Othello (17 page)

DESDEMONA
   Then heaven have mercy on me!

OTHELLO
   Amen, with all my heart!

DESDEMONA
   If you
say
³⁹
, I hope you will not kill me.

OTHELLO
   Hum!

DESDEMONA
   And yet I fear you, for you’re fatal then
     When your eyes roll so: why I should fear I know not,
     Since guiltiness I know not, but yet I feel I fear.

OTHELLO
   Think on thy sins.

DESDEMONA
  
They are loves I bear to you
⁴⁵
.

OTHELLO
   Ay, and for that thou diest.

DESDEMONA
   That death’s unnatural that kills for loving.
     Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip?
     Some bloody passion shakes your very frame:
     These are portents, but yet I hope, I hope,
     They do not point on me.

OTHELLO
   Peace, and be still!

DESDEMONA
   I will so. What’s the matter?

OTHELLO
   That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee
     Thou gav’st to Cassio.

DESDEMONA
   No, by my life and soul!
     Send for the man and ask him.

OTHELLO
   Sweet soul, take heed, take heed of perjury:
     Thou art on thy death-bed.

DESDEMONA
   Ay, but not yet to die.

OTHELLO
  
Presently
⁶¹
:
     Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin,
     For to deny each
article
⁶³
with oath
     Cannot remove nor choke the strong
conception
⁶⁴
     That I
do groan withal
⁶⁵
. Thou art to die.

DESDEMONA
   O, heaven have mercy on me!

OTHELLO
   I say, amen.

DESDEMONA
   And have you mercy too! I never did
     
Offend
⁶⁹
you in my life, never loved Cassio
     But with such general
warranty
⁷⁰
of heaven
     As I might love: I never gave him token.

OTHELLO
   By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in’s hand.
     O perjured woman, thou dost
stone
⁷³
my heart,
     And makes me call what I intend to do
     A murder, which I thought a sacrifice:
     I saw the handkerchief.

DESDEMONA
   He found it then:
     I never gave it him. Send for him hither,
     Let him confess a truth.

OTHELLO
   He hath confessed.

DESDEMONA
   What, my lord?

OTHELLO
   That he hath
used
⁸²
thee.

DESDEMONA
   How? Unlawfully?

OTHELLO
   Ay.

DESDEMONA
   He will not say so.

OTHELLO
   No, his mouth is stopped:
     Honest Iago hath
ta’en order
⁸⁷
for’t.

DESDEMONA
   O, my fear interprets! What, is he dead?

OTHELLO
   Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge
     Had
stomach
⁹⁰
for them all.

DESDEMONA
   Alas, he is betrayed and I undone!

OTHELLO
   Out, strumpet! Weep’st thou for him to my face?

DESDEMONA
   O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not!

OTHELLO
   Down, strumpet!

DESDEMONA
   Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight!

OTHELLO
   Nay, if you
strive
⁹⁶
—

DESDEMONA
   But half an hour!

OTHELLO
  
Being done
⁹⁸
, there is no pause.

DESDEMONA
   But while I say one prayer!

OTHELLO
   It is too late.

Smothers her

Emilia at the door

EMILIA
   My lord, my lord! What, ho! My lord, my lord!

Within

OTHELLO
   What noise is this? Not dead? Not yet quite dead?
     I that am cruel am yet merciful:
     I would not have thee linger in thy pain: so, so.

EMILIA
   What, ho? My lord, my lord!

Within

OTHELLO
   Who’s there?

EMILIA
   O, good my lord, I would speak a word with you!

Within

OTHELLO
   Yes.— ’Tis Emilia.—
By and by
¹⁰⁸
.— She’s dead.
     ’Tis
like
¹⁰⁹
she comes to speak of Cassio’s death.—
     The
noise
¹¹⁰
was high. Ha, no more moving?
     Still as the grave. Shall she come in? Were’t good?—
     I think she stirs again. No. What’s best to do?
     If she come in, she’ll sure speak to my wife:
     My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife.
     O insupportable! O heavy hour!
     Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
     Of sun and moon, and that th’affrighted globe
     Did
yawn at alteration
¹¹⁸
.

EMILIA
   I do beseech you

Within

     That I may speak with you, O, good my lord!

OTHELLO
   I had forgot thee.— O, come in, Emilia.—
     
Soft
¹²²
, by and by: let me the curtains draw.—

Draws the bed curtains and unlocks the door

     Where art thou? What’s the matter with thee now?

Enter Emilia

EMILIA
   O, my good lord, yonder’s foul murders done!

OTHELLO
   What? Now?

EMILIA
   But now, my lord.

OTHELLO
   It is the very
error
¹²⁷
of the moon:
     She comes more nearer earth than she was
wont
¹²⁸
,
     And makes men mad.

EMILIA
   Cassio, my lord, hath killed a young Venetian
     Called Rodorigo.

OTHELLO
   Rodorigo killed? And Cassio killed?

EMILIA
   No, Cassio is not killed.

OTHELLO
   Not Cassio killed? Then murder’s out of tune,
     And sweet revenge grows
harsh
¹³⁵
.

DESDEMONA
   O,
falsely
¹³⁶
, falsely murdered!

EMILIA
   Alas! What cry is that?

OTHELLO
   That? What?

EMILIA
  
Out, and alas!
¹³⁹
That was my lady’s voice.
     Help, help, ho, help! O lady, speak again!

