Home > Othello Text > Act I, Scene III - Page 3

OTHELLO:

Let her have your voices.
Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not
To please the palate of my appetite;
Nor to comply with heat the young affects
In me defunct—and proper satisfaction;(280)
But to be free and bounteous to her mind;
And heaven defend your good souls, that you think
I will your serious and great business scant
For she is with me. No, when lightwing'd toys
Of feather'd Cupid seel with wanton dullness(285)
My speculative and officed instruments,
That my disports corrupt and taint my business,
Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,
And all indign and base adversities
Make head against my estimation!(290)

OTHELLO:

Let her have your votes.
Be my witness, heaven, I do not beg it
To please the palate of my appetite,
Or to comply with passion, the young effects of it
Dead in me, and proper satisfaction;
But to be free and generous to her mind.
And heaven defend your good souls, that you think
I will neglect your serious and great business
Because she is with me. No, when light-winged toys
Of feathered Cupid blind my knowing and
Usual instruments of sight with unruly dullness,
That if my games corrupt and stain my work,
Let housewives make a skillet of my helmet,
And all indignities and base adversities
Make a boil of my reputation!

DUKE:

Be it as you shall privately determine,
Either for her stay or going: the affair cries haste,
And speed must answer't: you must hence tonight.

DUKE:

Let it be as you shall determine privately,
Either for her staying or going. The affair cries for haste,
And speed must answer it.

DESD:

Tonight, my lord?

DESD:

Tonight, my lord?

DUKE:

This night.(295)

DUKE:

This night.

OTHELLO:

With all my heart.

OTHELLO:

With all my heart.

DUKE:

At nine i' the morning here we'll meet again.
Othello, leave some officer behind,
And he shall our commission bring to you;
With such things else of quality and respect(300)
As doth import you.

DUKE:

At nine in the morning, we'll meet here again.
Othello, leave some officer behind,
And he shall bring our commission to you,
With such things of quality and respect
As are important to you.

OTHELLO:

So please your Grace, my ancient;
A man he is of honesty and trust.
To his conveyance I assign my wife,
With what else needful your good Grace shall think(305)
To be sent after me.

OTHELLO:

So please your grace, I assign my wife
To the care of my ensign,
A man of honesty and trust,
With whatever else your good grace shall think is
necessary to be sent after me.

DUKE:

Let it be so.
Good night to everyone.
And, noble signior,
If virtue no delighted beauty lack,(310)
Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.

DUKE:

Let it be so.
Good night to everyone.
And, noble Signior,
If virtue is missing delightful beauty,
Your son-in-law is far more just than black.

FIRST SENATOR:

Adieu, brave Moor, use Desdemona well.

FIRST SENATOR:

Goodbye, brave Moor; be kind to Desdemona.

BRAB:

Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see;
She has deceived her father, and may thee.

BRAB:

Watch her, Moor, if you have eyes to see.
She has deceived her father, and may deceive you.

Exeunt [Duke, Senators, and Officers.]

OTHELLO:

My life upon her faith! Honest Iago,(315)
My Desdemona must I leave to thee:
I prithee, let thy wife attend on her;
And bring them after in the best advantage.
Come, Desdemona, I have but an hour
Of love, of worldly matters and direction,(320)
To spend with thee: We must obey the time.

OTHELLO:

My life on her faith in me! Honest Iago,
I must leave my Desdemona to you.
I beg you, let your wife attend on her;
And bring them in the best way after I leave.
Come, Desdemona, I have only an hour
Of love, of worldly matters and direction,
To spend with you. We must obey the time.

[Exeunt [Othello] and Desdemona.]

ROD:

Iago!

ROD:

Iago?

IAGO:

What say'st thou, noble heart?

IAGO:

What do you say, noble heart?

ROD:

What will I do, thinkest thou?

ROD:

What will I do, do you think?

IAGO:

Why, go to bed and sleep.(325)

IAGO:

Why, go to bed and sleep.

ROD:

I will incontinently drown myself.

ROD:

I will drown myself immediately.

IAGO:

If thou dost, I shall never love thee after.
Why, thou silly gentleman!

IAGO:

If you do, I shall never love you after. Why, you silly
gentleman!

ROD:

It is silliness to live when to live is torment, and then
have we a prescription to die when death is our physician.(330)

ROD:

It is silliness to live when to live is torment; and then we
have a prescription to die when death is our physician.

IAGO:

O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four
times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a
benefit and an injury, I never found man that knew how
to love himself. Ere I would say I would drown myself for
the love of a guinea hen, I would change my humanity(335)
with a baboon.

IAGO:

O villainous! I have looked on the world for twenty eight
years, and since I could distinguish between a benefit
and a disadvantage, I’ve never found man that knew how
to love himself. Before I would say I would drown myself
for the love of a chicken, I would exchange my humanity
with a baboon.

ROD:

What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so
fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it.

ROD:

What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so
crazy in love, but it is not in my virtue to fix it.

