ACT 4
[Enter OTHELLO, LODOVICO, DESDEMONA, EMILIA and Attendants]
LODOVICO
I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no further.
I urge you, sir, don’t trouble yourself any further.
OTHELLO
O, pardon me: 'twill do me good to walk.
I’m sorry, but the walk will do me good.
LODOVICO
Madam, good night; I humbly thank your ladyship.
Madam, goodnight; I humbly thank you, my lady.
DESDEMONA
Your honour is most welcome.
You are most welcome, your honour.
OTHELLO
Will you walk, sir?
Will you walk, sir?
O,--Desdemona,--
Oh…Desdemona….
DESDEMONA
My lord?
Yes, my lord?
OTHELLO
Get you to bed on the instant; I will be returned
Go straight to bed; I will come back
forthwith: dismiss your attendant there: look it be done.
very soon. Send your chambermaid away: make sure you do it.
DESDEMONA
I will, my lord.
I will, my lord.
[Exeunt OTHELLO, LODOVICO, and Attendants]
EMILIA
How goes it now? He looks gentler than he did.
How is he now? He looks a little calmer than he was.
DESDEMONA
He says he will return incontinent:
He says he will come back almost at once:
He hath commanded me to go to bed,
He has instructed me to go to bed,
And bade me to dismiss you.
And told me to dismiss you.
EMILIA
Dismiss me!
Dismiss me!
DESDEMONA
It was his bidding: therefore, good Emilia,
That’s what he said: and so, Emilia,
Give me my nightly wearing, and adieu:
Give me my nightgown, and I’ll say goodbye;
We must not now displease him.
We cannot now upset him.
EMILIA
I would you had never seen him!
I wish you’d never met him!
DESDEMONA
So would not I. My love doth so approve him,
I don’t, for I have so much love for him,
That even his stubbornness, his cheques, his frowns--
That even his stubbornness, rebukes and frowns –
Prithee, unpin me,--have grace and favour in them.
Now please, unpin my dress – seem sweet and lovely.
EMILIA
I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed.
I’ve put those sheets you told me on the bed.
DESDEMONA
All's one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds!
OK. Good God, our minds can be so foolish!
If I do die before thee prithee, shroud me
If I’m to die before you, wrap me up
In one of those same sheets.
In one of those sheets on the bed.
EMILIA
Come, come you talk.
Don’t say that.
DESDEMONA
My mother had a maid called Barbary:
My mother had a maid called Barbary:
She was in love, and he she loved proved mad
The man she loved turned out to be a madman
And did forsake her: she had a song of 'willow;'
Who left her: then she sang a song called ‘Willow’;
An old thing 'twas, but it expressed her fortune,
An old song, it was, about her life,
And she died singing it: that song to-night
And she died singing it. Tonight, that song
Will not go from my mind; I have much to do,
Is stuck within my mind; it’s all I can do
But to go hang my head all at one side,
To not just hang my head in misery
And sing it like poor Barbary. Prithee, dispatch.
And sing it like poor Barbary did. Please, go.
EMILIA
Shall I go fetch your night-gown?
Shall I fetch your nightgown?
DESDEMONA
No, unpin me here.
No, unpin my dress here.
This Lodovico is a proper man.
That Lodovico is a decent man.
EMILIA
A very handsome man.
A very handsome man.
DESDEMONA
He speaks well.
He is well-spoken.
EMILIA
I know a lady in Venice would have walked barefoot
I know a lady in Venice who’d have walked barefoot
to Palestine for a touch of his nether lip.
to Palestine just to give him a kiss.
DESDEMONA
[Singing]
The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
Sing all a green willow:
Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
Sing willow, willow, willow:
The fresh streams ran by her, and murmured her moans;
Sing willow, willow, willow;
Her salt tears fell from her, and softened the stones;
Lay by these:--
Put these down there, Emilia.
[Singing]
Sing willow, willow, willow;
Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--
Please, hurry up; he’ll be here soon…
[Singing]
Sing all a green willow must be my garland.
Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-
Nay, that's not next.--Hark! Who is't that knocks?
