No Fear Shakespeare

Othello

William Shakespeare

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Act 3, Scene 1

Original Text

Modern Text

Enter CASSIO and MUSICIANS
CASSIO enters with MUSICIANS.


CASSIO
Masters, play here, I will content your pains.
Something that’s brief, and bid “Good morrow, general.”
CASSIO
Musicians, start playing here. I’ll pay you for your trouble. Play something short that will put the general in a good mood.
They play. Enter CLOWN
The MUSICIANS play. The CLOWN enters.

CLOWN
Why masters, have your instruments been in Naples, that they speak i' th' nose thus?
CLOWN
Your instruments all have a nasal twang. Have they been to Naples?

MUSICIAN
How, sir? How?
MUSICIAN
Excuse me?

5
CLOWN
Are these, I pray you, wind instruments?
CLOWN
Are these wind instruments?

MUSICIAN
Ay, marry, are they, sir.
MUSICIAN
Yes, they are.

CLOWN
Oh, thereby hangs a tail.
CLOWN
Oh, there’s the problem.

MUSICIAN
Whereby hangs a tale, sir?
MUSICIAN
What’s the problem?

CLOWN
Marry sir, by many a wind instrument that I know. But, masters, here’s money for you, and the general so likes your music that he desires you, for love’s sake, to make no more noise with it.
CLOWN
Anyone full of hot air is a problem. But here’s some money. The general likes your music a lot, but he asks you to stop playing now.

10
MUSICIAN
Well, sir, we will not.
MUSICIAN
Well, we’ll stop, then.

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