Home > Othello Text > Act I, Scene I - Page 2

[Aside]

ROD:

What a full fortune does the thicklips owe,
If he can carry't thus!(70)

ROD:

What great luck the thick lips have,
If he can get away with this!

IAGO:

Call up her father,
Rouse him:—make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets, incense her kinsmen,
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,(75)
Yet throw such changes of vexation on't
As it may lose some color.

IAGO:

Call her father,
Wake him up. annoy him, poison his joy,
Yell for him in the streets; fire up her relatives,
And, although he may live in a pleasant climate,
Plague him with flies. even if his joy is joy,
Still throw such aggravation on it
That he won’t stay happy for long.

ROD:

Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud.

ROD:

Here is her father's house. I'll call loudly.

IAGO:

Do; with like timorous accent and dire yell
As when, by night and negligence, the fire(80)
Is spied in populous cities.

IAGO:

Go ahead; yell with frightening accent and distress
As when a fire
Is seen in big cities at night and by accident.

ROD:

What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!

ROD:

What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!

IAGO:

Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves!
Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags!
Thieves! thieves!(85)

IAGO:

Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!
Look at your house, your daughter, and your bags!
Thieves! Thieves!

Brabantio appears above, at a window.

BRAB:

What is the reason of this terrible summons?
What is the matter there?

BRAB:

What is the reason for this terrible summons?
What’s the matter there?

ROD:

Signior, is all your family within?

ROD:

Signior, is your family all inside?

IAGO:

Are your doors lock'd?

IAGO:

Are your doors locked?

BRAB:

Why? Wherefore ask you this?(90)

BRAB:

Why, why ask you this?

IAGO:

'Zounds, sir, you're robb'd! For shame, put on your
gown;
Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul;
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!(95)
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.
Arise, I say!

IAGO:

Zounds, sir, you're robbed; for shame, put on
your nightgown; Your heart has burst; you have lost half your soul;
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is screwing your white lamb. Get up, get up;
Wake the snoring citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil will make you a grandfather.
Get up, I say.

BRAB:

What, have you lost your wits?

BRAB:

What, have you lost your wits?

ROD:

Most reverend signior, do you know my voice?(100)

ROD:

Very reverend Signior, do you know my voice?

BRAB:

Not I. What are you?

BRAB:

No, who are you?

ROD:

My name is Roderigo.

ROD:

My name is Roderigo.

BRAB:

The worser welcome.
I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:
In honest plainness thou hast heard me say(105)
My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness,—
Being full of supper and distempering draughts,—
Upon malicious bravery, dost thou come
To start my quiet.

BRAB:

The worst welcome.
I have ordered you not to hang around my doors;
In honest plainness, you have heard me say
My daughter is not for you, and now, in madness,
Being full of supper and drunk,
You come, out of maliciousness
To interrupt my sleep.

ROD:

Sir, sir, sir—(110)

ROD:

Sir, sir, sir,

BRAB:

But thou must needs be sure
My spirit and my place have in them power
To make this bitter to thee.

BRAB:

But you must certainly be sure that
My spirit and my place have power in them
To make this bitter to you.

ROD:

Patience, good sir.

ROD:

Patience, good sir.

BRAB:

What tell'st thou me of robbing? This is Venice;(115)
My house is not a grange.

BRAB:

Why are you telling me about robbing? this is Venice;
My house is not a farm.

ROD:

Most grave Brabantio,
In simple and pure soul I come to you.

ROD:

Very grave Brabantio,
I come to you in simple and pure soul.

IAGO:

'Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve
God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you(120)
service and you think we are ruffians, you'll have your
daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have your
nephews neigh to you; you'll have coursers for cousins,
and gennets for germans.

IAGO:

Zounds, sir, you are one of those who wouldn’t serve
God if the devil asked you to. Because we are servants,
and you think we are ruffians, you'd have your daughter
covered with a African horse; you'd have your nephews
neigh to you; you'd have chargers for cousins and small
Spanish horses for Germans.

BRAB:

What profane wretch art thou?(125)

BRAB:

Who the hell are you?

IAGO:

I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and
the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

IAGO:

I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and
the Moor are now making a Satan.

BRAB:

Thou art a villain.

BRAB:

You are a villain.

IAGO:

You are—a senator.

IAGO:

You are a senator.

BRAB:

This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo.(130)

BRAB:

You’ll answer for this. I know you, Roderigo.

ROD:

Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech you,
If't be your pleasure and most wise consent,
As partly I find it is, that your fair daughter,
At this odd-even and dull watch o' the night,
Transported, with no worse nor better guard(135)
But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor—
If this be known to you, and your allowance,
We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs;
But, if you know not this, my manners tell me(140)
We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe
That, from the sense of all civility,
I thus would play and trifle with your reverence.
Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,
I say again, hath made a gross revolt,(145)
Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes
In an extravagant and wheeling stranger
Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself:
If she be in her chamber or your house,
Let loose on me the justice of the state(150)
For thus deluding you.

