lago. Lend me a garter: So.-O, for a chair, | SCENE II-A Bedchamber: DESDEMONA in To bear him easily hence! Bed asleep.-A. Light burning.

Bian. Alas, he faints:-O Cassio! Cassio!
Cassio!

Iago. Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash
To be a party in this injury.—

Patience awhile, good Cassio.-Come, come;
Lend me a light.-Know we this face, or no?
Alas! my friend, and my dear countryman,
Roderigo? no:-Yes, sure; O heaven, Rod-
erigo.

Gra. What, of Venice?

lago. Even he, Sir; did you know him? Gra. Know him? ay.

pardon;

lago. Signior Gratiano? I cry you gentle [ners, These bloody accidents must excuse my manThat so neglected you.

Gra. I am glad to see you.

lago. How do you, Cassio?-O, a chair, a

lago. [To BIAN.] What, look you pale?
O, bear him out o'the air.
[CAS. and ROD. are borne off.
Stay you, good gentlemen:-Look you pale,
mistress?

Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?—
Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon :—
Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her;
Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will
Though tongues were out of use. [speak,

Enter EMILIA.

Emil. 'Las, what's the matter; what's the matter, husband?

Iago. Cassio hath here been set on in the
dark,

By Roderigo, and fellows that are scap'd;
He's almost slain, and Roderigo dead.

Emil. las, good gentleman! alas, good
Cassio!

Iago. This is the fruit of whoring.-Pr'y-
thee, Emilia,

Go know of Cassio where he supp'd tonight:

What, do you shake at that?

Bian. He supp'd at my house, but I ther?fore shake not.

Iago. O, did he so? I charge you, go with

Enter OTHELLO.

Oth. It is the cause, it is the cause, my
soul,-

Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!—
It is the cause.-
-Yet I'll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster,

[Takes off his Sword.
Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:*
I can again thy former light restore,
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
Should I repent ne :-but once put out thine,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat,
That can thy light relume. When I have
pluck'd thy rose,

I cannot give it vital life again,
It needs must wither:-I'll smell it on the
tree.-
[Kissing her.
O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her sword!-One more, one

Oth. Humph!

Des. And yet I fear you: for you are 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.

Oth. Think on thy sins.

Des. They are loves I bear to you.
Oth. Ay, and for that thou diest.

Des. 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.

Oth. Peace, and be still!

Des. I will so: What's the matter?

Oth. That handkerchief, which I so lov'd, and gave thee,

Thou gav'st to Cassio.

Des. No, by my life and soul;

Send for the man, and ask him.

Oth. Sweet soul, take heed,

[bed.

Still as the grave. Shall she come in? Were good?

[best

I think, she stirs again:-No.-What's the
If she come in, she'll sure speak to my wife:
My wife! my wife! what wife?-I have no
wife:

Take heed of perjury; thou'rt on thy death-O, insupportable! O heavy hour!

Des. Ay, but not yet to die.

Oth. Yes, presently:

[tion,

Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin;
For to deny each article with oath,
Cannot remove, nor choke, the strong concep-
That I do groan withal. Thou art to die.
Des. Then, Lord have mercy on me!
Oth. I say, amen.

Des. And have you mercy too!-I never did
Offend you in my life; never lov'd Cassio,
But with such general warranty of heaven
As I might love: I never gave him token.
Oth. By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in
his hand.

O perjur'd woman! thou dost stone my heart,
And mak'st me call, what I intend to do,-
A murder, which I thought a sacrifice:*
I saw the handkerchief.

Des. He found it then;

I never gave it him-Send for him hither,
And let him confess a truth.

Oth. He hath confess'd.

Des. What, my lord?

Oth. That he hath-us'd thee.

Des. How? unlawfully?

Oth. Ay.

Des. He'll not say so.

Oth. No, his mouth is stopp'd;

Honest lago hath ta'en order for❜t.t

Des. My fear interprets then,-What, is he dead?

Oth. Had all his hairs been lives, my great

revenge

Had stomach for them all.

Des. Alas! he is betray'd, and I undone. Oth. Out, strumpet! Weep'st thou for him to my face?

Des. O, banish me, my lord, but kill me

not.

Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse
Of sun and moon; and that the affrighted
Should yawn at alteration.
Emil. [Within.]
(globe
do beseech you may
speak with you,

O, good my lord!

Oth. I had forgot thee: O, come in, Emilia:Soft,-by and by:-Let me the curtains [draw.Where art thou? What's the matter with thee now? [Unlocks the door.

Help! help, ho! help!-O lady, speak again!
Sweet Desdemona! O, sweet mistress, speak!
Des. A guiltless death I die.
Emil. O, who hath done

This deed?

Des. Nobody; I myself; farewell: Commend me to my kind lord; O, farewell.

[Dies

Oth. Why, how should she be murder'd?
Emil. Alas, who knows?

Oth. You heard her say herself, it was not.
Emil. She said so; I must needs report the

truth.

