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Othello - Act 1, scene 1
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Othello - Act 1, scene 1Act 1, scene 1
Scene 1
Synopsis:
In the streets of Venice, Iago tells Roderigo of his hatred for Othello, who has given Cassio the lieutenancy that Iago wanted and has made Iago a mere ensign. At Iago’s suggestion, he and Roderigo, a former suitor to Desdemona, awake Desdemona’s father to tell him that Desdemona has eloped with Othello. This news enrages Brabantio, who organizes an armed band to search out Othello.
Enter Roderigo and Iago.RODERIGO
0001 ⟨Tush,⟩ never tell me! I take it much unkindly
0002 That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
0003 As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.
IAGO 0004 ⟨’Sblood,⟩ but you’ll not hear me!
0005 5 If ever I did dream of such a matter,
0006 Abhor me.
RODERIGO
0007 Thou toldst me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
IAGO 0008 Despise me
0009 If I do not. Three great ones of the city,
0010 10 In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
0011 Off-capped to him; and, by the faith of man,
0012 I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.
0013 But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
0014 Evades them with a bombast circumstance,
0015 15 Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,
0016 ⟨And in conclusion,⟩
0017 Nonsuits my mediators. For “Certes,” says he,
0018 “I have already chose my officer.”
0019 And what was he?
0020 20 Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
0021 One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,
0022 A fellow almost damned in a fair wife,
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0023
That never set a squadron in the field,0024 Nor the division of a battle knows
0025 25 More than a spinster—unless the bookish theoric,
0026 Wherein the ⟨togèd⟩ consuls can propose
0027 As masterly as he. Mere prattle without practice
0028 Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had th’ election;
0029 And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof
0030 30 At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on ⟨other⟩ grounds
0031 Christened and heathen, must be beleed and
0032 calmed
0033 By debitor and creditor. This countercaster,
0034 He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,
0035 35 And I, ⟨God⟩ bless the mark, his Moorship’s ancient.
RODERIGO
0036 By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.
IAGO
0037 Why, there’s no remedy. ’Tis the curse of service.
0038 Preferment goes by letter and affection,
0039 And not by old gradation, where each second
0040 40 Stood heir to th’ first. Now, sir, be judge yourself
0041 Whether I in any just term am affined
0042 To love the Moor.
RODERIGO
0043 I would not follow him, then.
IAGO 0044 O, sir, content you.
0045 45 I follow him to serve my turn upon him.
0046 We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
0047 Cannot be truly followed. You shall mark
0048 Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave
0049 That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
0050 50 Wears out his time, much like his master’s ass,
0051 For naught but provender, and when he’s old,
0052 cashiered.
0053 Whip me such honest knaves! Others there are
0054 Who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty,
0055 55 Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,
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0056
And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,0057 Do well thrive by them; and when they have lined
0058 their coats,
0059 Do themselves homage. These fellows have some
0060 60 soul,
0061 And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,
0062 It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
0063 Were I the Moor I would not be Iago.
0064 In following him, I follow but myself.
0065 65 Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
0066 But seeming so for my peculiar end.
0067 For when my outward action doth demonstrate
0068 The native act and figure of my heart
0069 In complement extern, ’tis not long after
0070 70 But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
0071 For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.
RODERIGO
0072 What a ⟨full⟩ fortune does the ⟨thick-lips⟩ owe
0073 If he can carry ’t thus!
IAGO 0074 Call up her father.
0075 75 Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight,
0076 Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
0077 And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
0078 Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,
0079 Yet throw such chances of vexation on ’t
0080 80 As it may lose some color.
RODERIGO
0081 Here is her father’s house. I’ll call aloud.
IAGO
0082 Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell
0083 As when, by night and negligence, the fire
0084 Is spied in populous cities.
RODERIGO
0085 85 What ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!
IAGO
0086 Awake! What ho, Brabantio! Thieves, thieves!
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0087
Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags!0088 Thieves, thieves!
⌜Enter Brabantio,⌝ above.
BRABANTIO
0089 What is the reason of this terrible summons?
0090 90 What is the matter there?
RODERIGO
0091 Signior, is all your family within?
IAGO
0092 Are your doors locked?
BRABANTIO 0093 Why, wherefore ask you this?
IAGO
0094 ⟨Zounds,⟩ sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your
0095 95 gown!
0096 Your heart is burst. You have lost half your soul.
0097 Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
0098 Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!
0099 Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
0100 100 Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.
0101 Arise, I say!
BRABANTIO 0102 What, have you lost your wits?
RODERIGO
0103 Most reverend signior, do you know my voice?
BRABANTIO 0104 Not I. What are you?
