No Fear Shakespeare
Othello
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 2, Scene 1, Page 13
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IAGO
That Cassio loves her, I do well believe ’t.
That she loves him, ’tis apt and of great credit.
The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not,
Is of a constant, loving, noble nature,
And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona
A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too,
Not out of absolute lust—though peradventure
I stand accountant for as great a sin—
But partly led to diet my revenge,
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leaped into my seat. The thought whereof
Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards,
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am evened with him, wife for wife.
Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousy so strong
That judgment cannot cure. Which thing to do,
If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace
For his quick hunting, stand the putting on,
I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,
Abuse him to the Moor in the right garb
(For I fear Cassio with my night-cape too)
Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me
For making him egregiously an ass
And practicing upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness. 'Tis here, but yet confused.
Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.
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IAGO
I think Cassio really does love her, and it’s perfectly
likely that she loves him too. I can’t stand the Moor,
but I have to admit that he’s a reliable, loving, and
good-natured man. He’d probably be a good husband to
Desdemona. I love her too, not simply out of lust, but also to feed
my revenge. I have a feeling the Moor slept with my wife. That
thought keeps gnawing at me, eating me up inside. I won’t
be satisfied until I get even with him, wife for wife. If I
can’t do that, I can at least make the Moor so jealous
that he can’t think straight. If that piece of Venetian
trash Roderigo can do what I need to carry out my plan,
I’ll have power over Cassio. I’ll say bad
things about him to the Moor. I have a feeling Cassio seduced my
wife as well. I’ll make the Moor thank me, love me, and
reward me, even though the joke will be on him the whole time.
I’ve got a good plan, though I haven’t worked
out the details yet. You can never see the end of an evil plan until
the moment comes.
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Exit |
IAGO exits. |
