The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (995 page)

Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA

OTHELLO

You have seen nothing then?

So you have not seen anything?

EMILIA

Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect.

No, and I didn’t hear or suspect anything either.

OTHELLO

Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.

But you did see Cassio with her.

EMILIA

But then I saw no harm, and then I heard

But there was nothing wrong there, and I heard

Each syllable that breath made up between them.

Every word they said between them

OTHELLO

What, did they never whisper?

They never whispered?

EMILIA

Never, my lord.

Never, my lord.

OTHELLO

Nor send you out o' the way?

And never sent you away?

EMILIA

Never.

Never.

OTHELLO

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

Not to get her fan or gloves or hat or anything?

EMILIA

Never, my lord.

Never, my lord.

OTHELLO

That's strange.

That is very strange.

EMILIA

I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,

My lord, I think she is very honest

Lay down my soul at stake: if you think other,

And would bet my soul on it. If you think otherwise,

Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.

Please rethink it – it ruins your credibility.

If any wretch have put this in your head,

Whoever has put this into your head,

Let heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!

May heaven curse his head!

For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,

If Desdemona is not honest, pure, and true,

There's no man happy; the purest of their wives

Than no man may ever be happy. The purest of their wives

Is foul as slander.

Are then evil.

OTHELLO

Bid her come hither: go.

Please ask her to come to me.

Exit EMILIA

She says enough; yet she's a simple bawd

She speaks well for Desdemona – though one would be a stupid prostitute

That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,

Who could not lie as well as that. Desdemona is a tricky whore,

A closet lock and key of villanous secrets

She is full of evil secrets that are locked in her,

And yet she'll kneel and pray; I have seen her do't.

And all the while she will kneel and pray. I’ve seen it.

Enter DESDEMONA with EMILIA

DESDEMONA

My lord, what is your will?

My lord, what do you want?

OTHELLO

Pray, chuck, come hither.

Please, darling, come here.

DESDEMONA

What is your pleasure?

What would you like?

OTHELLO

Let me see your eyes;

Let me see your eyes,

Look in my face.

Look at me.

DESDEMONA

What horrible fancy's this?

What awful game is this.

OTHELLO

[To EMILIA] Some of your function, mistress;

Go to your work, mistress.

Leave procreants alone and shut the door;

Leave us alone to have sex, and shut the door.

Cough, or cry 'hem,' if any body come:

Cough or cry out if anyone comes,

Your mystery, your mystery: nay, dispatch.

Since that is your job. Now, go.

Exit EMILIA

DESDEMONA

Upon my knees, what doth your speech import?

I beg you, what do you mean?

I understand a fury in your words.

There is anger in your words,

But not the words.

But not in the words themselves.

OTHELLO

Why, what art thou?

Who are you?

DESDEMONA

Your wife, my lord; your true

Your wife, lord, your honest

And loyal wife.

And loyal wife.

OTHELLO

Come, swear it, damn thyself

Come and swear it to me. Damn yourself by lying

Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves

So that the devils will not confuse you for an angel

Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd:

And thus fail to take you. Be double-damned

Swear thou art honest.

And swear your honesty.

DESDEMONA

Heaven doth truly know it.

God knows I am.

OTHELLO

Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.

God knows that you have been as evil as hell.

DESDEMONA

To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false?

To whom, my lord? With whom? How have I been unfaithful?

OTHELLO

O Desdemona! away! away! away!

O Desdemona go away!

DESDEMONA

Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep?

This is such a sad day! Why do you weep?

Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?

Did I force you to cry, my lord?

If haply you my father do suspect

If you suspect that my father

An instrument of this your calling back,

Is the reason you have been called back,

Lay not your blame on me: If you have lost him,

Then do not blame me. If he hates you,

Why, I have lost him too.

Then I hate him too.

OTHELLO

Had it pleased heaven

If heaven wanted

To try me with affliction; had they rain'd

To test me through pain, if they had placed

All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head,

All kinds of sores and illnesses on my body,

Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips,

Or had made me incredibly poor,

Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes,

Or had given me to slavery so that I could not even hope for freedom,

I should have found in some place of my soul

I would have found in my soul

A drop of patience: but, alas, to make me

An ability to be patient. But instead, He has made me

A fixed figure for the time of scorn

Into a man built for being mocked

To point his slow unmoving finger at!

And for others to point their fingers at!

Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:

I could even handle that, though,

But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,

If it did not have to do with my heart’s foundations, my wife,

Where either I must live, or bear no life;

The person whom I depend on,

The fountain from the which my current runs,

And the fountain my lineage must come from,

Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!

Or it dries up and is ruined!

Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads

Now this fountain is a container for ugly toads

To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,

To copulate in! Turn your gaze to this,

Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin,--

O Patience, you young and rose-lipped angel,

Ay, there, look grim as hell!

Look how awful it is!

DESDEMONA

I hope my noble lord esteems me honest.

I wish my noble lord would know that I am honest.

OTHELLO

O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles,

O yes, you are as honest as the summer flies in the woods

That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,

That leave each time the wind blows. O you weed,

Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet

Who is so beautiful and smell so good,

That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst

That one aches to see and smell you – it would be better if

ne'er been born!

you were never born!

DESDEMONA

Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?

Please, what sin that I do not know about have I committed?

OTHELLO

Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,

Was this beautiful woman, like a good and holy book,

Made to write 'whore' upon? What committed!

Created in order for someone to write “whore” on it? What you committed!

Committed! O thou public commoner!

Committed! O you public prostitute!

I should make very forges of my cheeks,

My cheeks would burn like ovens

That would to cinders burn up modesty,

And devour all modesty in their flames

Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!

If I spoke aloud what you did. What you did!

Heaven stops the nose at it and the moon winks,

Heaven holds its nose at you, and the moon closes its eyes,

The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets

And the playful wind that kisses everything

Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,

Has been calmed and quieted into the earth,

And will not hear it. What committed!

And refuses to hear it. What you did!

Impudent strumpet!

Bold whore!

DESDEMONA

By heaven, you do me wrong.

By God, you are treating me wrongly.

OTHELLO

Are you not a strumpet?

Aren’t you a whore?

DESDEMONA

No, as I am a Christian:

No, I am a Christian,

If to preserve this vessel for my lord

If I keep my body only for you

From any other foul unlawful touch

And do not allow any evil touch,

Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.

If that is the definition of someone who is not a whore, then I am not one.

OTHELLO

What, not a whore?

You aren’t a whore?

DESDEMONA

No, as I shall be saved.

No, by my own salvation I swear.

OTHELLO

Is't possible?

Is it possible?

DESDEMONA

O, heaven forgive us!

God forgive us!

OTHELLO

I cry you mercy, then:

I ask for your forgiveness then:

I took you for that cunning whore of Venice

I mistook you for the tricky whore from Venice

That married with Othello.

Who married Othello.

Raising his voice

You, mistress,

You, mistress,

That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,

That have watched the gates of this room like Saint Peter’s opposite,

And keep the gate of hell!

Watching the gates of hell!