Emilia, run you to the citadel,
And tell my Lord and lady what hath happ'd.
Will you go on afore?This is the night,
That either makes me, or foredoes me quite.
[Exeunt, Iago following.

SCENE

A Bed-chamber: Defdemona is difcovered afleep in ber bed:

Enter Othello, with a Light and a Sword.

IT

Tis the cause, it is the caufe, my foul; Let me not name it to you, you chafte Stars! It is the cause.Yet I'll not fhed her Blood, Nor fcar that whiter fkin of hers than fnow, And smooth as monumental alabaster.

Oth. 3

VI.

[Lays down the fword. Yet fhe muft die; elfe fhe'll betray more men. 4 Put out the light, and, then-Put out the light? If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light reftore,

3 It is the caufe, it is the cause, my foul;

¿C

Let me not name it. -] The abruptnefs of this foliloquy makes it obfcure. The meaning I think is this. I am here, fays Othello in his mind, overwhelmed with horror. What is the reafon of this perturbation? Is it want of refolution to do juftice? Is it the dread of hedding blood? No; it is not the action that forks me, but it is the cause, it is the caufe, my foul; let me not name it to you, ye chafte ftars! it is the cause

'Should

4 Pút out the light, and then put out the light.] This, Į conceive, to have been the poet's meaning, Othello, ftruck in part with remorfe at the murder he's going to do, thinks it best to do it in the dark; this compunction of nature, in the hurry and perturbation of thought, and thofe remains of tenderness ftill combating in his bosom, ftrikes him into an inftant reflexion, that if he puts out the light he can rekindle it; but if he once puts out the light of her life, that will be extinguish'd for ever. Gg 4 While

Should I repent: but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'ft pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Fromethean heat,
That can thy light re-lumine.
When I have pluck'd thy rofe,
I cannot give it vital growth again;
It needs muft wither.-I'll fmell it on the tree;

[Sets down the taper.

[Kiffing her.

Oh balmy breath, that doft almost perfuade
Juftice to break her fword?-One more; one more.
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after-One more; that's the laft.
So fweet, was ne'er fo fatal! I must weep,
But they are cruel tears. 5 This forrow's heavenly;
It ftrikes, where it doth love.She wakes-
Def. Who's there? Othello?

Oth. Ay, Defdemona.

While he is bufied in this con-
templation, he throws his eyes
towards her; and then, footh'd
with her beauteous appearance,
fets down the light, to go and
kifs her. Upon this, Defdemona
wakes; and they continue in
difcourfe together till he ftifles
her.
THEOB.
Put out the light, and then-
Put out the light?-] So it
fhould be printed. The mean-
ing is, I will put out the light,
and then proceed to the execution
of my purpose. But the expref-
fion of putting out the light,
bringing to mind the effects of
the extinction of the light of life,

Def. Will you come to bed, my Lord?
Oth. Have you pray'd to night, Defdemona?
Def. Ay, my Lord.

Oth. If you bethink yourself of any crime
Unreconcil'd as yet to heaven, and grace,

he breaks fhort, and questions
himself about the effects of this
metaphorical extinction, intro-
duced by a repetition of his first
words, as much as to fay, But
hold, let me firft weigh the re-
flexions which this expreffion fo
naturally excites.
WARB
5--This Scrraw's heavenly ;]
This tenderness, with which I
lament the punishment which
juftice compels me to inflict, is a
holy paffion.

I wish these two lines could
be honeftly ejected. It is the fate
of Shakespeare to counteract his
own pathos.

Solicit

Solicit for it straight.

Def. Alack, my Lord, What may you mean by that?

Oth. Well, do it, and be brief. I will walk by. I would not kill thy unprepared fpirit,

No, heavens forefend! I would not kill thy foul.
Def. Talk you of killing?

"Oth. Ay, I do.

Def. Then heaven have mercy on me!
Oth. Amen, with all my heart.