ROD:

Sir, I will answer anything. But, I beg you,
If it is your pleasure and very wise consent,
As I find partly it is, know that your beautiful daughter,
At this odd-even and dull hour of the night,
Has been transported with no worse or no better guard
Than a rogue of common hire, a gondolier,
To the gross embraces of a lewd Moor.
If this is known to you, and you permit it,
Then we then have done you bold and impudent wrongs;
But if you don’t know this, my manners tell me
You scold us unfairly. Don’t believe
That, from the sense of all manners,
I would play like this and trifle with you;
Your daughter, if you have not given her permission,
I say again, has made a disgusting rebellion against you;
Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes
To an extravagant and a wheeling-dealing stranger
From here and everywhere. Satisfy yourself right away.
If she is in her bedroom or in your house
Let the justice of the state arrest me
For deluding you like this.

BRAB:

Strike on the tinder, ho!
Give me a taper! Call up all my people!
This accident is not unlike my dream;
Belief of it oppresses me already.(155)
Light, I say, light!

BRAB:

Light the lights, ho!
Give me a candle! Wake up all my servants!
This accident is not different from my dream.
Believing of it makes me nervous already.
Light, I say! light!

[Exit.]

IAGO:

Farewell, for I must leave you.
It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,
To be produced—as, if I stay, I shall—
Against the Moor. For I do know, the state,(160)
However this may gall him with some check,
Cannot with safety cast him; for he's embark'd
With such loud reason to the Cyprus' wars,
Which even now stands in act, that, for their souls,
Another of his fathom they have none(165)
To lead their business; in which regard,
Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains,
Yet for necessity of present life,
I must show out a flag and sign of love,
Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him,(170)
Lead to the Sagittary the raised search,
And there will I be with him. So farewell.

IAGO:

Farewell; because I must leave you.
It doesn’t seem right or suitable to my position
To be a witness (which I will be if I stay),
Against the Moor. because I know the government,
No matter how angry this makes Brabantio with some
Argument, cannot arrest him safely; because he's
Embarked with such loud reason to the Cyprus wars,
Which is being discussed even now, that, to save their
Souls, they have no one of his depth
To lead their armies, in which regard,
Although I hate him as I hate hell pains,
I must still show a flag and sign of love,
To preserve my present life,
Which is indeed only sign. So that you shall surely find
him, lead these searchers to the Sagittary Inn,
And I will be there with him. So, farewell.

Exit.

Enter Brabantio in his nightgown, and Servants with torches.

BRAB:

It is too true an evil: gone she is,
And what's to come of my despised time
Is nought but bitterness.—Now, Roderigo,(175)
Where didst thou see her? —O unhappy girl!—
With the Moor, say'st thou?—Who would be a father!
How didst thou know 'twas she? —O, she deceives me
Past thought!—What said she to you?—Get more tapers.
Raise all my kindred. —Are they married, think you?(180)

BRAB:

It is too true an evil. she is gone;
And what's to come of my life that’s left
Is nothing but bitterness. Now, Roderigo,
Where did you see her? O unhappy girl!
With the Moor, you say? Who would become a father!
How did you know it was she? O, she deceives me
Beyond thought. What did she say to you? Get more
Candles; Wake up all my relatives. Do you think they’re
married?

ROD:

Truly, I think they are.

ROD:

Truly, I think they are.

BRAB:

O heaven!—How got she out? —O treason of the
blood!
Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds
By what you see them act. Are there not charms(185)
By which the property of youth and maidhood
May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo,
Of some such thing?

BRAB:

O heaven! How did she get out? O treason of the blood!
Fathers, from now on don’t believe you can know your
daughters' minds from the way you see them act. Aren’t
there magic spells which change the natural qualities of
young maids? Haven’t you read, Roderigo,
Of some such thing?

ROD:

Yes, sir, I have indeed.

ROD:

Yes, sir, I have indeed.

BRAB:

Call up my brother. —Do you know(190)
Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

BRAB:

Call my brother. O, I wish you had had her!
Some one way, some another. Do you know
Where we may catch her and the Moor?

ROD:

I think I can discover him, if you please
To get good guard, and go along with me.

ROD:

I think I can find him, if you’d please
Get a good guard, and go along with me.

BRAB:

Pray you, lead on. At every house I'll call;
I may command at most.—Get weapons, ho!(195)
And raise some special officers of night.—
On, good Roderigo,—I'll deserve your pains.

BRAB:

I beg you, lead on. I’ll call at every house that
Will give me the most help most. Get weapons, ho!
And wake up some special officers of night.
Onward, good Roderigo, I'll reward your pains.

Exeunt.