The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 598
To my fullest. Othello shall never gain rest
I'll watch him tame and talk him out of patience;
Since I will watch him and talk to him until his patience is gone,
His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift;
And his bed and dinner table will seem like a school for all of my talking.
I'll intermingle every thing he does
I will mix everything he does
With Cassio's suit: therefore be merry, Cassio;
With your case, so be happy, Cassio.
For thy solicitor shall rather die
I, your attorney, would rather die
Than give thy cause away.
Than forget your cause.
EMILIA
Madam, here comes my lord.
Madam, here comes Othello.
CASSIO
Madam, I'll take my leave.
I will take my leave, madam.
DESDEMONA
Why, stay, and hear me speak.
No, stay, and hear what I will say.
CASSIO
Madam, not now: I am very ill at ease,
Madam, not now. I do not feel comfortable
Unfit for mine own purposes.
And that will not help my case.
DESDEMONA
Well, do your discretion.
As you will.
Exit CASSIO
Enter OTHELLO and IAGO
IAGO
Ha! I like not that.
Well! I don’t like that.
OTHELLO
What dost thou say?
What is it?
IAGO
Nothing, my lord: or if--I know not what.
Nothing, my lord – or it – I don’t know.
OTHELLO
Was not that Cassio parted from my wife?
Was that Cassio leaving my wife?
IAGO
Cassio, my lord! No, sure, I cannot think it,
Cassio! No, I don’t think so.
That he would steal away so guilty-like,
He would not leave looking so guilty
Seeing you coming.
From seeing you coming.
OTHELLO
I do believe 'twas he.
I think it was him.
DESDEMONA
How now, my lord!
Hello, my lord!
I have been talking with a suitor here,
I have been talking with a man with a suit
A man that languishes in your displeasure.
Who suffers from your anger at him.
OTHELLO
Who is't you mean?
Who are you talking about?
DESDEMONA
Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my lord,
Why, Cassio, your lieutenant. Good lord,
If I have any grace or power to move you,
If I have power to influence you,
His present reconciliation take;
Please accept his desire to reconcile.
For if he be not one that truly loves you,
He is someone who truly loves you
That errs in ignorance and not in cunning,
And his mistakes come from ignorance, not from deviousness –
I have no judgment in an honest face:
If I am wrong, I am an awful judge of character.
I prithee, call him back.
Please, call him back.
OTHELLO
Went he hence now?
Did he leave just now?
DESDEMONA
Ay, sooth; so humbled
Yes, he went away humbled
That he hath left part of his grief with me,
And left some of his sadness with me
To suffer with him. Good love, call him back.
So that I suffer with him. My love, call him back.
OTHELLO
Not now, sweet Desdemona; some other time.
Not yet, sweet Desdemona. Another time.
DESDEMONA
But shall't be shortly?
But will it be shortly?
OTHELLO
The sooner, sweet, for you.
Sooner than later, because you ask, sweetheart.
DESDEMONA
Shall't be to-night at supper?
Perhaps tonight at dinner?
OTHELLO
No, not to-night.
No, not tonight.
DESDEMONA
To-morrow dinner, then?
Tomorrow at dinner, then?
OTHELLO
I shall not dine at home;
I will not be eating at home,
I meet the captains at the citadel.
But meeting with the captains at the castle.
DESDEMONA
Why, then, to-morrow night; or Tuesday morn;
Then tomorrow night, or Tuesday morning,
On Tuesday noon, or night; on Wednesday morn:
Or Tuesday at noon, or night, or on Wednesday morning,
I prithee, name the time, but let it not
But please name the time, and do not let it
Exceed three days: in faith, he's penitent;
Go past three days because, truly, he is remorseful.
And yet his trespass, in our common reason--
And anyway, his offense, in all reason –
Save that, they say, the wars must make examples
Though, of course in wartime examples must be made
Out of their best--is not almost a fault
Out of the best of men – is not a fault
To incur a private cheque. When shall he come?
So great that it deserves such punishment. When should he come?