RODERIGO
0105 105 My name is Roderigo.
BRABANTIO 0106 The worser welcome.
0107 I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors.
0108 In honest plainness thou hast heard me say
0109 My daughter is not for thee. And now in madness,
0110 110 Being full of supper and distemp’ring draughts,
0111 Upon malicious ⟨bravery⟩ dost thou come
0112 To start my quiet.
RODERIGO 0113 Sir, sir, sir—
BRABANTIO 0114 But thou must needs be sure
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0115
115 My ⟨spirit⟩ and my place have in ⟨them⟩ power0116 To make this bitter to thee.
RODERIGO
0117 Patience, good sir.
BRABANTIO 0118 What tell’st thou me of robbing?
0119 This is Venice. My house is not a grange.
RODERIGO 0120 120Most grave Brabantio,
0121 In simple and pure soul I come to you—
IAGO 0122 ⟨Zounds,⟩ sir, you are one of those that will not
0123 serve God if the devil bid you. Because we come to
0124 do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll
0125 125 have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse,
0126 you’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll have
0127 coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.
BRABANTIO 0128 What profane wretch art thou?
IAGO 0129 I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter
0130 130 and the Moor are ⟨now⟩ making the beast with
0131 two backs.
BRABANTIO 0132 Thou art a villain.
IAGO 0133 You are a senator.
BRABANTIO
0134 This thou shalt answer. I know thee, Roderigo.
RODERIGO
0135 135 Sir, I will answer anything. But I beseech you,
0136 [If ’t be your pleasure and most wise consent—
0137 As partly I find it is—that your fair daughter,
0138 At this odd-even and dull watch o’ th’ night,
0139 Transported with no worse nor better guard
0140 140 But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
0141 To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor:
0142 If this be known to you, and your allowance,
0143 We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs.
0144 But if you know not this, my manners tell me
0145 145 We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe
0146 That from the sense of all civility
0147 I thus would play and trifle with your Reverence.
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0148
Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,0149 I say again, hath made a gross revolt,
0150 150 Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes
0151 In an extravagant and wheeling stranger
0152 Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself.]
0153 If she be in her chamber or your house,
0154 Let loose on me the justice of the state
0155 155 For thus deluding you.
BRABANTIO 0156 Strike on the tinder, ho!
0157 Give me a taper. Call up all my people.
0158 This accident is not unlike my dream.
0159 Belief of it oppresses me already.
0160 160 Light, I say, light!He exits.
IAGO, ⌜to Roderigo⌝ 0161 Farewell, for I must leave you.
0162 It seems not meet nor wholesome to my place
0163 To be producted, as if I stay I shall,
0164 Against the Moor. For I do know the state,
0165 165 However this may gall him with some check,
0166 Cannot with safety cast him, for he’s embarked
0167 With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars,
0168 Which even now stands in act, that, for their souls,
0169 Another of his fathom they have none
0170 170 To lead their business. In which regard,
0171 Though I do hate him as I do hell ⟨pains,⟩
0172 Yet, for necessity of present life,
0173 I must show out a flag and sign of love—
0174 Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find
0175 175 him,
0176 Lead to the Sagittary the raisèd search,
0177 And there will I be with him. So, farewell.He exits.
Enter Brabantio ⟨in his nightgown,⟩ with Servants and
Torches.
BRABANTIO
0178 It is too true an evil. Gone she is,
0179 And what’s to come of my despisèd time
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0180
180 Is naught but bitterness.—Now, Roderigo,0181 Where didst thou see her?—O, unhappy girl!—
0182 With the Moor, sayst thou?—Who would be a
0183 father?—
0184 How didst thou know ’twas she?—O, she deceives
0185 185 me
0186 Past thought!—What said she to you?—Get more
0187 tapers.
0188 Raise all my kindred.—Are they married, think
0189 you?
RODERIGO 0190 190Truly, I think they are.
BRABANTIO
0191 O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!
0192 Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds
0193 By what you see them act.—Is there not charms
0194 By which the property of youth and maidhood
0195 195 May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo,
0196 Of some such thing?
RODERIGO 0197 Yes, sir, I have indeed.
BRABANTIO
0198 Call up my brother.—O, would you had had her!—
0199 Some one way, some another.—Do you know
0200 200 Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?
RODERIGO
0201 I think I can discover him, if you please
0202 To get good guard and go along with me.
BRABANTIO
0203 Pray you lead on. At every house I’ll call.
0204 I may command at most.—Get weapons, ho!
0205 205 And raise some special officers of ⟨night⟩.—
0206 On, good Roderigo. I will deserve your pains.
They exit.