SCENE I. Cyprus. A street. Othello, the Moore of Venice  Shakespeare homepage  |  Othello  | Act 5, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Cyprus. A street. 

 Enter IAGO and RODERIGO  IAGO  Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come: 

 Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home: 

 Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow: 

 It makes us, or it mars us; think on that, 

 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. 



 Retires  RODERIGO  I have no great devotion to the deed; 

 And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons: 

 'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies. 

 IAGO  I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense, 

 And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio, 

 Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, 

 Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo, 

 He calls me to a restitution large 

 Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him, 

 As gifts to Desdemona; 

 It must not be: if Cassio do remain, 

 He hath a daily beauty in his life 

 That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor 

 May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril: 

 No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming. 



 Enter CASSIO  RODERIGO  I know his gait, 'tis he.--Villain, thou diest! 



 Makes a pass at CASSIO  CASSIO  That thrust had been mine enemy indeed, 

 But that my coat is better than thou know'st 

 I will make proof of thine. 



 Draws, and wounds RODERIGO  RODERIGO  O, I am slain! 



 IAGO from behind wounds CASSIO in the leg, and exit  CASSIO  I am maim'd for ever. Help, ho! murder! murder! 



 Falls 

 Enter OTHELLO  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, 

 That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong! 

 Thou teachest me. Minion, your dear lies dead, 

 And your unblest fate hies: strumpet, I come. 

 Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted; 

 Thy bed, lust-stain'd, shall with lust's blood be spotted. 



 Exit 

 Enter LODOVICO and GRATIANO  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: 

 These may be counterfeits: let's think't unsafe 

 To come in to the cry without more help. 

 RODERIGO  Nobody come? then shall I bleed to death. 

 LODOVICO  Hark! 



 Re-enter IAGO, with a light  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! 

 Give me some help. 

 IAGO  O me, lieutenant! what villains have done this? 

 CASSIO  I think that one of them is hereabout, 

 And cannot make away. 

 IAGO  O treacherous villains! 

 What are you there? come in, and give some help. 



 To LODOVICO and GRATIANO  RODERIGO  O, help me here! 

 CASSIO  That's one of them. 

 IAGO  O murderous slave! O villain! 



 Stabs RODERIGO  RODERIGO  O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog! 

 IAGO  Kill men i' the dark!--Where be these bloody thieves?-- 

 How silent is this town!--Ho! murder! murder!-- 

 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! 

 Light, gentlemen; I'll bind it with my shirt. 



 Enter BIANCA  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, 

 Cassio, Cassio! 

 IAGO  O notable strumpet! Cassio, may you suspect 

 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, 

 To bear him easily hence! 

 BIANCA  Alas, he faints! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio! 

 IAGO  Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash 

 To be a party in this injury. 

 Patience awhile, good Cassio. Come, come; 

 Lend me a light. Know we this face or no? 

 Alas my friend and my dear countryman 

 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; 

 These bloody accidents must excuse my manners, 

 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. 



 A chair brought in  O, that's well said; the chair! 

 GRATIANO  Some good man bear him carefully from hence; 

 I'll fetch the general's surgeon. 



 To BIANCA  For you, mistress, 

 Save you your labour. He that lies slain 

 here, Cassio, 

 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 

 o' the air. 



 CASSIO and RODERIGO are borne off  Stay you, good gentlemen. Look you pale, mistress? 

 Do you perceive the gastness of her eye? 

 Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon. 

 Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her: 

 Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will speak, 

 Though tongues were out of use. 



 Enter EMILIA  EMILIA  'Las, what's the matter? what's the matter, husband? 

 IAGO  Cassio hath here been set on in the dark 

 By Roderigo and fellows that are scaped: 

 He's almost slain, and Roderigo dead. 

 EMILIA  Alas, good gentleman! alas, good Cassio! 

 IAGO  This is the fruit of whoring. Prithee, Emilia, 

 Go know of Cassio where he supp'd to-night. 



 To BIANCA  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 

 As you that thus abuse me. 

 EMILIA  As I! foh! fie upon thee! 

 IAGO  Kind gentlemen, let's go see poor Cassio dress'd. 

 Come, mistress, you must tell's another tale. 

 Emilia run you to the citadel, 

 And tell my lord and lady what hath happ'd. 

 Will you go on? I pray. 



 Aside  This is the night 

 That either makes me or fordoes me quite. 



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