The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 593
The surge of water powered by the winds, rising high,
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,
Seems to throw water to the constellations
And quench the guards of the ever-fixed pole:
And drench the polestars.
I never did like molestation view
I have never seen such a storm
On the enchafed flood.
Out on the sea.
MONTANO
If that the Turkish fleet
If the Turkish ships
Be not enshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd:
Do not find shelter and rest, they will be sunk.
It is impossible they bear it out.
It is impossible for them to withstand this.
Enter a third Gentleman
Third Gentleman
News, lads! our wars are done.
I have news! The fighting is done.
The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks,
The storm has injured the Turks so much
That their designment halts: a noble ship of Venice
That they have stopped their plans. A ship from Venice
Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance
Has seen an awful wreck of theirs and the sufferings
On most part of their fleet.
Of most of their fleet.
MONTANO
How! is this true?
What! Is this true!
Third Gentleman
The ship is here put in,
The ship has just landed,
A Veronesa; Michael Cassio,
From Verona. Michael Cassio,
Lieutenant to the warlike Moor Othello,
Lieutenant to the Moor general Othello,
Is come on shore: the Moor himself at sea,
Is on the shore. The Moor himself is at sea
And is in full commission here for Cyprus.
And is coming with full commission to Cyprus.
MONTANO
I am glad on't; 'tis a worthy governor.
I am glad, he is a worthy leader.
Third Gentleman
But this same Cassio, though he speak of comfort
But this Cassio fellow, though he has good news
Touching the Turkish loss, yet he looks sadly,
About the Turkish losses, is sad
And prays the Moor be safe; for they were parted
And prays for the Moor’s safety. They were separated
With foul and violent tempest.
In the storm.
MONTANO
Pray heavens he be;
Yes, I pray he is safe.
For I have served him, and the man commands
I have served under him and he leads
Like a full soldier. Let's to the seaside, ho!
Like a great soldier. Let us go to the shore.
As well to see the vessel that's come in
See to the vessel that has arrived and
As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello,
Look for brave Othello
Even till we make the main and the aerial blue
Until the sea and sky blur together
An indistinct regard.
And are indistinguishable.
Third Gentleman
Come, let's do so:
Come, let’s go.
For every minute is expectancy
Every minute we can expect
Of more arrivance.
Their arrival.
Enter CASSIO
CASSIO
Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle,
Thank you, you brave men who defend the island
That so approve the Moor! O, let the heavens
And respect the Moor! O, I pray that the heavens
Give him defence against the elements,
Defend him against the storm,
For I have lost us him on a dangerous sea.
For we were separated on the dangerous sea.
MONTANO
Is he well shipp'd?
Is his ship strong?
CASSIO
His bark is stoutly timber'd, his pilot
The wood is good and strong, and his pilot
Of very expert and approved allowance;
Is experienced – a true expert.
Therefore my hopes, not surfeited to death,
Therefore, I hope for his safety, though
Stand in bold cure.
They are not without their fears.
A cry within 'A sail, a sail, a sail!'
Enter a fourth Gentleman
CASSIO
What noise?
What is that sound?
Fourth Gentleman
The town is empty; on the brow o' the sea
The whole town is at the shore
Stand ranks of people, and they cry 'A sail!'
Standing in lines and shouting that they see a sail!
CASSIO
My hopes do shape him for the governor.
I hope it is Othello.
Guns heard
Second Gentlemen
They do discharge their shot of courtesy:
They have fired a friendly shot,
Our friends at least.
So they are at least our allies.
CASSIO
I pray you, sir, go forth,
Please, sir, go
And give us truth who 'tis that is arrived.
And tell us who it is who is arriving.
Second Gentleman
I shall.
I will.
Exit
MONTANO
But, good lieutenant, is your general wived?
Good lieutenant, does the general have a wife?
CASSIO
Most fortunately: he hath achieved a maid
Yes, and he is very lucky. His wife’s virtues
That paragons description and wild fame;
Cannot be described or become famous enough to match them.
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
She is no match for a writer who,
And in the essential vesture of creation
In trying to capture her, God’s special creation,
Does tire the ingener.