Def. If you fay fo, I hope you will not kill me.
Oth. Hum.

Def. And yet I fear you; for you're fatal then, When your eyes rowl fo. Why I fhould fear, I know

not,

Since guilt I know not; yet, I feel, I fear.
Oth. Think on thy fins.

Def. They're Loves I bear to you.
Oth. Ay, and for that thou dy'ft.

Def. That death's unnatural, that kills for loving.
Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip?
Some bloody paffion shakes your very frame;
These are portents, but yet I hope, I hope,
They do not point on me.

Oth. Peace, and be ftill.

Def. I will fo. What's the matter?
Oth. That handkerchief
Which I fo lov'd, and gave thee,

Def. No, by my life and foul.
And ask him.

Oth. Sweet Soul, take heed, take heed of perjury; Thou art on thy death-bed..

thou gav't Caffio.

Send for the man,

Def. Ay, but not yet to die.
Oth. Prefently;

Therefore confefs thee freely of thy fin ;

For to deny each article with oath,

Cannot remove, nor choak the ftrong conception

That

That I do groan withal. Thou aft to die.
Def. Oh, heaven have mercy on me!
Oth. I fay, amen.

Def. And have you mercy too!-I never did
Offend you in my life; never lov'd Caffio,
But with fuch general warranty of heaven,
As I might love. I never gave him token.

Oth. By heaven, I faw my handkerchief in's hand,
Oh perjur'd woman! thou doft ftone my heart,
And mak'ft me call, what I intend to do,

A murder, which I thought a facrifice. I faw the handkerchief.

Def. He found it then

;

I never gave it him. Send for him hither,
Let him confefs a truth.

Oth. He hath confeft.
Def. What, my Lord?
Oth. That he hath-us'd thee
Def. How? unlawfully?
Oth. Ay.

Def. He will not say so.

Oth. No, his mouth is stopp'd. Honeft Iago hath ta'en order for 't.

Def. My fear interprets then. What, is he dead? Oth. Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge Had ftomach for them all.

Def. Alas, he is betray'd, and I undone.

6 A muraer, which I thought

a facrifice] This line is difficult. Thou haft harden'd my heart, and makeft me kill thee with the rage of a murderer, when I thought to have facrificed thee to juftice with the calmness of prieft ftriking a victim.

It must not be omitted, that one of the elder quarto's reads, thou doft fone thy heart; which I

fufpect to be genuine,, The meaning then will be, thou forceft me to difmifs thee from the world in the ftate of the murdered without preparation for death, when I intended that thy punishment hould have been a facrifice attoning for thy crime.

I am glad that I have ended my revifal of this dreadful scene. It is not to be endured.

Oth.

Oth. Out, ftrumpet! Weep'ft thou for him to my face?

Def. Oh banish me, my Lord, but kill me not.
Oth. Down, ftrumpet.

Def. Kill me to-morrow, let me live to-night.
Oth. Nay, if you strive――――
Def. But half an hour.

Oth. Being done, there is no pause.
Def. But while I fay one prayer.
Oth. It is too late.

[He fmothers ber.

S CEN E VII,

Emilia, at the door.

Emil. My Lord, my Lord! What hoa! my Lord, my Lord!

Oth. What noife is this? Not dead? not yet quite dead?

I, that am cruel, am yet merciful;

I would not have thee linger in thy pain.
So, fo.

Emil. within.] What hoa! my Lord, my Lord! Oth. Who's there?

Emil. Oh, my good Lord, I would speak a word with you.

Oth. Yes, 'tis Æmilia.-By and by-She's dead. 'Tis like, fhe comes to speak of Caffio's death; The noife was high. Ha, no more moving? Still as the Grave. Shall the come in? Were't good? I think, fhe ftirs again. No. What's the best? If the come in, fhe'll, fure, speak to my wife? My wife! my wife! What wife? I have no wife. Oh infupportable! oh heavy hour! Methinks, it should be now a huge eclipfe

Of