Act I scene iii

 

“Put money in thy purse”

 

Roderigo, Iago

 

RODERIGO           Iago,--

 

IAGO                     What say'st thou, noble heart?

 

RODERIGO           What will I do, thinkest thou?

 

IAGO                     Why, go to bed, and sleep.

 

RODERIGO           I will incontinently drown myself.

 

IAGO                     If thou dost, I shall never love thee after. Why,
thou silly gentleman!

 

RODERIGO           It is silliness to live when to live is torment!

 

IAGO                     O villainous! Ere I would say, I would drown myself for the love of a guinea-hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.

 

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                     Virtue! a fig! 'tis in ourselves that we are thus
or thus. 

 

IAGO                     Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown
cats and blind puppies. Put money in thy
purse; follow thou the wars; defeat thy favour with
an usurped beard; I say, put money in thy purse. It
cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her
love to the Moor,-- put money in thy purse,--nor he
his to her: These Moors are changeable in
their wills: fill thy purse with money:-- She must
change for youth: when she is sated with his body,
she will find the error of her choice: she must
have change, she must:  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.

 

RODERIGO           Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on
the issue?

 

IAGO                     Thou art sure of me: 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           Where shall we meet i' the morning?

 

IAGO                     At my lodging.

 

RODERIGO           I'll be with thee betimes.

 

IAGO                     Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?

 

RODERIGO           What say you?

 

IAGO                     No more of drowning, do you hear?

 

RODERIGO           I am changed: I'll go sell all my land.

 

                               [Exit]

 

IAGO                     Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:
For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane,
If I would time expend with such a snipe.
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor:
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He has done my office: I know not if't be true;
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety. He holds me well;
The better shall my purpose work on him.
Cassio's a proper man: let me see now:
To get his place and to plume up my will
In double knavery--How, how? Let's see:--
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear
That he is too familiar with his wife.
He hath a person and a smooth dispose
To be suspected, framed to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by the nose
As asses are.
I have't. It is engender'd. Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.

            [Exit]