PERSONS REPRESENTED. DUKE OF VENICE. BRABANTIO, a senator; father to Desdemona. Two other Senators. Appear, Act I. sc. 3. GRATIANO, brother to Brabantio. Appears, Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. LODOVICO, kinsman to Brabantio. Appears, Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 3. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. Appears, Act I. sc. 2; sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 3. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act CASSIO, lieutenant to Othello. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 1; sc. 3; sc. 4. IAGO, ancient to Othello. Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3; sc. 4. Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. RODERIGO, a Venetian gentleman. Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 3. MONTANO, Othello's predecessor in the government of Cyprus. Clown, servant to Othello. Herald. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. DESDEMONA, wife to Othello. Appears, Act I. sc. 3. Act II. sc. 1; sc. 3. Act III. sc. 3; sc. 4. Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2; sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. EMILIA, wife to Iago. Act III. sc. 1; sc. 3; sc. 4. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. BIANCA, a courtezan. Appears, Act III. sc. 4. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1. SCENE, FOR THE FIRST ACT, IN VENICE; DURING THE REST OF THE PLAY, AT A SEA-PORT IN CYPRUS. On the 6th of October, 1621, Thomas Walkley entered at Stationers' Hall, 'The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice.' In 1622 Walkley published the edition for which he had thus claimed the copyright. It is, as was usual with the separate plays, a small quarto. It is by no means certain to our minds that Walkley's edition was published before the folio. The usual date of that edition is 1623; but there is a copy in existence bearing the date of 1622. We have, however, no doubt that the copy of Othello in the folio was printed from a manuscript copy, without reference to the quarto. The folio edition is regularly divided into acts and scenes; the quarto edition has not a single indication of any subdivision in the acts, and omits the division between Acts II. and III. The folio edition contains 163 lines which are not found in the quarto, and these some of the most striking in the play: the number of lines found in the quarto which are not in the folio do not amount to ten. The quarto, then, has not the merit of being the fuller copy. Believing the folio to be the more genuine copy, our text, for the most part, follows that authority. There is a quarto edition of 1630, which differs, in some readings, from both of the previous editions. OTHELLO. ACT I. SCENE I-Venice. A Street. Enter RODERIGO and IAGO. ROD. Never tell me, take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this. ROD. Thou told'st me, thou didst hold him in thy hate. city, Three great ones of the In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, And, in conclusion, Nonsuits my mediators. For, certes, says he, I have already chose my officer. And what was he? Forsooth, a great arithmetician, Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster; unless the bookish theorick, As masterly as he mere prattle, without practice, Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election: He, in good time, inust his lieutenant be, And I,—bless the mark! his Moor-ship's ancient. ROD. By Heaven, I rather would have been his hangman. IAGO. Why, there's no remedy, 't is 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, To love the Moor. ROD. I would not follow him then. IAGO. O sir, content you; I follow him to serve my turn upon him: Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave, That, doting on his own obsequious bondage, Wears out his time, much like his master's ass, For nought but provender; and when he's old, cashier'd; Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves; And, throwing but shows of service on their lords, Do well thrive by them, and, when they have lin❜d their coats, For, sir, Do themselves homage: these fellows have some soul; |