Othello: Shakespeare Retold

By William Shakespeare and James Anthony

Tackling Othello? Easily understand every line and quickly master Shakespeare's tale of love and revenge.

Does Shakespeare's 400-year-old language often leave you confused? Do you wish there was an easier way to get to the heart of the story without tedious cross-referencing? Award-w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Redbrick Books
• Release date: Sep 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781914927171

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is the world's greatest ever playwright. Born in 1564, he split his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, where he worked as a playwright, poet and actor. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two, leaving three children—Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. The rest is silence.

Book preview

Reading Shakespeare Retold

Shakespeare Retold intersperses modern English, line-by-line and beat-for-beat, after each of Shakespeare’s great originals.

ORIGINAL:  Fate, show thy force. Ourselves we do not owe.

RETOLD:  Fate, show your strength! You choose my destiny,

ORIGINAL:  What is decreed must be, and be this so.

RETOLD:  And what you choose for me to be will be.

There is no ‘right or wrong’ way to read Shakespeare Retold. However, a good way to start is to read the original lines, then cross-reference to the retelling when the going gets tough, or just to reaffirm your understanding of the line. Play around with it and do what is best for you.

This ebook contains two versions of the text:

  – Shakespeare’s lines interspersed with the Retold lines

  – The Retold only lines.

Note, Shakespeare’s directions in the play are left ‘as is’ in this text, as most are easily understood without the need for clarification.

UNDERSTANDING IAMBIC PENTAMETER

Shakespeare wrote most of his work in the 10-beat format known as iambic pentameter. The retellings also use this format. So, what is iambic pentameter?

An iamb is a word or phrase with two beats:

one soft/short, one hard/long.

e.g., di-dum; because; in fact; despite; resolve.

Penta is the Greek word for five.

Meter is the Greek word meaning measure, e.g., metronome.

Hence, iambic pentameter is simply five iambs combined to flow in one line, e.g.,

di-dum di-dum di-dum di-dum di-dum

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

If music be the food of love, play on.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

EXCEPTIONS

Two exceptions to the regular iambic pentameter format are widely used by Shakespeare:

1) Weak Endings

Regular iambic pentameter has 10 syllables, but an additional syllable can be added to create what is known as a ‘weak ending’. Shakespeare’s most famous line has a weak ending:

To be, or not to be? That is the question.

The better part of valour is discretion.

di-dum di-dum di-dum di-dum di-dum di

2) Trochaic substitution

Though an iamb is ‘di-dum’, a trochee is ‘dum-di’,

e.g. biscuit, reason; bathroom.

Replacing the first iamb with a trochee is known as ‘trochaic substitution’, e.g.,

Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself.

Now is the winter of our discontent.

dum-di di-dum di-dum di-dum di-dum.

VERSE VS PROSE

Not every line of Shakespeare’s work is written in iambic pentameter. Often he simply wrote in prose, albeit embellished with poetic qualities. It’s easy to tell the difference:

Verse: The first word of an iambic pentameter line is ALWAYS capitalised, even if it’s a continuation of a sentence from the previous line.

Prose: Prose lines are not capitalised, unless the norms of sentence structure require it.

RHYME

Shakespeare often uses rhyme to emphasise the poetics of the line, especially to signify the closing lines of a particular scene. Throughout these retellings, the rhyme structure is followed (although not always using the same word Shakespeare used to rhyme with.)

_______

For more information on this play, including character profiles, scene summaries, and learning resources, visit:

www.shakespeareretold.com/othello

Key Characters

OTHELLO

Othello, a Moor from north Africa, is a respected army general, recently married to the beautiful Desdemona without her parents consent.

After Othello promotes Cassio ahead of Iago, jealousy prompts Iago to persuade Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio.

IAGO

Iago is a Venetian army flag-bearer and trusted confidante of Othello. However, when Cassio is promoted ahead of him, he seeks revenge on them both by convincing Othello that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He uses the slow-witted Roderigo to verify his accusations, leading to tragic consequences.

DESDEMONA

A beautiful, young noblewoman of Venice, Desdemona secretly marries Othello after falling for his charming stories of bravery in battle. She joins him on assignment to Cyprus.