Tell me, Othello: I wonder in my soul,
Tell me, Othello. I wonder:
What you would ask me, that I should deny,
Is there anything you could ask me that I would deny you
Or stand so mammering on. What! Michael Cassio,
Or stand muttering about? This is Michael Cassio,
That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time,
He who came with you to woo me so many times,
When I have spoke of you dispraisingly,
Who, when I criticized you to him,
Hath ta'en your part; to have so much to do
Took your side and defended you, and now I have to make so much noise
To bring him in! Trust me, I could do much,--
just so you will bring him back! Trust me, I can do much more –
OTHELLO
Prithee, no more: let him come when he will;
Please, no more. He can come back when he wants,
I will deny thee nothing.
I will deny you nothing.
DESDEMONA
Why, this is not a boon;
It’s not like you are doing me a favor:
'Tis as I should entreat you wear your gloves,
It’s just like if I were to tell you to wear gloves in the cold
Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep you warm,
Or eat healthy food, or stay warm
Or sue to you to do a peculiar profit
Or request you to do anything that will profit
To your own person: nay, when I have a suit
yourself. No, when I have a request
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed,
Where I need to appeal to your love for me,
It shall be full of poise and difficult weight
It will be one that is very difficult
And fearful to be granted.
And terrible to be granted.
OTHELLO
I will deny thee nothing:
I will deny you nothing,
Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me this,
But please, grant me one thing:
To leave me but a little to myself.
Leave me a lone for a little while.
DESDEMONA
Shall I deny you? no: farewell, my lord.
Would
I deny you? No. Goodbye, my lord.
OTHELLO
Farewell, my Desdemona: I'll come to thee straight.
Goodbye, my Desdemona. I will come to you soon.
DESDEMONA
Emilia, come. Be as your fancies teach you;
Emilia, come. Othello, do what you feel like,
Whate'er you be, I am obedient.
Whatever you do, I will obey you.
Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA
OTHELLO
Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul,
Wonderful woman! Heaven help me,
But I do love thee! and when I love thee not,
But I love you! And if I stop loving you,
Chaos is come again.
May the universe return to Chaos, as it was before the world was made.
IAGO
My noble lord--
My noble lord–
OTHELLO
What dost thou say, Iago?
What is it, Iago?
IAGO
Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady,
Did Michael Cassio, when you courted Desdemona,
Know of your love?
Know about your love for her?
OTHELLO
He did, from first to last: why dost thou ask?
He did, right from the beginning, why?
IAGO
But for a satisfaction of my thought;
Just for my own curiosity,
No further harm.
No other reason.
OTHELLO
Why of thy thought, Iago?
What are you curious about, Iago?
IAGO
I did not think he had been acquainted with her.
I did not know that he knew her.
OTHELLO
O, yes; and went between us very oft.
O yes, and he talked to her for me often.
IAGO
Indeed!
Really!
OTHELLO
Indeed! ay, indeed: discern'st thou aught in that?
Yes, really: is there something wrong with that?
Is he not honest?
Don’t you think he is honest?
IAGO
Honest, my lord!
Honest, my lord!
OTHELLO
Honest! ay, honest.
Honest! yes, honest.
IAGO
My lord, for aught I know.
For all I know, my lord.
OTHELLO
What dost thou think?
And what do you think?
IAGO
Think, my lord!
What do I think, my lord?
OTHELLO
Think, my lord!
What do I think, my lord?
By heaven, he echoes me,
By God, he repeats what I say
As if there were some monster in his thought
As if he is thinking something so monstrous
Too hideous to be shown. Thou dost mean something:
That he must hide hit. You must mean something that you won’t tell me:
I heard thee say even now, thou likedst not that,
I heard you comment as if you did not like it
When Cassio left my wife: what didst not like?
When you saw Cassio leave my wife. Why did you not like it?
And when I told thee he was of my counsel
And when I told you he helped me
In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst 'Indeed!'
When I was courting Desdemona you cried out, “Really!”
And didst contract and purse thy brow together,
While you wrinkled your brow
As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain
As if you had thought of some
Some horrible conceit: if thou dost love me,
Awful imagination. If you love me,
Show me thy thought.