No, that’s not the next line. Listen! Who’s that knocking?
EMILIA
It's the wind.
It’s the wind.
DESDEMONA
[Singing]
I called my love false love; but what said he then?
Sing willow, willow, willow:
If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!
So, get thee gone; good night. Mine eyes do itch;
So, off you go; goodnight. My eyes are sore;
Doth that bode weeping?
Does that mean I will cry?
EMILIA
'Tis neither here nor there.
It might or might not.
DESDEMONA
I have heard it said so. O, these men, these men!
I’ve heard it said it does. Oh, men! These men!
Dost thou in conscience think,--tell me, Emilia,--
Tell me, Emilia, do you believe
That there be women do abuse their husbands
That there are women who cheat on their husbands
In such gross kind?
In such an awful way?
EMILIA
There be some such, no question.
There’s some, for sure.
DESDEMONA
Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?
Would you do such a thing for all the world?
EMILIA
Why, would not you?
Well, wouldn’t you?
DESDEMONA
No, by this heavenly light!
No, by the light of heaven!
EMILIA
Nor I neither by this heavenly light;
I wouldn’t neither, by the light of heaven;
I might do't as well i' the dark.
But I might do it in the dark of night.
DESDEMONA
Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?
Would you do such a thing for all the world?
EMILIA
The world's a huge thing: it is a great price
The world is huge: it is a massive prize
For a small vice.
For such a little dalliance.
DESDEMONA
In troth, I think thou wouldst not.
You wouldn’t.
EMILIA
In troth, I think I should; and undo't when I had
In truth, I think I would; and then I’d repent after I’d
done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a
done it. But then, I wouldn’t do such a thing merely for
joint-ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for
a ring, nor strips of fine fabric, nor for
gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty
gowns, petticoats, nor hats, nor any small
exhibition; but for the whole world,--why, who would
gift; but for the whole world? See, who would not
not make her husband a cuckold to make him a
cheat on her husband if by doing so you’d make him
monarch? I should venture purgatory for't.
a king? I’d risk my soul for that.
DESDEMONA
Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong
Well, damn me if I would do such a thing
For the whole world.
To gain the world.
EMILIA
Why the wrong is but a wrong i' the world: and
Yes, but that wrong is just a wrong in the world, and
having the world for your labour, tis a wrong in your
if you win the world by your actions, it is a wrong that you
own world, and you might quickly make it right.
now own, and you can quickly put that right.
DESDEMONA
I do not think there is any such woman.
I don’t think there is any woman like that.
EMILIA
Yes, a dozen; and as many to the vantage as would
Yes, there are dozens; indeed, there are as many in the world
store the world they played for.
as in the world they bet they’d win.
But I do think it is their husbands' faults
But I believe it is their husbands’ faults
If wives do fall: say that they slack their duties,
If wives cheat: say they stop sleeping with us
And pour our treasures into foreign laps,
And start spreading their seed with other women,
Or else break out in peevish jealousies,
Or start to whine with childish jealousy,
Throwing restraint upon us; or say they strike us,
And make us stay at home; or say they hit us,
Or scant our former having in despite;
Or, out of spite, reduce the things they give us;
Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace,
Well, we get angry, and though we’re compassionate,
Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know
We still can get revenge. Our husbands must know
Their wives have sense like them: they see and smell
Their wives have senses like them: sight and smell,
And have their palates both for sweet and sour,
And palates that discern both sweet and sour,
As husbands have. What is it that they do
Just like their husbands have. What is their motive
When they change us for others? Is it sport?
When they leave us for others? Is it fun?
I think it is: and doth affection breed it?
I think it is. And does attraction cause it?
I think it doth: is't frailty that thus errs?
I think it does. And is it moral weakness?
It is so too: and have not we affections,
It is that too. And don’t we feel attraction,
Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?
Desire our fun, with weaknesses, like men do?
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
So, let them treat us well, else let them know
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
We misbehave because they taught us so.
DESDEMONA
Good night, good night: heaven me such uses send,
Goodnight: God tells me of women’s infractions
Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!
To not be bad, but learn by their bad actions!
[Exeunt]