Oth. She's, like a liar, gone to burning hell; 'Twas I that kill'd her.

Emil. O, the more angel she,
And you the blacker devil!

Oth. She turn'd to folly, and she was a
whore.

Emil. Thou dost belie her, and thou art a devil.

Oth. She was false as water.

Emil. Thou art rash as fire, to say
That she was false; O, she was heavenly true!
Oth. Cassio did tup her; ask thy husband

else.

O, I were damn'd beneath all depth in hell,
But that I did proceed upon just grounds
To this extremity; Thy husband knew it all.
Emil. My husband?

Oth. Thy husband.

Emil. That she was false to wedlock?
Nay, had she been true,
Oth. Ay, with Cassio.

If heaven would make me such another world

I say, thy husband: Dost understand the word?
My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.

Emil. If he say so, may his pernicious soul
Rot half a grain a day! he lies to the heart;
She was too fond of her most filthy bargain.
Oth. Ha!

Emil. Do thy worst:

This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven,
Than thou wast worthy her.

Oth. Peace, you were best.

I thought so then;-I'll kill myself for grief.—
O villany, villany!

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

Emil. Good gentlemen, let me have leave to
speak;

'Tis proper I obey him, but not now :-
Perchance, Iago, I will ne'er go home.
Oth. O! O! O! [Hanging over his wife.
Emil. Nay, lay thee down, and roar;
For thou hast kill'd the sweetest innocent,
That e'er did lift up eye.

Oth. O, she was foul!

[Rising.

I scarce did know you, uncle: There lies your niece,

Whose breath, indeed, these hands have new-
ly stopp'd:

I know, this act shows horrible and grim.
Gra. Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy fa-
ther's dead;

Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief
Shore his old thread in twain: did he live now,
This sight would make him do a desperate turn,

Emil. Thou hast not half the power to do Yea, curse his better angel from his side,

me harm,

As I have to be hurt. O gull! O dolt!
As ignorant as dirt! thou hast done a deed,
I care not for thy sword; I'll make thee
known,

Though I lost twenty lives :-Help! help, ho!
help!

The Moor has kill'd my mistress; Murder!

murder !

Emil. You told a lie; an odious, damned lie;
Upon my soul, a lie; a wicked lie:-
She false with Cassio?-Did you say, with
Cassio?

Iugo. With Cassio, mistress; Go to, charm

your tongue.

Emil. I will not charm my tongue; I am

bound to speak;

My mistress here lies murder'd in her bed.
All. O heavens forfend!

Emil. And your reports have set the murder

And fall to reprobation.

Oth. "Tis pitiful: but yet Iago knows,
That she with Cassio hath the act of shame
A thousand times committed; Cassio con-

fess'd it:

And she did gratify his amorous works
With that recognizance and pledge of love
Which I first gave her; I saw it in his hand;
It was a handkerchief, an antique token
My father gave my mother.

Emil. O heaven! O heavenly powers!
Iago. Come, hold your peace.

Emil. Twill out, 'twill out;-I hold my
peace, Sir? no;

No, I will speak as liberal as the air;
Let heaven, and men, and devils, let them all,
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.
lago. Be wise, and get you home.
Emil. I will not.

O murd'rous coxcomb! what should such a fool

Do with so good a wife?

[IAGO stabs EMILIA, then runs out. Oth. Are there no stones in heaven, But what serve for the thunder?-Precious villain !

Gra. The woman falls; sure, he has kill'd his wife.

Emil. Ay, ay; O, lay me by my mistress'

side!

Gra. He's gone, but his wife's kill'd.
Mon. 'Tis a notorious villain. Take you this

But kill him rather; I'll after that same villain,

For 'tis a damned slave.

[Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO.
Oth. I am not valiant neither,
But every puny whipster gets my sword :-
But why should honour outlive honesty?
Let it go all.

Emil. What did thy song bode, lady?
Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the

And die in music;-Willow, willow, willow.-
Moor, she was chaste; she lov'd thee, cruel
Moor;

So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true;
So speaking as I think, I die,-I die. [Dies.
Oth. I have another weapon in this chamber,
It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's tem-
per;

O, here it is:-Uncle, I must come forth.

Gra. [Within.] If thou attempt it, it will
cost thee dear;

Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.
Oth. Look in upon me then, and speak with

How he upbraids Iago, that he made him
Brave me on the watch; whereon it came
After long seeming dead,-Iago hurt him,
That I was cast: and even but now he spake,
Iago set him on.

Lod. You must forsake this room, and go

Your power and your command is taken off,
And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,-
That can torment him much, and hold him
If there be any cunning cruelty,
long,

It shall be his: You shall close prisoner rest,
Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state:-Come, bring him

I have done the state some service, and they

No more of that:-I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you
speak

Steel is hardened by being put red-hot into very cold Of one, that lov'd not wisely, but too well;

THE END,