure for the time of scorn
64   To point his slow unmoving finger at!
65   Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:
66   But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,
67   Where either I must live, or bear no life;
68   The fountain from the which my current runs,
69   Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!
70   Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
71   To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,
72   Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin,--
73   Ay, there, look grim as hell!
DESDEMONA
74   I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
OTHELLO
75   O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles,
76   That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,
77   Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet
78   That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst
79   ne'er been born!
DESDEMONA
80   Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
OTHELLO
81   Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
82   Made to write 'whore' upon? What committed!
83   Committed! O thou public commoner!
84   I should make very forges of my cheeks,
85   That would to cinders burn up modesty,
86   Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
87   Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks,
88   The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets
89   Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,
90   And will not hear it. What committed!
91   Impudent strumpet!
DESDEMONA
92   By heaven, you do me wrong.
OTHELLO
93   Are you not a strumpet?
DESDEMONA
94   No, as I am a Christian:
95   If to preserve this vessel for my lord
96   From any other foul unlawful touch
97   Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
OTHELLO
98   What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA
99   No, as I shall be saved.
OTHELLO
100  Is't possible?
DESDEMONA
101  O, heaven forgive us!
OTHELLO
102  I cry you mercy, then:
103  I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
104  That married with Othello.
Raising his voice
105  You, mistress,
106  That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
107  And keep the gate of hell!
Re-enter EMILIA
108  You, you, ay, you!
109  We have done our course; there's money for your pains:
110  I pray you, turn the key and keep our counsel.
Exit

EMILIA
111  Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
112  How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady?
DESDEMONA
113  'Faith, half asleep.
EMILIA
114  Good madam, what's the matter with my lord?
DESDEMONA
115  With who?
EMILIA
116  Why, with my lord, madam.
DESDEMONA
117  Who is thy lord?
EMILIA
118  He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA
119  I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia;
120  I cannot weep; nor answer have I none,
121  But what should go by water. Prithee, tonight
122  Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember;
123  And call thy husband hither.
EMILIA
124  Here's a change indeed!
Exit

DESDEMONA
125  'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.
126  How have I been behaved, that he might stick
127  The small'st opinion on my least misuse?
Re-enter EMILIA with IAGO

IAGO
128  What is your pleasure, madam?
129  How is't with you?
DESDEMONA
130  I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes
131  Do it with gentle means and easy tasks:
132  He might have chid me so; for, in good faith,
133  I am a child to chiding.
IAGO
134  What's the matter, lady?
EMILIA
135  Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her.
136  Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
137  As true hearts cannot bear.
DESDEMONA
138  Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO
139  What name, fair lady?
DESDEMONA
140  Such as she says my lord did say I was.
EMILIA
141  He call'd her whore: a beggar in his drink
142  Could not have laid such terms upon his callat.
IAGO
143  Why did he so?
DESDEMONA
144  I do not know; I am sure I am none such.
IAGO
145  Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day!
EMILIA
146  Hath she forsook so many noble matches,
147  Her father and her country and her friends,
148  To be call'd whore? would it not make one weep?
DESDEMONA
149  It is my wretched fortune.
IAGO
150  Beshrew him for't!
151  How comes this trick upon him?
DESDEMONA
152  Nay, heaven doth know.
EMILIA
153  I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain,
154  Some busy and insinuating rogue,
155  Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
156  Have not devised this slander; I'll be hang'd else.
IAGO
157  Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible.
DESDEMONA
158  If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
EMILIA
159  A halter pardon him! and hell gnaw his bones!
160  Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?
161  What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
162  The Moor's abused by some most villanous knave,
163  Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.
164  O heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold,
165  And put in every honest hand a whip
166  To lash the rascals naked through the world
167  Even from the east to the west!
IAGO
168  Speak within door.
EMILIA
169  O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
170  That turn'd your wit the seamy side without,
171  And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO
172  You are a fool; go to.
DESDEMONA
173  O good Iago,
174  What shall I do to win my lord again?
175  Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,
176  I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel:
177  If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
178  Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
179  Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
180  Delighted them in any other form;
181  Or that I do not yet, and ever did.
182  And ever will--though he do shake me off
183  To beggarly divorcement--love him dearly,
184  Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much;
185  And his unkindness may defeat my life,
186  But never taint my love. I cannot say 'whore:'
187  It does abhor me now I speak the word;
188  To do the act that might the addition earn
189  Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
IAGO
190  I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humour:
191  The business of the state does him offence,
192  And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA
193  If 'twere no other--
IAGO
194  'Tis but so, I warrant.
Trumpets within
195  Hark, how these instruments summon to supper!
196  The messengers of Venice stay the meat;
197  Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA
Enter RODERIGO
198  How now, Roderigo!
RODERIGO
199  I do not find that thou dealest justly with me.
IAGO
200  What in the contrary?
RODERIGO
201  Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago;
202  and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me
203  all conveniency than suppliest me with the least
204  advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure
205  it, nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace what
206  already I have foolishly suffered.
IAGO
207  Will you hear me, Roderigo?
RODERIGO
208  'Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and
209  performances are no kin together.
IAGO
210  You charge me most unjustly.
RODERIGO
211  With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of
212  my means. The jewels you have had from me to
213  deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a
214  votarist: you have told me she hath received them
215  and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden
216  respect and acquaintance, but I find none.
IAGO
217  Well; go to; very well.
RODERIGO
218  Very well! go to! I cannot go to, man; nor 'tis
219  not very well: nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin
220  to find myself fobbed in it.
IAGO
221  Very well.
RODERIGO
222  I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make myself
223  known to Desdemona: if she will return me my
224  jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my
225  unlawful solicitation; if not, assure yourself I
226  will seek satisfaction of you.
IAGO
227  You have said now.
RODERIGO
228  Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of doing.
IAGO
229  Why, now I see there's mettle in thee, and even from
230  this instant to build on thee a better opinion than
231  ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo: thou hast
232  taken against me a most just exception; but yet, I
233  protest, I have dealt most directly in thy affair.
RODERIGO
234  It hath not appeared.
IAGO
235  I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your
236  suspicion is not without wit and judgment. But,
237  Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I
238  have greater reason to believe now than ever, I mean
239  purpose, courage and valour, this night show it: if
240  thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona,
241  take me from this world with treachery and devise
242  engines for my life.
RODERIGO
243  Well, what is it? is it within reason and compass?
IAGO
244  Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice
245  to depute Cassio in Othello's place.
RODERIGO
246  Is that true? why, then Othello and Desdemona
247  return again to Venice.
IAGO
248  O, no; he goes into Mauritania and takes away with
249  him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be
250  lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be
251  so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
RODERIGO
252  How do you mean, removing of him?
IAGO
253  Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place;
254  knocking out his brains.
RODERIGO
255  And that you would have me to do?
IAGO
256  Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right.
257  He sups to-night with a harlotry, and thither will I
258  go to him: he knows not yet of his horrorable
259  fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which
260  I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one,
261  you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near
262  to second your attempt, and he shall fall between
263  us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with
264  me; I will show you such a necessity in his death
265  that you shall think yourself bound to put it on
266  him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows
267  to waste: about it.
RODERIGO
268  I will hear further reason for this.
IAGO
269  And you shall be satisfied.
Exeunt

< (Previous) ACT IV, SCENE IACT IV, III (Next) >
Scene Index
ACT I
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III


  • ACT II
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III


  • ACT III
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV


  • ACT IV
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III


  • ACT V
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II

  • ©1999-. All rights reserved.Contact
    Part of the MaximumEdge.com Network.Add Bookmark