Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her:
Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will speak,
Though tongues were out of use.

Enter Emilia.

Des. Alas, my lord, what may you mean by that?

Oth. Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by : I would not kill thy unprepared spirit;

Desdemona in bed, asleep. A light burning.
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: If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me :-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 growth again,

It needs must wither: I'll smell it on the tree. [kisses her.

O, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword!-One more, one

Des. Talk you of killing?

Oth. Ay, I do. Des. Then, heaven Have mercy on me!

Oth. Amen, with all my heart'

Des. If you say so, I hope you will not kill me. Oth. Humph!

[then,

Des. And yet I fear you; for you are fatal When your eyes roll so: why I should fear, 1 know not,

Since guiltiness I know not; but yet, I feel, 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,

Take heed of perjury; thou'rt on thy deathbed. Des. Ay, but not yet to die.

Oth. Yes, presently:

Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin;

For to deny each article with oath,
Cannot remove, nor choke, the strong conception,
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 Iago hath ta'en order for't.

Des. My fears interprets then,-What, is he

dead?

Des. O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not. Oth. Down, strumpet!

Des. Kill me to-morrow, let me live to-night. Oth. Nay, if you strive,

Des. But half an hour.

Oth. Being done,

There is no pause.

Des. But while I say one prayer.
Oth. It is too late.

[he smothers her.

Emil. [within.] My lord, my lord! what ho!

my lord! my lord!

Oth. What noise is this?-Not dead? not yet quite dead?

I, that am cruel, am yet merciful;

I would not have thee linger in thy pain.—
So, so.

Emil [within.] What ho! my lord! my lord!
Oth. Who's there?

Emil. [within.] O, good my lord, I would speak a word with you.

Oth. Yes;-'tis Emilia :-by and by.-She's

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

[dico

Oth. You heard her say herself, it was not I. 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?
Oth. Ay, with Cassio.

Nay, had she been true,

If heaven would make me such another world
Of one entire and perfect chrysolite,
I'd not have sold her for it.

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

[harm,

Oth. Peace, you were best. Emil. Thou hast not half the power to do me 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! hol help! [der! The Moor has kill'd my mistress; murder! mur. Enter Montano, Gratiano, and Iago. Mon. What is the matter?-how now, general? Emil. O, are you come, Iago? you have done

well,

That men must lay their murders on your nock. Gra. What is the matter?

Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!
O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead?
Dead, O! O! O!

Enter Lodovico, Montano, Cassio, carried in a
chair, and Officers, with Iago, prisoner.
Led. Where is this rash and most unfortunate
man?

Oth. That's he, that was Othello; here I am. Lod. Where is that viper? bring the villain forth. [that's a fable: Oth. I look down towards his feet;-but If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee.

And he himself confess'd, but even now,
That there he dropp'd it, for a speciai purpose,
Which wrought to his desire.

Oth. O fool! fool! fool!

Cas. There is, besides, in Roderigo's letter,How he upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch; whereon it came That I was cast: And even but now he spake, After long seeming dead,-Iago hurt him, Iago set him on.

Lod. You must forsake this room, and go with Your power and your command is taken off, [us; And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,If there be any cunning cruelty, That can torment him much, and hold him long, You shall close prisoner rest,

Oth. Why, any thing:

An honourable murderer, if you will;

For nought I did in hate, but all in honour. Lod. This wretch hath part confess'd his villainy :

Did you and he consent in Cassio's death?

Oth. Ay.

Cas. Dear general, I never gave you cause. Oth. I do believe it, and I ask your pardon. Will you, I pray you, demand that demi-devil, Why he hath thus ensnar'd my soul and body? Iago. Demand me nothing: what you know. you know:

From this time forth I never will speak word.
Lod. What? not to pray?

Gra. Torments will ope your lips.
Oth. Well, thou dost best.

Lod. Sir, you shall understand what hath befall'n,

[letter,

Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state:-Come, bring him away.
Oth. Soft you: a word or two, before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know
No more of that!-I pray you, in your letters, [it;
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, [speak
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you
Of one, that lov'd not wisely, but too well;
Of one, not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one, whose hand,
Like the base Júdean, threw a pearl away,
Richer than all his tribe; of one, whose subdu'd
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicínal gum: Set you down this:
And say, besides,-that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian, and traduc'd the state,
I took by the throat the circumcised dog,
And smote him-thus.
[stabs himself.

Lod. O bloody period!

Gra. All, that's spoke, is marr'd.

[eyes,

idies.

Oth. I kiss'd thee, ere I kill'd thee:-No way but this, [falls upon Desdemona. Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. Cas. This did I fear, but thought he had no For he was great of heart.

Lod. O Spartan dog,

[weapon;

More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!
Look on the tragic loading of this bed; [to Iago.
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;-
Let it be hid.-Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor
For they succeed to you.-To you, lord governor
Remains the censure of this hellish villain;
The time, the place, the torture,-O enforce it!
Myself will straight aboard; and, to the stats
This heavy act with heavy heart relate. [erent

PALACE.

Enter Camillo and Archidamus.

Arch. If you shall chance, Camillo, to visit Bohemia, on the like occasion wherein my services are now on foot, you shall see, as I have said, great difference betwixt our Bohemia, and your Sicilia.

Cam. I think, this coming summer, the king of Sicilia means to pay Bohemia the visitation which he justly owes him.

Arch. Wherein our entertainment shall shame us, we will be justified in our loves: for, indeed,Cam. 'Beseech you,

Arch. Verily, I speak it in the freedom of my knowledge: we cannot with such magnificencein so rare-I know not what to say.— We will give you sleepy drinks; that your senses, unintelligent of our insufficience, may, though they cannot praise us, as little accuse us.

Cam. You pay a great deal too dear for what's given freely.

Arch. Believe me, I speak as my understanding instructs me, and as mine honesty puts it to

utterance.

Cam. Sicilia cannot show himself over-kind to Bohemia. They were trained together in their childhoods; and there rooted betwixt them then such an affection, which cannot choose but branch Bow. Since their more mature dignities, and royal | necessities, made separation of their society, their encounters, though not personal, have been royally |

embassies; that they have seemed to be together, though absent; shook hands, as over a vast; and embraced, as it were, from the ends of opposed winds. The heavens continue their loves! Arch. I think, there is not in the world either malice, or matter, to alter it. You have an unspeakable comfort of your young prince Mamillius; it is a gentleman of the greatest promise, that ever came into my note.

Cam. I very well agree with you in the hopes of him: it is a gallant child; one that, indeed, physics the subject, makes old hearts fresh: they, that went on crutches ere he was born, desire yet their life, to see him a man.

Arch. Would they else be content to die?

Cam. Yes; if there were no other excuse why they should desire to live.

Arch. If the king had no son, they would desire to live on crutches, till he had one. [exeunt.

SCENE II. A ROOM OF STATE IN THE PALACE.

Enter Leontes, Polixenes, Hermione, Mamillius, Camillo, and Attendants.

Pol. Nine changes of the wat'ry star hath been
The shepherd's note, since we have left our throne
Without a burden: time as long again
Would be filled up, my brother, with our thanks ·
And yet we should, for perpetuity

Go hence in debt. And therefore, like a cipher,
Yet standing in rich place, I multiply,
With one we-thank you, many thousands more,
That go before it.