Opens the bed curtains

     Sweet Desdemona! O sweet mistress, speak!

DESDEMONA
   A guiltless death I die.

EMILIA
   O, who hath done this deed?

DESDEMONA
   Nobody: I myself. Farewell.
     Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell!

Dies

OTHELLO
   Why, how should she be murdered?

EMILIA
   Alas, who knows?

OTHELLO
   You hear her say herself it was not I.

EMILIA
   She said so: I must needs report the truth.

OTHELLO
   She’s like a liar gone to burning hell:
     ’Twas I that killed her.

EMILIA
   O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil!

OTHELLO
   She turned to
folly
¹⁵³
, and she was a whore.

EMILIA
   Thou dost
belie
¹⁵⁴
her, and thou art a devil.

OTHELLO
   She was false as water.

EMILIA
   Thou art rash as fire, to say
     That she was false: O, she was heavenly true!

OTHELLO
   Cassio did
top
¹⁵⁸
her: ask thy husband else.
     O, I were damned beneath all depth in hell,
     
But
¹⁶⁰
that I did proceed upon just grounds
     To this extremity. Thy husband knew it all.

EMILIA
   My husband?

OTHELLO
   Thy husband.

EMILIA
   That she was false to wedlock?

OTHELLO
   Ay, with Cassio. Had she been true,
     If heaven would make me such another world
     Of one entire and perfect
chrysolite
¹⁶⁷
,
     I’d not have sold her for it.

EMILIA
   My husband?

OTHELLO
   Ay, ’twas he that told me
on
¹⁷⁰
her first:
     An honest man he is, and hates the
slime
¹⁷¹
     That sticks on
filthy deeds
¹⁷²
.

EMILIA
   My husband?

OTHELLO
   What needs this
iterance
¹⁷⁴
, woman? I say thy husband.

EMILIA
   O mistress, villainy hath
made mocks with
¹⁷⁵
love.
     My husband say she was false?

OTHELLO
   He, woman;
     I say thy husband: dost understand the word?
     My friend, thy husband: honest, honest Iago.

EMILIA
   If he say so, may his
pernicious
¹⁸⁰
soul
     Rot half a grain a day! He lies to th’heart:
     She was too fond of her most
filthy bargain
¹⁸²
.

OTHELLO
   Ha?

EMILIA
   Do thy worst:
     This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven
     Than thou wast worthy her.

OTHELLO
  
Peace, you were best
¹⁸⁷
—

EMILIA
   Thou hast not half that power to do me harm
     As I have to
be hurt
¹⁸⁹
. O gull, O dolt,
     As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed —
     I care not for thy sword — I’ll
make thee known
¹⁹¹
,
     Though I lost twenty lives.— Help, help, ho, help!
     The Moor hath killed my mistress! Murder, murder!

Enter Montano, Gratiano and Iago

MONTANO
   What is the matter? How now, general?

EMILIA
   O, are you come, Iago? You have done well,
     That men must lay their murders on your neck.

GRATIANO
   What is the matter?

EMILIA
   Disprove this villain, if thou be’st a man:

To Iago

     He says thou told’st him that his wife was false:
     I know thou didst not, thou’rt not such a villain.
     Speak, for my heart is full.

IAGO
   I told him what I thought, and told no more
     Than what he found himself was
apt
²⁰³
and true.

EMILIA
   But did you ever tell him she was false?

IAGO
   I did.

EMILIA
   You told a lie, an odious, damnèd lie:
     Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie.
     She false with Cassio? Did you say with Cassio?

IAGO
   With Cassio, mistress! Go to,
charm
²⁰⁹
your tongue.

EMILIA
   I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak:
     My mistress here lies murdered in her bed—

ALL
  
     O, heavens forfend!

EMILIA
   And your reports have set the murder on.

OTHELLO
   Nay, stare not, masters: it is true indeed.

GRATIANO
   ’Tis a strange truth.

MONTANO
   O, monstrous act!

EMILIA
   Villainy, villainy, villainy!
     I think upon’t, I think: I smell’t: O villainy!
     I thought so then. I’ll kill myself for grief.
     O villainy! Villainy!

IAGO
   What, are you mad? I charge you get you home.

EMILIA
   Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak:
     ’Tis proper I obey him, but not now.
     Perchance, Iago, I will ne’er go home.

OTHELLO
   O, O, O!

He falls on the bed

EMILIA
   Nay, lay thee down and roar,
     For thou hast killed the sweetest innocent
     That e’er did
lift up eye
²²⁸
.

OTHELLO
   O, she was
foul
²²⁹
!

Rises

     I scarce did know you,
uncle
²³⁰
: there lies your niece,
     Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopped:
     I know this act shows horrible and
grim
²³²
.

GRATIANO
   Poor Desdemon! I am glad thy father’s dead:
     Thy match was
mortal
²³⁴
to him, and pure grief
     
Shore his old thread
²³⁵
in twain. Did he live now,
     This sight would make him
do a desperate turn
²³⁶
,
     Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
     And fall to
reprobance
²³⁸
.

OTHELLO
   ’Tis pitiful, but yet Iago knows
     That she with Cassio hath the act of shame
     A thousand times committed: Cassio confessed it,
     And she did gratify his amorous
works
²⁴²
     With that
recognizance
²⁴³
and pledge of love
     Which I first gave her: I saw it in his hand:
     It was a handkerchief, an
antique
²⁴⁵
token
     My father gave my mother.