Will become tired.
Re-enter second Gentleman
How now! who has put in?
Hello, who is it that has arrive?
Second Gentleman
'Tis one Iago, ancient to the general.
It is one named Iago, ensign to the general.
CASSIO
Has had most favourable and happy speed:
He has come very quickly.
Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds,
Storms and high seas and howling winds,
The gutter'd rocks and congregated sands--
And the dangerous rocks and swirling sands –
Traitors ensteep'd to clog the guiltless keel,--
Everything that will slow and stop a ship –
As having sense of beauty, do omit
Must have a sense of beauty, for they
Their mortal natures, letting go safely by
Have acted against their natures and allowed
The divine Desdemona.
The beautiful Desdemona to travel safely.
MONTANO
What is she?
Who is Desdemona?
CASSIO
She that I spake of, our great captain's captain,
She is whom I spoke of, the wife of Othello,
Left in the conduct of the bold Iago,
Given to brave Iago’s care,
Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts
And he has arrive here
A se'nnight's speed. Great Jove, Othello guard,
A week earlier than expected. Dear God, protect Othello
And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath,
And make his ship sail faster with your breath pushing it
> That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,
That he might arrive here in his great ship,
Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,
Be joined in love with Desdemona,
Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits
Replenish the fire of our spirits,
And bring all Cyprus comfort!
And bring all of Cyprus comfort!
Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA, IAGO, RODERIGO, and Attendants
O, behold,
Behold,
The riches of the ship is come on shore!
The riches from the ship have come onto the shore!
Ye men of Cyprus, let her have your knees.
Men of Cyprus, bow to her.
Hail to thee, lady! and the grace of heaven,
Hello, lady! May the grace of heaven
Before, behind thee, and on every hand,
Be before you, behind you, on each side,
Enwheel thee round!
All around you!
DESDEMONA
I thank you, valiant Cassio.
Thank you, brave Cassio.
What tidings can you tell me of my lord?
How is Othello doing?
CASSIO
He is not yet arrived: nor know I aught
He has not arrived yet, so I don’t know anything
But that he's well and will be shortly here.
Except that he is fine and will soon be here.
DESDEMONA
O, but I fear--How lost you company?
O, but I am scared. How did you get separated?
CASSIO
The great contention of the sea and skies
The great storm of the sea and skies
Parted our fellowship--But, hark! a sail.
Parted us. But wait! a sail.
Within 'A sail, a sail!' Guns heard
Second Gentleman
They give their greeting to the citadel;
Another greeting shot to the city:
This likewise is a friend.
This is also an ally.
CASSIO
See for the news.
See who it is.
Exit Gentleman
Good ancient, you are welcome.
Good ensign, you are welcome here.
To EMILIA
Welcome, mistress.
And mistress, welcome.
Let it not gall your patience, good Iago,
I hope this does not offend you, good Iago,
That I extend my manners; 'tis my breeding
That I greet your wife like this. I have been raised
That gives me this bold show of courtesy.
To give such a bold custom of greeting.
Kissing her
IAGO
Sir, would she give you so much of her lips
Sir, if she gives you as much of her lips
As of her tongue she oft bestows on me,
As she gives me by berating me,
You'll have enough.
You’ll be sick of her.
DESDEMONA
Alas, she has no speech.
No, she seems to say nothing.
IAGO
In faith, too much;
Truly, she says too much,
I find it still, when I have list to sleep:
Even when I am trying to sleep.
Marry, before your ladyship, I grant,
Yes, in front of you, I agree
She puts her tongue a little in her heart,
She says very little, but in her heart
And chides with thinking.
She is speaking scornfully to me.
EMILIA
You have little cause to say so.
You have no reason to say that.
IAGO
Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors,
Come on now. Out in public you women are pretty as a picture,
Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens,
But you are loud bells at home, wildcats in the kitchen,
Saints in your injuries, devils being offended,
Saints when injured, devils when offended,
Players in your housewifery, and housewives' in your beds.
Idle actresses in your housewife duties, and hussies in your bed.
