OTHELLO

B rabantio, the rich senator of Venice, had a fair daughter, the gentle Desdemona. She was sought after by many men, both on account of her many virtuous qualities and for her rich expectations. But among the men of her own country and complexion she saw none whom she could love, and had chosen for the object of her affections a Moor,a black man, whom her father loved and often invited to his house．

This Moor, Othello, was a soldier, and a brave one; and by his conduct in bloody wars against the Turks had risen to the rank of general in the Venetian service, and was esteemed and trusted by the state．

One night, Desdemona and Othello, both carried away by one another’s presence, spoke openly of their love, and in this golden opportunity agreed to marry secretly without the consent of her father, who they expected would not accept bringing a black man into the family．

Their marriage, which, though privately carried, could not long be kept a secret, came to the ears of the old man,Brabantio. He publicly accused Othello of seducing his daughter with magic; however, the Moor defended himself, and convinced his father-in-law of his innocence. Thus, reluctantly,the marriage came to be accepted by all．

At this juncture of time it happened that the state of Venice had immediate need of the services of Othello, who alone was deemed adequate to conduct the defense of Cyprus against the Turks．

No sooner were Othello and his lady landed in Cyprus than news arrived that a desperate storm had dispersed the Turkish fleet, and thus the island was secure from any immediate apprehension of an attack. But now Othello’s real war would begin and prove much more deadly than those of the usual foreign attackers．

Among all the general’s friends no one possessed the confidence of Othello more entirely than Cassio, who was a young soldier, handsome and eloquent. Next to Othello himself,the gentle Desdemona loved and trusted Cassio．

Othello had lately promoted Cassio to be lieutenant . This promotion gave great offense to Iago, an older officer who thought he had a better claim than Cassio. Iago hated Othello.He had an unjust suspicion that the Moor was too fond of Iago’s wife, Emilia. From these imaginary annoyances, the plotting mind of Iago conceived a horrid scheme of revenge, which, if successful, would cause Othello to be jealous of Cassio, and thus end in the death of one or both．

The arrival of the general and his lady in Cyprus, meeting with news of the dispersion of the enemy’s fleet, made a sort of holiday in the island. Everybody gave himself up to feasting and making merry. Wine flowed in abundance, and cups went round to the health of the black Othello and his lady the fair Desdemona．

Cassio had the direction of the guard that night, with a charge from Othello to keep the soldiers from excess in drinking. That night Iago persuaded Cassio to make rather too free with the bottle (a great fault in an officer upon guard).After a while Cassio’s tongue ran over, causing a fight to break out between himself and another soldier. The riot then began to be general, and Iago, who had set on foot the mischief, was foremost in spreading the alarm, causing the castle bell to be rung (as if something more threatening than a slight drunken quarrel had arisen). The alarm-bell ringing awakened Othello,who, dressing in a hurry and coming to the scene of action,questioned Cassio of the cause．

Cassio was now come to himself, the effect of the wine having a little gone off, but was too much ashamed to reply; and Iago gave an account of the whole matter (leaving out his own share in it, which Cassio was too far gone to remember) in such a manner as, while he seemed to make Cassio’s offense less, did indeed make it appear greater than it was. The result was that Othello, who was a strict observer of discipline, was compelled to take away Cassio’s place of lieutenant from him．

Cassio, whom this misfortune had entirely sobered, now lamented to his seeming friend Iago that he should have been such a fool as to transform himself into a beast. He was undone ,for how could he ask the general for his place again?

At the suggestion of Iago, Cassio appealed to the Lady Desdemona, who was easy to be won over in any honest suit; and she promised Cassio that she should be his solicitor with her lord. This she immediately set about in so earnest and pretty a manner that Othello, who was mortally offended with Cassio,could not put her off．

After much discussion, Othello promised to receive Michael Cassio again in favor, only requesting that Desdemona leave the time to him．

It so happened that Othello and Iago had seen the very end of Desdemona’s conference with Cassio, and Iago, who was full of art, had said in a low voice, as if to himself, “I like not that.” Othello took no great notice of what he said, but he remembered it afterward. For when Desdemona was gone, Iago questioned Othello whether Michael Cassio, when Othello was courting his lady, knew of his love. To this the general answering in the affirmative, and adding, that he had gone between them very often during the courtship, Iago knitted his brow, as if he had got fresh light on some terrible matter, and cried, “Indeed!”Othello prayed Iago to speak what he knew and to give his worst thoughts words．

Then Iago frankly declared that he had no proof, but begged Othello to see Desdemona’s behavior well when Cassio was by. After all, she deceived her father in marrying with Othello, why might she not deceive her husband too?

Othello, assuming indifference, was really shaken with inward grief at Iago’s words, and begged him to go on. He concluded with advising Othello to put off his reconcilement with Cassio a little longer, and, in the meanwhile, to note with what earnestness Desdemona should plead on his behalf; for that much would be seen in that．

From that moment the deceived Othello never tasted peace of mind. Sometimes he thought his wife honest, and at times he thought her not so; sometimes he thought Iago just, and at times he thought him not so. Torn to pieces with these distracting thoughts, he once laid hold on Iago’s throat and demanded proof of Desdemona’s guilt. Pretending indignation that his honesty should be taken for a vice, Iago asked Othello if he had not sometimes seen a handkerchief spotted with strawberries in his wife’s hand．

Othello answered that he had given her such a one, and that it was his first gift．

“That same handkerchief,” said Iago, “did I see Michael Cassio this day wipe his face with.”

