First line of the scene
Roderigo
Roderigo. Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.
Roderigo A Venetian gentleman in love with Desdemona Tragedy · Othello
Roderigo's lines in Othello
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Iago 'Sblood, but you will not hear me: If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
Iago But he, sir, had the election: And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof At Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds Christian and heathen, must be be-lee'd and calm'd By debitor and creditor: this counter-caster, He, in good time, must his lieutenant be, And I--God bless the mark!--his Moorship's ancient.
Roderigo
Roderigo. By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.
Iago Why, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service, Preferment goes by letter and affection, And not by old gradation, where each second Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself, Whether I in any just term am affined To love the Moor.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I would not follow him then.
Iago For, sir, It is as sure as you are Roderigo, Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago: In following him, I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so, for my peculiar end: For when my outward action doth demonstrate The native act and figure of my heart In compliment extern, 'tis not long after But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.
Roderigo
Roderigo. What a full fortune does the thicklips owe If he can carry't thus!
Iago Call up her father, Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy, Yet throw such changes of vexation on't, As it may lose some colour.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud.
Iago Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell As when, by night and negligence, the fire Is spied in populous cities.
Roderigo
Roderigo. What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!
Brabantio What is the reason of this terrible summons? What is the matter there?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Signior, is all your family within?
Brabantio What, have you lost your wits?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Most reverend signior, do you know my voice?
Brabantio Not I what are you?
Roderigo
Roderigo. My name is Roderigo.
Brabantio The worser welcome: I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: In honest plainness thou hast heard me say My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness, Being full of supper and distempering draughts, Upon malicious bravery, dost thou come To start my quiet.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Sir, sir, sir,--
Brabantio But thou must needs be sure My spirit and my place have in them power To make this bitter to thee.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Patience, good sir.
Brabantio What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is Venice; My house is not a grange.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Most grave Brabantio, In simple and pure soul I come to you.
Brabantio This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Sir, I will answer any thing.
But, I beseech you, If't be your pleasure and most wise consent, As partly I find it is, that your fair daughter, At this odd-even and dull watch o' the night, Transported, with no worse nor better guard But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier, To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor-- If this be known to you and your allowance, We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs; But if you know not this, my manners tell me We have your wrong rebuke.
Do not believe That, from the sense of all civility, I thus would play and trifle with your reverence: Your daughter, if you have not given her leave, I say again, hath made a gross revolt; Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes In an extravagant and wheeling stranger Of here and every where.
Straight satisfy yourself: If she be in her chamber or your house, Let loose on me the justice of the state For thus deludying you.
Brabantio It is too true an evil: gone she is; And what's to come of my despised time Is nought but bitterness. Now, Roderigo, Where didst thou see her? O unhappy girl! With the Moor, say'st thou? Who would be a father! How didst thou know 'twas she? O she deceives me Past thought! What said she to you? Get more tapers: Raise all my kindred. Are they married, think you?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Truly, I think they are.
Brabantio O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood! Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds By what you see them act. Is there not charms By which the property of youth and maidhood May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo, Of some such thing?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Yes, sir, I have indeed.
Brabantio Call up my brother. O, would you had had her! Some one way, some another. Do you know Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?
Roderigo
Roderigo. I think I can discover him, if you please, To get good guard and go along with me.
Othello Holla! stand there!
Roderigo
Roderigo. Signior, it is the Moor.
Othello My life upon her faith! Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee: I prithee, let thy wife attend on her: And bring them after in the best advantage. Come, Desdemona: I have but an hour Of love, of worldly matters and direction, To spend with thee: we must obey the time.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Iago,--
Iago What say'st thou, noble heart?
Roderigo
Roderigo. What will I do, thinkest thou?
Iago Why, go to bed, and sleep.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I will incontinently drown myself.
Iago If thou dost, I shall never love thee after. Why, thou silly gentleman!
Roderigo
Roderigo. It is silliness to live when to live is torment; and then have we a prescription to die when death is our physician.
Iago O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times seven years; and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefit and an injury, I never found man that knew how to love himself. Ere I would say, I would drown myself for the love of a guinea-hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.
Roderigo
Roderigo. What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond; but it is not in my virtue to amend it.
Iago If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions: but we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this that you call love to be a sect or scion.
Roderigo
Roderigo. It cannot be.
Iago Make all the money thou canst: if sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring barbarian and a supersubtle Venetian not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself! it is clean out of the way: seek thou rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go without her.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on the issue?
Iago Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him: if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered. Traverse! go, provide thy money. We will have more of this to-morrow. Adieu.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Where shall we meet i' the morning?
Iago At my lodging.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I'll be with thee betimes.
Iago Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?
