A room in the castle.
[Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA]
OTHELLO You have seen nothing then?
EMILIA Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.
OTHELLO Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.
EMILIA But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
Each syllable that breath made up between them.
OTHELLO What, did they never whisper?
EMILIA Never, my lord.
OTHELLO Nor send you out o’ the way?
EMILIA Never.
OTHELLO To fetch her fan,
her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?
EMILIA Never, my lord.
OTHELLO That’s strange.
EMILIA I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,
Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
If any wretch have put this in your head,
Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!
For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
There’s no man happy.
OTHELLO Bid her come hither: go.
[Exit EMILIA]
She says enough; yet she’s a simple bawd
That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
A closet lock and key of villanous secrets
And yet she’ll kneel and pray; I have seen her do’t.
[Enter DESDEMONA with EMILIA]
DESDEMONA My lord, what is your will?
OTHELLO Pray, chuck, come hither.
DESDEMONA What is your pleasure?
OTHELLO Let me see your eyes;
Look in my face.
DESDEMONA What horrible fancy’s this?
Upon my knees, what doth your speech import?
I understand a fury in your words.
But not the words.
OTHELLO Why, what art thou?
DESDEMONA Your wife, my lord; your true
And loyal wife.
OTHELLO Swear thou art honest.
DESDEMONA Heaven doth truly know it.
OTHELLO
Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.
DESDEMONA To whom, my lord?
with whom? how am I false?
OTHELLO O Desdemona! away! away! away!
Had it pleased heaven
To try me with affliction; had they rain’d
All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head.
Steep’d me in poverty to the very lips,
Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,
I should have found in some place of my soul
A drop of patience:
But there, where I have garner’d up my heart,
Where either I must live, or bear no life;
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
To knot and gender in!
DESDEMONA
I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.
OTHELLO O thou weed,
Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet
That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst
ne’er been born!
DESDEMONA
Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
OTHELLO Committed! O thou public commoner!
I should make very forges of my cheeks,
That would to cinders burn up modesty,
Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
Impudent strumpet!
DESDEMONA By heaven, you do me wrong.
OTHELLO What, not a whore?
DESDEMONA No, as I shall be saved.
OTHELLO I cry you mercy, then:
I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
That married with Othello.
[Raising his voice]
You, mistress,
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
And keep the gate of hell!
[Re-enter EMILIA]
You, you, ay, you!
There’s money for your pains:
[Exit]
EMILIA Good madam,
what’s the matter with my lord?
DESDEMONA Who is thy lord?
EMILIA He that is yours, sweet lady.
DESDEMONA I have none. Prithee, tonight
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets: remember;
And call thy husband hither.
EMILIA Here’s a change indeed!
[Exit]
DESDEMONA
‘Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.
How have I been behaved, that he might stick
The small’st opinion on my least misuse?
[Re-enter EMILIA with IAGO]
IAGO What is your pleasure, madam?
How is’t with you?
DESDEMONA I cannot tell.
IAGO What’s the matter, lady?
EMILIA Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her.
Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
As true hearts cannot bear.
DESDEMONA Am I that name, Iago?
IAGO What name, fair lady?
DESDEMONA
Such as she says my lord did say I was.
EMILIA He call’d her whore: a beggar in his drink
Could not have laid such terms upon his callat.
IAGO Why did he so?
DESDEMONA
I do not know; I am sure I am none such.
EMILIA I will be hang’d, if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue, to get some office,
Have not devised this slander; I’ll be hang’d else.
IAGO Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible.
DESDEMONA If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
EMILIA A halter pardon him! and hell gnaw his bones!
Why should he call her whore? who keeps her company?
What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
The Moor’s abused by some most villanous knave,
Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.
O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
That turn’d your wit the seamy side without,
And made you to suspect me with the Moor.
IAGO You are a fool; go to.
DESDEMONA O good Iago,
What shall I do to win my lord again?
Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,
I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel:
If e’er my will did trespass ‘gainst his love,
Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
Delighted them in any other form;
Or that I do not yet, and ever did.
And ever will love him dearly,
Comfort forswear me!
IAGO I pray you, be content; ’tis but his humour:
The business of the state does him offence,
And he does chide with you.
DESDEMONA If ’twere no other–
IAGO ‘Tis but so, I warrant.
[Trumpets within]
Hark, how these instruments summon to supper!
The messengers of Venice stay the meat;
Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
[Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA]
[Enter RODERIGO]
How now, Roderigo!
RODERIGO
I do not find that thou dealest justly with me.
IAGO What in the contrary?
RODERIGO
Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago;
and rather, and keepest from me all conveniency
than suppliest me with the least advantage of hope.
IAGO You charge me most unjustly.
RODERIGO With nought but truth. I have wasted
myself out of my means. The jewels you have had
from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have
corrupted a votarist: you have told me she hath
received them and returned me expectations, but
I find none.
IAGO Well; go to; very well.
RODERIGO I tell you ’tis not very well. I will make
myself known to Desdemona: if she will return me
my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my
unlawful solicitation; if not, assure yourself I will
seek satisfaction of you.
IAGO Why, now I see there’s mettle in thee.
Give me thy hand, Roderigo:
if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I
have greater reason to believe now than ever, I mean
purpose, courage and valour, this night show it: if
thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona,
take me from this world with treachery.
RODERIGO Well,
what is it? is it within reason and compass?
IAGO Sir, there is especial commission come from
Venice to depute Cassio in Othello’s place.
RODERIGO Why, then Othello and Desdemona
return again to Venice.
IAGO O, no; he goes into Mauritania and takes away
with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be
lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be
so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
RODERIGO How do you mean, removing of him?
IAGO Why,
by making him uncapable of Othello’s place;
knocking out his brains.
RODERIGO And that you would have me to do?
IAGO Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right.
He sups to-night with a harlotry,
If you will watch his going thence,
you may take him at your pleasure: I will be near
to second your attempt, and he shall fall between
us. Come, stand not amazed.
I will show you such a necessity in his death
that you shall think yourself bound to put it on
him. The night grows to waste: about it.
RODERIGO I will hear further reason for this.
IAGO And you shall be satisfied.
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