“If it be as you say,” said Othello, “I will not rest till a wide revenge swallow them up; I expect that Cassio shall be put to death within three days; and for that fair devil (meaning his lady) I will withdraw and devise some swift means of death for her.”

Both Cassio and Desdemona were innocent of any offense against Othello, but the wicked Iago, whose spirits never slept in contrivance of villainy, had made his wife steal this handkerchief from Desdemona, under pretense of getting the work copied, but in reality to drop it in Cassio’s way, where he might find it, and give a handle to Iago’s suggestion that it was Desdemona’s present．

Othello, soon after meeting his wife, pretended that he had a headache, and desired her to lend him her handkerchief to hold to his temples. She did so．

“Not this,” said Othello, “but that handkerchief I gave you.”

Desdemona had it not about her (for indeed it was stolen,as we have related)．

“That handkerchief an Egyptian woman gave to my mother,”Othello said, “the woman was a witch and told my mother while she kept it, it would make her amiable and my father would love her; but if she lost it or gave it away, my father’s fancy would turn and he would hate her as much as he had loved her.She, dying, gave it to me, and bade me, if I ever married, to give it to my wife. I did so.”

Desdemona, hearing the amazing virtues of the handkerchief,was ready to die with fear, for she plainly perceived she had lost it,and with it, she feared, the affections of her husband. Then Othello started and looked as if he were going to do some rash thing, and still he demanded the handkerchief, which when she could not produce, she tried to divert her husband from too serious thoughts,and cheerfully told him she saw all his talk about the handkerchief was only to put her off from her suit about Michael Cassio, whom she went on to praise (as Iago had foretold), till Othello accused her outright of being unfaithful and of loving another man. He then burst out of the room in tears．

And when he had left, her this innocent lady was so filled with wonder at her lord’s untrue suspicion of her that a heavy sleep came over her, and she only desired her attendant to make her bed and to lay her wedding-sheets upon it, hoping her husband would soon follow and that he might calm under her tender affections．

Desdemona, being retired to bed, soon fell asleep. Othello soon entered the chamber, full of the black purpose of putting his lady to death. He kissed her for the last time, and that kiss was so sweet that he had to kiss her again; and he wept, but he said they were cruel tears．

Desdemona was awakened with his kisses, and she looked upon Othello, and she saw him visibly upset , and she knew he was always fatal when he looked so; and he told her to prepare for death and to say her prayers, for he would not kill her soul.And this innocent wife, as she lay at his mercy, begged for compassion and to know her fault, and then he named Cassio,and the handkerchief which she had given him; and as the guiltless lady was proceeding to clear herself he suddenly would hear no more, but, covering her up in the bedclothes, stifled her till she died．

In this instant of time was brought into the house Cassio,wounded and bleeding, whom Iago had set one of his creatures on to assassinate; but the fellow not succeeding in his attempt to kill Cassio (whom he wounded, but not mortally), and being himself killed by Iago to prevent discovery, in his pockets were found certain letters, which made the guilt of Iago, and the innocence of Cassio, clear beyond all doubt; and Cassio now came to beg pardon of Othello, and to ask wherein he had offended him, that he had employed Iago to murder him．

This discovery was as a thunderstroke to Othello, who now plainly saw that he was no better than a murderer, and that his wife (poor innocent lady) had been ever faithful to him; the extreme anguish of which discovery making life insupportable,he fell upon his sword, and throwing himself upon the body of his dear injured lady, expired ．

These rash acts raised much passion of horror and amazement in the people who witnessed it, for Othello had borne a fair reputation, and till he was brought under the influence of a villain, he was a loving and a caring husband. And when he was dead, all his former merits and his brave acts were remembered. Nothing now remained for his successor but to force upon Iago the maximum punishment. The awful villain was executed with strict tortures; and word was then sent to the state of Venice of the lamentable death of their renowned general．

Venice /ˈvenɪs/ n. 威尼斯，意大利东北部历史名城

bloody /ˈblʌdɪ/ adj . 血腥的

esteem /ɪˈsti:m/ vt. 敬重

carry away 使狂喜

Cyprus /ˈsaɪprəs/ n. 塞浦路斯，位于地中海东北部的岛国，1489年之后成为威尼斯公国的属地近一百年之久

disperse /dɪsˈpɜ:s/ vt. 使分散；驱散

lieutenant /lef ˈtenənt/ n. 副官，副将，中尉，上尉

charge /ˈtʃɑ:dʒ/ n. 指示，嘱咐

undo /ˌʌnˈdu:/ vt. 毁灭，破坏

easy to be won over = easy to be persuaded，很容易被说服，有求必应

reconcilement / ˈ re k ə n s a ɪ l m ə n t / n . 和解

deceive /dɪˈsi:v/ vt. 欺骗

indignation /ˌɪndɪɡˈneɪʃən/ n. 愤怒

amiable /ˈeɪmjəbl/ adj. 亲切友好的，和蔼可亲的

upset /ˌʌpˈset/ adj. 心烦意乱的

fatal /ˈfeɪtəl/ adj. 致命的，灾难性的

expire /ɪkˈspaɪə/ vi. 断气，死亡