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PERSONS REPRESENTED.

Duke of Venice.

Brabantio, a senator.

Two other Senators.

Gratiano, brother to Brabantio.
Lodovico, kinsman to Brabantio.

Othello, the Moor:

Cassio, his lieutenant ;

Iago, his ancient.

Roderico, a Venetian gentleman.

Montano, Othello's predecessor in the government of

Cyprus.

Clown, servant to Othello.

Herald.

Desdemona, daughter to Brabantio, and wife to Othello. Emilia, wife to Iago.

Bianca, a courtezan, mistress to Cassio.

Officers, Gentlemen, Messengers, Musicians, Sailors, Attendants, &c.

SCENE, for the first Act, in Venice; during the rest of the play, at a sea-port in Cyprus.

OTHELLO,

THE MOOR OF VENICE.

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,-should'st know of this.
Iago. 'Sblood, but you will not hear me :-

If ever I did dream of such a matter,

Abhor me.

Rod. 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,

Oft 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,2
Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war;
And, in conclusion, nonsuits

My mediators; for, certes,3 says he,

1 Saluted.

2 Circumlocution.

3 Certainly,

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 ;4
That never set a squadron in the field,

Nor the division of a battle knows

More than a spinster; unless the bookish theorick,' Wherein the toged consuls can propose

As masterly as he

Is all his soldiership.

mere prattle, without practice,

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;7
He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,

And I, (God bless the mark!) his Moorship's ancient.
Rod. By heaven, I rather would have been his

hangman.

Iago. But there's no remedy, 'tis the curse of service;

Preferment goes by letter, and affection,

Not by the old gradation, where each second
Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself,
Whether I in any just term am affin'd3

To love the Moor.

Rod.

I would not follow him then.

4 For wife some read life, supposing it to allude to the denunciation in the Gospel, wo unto you when all men shall speak well of you.

5 Theory.

Rulers of the state.

7 It was anciently the practice to reckon up sums with Related.

counters.

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 lin'd
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.

Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,' If he can carry't thus!

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