IAGO:

Virtue? a fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus.
Our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are(340)
gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce,
set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender
of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile
with idleness or manured with industry, why, the power and
corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. If the balance(345)
of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another
of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would
conduct us to most preposterous conclusions. But we have
reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our
unbitted lusts.(350)

IAGO:

Virtue! A fig! It is in ourselves that we are like this or like
that. Our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are
gardeners. If we will plant stinging plants or sow lettuce,
plant hyssop and dig up thyme, supply it with only one
kind of herbs or plant it with many, either to have it
wild with inattention or manured with hard work— why, the
power and weak authority of this lies in our wills. If the
balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to
balance another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of
our natures would lead us to very preposterous
conclusions. But we have reason to cool our raging
motions, our sexual stings, our forbidden lusts, which as I
take this thing that you call love, to be a class or father.

ROD:

It cannot be.

ROD:

It cannot be.

IAGO:

It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the
will. Come, be a man! Drown thyself? Drown cats and blind
puppies! I have professed me thy friend, and I confess me
knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable tough-(355)
ness; I could never better stead thee than now. Put money
in thy purse; follow thou the wars; defeat thy favor with an
usurped beard. I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be
that Desdemona should long continue her love to the
Moor—put money in thy purse—nor he his to her. It was a(360)
violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answer-
able sequestration; put but money in thy purse. These
Moors are changeable in their wills:—fill thy purse with
money. The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts,
shall be to him shortly as acerb as the coloquintida.(365)
She must change for youth; when she is sated with his
body, she will find the error of her choice. She must have
change, she must; therefore put money in thy purse. If thou
wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than
drowning. Make all the money thou canst. If sanctimony(370)
and a frail vow betwixt an erring barbarian and a supersub-
tle Venetian be not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of
hell, thou shalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of
drowning thyself! It is clean out of the way. Seek thou
rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be(375)
drowned and go without her.

IAGO:

It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the
will. Come, be a man. drown yourself! Drown cats and
blind puppies. I have professed myself to be your friend,
and I confess I knit with cables of lasting toughness to
your merit. I could never be a better friend to you than
now. Put money in your purse; follow the wars; defeat
your mood with an false beard; I say, put
money in your purse. It can’t be that Desdemona should
continue her love to the Moor for long— put money in
your purse— nor he his love to her. It had a violent
beginning, and you shall see an answerable separation—
put only money in your purse.—These Moors are
changeable in their wills. Fill your purse with money. The
food that is now as luscious as locusts to him shall be
shortly be as bitter as the bitter apple drug. She must
change for youth. When she is full with his body,
she will see the error of her choice. She must have change, she
must. Therefore, put money in your purse. If you must
damn yourself, do it a more delicate way than drowning.
Make all the money you can; if holiness and a frail vow
between an erring barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian
are not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, you
shall enjoy her. Therefore make money. A pox on
drowning yourself! It is clean out of the way. Rather seek
to be hanged in planning your joy than to be drowned
and go without her.

ROD:

Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on the issue?

ROD:

Will you be committed to my hopes, if I depend on you?

IAGO:

Thou art sure of me; go, make money. I have told thee
often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My
cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be(380)
conjunctive in our revenge against him. If thou canst
cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport.
There are many events in the womb of time which will be
delivered. Traverse, go, provide thy money. We will have
more of this tomorrow. Adieu.(385)

IAGO:

You are sure of me. Go, make money. I have told you
often, and I’ll tell you again and again, I hate the Moor.
My cause is fixed in my heart; yours has no less reason.
Let us be united in our revenge against him. If you can
get his wife, you do yourself a pleasure, me a sport.
There are many events in the womb of time which will be
delivered. Go ahead; go; provide your money. We will
talk about this more of this tomorrow. Goodbye.

ROD:

Where shall we meet i' the morning?

ROD:

Where shall we meet in the morning?

IAGO:

At my lodging.

IAGO:

At my lodging.

ROD:

I'll be with thee betimes.

ROD:

I'll be with you soon.

IAGO:

Go to, farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?

IAGO:

Go to; farewell. Do you hear me, Roderigo?

ROD:

What say you?(390)

ROD:

What did you say?

IAGO:

No more of drowning, do you hear?

IAGO:

No more about drowning, do you hear?

ROD:

I am changed; I'll go sell all my land.

ROD:

I am changed. I'll go sell all my land.

[Exit Roderigo.]

IAGO:

Thus do I ever make my fool my purse;
For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane,
If I would time expend with such a snipe(395)
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor;
And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets
He has done my office. I know not if't be true;
But I for mere suspicion in that kind
Will do as if for surety. He holds me well;(400)
The better shall my purpose work on him.
Cassio's a proper man. Let me see now:
To get his place, and to plume up my will
In double knavery—How, how? —Let's see—
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear(405)
That he is too familiar with his wife.
He hath a person and a smooth dispose
To be suspected; framed to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so;(410)
And will as tenderly be led by the nose
As asses are.
I have't. It is engender'd. Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.

IAGO:

This is the way I ever make my fool my purse;
Because I should abuse my own gained knowledge
If I would waste time with such a fool
Only for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor;
And it is widely thought that he has done my job
Between my sheets. I don’t know if it is true;
But I will take it as a certainty just because of mere
Suspicion in that way. He trusts me well,
The better my plan will work on him.
Cassio's a proper man. Let me see now,
To get his place, and to congratulate myself
In double trickery, How, how? Let's see.
After some time, to whisper into Othello's ear
That Cassio is too familiar with his wife.
He has a person, and a smooth disposition,
To be suspected, framed to make women lie.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men are honest that only seem to be so;
And will as tenderly be led by the nose
As asses are.
I have it! It is born. Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.