Othello, the Moore of Venice

William Shakespeare

• Publisher: Studium Legis
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9788827559963
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Television

Othello ( The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice ) is atragedybyWilliam Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro ("A Moorish Captain") byCinthio, a disciple ofBoccaccio, first published in 1565. The story revolves around its two central characters: Othello, aMoorishgeneral in theVenetianarmy and his unfaithfulensign, Iago. Given its varied and enduring themes of racism, love, jealousy, betrayal, revenge and repentance, Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatre alike, and has been the source for numerous operatic, film, and literary adaptations (font: Wikipedia)

The Tragedie of
Othello
The Moore of Venice

William Shakespeare

Table of Contents

Characters of the Play

Act I

Scene I. Venice. A street.

Scene II. Another street.

Scene III. A council-chamber.

Act II

Scene I. A Sea-port in Cyprus. An open place near the quay.

Scene II. A street.

Scene III. A hall in the castle.

Act III

Scene I. Before the castle.

Scene II. A room in the castle.

Scene III. The garden of the castle.

Scene IV. Before the castle.

Act IV

Scene I. Cyprus. Before the castle.

Scene II. A room in the castle.

Scene III. Another room In the castle.

Act V

Scene I. Cyprus. A street.

Scene II. A bedchamber in the castle: Desdemona in bed asleep;

Characters of the Play

Othello, the Moor, general of the Venetian forces.
Desdemona, his wife.
Iago, ensign to Othello.
Emilia, his wife, lady-in-waiting to Desdemona.
Cassio, lieutenant to Othello.
The Duke Of Venice.
Brabantio, Venetian Senator, father of Desdemona.
Gratiano, nobleman of Venice, brother of Brabantio.
Lodovico, nobleman of Venice, kinsman of Brabantio.
Roderigo, rejected suitor of Desdemona.
Bianca, mistress of Cassio.
Montano, a Cypriot official.
A Clown in service to Othello.
Senators, Sailors, Messengers, Officers, Gentlemen, Musicians, and Attendants.

Scene: Venice and Cyprus.

Act I

Scene I. Venice. A street.

Enter Roderigo and Iago

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

Iago ’Sblood, but you will not hear me:
If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me.

Roderigo Thou told’st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.

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

Roderigo By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.

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

Roderigo I would not follow him then.

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

Roderigo What a full fortune does the thicklips owe
If he can carry’t thus!

Iago Call up her father,
Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy,
Yet throw such changes of vexation on’t,...

Table of contents

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