Roderigo
Roderigo. What say you?
Iago No more of drowning, do you hear?
Roderigo
Roderigo. I am changed: I'll go sell all my land.
Iago Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. Come hither. If thou be'st valiant,--as, they say, base men being in love have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them--list me. The lieutenant tonight watches on the court of guard:--first, I must tell thee this--Desdemona is directly in love with him.
Roderigo
Roderigo. With him! why, 'tis not possible.
Iago why, none; why, none: a slipper and subtle knave, a finder of occasions, that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advantages, though true advantage never present itself; a devilish knave. Besides, the knave is handsome, young, and hath all those requisites in him that folly and green minds look after: a pestilent complete knave; and the woman hath found him already.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I cannot believe that in her; she's full of most blessed condition.
Iago Blessed fig's-end! the wine she drinks is made of grapes: if she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor. Blessed pudding! Didst thou not see her paddle with the palm of his hand? didst not mark that?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Yes, that I did; but that was but courtesy.
Iago But, sir, be you ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice. Watch you to-night; for the command, I'll lay't upon you. Cassio knows you not. I'll not be far from you: do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline; or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favourably minister.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Well.
Iago So shall you have a shorter journey to your desires by the means I shall then have to prefer them; and the impediment most profitably removed, without the which there were no expectation of our prosperity.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I will do this, if I can bring it to any opportunity.
Iago I warrant thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel: I must fetch his necessaries ashore. Farewell.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Adieu.
Cassio A knave teach me my duty! I'll beat the knave into a twiggen bottle.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Beat me!
Iago How now, Roderigo!
Roderigo
Roderigo. I do follow here in the chase, not like a hound that hunts, but one that fills up the cry. My money is almost spent; I have been to-night exceedingly well cudgeled; and I think the issue will be, I shall have so much experience for my pains, and so, with no money at all and a little more wit, return again to Venice.
Iago How now, Roderigo!
Roderigo
Roderigo. I do not find that thou dealest justly with me.
Iago What in the contrary?
Roderigo
Roderigo. Every day thou daffest me with some device, Iago; and rather, as it seems to me now, keepest from me all conveniency than suppliest me with the least advantage of hope. I will indeed no longer endure it, nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace what already I have foolishly suffered.
Iago Will you hear me, Roderigo?
Roderigo
Roderigo. 'Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and performances are no kin together.
Iago You charge me most unjustly.
Roderigo
Roderigo. With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of my means. The jewels you have had from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a votarist: you have told me she hath received them and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden respect and acquaintance, but I find none.
Iago Well; go to; very well.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Very well! go to! I cannot go to, man; nor 'tis not very well: nay, I think it is scurvy, and begin to find myself fobbed in it.
Iago Very well.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I tell you 'tis not very well. I will make myself known to Desdemona: if she will return my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation; if not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you.
Iago You have said now.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Ay, and said nothing but what I protest intendment of doing.
Iago Why, now I see there's mettle in thee, and even from this instant to build on thee a better opinion than ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo: thou hast taken against me a most just exception; but yet, I protest, I have dealt most directly in thy affair.
Roderigo
Roderigo. It hath not appeared.
Iago I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your suspicion is not without wit and judgment. But, Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I have greater reason to believe now than ever, I mean purpose, courage and valour, this night show it: if thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona, take me from this world with treachery and devise engines for my life.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Well, what is it? is it within reason and compass?
Iago Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice to depute Cassio in Othello's place.
Roderigo
Roderigo. Is that true? why, then Othello and Desdemona return again to Venice.
Iago O, no; he goes into Mauritania and takes away with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be lingered here by some accident: wherein none can be so determinate as the removing of Cassio.
Roderigo
Roderigo. How do you mean, removing of him?
Iago Why, by making him uncapable of Othello's place; knocking out his brains.
Roderigo
Roderigo. And that you would have me to do?
Iago Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with me; I will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows to waste: about it.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I will hear further reason for this.
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
Roderigo. Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
Iago Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Roderigo
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 But so: I hear him coming.
Roderigo
Roderigo. I know his gait, 'tis he.--Villain, thou diest!
Cassio That thrust had been mine enemy indeed, But that my coat is better than thou know'st I will make proof of thine.
Roderigo
Roderigo. O, I am slain!
Othello The voice of Cassio: Iago keeps his word.
Roderigo
Roderigo. O, villain that I am!
Lodovico Hark!
Roderigo
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
Roderigo. Nobody come? then shall I bleed to death.
Iago O treacherous villains! What are you there? come in, and give some help.
Roderigo
Roderigo. O, help me here!
Iago O murderous slave! O villain!
Roderigo
Roderigo. O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog!