ACT 4. SCENE II. 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 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?
Othello
- To Emilia Some of your function, mistress;
- Leave procreants alone and shut the door;
- Cough, or cry 'hem,' if any body come:
- Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.
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: therefore 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 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, alas, to make me
- A fixed figure for the time of 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 you not 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 saved.
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.
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!
- 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. 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. 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 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.
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 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 heaven, that such companions thou'ldst 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
- 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--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 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 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 think it is 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 to 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, I 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 judgment. 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 horrorable
- fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which
- I 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 suppertime, and the night grows
- to waste: about it.
Roderigo
- I will hear further reason for this.
Iago
- And you shall be satisfied.
Exeunt