Othello by William Shakespeare
Act 5 - Scene 1
Cyprus. A street.
Iago : Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:
[p]Wear thy good
rapier bare, and put it home:
[p]Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be
at thy elbow:
[p]It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,
[p]And fix
most firm thy resolution.
Roderigo : Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
Iago : Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Roderigo : I have no great devotion to the deed;
[p]And yet he hath given me
satisfying reasons:
[p]'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.
Iago : I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,
[p]And he grows
angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
[p]Or Cassio him, or each do kill
the other,
[p]Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
[p]He calls me
to a restitution large
[p]Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from
him,
[p]As gifts to Desdemona;
[p]It must not be: if Cassio do
remain,
[p]He hath a daily beauty in his life
[p]That makes me ugly;
and, besides, the Moor
[p]May unfold me to him; there stand I in much
peril:
[p]No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.
Roderigo : I know his gait, 'tis he.--Villain, thou diest!
Cassio : That thrust had been mine enemy indeed,
[p]But that my coat is better
than thou know'st
[p]I will make proof of thine.
Roderigo : O, I am slain!
Cassio : I am maim'd for ever. Help, ho! murder! murder!
Othello : The voice of Cassio: Iago keeps his word.
Roderigo : O, villain that I am!
Othello : It is even so.
Cassio : O, help, ho! light! a surgeon!
Othello : 'Tis he:--O brave Iago, honest and just,
[p]That hast such noble sense
of thy friend's wrong!
[p]Thou teachest me. Minion, your dear lies
dead,
[p]And your unblest fate hies: strumpet, I come.
[p]Forth of my
heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted;
[p]Thy bed, lust-stain'd,
shall with lust's blood be spotted.
Cassio : What, ho! no watch? no passage? murder! murder!
Gratiano : 'Tis some mischance; the cry is very direful.
Cassio : O, help!
Lodovico : Hark!
Roderigo : O wretched villain!
Lodovico : Two or three groan: it is a heavy night:
[p]These may be counterfeits:
let's think't unsafe
[p]To come in to the cry without more help.
Roderigo : Nobody come? then shall I bleed to death.
Lodovico : Hark!
Gratiano : Here's one comes in his shirt, with light and weapons.
Iago : Who's there? whose noise is this that ones on murder?
Lodovico : We do not know.
Iago : Did not you hear a cry?
Cassio : Here, here! for heaven's sake, help me!
Iago : What's the matter?
Gratiano : This is Othello's ancient, as I take it.
Lodovico : The same indeed; a very valiant fellow.
Iago : What are you here that cry so grievously?
Cassio : Iago? O, I am spoil'd, undone by villains!
[p]Give me some help.
Iago : O me, lieutenant! what villains have done this?
Cassio : I think that one of them is hereabout,
[p]And cannot make away.
Iago : O treacherous villains!
[p]What are you there? come in, and give some
help.
Roderigo : O, help me here!
Cassio : That's one of them.
Iago : O murderous slave! O villain!
Roderigo : O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog!
Iago : Kill men i' the dark!--Where be these bloody thieves?--
[p]How silent
is this town!--Ho! murder! murder!--
[p]What may you be? are you of
good or evil?
Lodovico : As you shall prove us, praise us.
Iago : Signior Lodovico?
Lodovico : He, sir.
Iago : I cry you mercy. Here's Cassio hurt by villains.
Gratiano : Cassio!
Iago : How is't, brother!
Cassio : My leg is cut in two.
Iago : Marry, heaven forbid!
[p]Light, gentlemen; I'll bind it with my
shirt.
Bianca : What is the matter, ho? who is't that cried?
Iago : Who is't that cried!
Bianca : O my dear Cassio! my sweet Cassio! O Cassio,
[p]Cassio, Cassio!
Iago : O notable strumpet! Cassio, may you suspect
[p]Who they should be that
have thus many led you?
Cassio : No.
Gratiano : I am to find you thus: I have been to seek you.
Iago : Lend me a garter. So. O, for a chair,
[p]To bear him easily hence!
Bianca : Alas, he faints! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio!
Iago : Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash
[p]To be a party in this
injury.
[p]Patience awhile, good Cassio. Come, come;
[p]Lend me a
light. Know we this face or no?
[p]Alas my friend and my dear
countryman
[p]Roderigo! no:--yes, sure: O heaven! Roderigo.
Gratiano : What, of Venice?
Iago : Even he, sir; did you know him?
Gratiano : Know him! ay.
Iago : Signior Gratiano? I cry you gentle pardon;
[p]These bloody accidents
must excuse my manners,
[p]That so neglected you.
Gratiano : I am glad to see you.
Iago : How do you, Cassio? O, a chair, a chair!
Gratiano : Roderigo!
Iago : He, he 'tis he.
[p][A chair brought in]
[p]O, that's well said; the
chair!
Gratiano : Some good man bear him carefully from hence;
[p]I'll fetch the
general's surgeon.
[p][To BIANCA]
[p]For you, mistress,
[p]Save you
your labour. He that lies slain
[p]here, Cassio,
[p]Was my dear
friend: what malice was between you?
Cassio : None in the world; nor do I know the man.
Iago : [To BIANCA] What, look you pale? O, bear him out
[p]o' the
air.
[p][CASSIO and RODERIGO are borne off]
[p]Stay you, good
gentlemen. Look you pale, mistress?
[p]Do you perceive the gastness of
her eye?
[p]Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon.
[p]Behold her
well; I pray you, look upon her:
[p]Do you see, gentlemen? nay,
guiltiness will speak,
[p]Though tongues were out of use.
Emilia : 'Las, what's the matter? what's the matter, husband?
Iago : Cassio hath here been set on in the dark
[p]By Roderigo and fellows
that are scaped:
[p]He's almost slain, and Roderigo dead.
Emilia : Alas, good gentleman! alas, good Cassio!
Iago : This is the fruit of whoring. Prithee, Emilia,
[p]Go know of Cassio
where he supp'd to-night.
[p][To BIANCA]
[p]What, do you shake at
that?
Bianca : He supp'd at my house; but I therefore shake not.
Iago : O, did he so? I charge you, go with me.
Emilia : Fie, fie upon thee, strumpet!
Bianca : I am no strumpet; but of life as honest
[p]As you that thus abuse me.
Emilia : As I! foh! fie upon thee!
Iago : Kind gentlemen, let's go see poor Cassio dress'd.
[p]Come, mistress,
you must tell's another tale.
[p]Emilia run you to the citadel,
[p]And
tell my lord and lady what hath happ'd.
[p]Will you go on? I
pray.
[p][Aside]
[p]This is the night
[p]That either makes me or
fordoes me quite.
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Next: Act 5 - Scene 2
