Read The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Online
Authors: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Enter CASSIO and some Musicians
CASSIO
Masters, play here; I will content your pains;
Masters, play now – I will pay you.
Something that's brief; and bid 'Good morrow, general.'
Play something brief, but happy, and remember to say, “Good morning, general.”
Music
Enter Clown
Clown
Why masters, have your instruments been in Naples,
Why masters, have your instruments been to Naples?
that they speak i' the nose thus?
Is that why they have a nasal sound?
First Musician
How, sir, how!
What!
Clown
Are these, I pray you, wind-instruments?
Please tell me, are these wind instruments?
First Musician
Ay, marry, are they, sir.
They are, sir, yes.
Clown
O, thereby hangs a tail.
There’s the problem.
First Musician
Whereby hangs a tale, sir?
What is the problem, sir?
Clown
Marry, sir, by many a wind-instrument that I know.
Well, sir, I know many people who are all wind.
But, masters, here's money for you: and the general
But, masters, here’s some money. The general
so likes your music, that he desires you, for love's
likes your music so much that he desires, out of love,
sake, to make no more noise with it.
that you stop making noise out of it.
First Musician
Well, sir, we will not.
Well then we will stop.
Clown
If you have any music that may not be heard, to't
If you have any music that makes no sound, do play it
again: but, as they say to hear music the general
again. But as I said, with music that can be heard, the general
does not greatly care.
does not care for that.
First Musician
We have none such, sir.
We have no music like that, sir.
Clown
Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away:
Then put your instruments away,
go; vanish into air; away!
go, leave into the air, goodbye!
Exeunt Musicians
CASSIO
Dost thou hear, my honest friend?
Do you hear, my honest friend?
Clown
No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you.
No, I don’t hear your honest friend, but I hear you.
CASSIO
Prithee, keep up thy quillets. There's a poor piece
Please, keep your jokes to yourself. Here’s a bit
of gold for thee: if the gentlewoman that attends
of money. If the woman who is attending to
the general's wife be stirring, tell her there's
the general’s wife is up, tell her
one Cassio entreats her a little favour of speech:
Cassio would like to speak with her –
wilt thou do this?
will you do this?
Clown
She is stirring, sir: if she will stir hither, I
She is up, sir, and if she comes this way, I
shall seem to notify unto her.
will tell her.
CASSIO
Do, my good friend.
Do, my friend.
Exit Clown
Enter IAGO
In happy time, Iago.
Good to see you, Iago.
IAGO
You have not been a-bed, then?
Have you not slept yet?
CASSIO
Why, no; the day had broke
No, the morning came
Before we parted. I have made bold, Iago,
Before we parted. I decided, Iago,
To send in to your wife: my suit to her
To send after your wife and talk to her
Is, that she will to virtuous Desdemona
In order to ask that she will go to virtuous Desdemona
Procure me some access.
And find me access to talk to Desdemona.
IAGO
I'll send her to you presently;
I will send her to you now
And I'll devise a mean to draw the Moor
And will devise a scheme to keep the Moor
Out of the way, that your converse and business
Out of the way so that your conversation
May be more free.
Can be without interruption.
CASSIO
I humbly thank you for't.
Thank you.
Exit IAGO
I never knew
I never knew
A Florentine more kind and honest.
A more kind and honest man from Florence.
Enter EMILIA
EMILIA
Good morrow, good Lieutenant: I am sorry
Good morning, good lieutenant. I am sorry
For your displeasure; but all will sure be well.
For your misfortunes, but I hope all will soon be fixed.
The general and his wife are talking of it;
The general and his wife are talking about it
And she speaks for you stoutly: the Moor replies,
And she defends you very strongly. Then the Moor replies
That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus,
That you hurt a very famous man in Cyprus,
And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom
One who is well liked, and that in the wisdom of the situation
He might not but refuse you; but he protests he loves you
He has no choice but to refuse you. Still, he says that he loves you
And needs no other suitor but his likings
And that he needs no one to convince him, that by his own preference
To take the safest occasion by the front
He is looking for a safe time to
To bring you in again.
Reinstate you.
CASSIO
Yet, I beseech you,
Still, I beg you,
If you think fit, or that it may be done,
If you think it is appropriate or possible,
Give me advantage of some brief discourse
Let me have some brief conversation
With Desdemona alone.
With Desdemona herself.
EMILIA
Pray you, come in;
Yes, come in.
I will bestow you where you shall have time
I will take you to where you will be able
To speak your bosom freely.
To speak freely with her.
CASSIO
I am much bound to you.
I am indebted to you.
Exeunt
Enter OTHELLO, IAGO, and Gentlemen
OTHELLO
These letters give, Iago, to the pilot;
Iago, give these letters to the pilot
And by him do my duties to the senate:
And ask him to pay my respects to the Senate.
That done, I will be walking on the works;
With that done, I will be walking along the walls;
Repair there to me.
Find me there when you are done.
IAGO
Well, my good lord, I'll do't.
Very well, my lord. I will do it.
OTHELLO
This fortification, gentlemen, shall we see't?
Gentlemen, shall you show me around the fortifications?
Gentleman
We'll wait upon your lordship.
Whatever you would like, my lord.
Exeunt
Enter DESDEMONA, CASSIO, and EMILIA
DESDEMONA
Be thou assured, good Cassio, I will do
Be certain, Cassio, that I will do
All my abilities in thy behalf.
Everything I can.
EMILIA
Good madam, do: I warrant it grieves my husband,
Please do, madam. I believe it upsets my husband so much
As if the case were his.
That it seems like it is his case.
DESDEMONA
O, that's an honest fellow. Do not doubt, Cassio,
O, well he is a good man. Do not doubt, Cassio,
But I will have my lord and you again
That I will make sure that you and my husband
As friendly as you were.
Become as friendly as you ever were.
CASSIO
Bounteous madam,
Good lady,
Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio,
Whatever happens to me,
He's never any thing but your true servant.
I will always be your devoted servant.
DESDEMONA
I know't; I thank you. You do love my lord:
I know, thank you. You do love Othello,
You have known him long; and be you well assured
And you have known him a long time. Be assured:
He shall in strangeness stand no further off
He only stands away from you
Than in a polite distance.
From a political need.
CASSIO
Ay, but, lady,
Yes, but lady,
That policy may either last so long,
That political need may go on for too long,
Or feed upon such nice and waterish diet,
Or may create a such a diet and daily that I am not missed,
Or breed itself so out of circumstance,
Or may continue on unquestioned,
That, I being absent and my place supplied,
That, since I am gone and my position taken,
My general will forget my love and service.
Othello will forget about my love and my service to him.