Othello: Act 1, Scene 1

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           Enter RODERIGO and IAGO.

      RODERIGO
  1   Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly
  2   That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse
  3   As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.

      IAGO
  4   'Sblood, but you will not hear me:
  5   If ever I did dream of such a matter,
  6   Abhor me.

      RODERIGO
  7   Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.

      IAGO
  8   Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,
  9   In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
 10   Off-capp'd to him: and, by the faith of man,
 11   I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.
 12   But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
 13   Evades them, with a bombast circumstance
 14   Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war;
 15   And, in conclusion,
 16   Nonsuits my mediators; for, "Certes," says he,
 17   "I have already chose my officer."
 18   And what was he?
 19   Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
 20   One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,
 21   A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife,
 22   That never set a squadron in the field,
 23   Nor the division of a battle knows
 24   More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,
 25   Wherein the toged consuls can propose
 26   As masterly as he. Mere prattle, without practise,
 27   Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election:
 28   And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof
 29   At Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds
 30   Christian and heathen, must be be-lee'd and calm'd
 31   By debitor and creditor — this counter-caster,
 32   He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,
 33   And I — God bless the mark! — his Moorship's ancient.

      RODERIGO
 34   By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.

      IAGO
 35   Why, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service,
 36   Preferment goes by letter and affection,
 37   And not by old gradation, where each second
 38   Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself,
 39   Whether I in any just term am affined
 40   To love the Moor.

      RODERIGO
                                     I would not follow him then.

      IAGO
 41   O, sir, content you;
 42   I follow him to serve my turn upon him.
 43   We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
 44   Cannot be truly follow'd. You shall mark
 45   Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,
 46   That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
 47   Wears out his time, much like his master's ass,
 48   For nought but provender, and when he's old, cashier'd:
 49   Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are
 50   Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,
 51   Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,
 52   And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,
 53   Do well thrive by them and when they have lin'd their coats
 54   Do themselves homage. These fellows have some soul;
 55   And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,
 56   It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
 57   Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago.
 58   In following him, I follow but myself;
 59   Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
 60   But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
 61   For when my outward action doth demonstrate
 62   The native act and figure of my heart
 63   In compliment extern, 'tis not long after
 64   But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
 65   For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.

      RODERIGO
 66   What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe
 67   If he can carry't thus!

      IAGO
                                             Call up her father,
 68   Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight,
 69   Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
 70   And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
 71   Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy,
 72   Yet throw such changes of vexation on't,
 73   As it may lose some color.

      RODERIGO
 74   Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud.

      IAGO
 75   Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell
 76   As when, by night and negligence, the fire
 77   Is spied in populous cities.

      RODERIGO
 78   What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!

      IAGO
 79   Awake! what, ho, Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves!
 80   Look to your house, your daughter and your bags!
 81   Thieves! thieves!

           [Enter BRABANTIO] above [at a window].

      BRABANTIO
 82   What is the reason of this terrible summons?
 83   What is the matter there?

      RODERIGO
 84   Signior, is all your family within?

      IAGO
 85   Are your doors lock'd?

      BRABANTIO
 85                                             Why, wherefore ask you this?

      IAGO
 86   'Zounds, sir, you're robb'd; for shame, put on your gown;
 87   Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul;
 88   Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
 89   Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise;
 90   Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
 91   Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you:
 92   Arise, I say.

      BRABANTIO
                            What, have you lost your wits?

      RODERIGO
 93   Most reverend signior, do you know my voice?

      BRABANTIO
 94   Not I; what are you?

      RODERIGO
 95   My name is Roderigo.

      BRABANTIO
 95                                          The worser welcome:
 96   I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:
 97   In honest plainness thou hast heard me say
 98   My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness,
 99   Being full of supper and distempering draughts,
100   Upon malicious bravery, dost thou come
101   To start my quiet.

      RODERIGO
102   Sir, sir, sir, —

      BRABANTIO
                             But thou must needs be sure
103   My spirit and my place have in them power
104   To make this bitter to thee.

      RODERIGO
                                                      Patience, good sir.

      BRABANTIO
105   What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is Venice;
106   My house is not a grange.

      RODERIGO
                                                   Most grave Brabantio,
107   In simple and pure soul I come to you.

      IAGO
108   'Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not
109   serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to
110   do you service and you think we are ruffians, you'll
111   have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;
112   you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have
113   coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.

      BRABANTIO
114   What profane wretch art thou?

      IAGO
115   I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter
116   and the Moor are now making the beast with two
117   backs.

      BRABANTIO
118   Thou art a villain.

      IAGO
                                     You are — a senator.

      BRABANTIO
119   This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo.

      RODERIGO
120   Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech you,
121   If't be your pleasure and most wise consent,
122   As partly I find it is, that your fair daughter,
123   At this odd-even and dull watch o' the night,
124   Transported, with no worse nor better guard
125   But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
126   To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor —
127   If this be known to you and your allowance,
128   We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs;
129   But if you know not this, my manners tell me
130   We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe
131   That, from the sense of all civility,
132   I thus would play and trifle with your reverence:
133   Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,
134   I say again, hath made a gross revolt;
135   Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes
136   In an extravagant and wheeling stranger
137   Of here and every where. Straight satisfy yourself:
138   If she be in her chamber or your house,
139   Let loose on me the justice of the state
140   For thus deluding you.

      BRABANTIO
                                              Strike on the tinder, ho!
141   Give me a taper! call up all my people!
142   This accident is not unlike my dream:
143   Belief of it oppresses me already.
144   Light, I say! light!

           Exit [above].

      IAGO
                                     Farewell; for I must leave you:
145   It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,
146   To be produced — as, if I stay, I shall —
147   Against the Moor: for, I do know, the state,
148   How ever this may gall him with some check,
149   Cannot with safety cast him, for he's embark'd
150   With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars,
151   Which even now stand in act, that, for their souls,
152   Another of his fathom they have none,
153   To lead their business; in which regard,
154   Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains,
155   Yet, for necessity of present life,
156   I must show out a flag and sign of love,
157   Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him,
158   Lead to the Sagittary the raised search;
159   And there will I be with him. So, farewell.

           Exit.

           Enter [below] BRABANTIO,
           with SERVANTS and torches.

      BRABANTIO
160   It is too true an evil: gone she is;
161   And what's to come of my despised time
162   Is nought but bitterness. Now, Roderigo,
163   Where didst thou see her? O unhappy girl!
164   With the Moor, say'st thou? Who would be a father!
165   How didst thou know 'twas she? O she deceives me
166   Past thought! What said she to you? Get moe tapers:
167   Raise all my kindred. Are they married, think you?

      RODERIGO
168   Truly, I think they are.

      BRABANTIO
169   O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!
170   Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds
171   By what you see them act. Is there not charms
172   By which the property of youth and maidhood
173   May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo,
174   Of some such thing?

      RODERIGO
                                         Yes, sir, I have indeed.

      BRABANTIO
175   Call up my brother. O, would you had had her!
176   Some one way, some another. Do you know
177   Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

      RODERIGO
178   I think I can discover him, if you please,
179   To get good guard and go along with me.

      BRABANTIO
180   Pray you, lead on. At every house I'll call;
181   I may command at most. Get weapons, ho!
182   And raise some special officers of night.
183   On, good Roderigo: I'll deserve your pains.

           Exeunt.

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