Cyprus. A Room in the Castle.
 Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA.

Othello	You have seen nothing then?

Emilia	Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.

Othello	Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.

Emilia	But then I saw no harm, and then I heard
	Each syllable that breath made up between them.

Othello	What, did they never whisper?

Emilia									Never, my lord.

Othello	Nor send you out o'th' way?

Emilia								Never.

Othello	To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?

Emilia	Never, my lord.

Othello	That's strange.

Emilia	I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
	Lay down my soul at stake. If you think other,
	Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
	If any wretch have put this in your head,
	Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse;
	For if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
	There's no man happy; the purest of their wives
	Is foul as slander.

Othello						Bid her come hither. Go.
												[Exit EMILIA.
	She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd
	That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,
	A closet lock and key of villainous secrets;
	And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't.

                     Re-enter EMILIA with DESDEMONA.

Desdemona	My lord, what is your will?

Othello								Pray you, chuck, come hither.

Desdemona	What is your pleasure?

Othello							Let me see your eyes.
	Look in my face.

Desdemona					What horrible fancy's this?

Othello	[To EMILIA.] Some of your function, mistress;
	Leave procreants alone, and shut the door.
	Cough, or cry "hem", if anybody come.
	Your mystery, your mystery! Nay, dispatch.
												[Exit EMILIA.
Desdemona	Upon my knee, what doth your speech import?
	I understand a fury in your words,
	But not the words.

Othello	Why, what art thou?

Desdemona						Your wife, my lord, your true
	And loyal wife.

Othello					Come, swear it, damn thyself,
	Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves
	Should fear to seize thee. Therefore be double-damned:
	Swear thou art honest.

Desdemona							Heaven doth truly know it.

Othello	Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.

Desdemona	To whom, my lord? With whom? How am I false?

Othello	Ah Desdemona, away, away, away!

Desdemona	Alas the heavy day! - why do you weep?
	Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?
	If haply you my father do suspect
	An instrument of this your calling back,
	Lay not your blame on me. If you have lost him,
	I have lost him too.

Othello								Had it pleased heaven
	To try me with affliction, had they rained
	All kind of sores and shames on my bare head,
	Steeped me in poverty to the very lips,
	Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,
	I should have found in some place of my soul
	A drop of patience. But alas, to make me
	The fixd figure for the time of scorn
	To point his slow unmoving finger at!
	Yet could I bear that to - well, very well;
	But there, where I have garnered up my heart,
	Where either I must live or bear no life,
	The fountain from the which my current runs
	Or else dries up - to be discarded thence,
	Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
	To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,
	Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin;
	Ay, here, look grim as hell!

Desdemona	I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.

Othello	O, ay, as summer flies are in the shambles,
	That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,
	Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet
	That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been
	born!

Desdemona	Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?

Othello	Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
	Made to write "whore" upon? What committed?
	Committed? O thou public commoner!
	I should make very forges of my cheeks,
	That would to cinders burn up modesty,
	Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed?
	Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks,
	The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets
	Is hushed within the hollow mine of earth,
	And will not hear't. What committed?
	Impudent strumpet!

Desdemona						By heaven, you do me wrong.

Othello	Are not you a strumpet?

Desdemona							No, as I am a Christian.
	If to preserve this vessel for my lord
	From any other foul unlawful touch
	Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.

Othello	What, not a whore?

Desdemona						No, as I shall be saved.

Othello	Is it possible?

Desdemona	O, heaven forgive us!

Othello	I cry you mercy then.
	I took you for that cunning whore of Venice
	That married with Othello. [Calling.] You, mistress,
	That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
	And keeps the gate of hell.

                             Re-enter EMILIA.

								You, you, ay, you!
	We have done our course; there's money for your pains.
	I pray you turn the key, and keep our counsel.
												[Exit.
Emilia	Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
	How do you, madam? How do you, my good lady?

Desdemona	Faith, half asleep.

Emilia	Good madam, what's the matter with my lord?

Desdemona	With who?

Emilia	Why, with my lord, madam.

Desdemona	Who is thy lord?

Emilia						He that is yours, sweet lady.

Desdemona	I have none. Do not talk to me, Emilia;
	I cannot weep, nor answers have I none
	But what should go by water. Prithee tonight
	Lay on my bed our wedding sheets, remember;
	And call thy husband hither.

Emilia									Here's a change indeed!
												[Exit.
Desdemona	'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet.
	How have I been behaved that he might stick
	The small'st opinion on my least misuse?

                        Re-enter EMILIA with IAGO.

Iago	What is your pleasure, madam? How is't with you?

Desdemona	I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes
	Do it with gentle means and easy tasks:
	He might have chid me so, for, in good faith,
	I am a child to chiding.

Iago							What is the matter, lady?

Emilia	Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her,
	Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,
	That true hearts cannot bear it.

Desdemona	Am I that name, Iago?

Iago							What name, fair lady?

Desdemona	Such as she said my lord did say I was?

Emilia	He called her whore. A beggar in his drink
	Could not have laid such terms upon his callet.

Iago	Why did he so?

Desdemona	I do not know. I am sure I am none such.

Iago	Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day!

Emilia	Hath she forsook so many noble matches,
	Her father, and her country, and her friends,
	To be called whore? Would it not make one weep?

Desdemona	It is my wretched fortune.

Iago							Beshrew him for't!
	How comes this trick upon him?

Desdemona									Nay, heaven doth know.

Emilia	I will be hanged if some eternal villain,
	Some busy and insinuating rogue,
	Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office
	Have not devised this slander; I will be hanged else.

Iago	Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible.

Desdemona	If any such there be, heaven pardon him!

Emilia	A halter pardon him, and hell gnaw his bones!
	Why should he call her whore? Who keeps her company?
	What place, what time, what form, what likelihood?
	The Moor's abused by some most villainous knave,
	Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.
	O heavens, that such companions thou'dst unfold,
	And put in every honest hand a whip
	To lash the rascals naked through the world,
	Even from the east to th' west!

Iago									Speak within door.

Emilia	O, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
	That turned your wit the seamy side without,
	And made you to suspect me with the Moor.

Iago	You are a fool; go to.

Desdemona								Alas, Iago,
	What shall I do to win my lord again?
	Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,
	I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel:
	If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
	Either in discourse of thought or actual deed,
	Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense
	Delighted them in any other form,
	Or that I do not yet, and ever did,
	And ever will - though he do shake me off
	To beggarly divorcement - love him dearly,
	Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much,
	And his unkindness may defeat my life,
	But never taint my love. I cannot say "whore";
	It does abhor me now I speak the word:
	To do the act that might the addition earn
	Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.

Iago	I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humour:
	The business of the state does him offence,
	And he does chide with you.

Desdemona	If 'twere no other-

Iago	It is but so, I warrant.
												[Trumpets sound.
	Hark how these instruments summon you to supper!
	The messengers of Venice stays the meat.
	Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.
									[Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA.

                             Enter RODERIGO.

	How now, Roderigo!

Roderigo	I do not find that thou deal'st justly with me.

Iago	What in the contrary?

Roderigo	Every day thou daff'st me with some device, Iago, and 
	rather, as it seems to me now, keep'st from me all 
	conveniency than supply'st me with the least advantage of 
	hope. I will indeed no longer endure it. Nor am I yet 
	persuaded to put up in peace what already I have foolishly 
	suffered.

Iago	Will you hear me, Roderigo?

Roderigo	Faith, I have heard too much; and your words and 
	performances are no kin together

Iago	You charge me most unjustly.

Roderigo	With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of my 
	means. The jewels you have had from me to deliver Desdemona 
	would half have corrupted a votarist. You have told me she 
	has received them, and returned me expectations and 
	comforts of sudden respect and acquaintance, but I find 
	none.

Iago	Well, go to, very well.

Roderigo	Very well, go to! I cannot go to, man, nor 'tis not very 
	well. Nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin to find myself 
	fopped in it.

Iago	Very well.

Roderigo	I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make myself known to 
	Desdemona. If she will return me my jewels, I will give 
	over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation; if not, 
	assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you.

Iago	You have said now.

Roderigo	Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of 
	doing.

Iago	Why, now I see there's mettle in thee, and even from this 
	instant do build on thee a better opinion than ever before. 
	Give me thy hand, Roderigo. Thou hast taken against me a 
	most just exception; but yet I protest I have dealt most 
	directly in thy affair.

Roderigo	It hath not appeared.

Iago	I grant indeed it hath not appeared; and your suspicion is 
	not without wit and judgement; but, Roderigo, if thou hast 
	that in thee indeed, which I have greater reason to believe 
	now than ever - I mean purpose, courage, and valour - his 
	night show it. If thou the next night following enjoy not 
	Desdemona, take me from this world with treachery, and 
	devise engines for my life.

Roderigo	Well, what is it? Is it within reason and compass?

Iago	Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice to 
	depute Cassio in Othello's place.

Roderigo	Is that true? Why, then Othello and Desdemona return again 
	to Venice.

Iago	O no; he goes into Mauritania, and taketh away with him the 
	fair Desdemona, unless his abode be lingered here by some 
	accident; wherein none can be so determinate as the 
	removing of Cassio.

Roderigo	How do you mean "removing" him?

Iago	Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place - knocking 
	out his brains.

Roderigo	And that you would have me to do.

Iago	Ay, if you dare do yourself a profit and a right. He sups 
	tonight with a harlotry; and thither will I go to him. He 
	knows not yet of his honourable fortune. If you will watch 
	his going thence, which I will fashion to fall out between 
	twelve and one, you may take him at your pleasure. I will 
	be near to second your attempt, and he shall fall between 
	us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with me; I 
	will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall 
	think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high 
	suppertime, and the night grows to waste. About it.

Roderigo	I will hear further reason for this.

Iago	And you shall be satisfied.
												[Exeunt.
