ACT FOUR Scene Three

    ［Another room In the castle． Enter OTHELLO ， LODOVICO，DESDEMONA， EMILIA and Attendants］


    LODOVICO


    I do beseech you， sir， trouble yourself no further．


    OTHELLO


    O， pardon me：’twill do me good to walk．


    LODOVICO


    Madam， good night； I humbly thank yourdyship．


    DESDEMONA


    Your honour is most wee．


    OTHELLO


    Will you walk，sir？


    O，——Desdemona，——


    DESDEMONA


    My lord？


    OTHELLO


    Get you to bed on the instant； I will be returned


    forthwith：dismiss your attendant there：look it be done．


    DESDEMONA


    I will， my lord．


    ［Exeunt OTHELLO， LODOVICO， and Attendants］


    EMILIA


    How goes it now？ he looks gentler than he did．


    DESDEMONA


    He says he will return incontinent：


    He hathmanded me to go to bed，


    And bade me to dismiss you．


    EMILIA


    Dismiss me！


    DESDEMONA


    It was his bidding： therefore， good Emilia，


    Give me my nightly wearing， and adieu：


    We must not now displease him．


    EMILIA


    I would you had never seen him！


    DESDEMONA


    So would not I my love doth so approve him，


    That even his stubbornness， his cheques， his frowns——


    Prithee， unpinme，——have grace and favour in them．


    EMILIA


    I haveid those sheets you bade me on the bed．


    DESDEMONA


    All’s one． Good faith， how foolish are our minds！


    If I do die before thee prithee， shroud me


    In one of those same sheets．


    EMILIA


    Come，e you talk．


    DESDEMONA


    My mother had a maid call’d Barbara：


    She was in love， and he she loved proved mad


    And did forsake ．her：she had a song of’ willow；’


    An old thing’twas，but it express’d her fortune，


    And she died singing it：that song to－night


    Will not go from my mind； I have much to do，


    But to go hang my head all at one side，


    And sing it like poor Barbara． Prithee， dispatch．


    EMILIA


    Shall I go fetch your night－gown？


    DESDEMONA


    No， unpin me here．


    This Lodovico is a proper man．


    EMILIA


    A very handsome man．


    DESDEMONA


    He speaks well．


    EMILIA


    I know ady in Venice would have walked barefoot


    to Palestine fora touch of hisherlip．


    DESDEMONA


    ［Singing］ The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree，


    Sing all a green willow：


    Her hand on her bosom，her head on her knee，


    Sing willow， willow， willow：


    The fresh streams ran by her， and murmur’d her moans；


    Sing willow，willow，willow；


    Her salt tears fell from her， and soften’d the stones；


    Lay by these：——


    ［Singing］ Sing willow， willow， willow；


    Prithee， hiethee； he’lle anon：—— ［Singing］


    Sing all a green willow must be my gand．


    Let nobody me him； his scorn I approve，—


    Nay， that’s not next．——Hark！ who is’t that knocks？


    EMILIA


    It’s the wind．


    DESDEMONA


    ［Singing］


    I call’d my love false love；but what


    said he then？


    Sing willow， willow， willow：


    If I court moe women， you’ll couch with moe men！


    So， get thee gone； good night Ate eyes do itch；


    Doth that bode weeping？


    EMILIA


    ‘Tis neither here nor there．


    DESDEMONA


    I have heard it said so．O， these men， these men！


    Dost thou in conscience think，——tell me， Emilia，——


    -That there be women do abuse their husbands


    In such gross kind？


    EMILIA


    There be some such， no question ．


    DESDEMONA


    Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world？


    EMILIA


    Why， would not you？


    DESDEMONA


    No， by this heavenly light！


    EMILIA


    Nor I neither by this heavenly light；


    I might do’t as well i’the dark．


    DESDEMONA


    Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world？


    EMILIA


    The world’s a huge thing： it is a great price．


    For a small vice．


    DESDEMONA


    In troth， I think thou wouldst not．


    EMILIA


    In troth，I think I should；and undo’t when I had


    done．Marry，I would not do such a thing for a


    joint-ring，nor for measures ofwn，nor for


    gowns， petticoats， nor caps， nor any petty


    exhibition； but for the whole world，——why， who would


    not make her husband a cuckold to make him a


    monarch？ I should venture purgatory for’t．


    DESDEMONA


    Beshrew me， if I would do such a wrong


    For the whole world．


    EMILIA


    Why the wrong is but a wrong i’the world：and


    having the world for yourbour， tis a wrong in your


    own world， and you might quickly make it right．


    DESDEMONA


    I do not think there is any such woman．


    EMILIA


    Yes， a dozen； and as many to the vantageas would


    store the world they yed for．


    But I do think it is their husbands’ faults


    If wives do fall：say that they ck their duties，


    And pour our treasures into foreignps，


    Or else break out in peevish jealousies，


    Throwing restraintupon us； or say they strike us，


    Or scant our former having in despite；


    Why，we have galls， and though we have some grace，


    Yet have we some revenge． Let husbands know


    Their wives have sense like them： they see and smell


    And have their ptes both for sweet and sour，


    As husbands have． What is it that they do


    When they change us for others？ Is it sport？


    I think it is： and doth affection breed it？


    I think it doth： is’t frailty that thus errs？


    It is so too： and have not we affections，


    Desires for sport， and frailty， as men have？


    Then let them use us well：else let them know，


    The ills we do， their ills instruct us so．


    DESDEMONA


    Good night，good night：heaven me such uses send，


    Not to pick bad from bad，but by bad mend！


    ［Exeunt］