Tell me what you thought.
IAGO
My lord, you know I love you.
My lord, you know I love you.
OTHELLO
I think thou dost;
I think you do,
And, for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty,
And I know that you are loving and honest,
And weigh'st thy words before thou givest them breath,
That you weigh your words carefully before you speak,
Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more:
So your pauses even more frighten me.
For such things in a false disloyal knave
In a disloyal liar,
Are tricks of custom, but in a man that's just
These are common tricks, but in a man who is just
They are close delations, working from the heart
They are indictments that work in the heart
That passion cannot rule.
And even passion cannot stop them.
IAGO
For Michael Cassio,
As for Michael Cassio,
I dare be sworn I think that he is honest.
I swear that I think he is honest.
OTHELLO
I think so too.
I agree.
IAGO
Men should be what they seem;
Men should be what they look like they are,
Or those that be not, would they might seem none!
And those that are not honest should not seem honest!
OTHELLO
Certain, men should be what they seem.
Agreed, men should be in reality what they look like they are.
IAGO
Why, then, I think Cassio's an honest man.
Then I think Cassio is in reality an honest man.
OTHELLO
Nay, yet there's more in this:
No, there’s more to it than this.
I prithee, speak to me as to thy thinkings,
Please, tell me what you are thinking,
As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts
Whatever you are pondering, and say even your worst fears
The worst of words.
Clearly, in their awful content.
IAGO
Good my lord, pardon me:
My lord, please excuse me:
Though I am bound to every act of duty,
Though I will obey everything you ask,
I am not bound to that all slaves are free to.
I do not need to obey that which even slaves are not forced to do.
Utter my thoughts? Why, say they are vile and false;
Tell you my thoughts? What if they are awful and wrong,
As where's that palace whereinto foul things
Since there is no place where awful things
Sometimes intrude not? who has a breast so pure,
Might enter into, and similarly no one has a mind so pure
But some uncleanly apprehensions
That no unclean, dirty thoughts
Keep leets and law-days and in session sit
Sometimes come into it and mingle
With meditations lawful?
With their pure thoughts and meditaitons.
OTHELLO
Thou dost conspire against thy friend, Iago,
You are working against your own friend, Iago,
If thou but think'st him wrong'd and makest his ear
If you think he has been wronged and yet keep him
A stranger to thy thoughts.
Away from your thoughts.
IAGO
I do beseech you--
I beg you –
Though I perchance am vicious in my guess,
Since I am often too suspicious
As, I confess, it is my nature's plague
And, truly, it is a curse of my character
To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy
That I imagine problems and often my imaginations
Shapes faults that are not--that your wisdom yet,
Create faults
where there are none – that your mind,
From one that so imperfectly conceits,
From someone who inaccurately imagines,
Would take no notice, nor build yourself a trouble
Will not be troubled by me or
Out of his scattering and unsure observance.
What I have uncertainly and haphazardly observed.
It were not for your quiet nor your good,
It would harm your peace and your goodness,
Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom,
And I would sooner give up my manhood, honesty, or intelligence
To let you know my thoughts.
Than tell you what I think.
OTHELLO
What dost thou mean?
What do you mean?
IAGO
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
A man and a woman’s reputation, my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Is the most worthy part of who they are:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
If someone steals my money, they steal trash. It is something, and then nothing,
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands:
It was mine and now it is his, and it has been owned by thousands before.
But he that filches from me my good name
But whoever steals my reputation
Robs me of that which not enriches him
Takes away something that does not help him
And makes me poor indeed.
But all the while truly hurts me.
OTHELLO
By heaven, I'll know thy thoughts.
By God, tell me what you think.
IAGO
You cannot, if my heart were in your hand;
You cannot know, not even if you held my heart,
Nor shall not, whilst 'tis in my custody.
Which you can’t since it is still in my body.
OTHELLO
Ha!
Ha!
IAGO
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
My lord, be careful not to fall into jealousy.
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock