READ STUDY GUIDE: Act IV, scenes ii–iii |
|
Act IV, Scene ii:
Cyprus. A Room in the Castle.
Cyprus. 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; the purest of their wives |
| Is foul as slander. |
| 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 villainous secrets: |
| And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't. |
| [Enter Emilia with Desdemona.] |
| 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? |
| OTHELLO: |
| Some of your function, mistress,[To Emilia.] |
| Leave procreants alone and shut the door; |
| Cough, or cry hem, if anybody come. |
| Your mystery, your mystery;—nay, despatch. |
| [Exit Emilia.] |
| DESDEMONA: |
| 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: |
| Come, swear it, damn thyself; |
| Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves |
| Should fear to seize thee: yherefore be double-damn'd.— |
| 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! |
| DESDEMONA: |
| Alas the heavy day!—Why do you weep? |
| Am I the motive of these tears, my lord? |
| If haply you my father do suspect |
| An instrument of this your calling back, |
| Lay not your blame on me: if you have lost him, |
| Why, I have lost him too. |
| OTHELLO: |
| Had it pleas'd 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, alas, to make me |
| A fixed figure for the time, for scorn |
| To point his slow unmoving finger at!— |
| Yet could I bear that too; well, very well: |
| 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!—turn thy complexion there, |
| Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin,— |
| Ay, there, look grim as hell! |
| DESDEMONA: |
| I hope my noble lord esteems me honest. |
| OTHELLO: |
| O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles, |
| That quicken even with blowing. 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: |
| Was this fair paper, this most goodly book, |
| Made to write whore upon? What committed! |
| 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! |
| Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks; |
| The bawdy wind, that kisses all it meets, |
| Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth, |
| And will not hear it.—What committed!— |
| Impudent strumpet! |
| DESDEMONA: |
| By heaven, you do me wrong. |
| OTHELLO: |
| Are not you a strumpet? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| No, as I am a Christian: |
| If to preserve this vessel for my lord |
| From any other foul unlawful touch |
| Be not to be a strumpet, I am none. |
| OTHELLO: |
| What, not a whore? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| No, as I shall be sav'd. |
| OTHELLO: |
| Is't possible? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| O, heaven forgive us! |
| OTHELLO: |
| I cry you mercy then: |
| I took you for that cunning whore of Venice |
| That married with Othello.—You, mistress, |
| That have the office opposite to Saint Peter, |
| And keep the gate of hell! |
| [Re-enter Emilia.] |
| You, you, ay, you! |
| We have done our course; there's money for your pains: |
| I pray you, turn the key, and keep our counsel. |
| [Exit.] |
| EMILIA: |
| Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?— |
| How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| Faith, half asleep. |
| EMILIA: |
| Good madam, what's the matter with my lord? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| With who? |
| EMILIA: |
| Why, with my lord, madam. |
| DESDEMONA: |
| Who is thy lord? |
| EMILIA: |
| He that is yours, sweet lady. |
| DESDEMONA: |
| I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia; |
| I cannot weep; nor answer have I none |
| But what should go by water. Pr'ythee, to-night |
| 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 us'd so, very meet. |
| How have I been behav'd, 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. Those that do teach young babes |
| Do it with gentle means and easy tasks: |
| He might have chid me so; for in good faith, |
| I am a child to chiding. |
| IAGO: |
| What's the matter, lady? |
| EMILIA: |
| Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhor'd 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 callet. |
| IAGO: |
| Why did he so? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| I do not know; I am sure I am none such. |
| IAGO: |
| Do not weep, do not weep:—alas the day! |
| EMILIA: |
| Hath she forsook so many noble matches, |
| Her father, and her country, and her friends, |
| To be call'd whore? would it not make one weep? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| It is my wretched fortune. |
| IAGO: |
| Beshrew him for't! |
| How comes this trick upon him? |
| DESDEMONA: |
| Nay, heaven doth know. |
| EMILIA: |
| I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain, |
| Some busy and insinuating rogue, |
| Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, |
| Have not devis'd 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 villainous knave, |
| Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow:— |
| O heaven, that such companions thou'dst unfold, |
| And put in every honest hand a whip |
| To lash the rascals naked through the world |
| Even from the east to the west! |
| IAGO: |
| Speak within door. |
| EMILIA: |
| 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: |
| Alas, 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, though he do shake me off |
| To beggarly divorcement,—love him dearly, |
| Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much; |
| And his unkindness may defeat my life, |
| But never taint my love. I cannot say whore,— |
| It does abhor me now I speak the word; |
| To do the act that might the addition earn |
| Not the world's mass of vanity could make 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, as it seems to me now, keepest from me all |
| conveniency than suppliest me with the least advantage of hope. I |
| will indeed no longer endure it; nor am I yet persuaded to put up |
| in peace what already I have foolishly suffered. |
| IAGO: |
| Will you hear me, Roderigo? |
| RODERIGO: |
| Faith, I have heard too much; for your words and |
| performances are no kin together. |
| IAGO: |
| You charge me most unjustly. |
| RODERIGO: |
| With naught 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 and comforts of |
| sudden respect and acquaintance; but I find none. |
| IAGO: |
| Well; go to; very well. |
| RODERIGO: |
| Very well! go to! I cannot go to, man; nor 'tis not |
| very well: nay, I say 'tis very scurvy, and begin to |
| find myself fobbed in it. |
| IAGO: |
| 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: |
| You have said now. |
| RODERIGO: |
| Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of |
| doing. |
| IAGO: |
| Why, now I see there's mettle in thee; and even from this |
| instant do build on thee a better opinion than ever before. |
| Give me thy hand, Roderigo. Thou hast taken against me a most |
| just exception; but yet, I protest, have dealt most directly in |
| thy affair. |
| RODERIGO: |
| It hath not appeared. |
| IAGO: |
| I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your suspicion is |
| not without wit and judgement. But, 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 and devise engines for my life. |
| 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: |
| Is that true? 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, and thither will I go to him:—he |
| knows not yet of his honourable fortune. If you will watch his |
| going thence,—which his will fashion to fall out between twelve |
| and one,—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 at it, but go along with me; I will show you such a |
| necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to |
| put it on him. It is now high supper-time, and the night grows to |
| waste: about it. |
| RODERIGO: |
| I will hear further reason for this. |
| IAGO: |
| And you shall be satisfied. |
| [Exeunt.] |
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