DESDEMONA
O, fie upon thee, slanderer!
O, a curse on you, you slanderer.
IAGO
Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk:
No, I would be a Turk if what I say is not true.
You rise to play and go to bed to work.
You get up in order to enjoy yourselves, and you go to bed in order to work.
EMILIA
You shall not write my praise.
You will not say anything good about me.
IAGO
No, let me not.
No, I won’t.
DESDEMONA
What wouldst thou write of me, if thou shouldst
What verse would you write of me if you had to say
praise me?
something nice?
IAGO
O gentle lady, do not put me to't;
Gentle lady, do not make me do that.
For I am nothing, if not critical.
I am a critical person by nature.
DESDEMONA
Come on assay. There's one gone to the harbour?
Come on, try. And has someone gone to the harbor?
IAGO
Ay, madam.
Yes, madam.
DESDEMONA
I am not merry; but I do beguile
I am not really this playful, but I don’t want to show
The thing I am, by seeming otherwise.
How I really am by seeming other than playful.
Come, how wouldst thou praise me?
Come on, how would you praise me?
IAGO
I am about it; but indeed my invention
I am thinking, but creative verse
Comes from my pate as birdlime does from frize;
Comes from my head as difficultly as sticky birdlime comes out of wool cloth.
It plucks out brains and all: but my Muse labours,
It takes all of my brains. But my Muse has worked at it,
And thus she is deliver'd.
And I have something:
If she be fair and wise, fairness and wit,
“If a woman has beauty and intelligence,
The one's for use, the other useth it.
She uses her beauty to get what she wants, and uses it as a tool of her intelligence.”
DESDEMONA
Well praised! How if she be black and witty?
Well said! But what if she is ugly and smart?
IAGO
If she be black, and thereto have a wit,
“If she is ugly, but still have brains,
She'll find a white that shall her blackness fit.
She will trick some handsome man to love her ugliness.”
DESDEMONA
Worse and worse.
This is getting even worse.
EMILIA
How if fair and foolish?
What if she is beautiful and dumb?
IAGO
She never yet was foolish that was fair;
“No beautiful woman was ever dumb,
For even her folly help'd her to an heir.
Because even her foolishness makes her seem attractive.”
DESDEMONA
These are old fond paradoxes to make fools laugh i'
These are old jokes intended for laughs in
the alehouse. What miserable praise hast thou for
the tavern. What awful things do you have to say
her that's foul and foolish?
About the woman who is ugly and dumb?
IAGO
There's none so foul and foolish thereunto,
“No matter how dumb and ugly a woman is,
But does foul pranks which fair
and wise ones do.
She tricks men just like the beautiful and smart ones do.”
DESDEMONA
O heavy ignorance! thou praisest the worst best.
O you are so ignorant! You praise the worst combination most!
But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving
But what would you say about a very good woman,
woman indeed, one that, in the authority of her
one that, based on her own
merit, did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself?
good merit, can have nothing bad said of her?
IAGO
She that was ever fair and never proud,
“She who was beautiful but never proud,
Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,
Could speak well but was never loud,
Never lack'd gold and yet went never gay,
Always looked good, but not ostentatious,
Fled from her wish and yet said 'Now I may,'
Who could get what she wanted, but chose against it,
She that being anger'd, her revenge being nigh,
Who when angry was not revengeful,
Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,
And overlooked it when people wronged her,
She that in wisdom never was so frail
She whose wisdom is not so weak that she would
To change the cod's head for the salmon's tail;
Mix up the head of a codfish with the tail of a salmon,
She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind,
She who can think but doesnt need to reveal her thoughts,
See suitors following and not look behind,
Who sees suitors following after her but does not look behind at them,
She was a wight, if ever such wight were,--
She is a woman, if ever such a woman existed–
DESDEMONA
To do what?
And what would she do?
IAGO
To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.
She would raise children, and keep track of trifles.
DESDEMONA
O most lame and impotent conclusion! Do not learn
O what a pathetic ending! Do not listen
of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband. How say
to him, Emilia, even if he is your husband. What do