Friendly with Cassio, she agrees to help him after he loses his job for fighting. She pesters her husband to reinstate Cassio, fuelling Othello’s belief that she is having an affair with him. Supported by her maid Emilia (who is Iago’s wife), she becomes increasingly concerned about Othello’s erratic behaviour.

EMILIA

Othello appoints Iago’s wife Emilia to be his wife Desdemona’s maid.

Iago persuades Emilia to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, unaware that her husband plans to use it to frame Cassio.

Emilia remains loyal to Desdemona throughout, helping expose her husband’s guilt.

CASSIO

Cassio serves in Othello’s army, and is promoted ahead of Iago, much to Iago’s irritation.

Cassio is affectionate to Desdemona, which she reciprocates, leading Othello to believe Iago’s accusation that they are having an affair.

When Cassio gets drunk and starts a fight, he loses his position in the army, triggering Desdemona to plead with Othello to give him his job back. This reinforces Othello’s belief in their supposed affair.

Cassio is in a relationship with Bianca, but throughout she seems more interested in him than he in her.

BRABANTIO

Brabantio is a senator in Venice and father of Desdemona. When Othello visits his house, he welcomes the general until he learns that he has surreptitiously married his daughter. Brabantio accuses Othello of witchcraft, and tries – unsuccessfully – to get the Senate to support his views.

He disowns his daughter, then dies of the grief.

BIANCA

Bianca is in a relationship with Cassio. When he gives her a handkerchief he has found in his room, she becomes suspicious. But when Othello sees her with this handkerchief, he recognises it as Desdemona’s, which he concludes means Desdemona had given it to Cassio, sealing his belief they are having an affair.

RODERIGO

Roderigo is a rich but dimwitted nobleman who is in love with Desdemona. Iago manipulates him throughout, convincing him to give him money and to come to Cyprus because he says that Othello will soon tire of Desdemona and he can then take his chance.

Roderigo causes Cassio to get into the fight that makes him lose his job, then stabs Cassio towards the end. Iago then kills Roderigo so as not to reveal his own evil plan.

OTHELLO

ACT 1

ACT 1, SCENE 1

VENICE. A STREET.

[ENTER RODERIGO AND IAGO]

RODERIGO

Tush! Never tell me; I take it much unkindly

Shut up! Don’t tell me that! I take it badly

That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse

That you, Iago, who can use my wallet

As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.

As if it were your own, should know of this.

IAGO

'Sblood, but you will not hear me:

For God’s blood, you’re not listening!

If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me.

If I so much as dreamt that, you should hate me.

RODERIGO

Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.

You told me that you absolutely hate him.

IAGO

Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,

Well, hate me if I don’t. Three city leaders

In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,

Had recommended me as his lieutenant

Off-capped to him: and, by the faith of man,

By telling him directly. And, I tell you,

I know my price, I am worth no worse a place:

I know I’m worth a role no worse than this.

But he; as loving his own pride and purposes,

But he, so full of pride and self-importance,

Evades them, with a bombast circumstance

Avoids what they are saying, waffling on

Horribly stuffed with epithets of war;

With over-wordy military jargon.

And, in conclusion,

And, in the end,

Nonsuits my mediators; for, 'Certes,' says he,

He shuns their tip for me; For sure, he says,

'I have already chose my officer.'

I have already chosen my lieutenant.

And what was he?

And who’d he choose?

Forsooth, a great arithmetician,

Indeed, a man who’s merely good at maths,

One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,

One Michael Cassio, who comes from Florence,

A fellow almost damned in a fair wife;

A man whose wife’s so hot, he’s almost cursed;

That never set a squadron in the field,

He’s never led an army into battle

Nor the division of a battle knows

And knows about the strategies of war

More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,

As well as an old lady; it’s all theory

Wherein the toged consuls can propose

He’s learned from senators dressed up in togas

As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practise,

That talk as well as him: all talk, no action

Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election:

Is all he knows of warfare. Yet, he’s chosen;

And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof

And me, someone he’s seen with his own eyes

At Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds

On battlefields in Cyprus, Rhodes and other

Christian and heathen, must be be-lee'd and calmed

Christian and Pagan wars, must be appeased

By debitor and creditor: this counter-caster,

By an accountant! He who counts the beans

He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,

Will soon become his chief commanding officer

And I--God bless the mark!--his Moorship's ancient.

Whilst I – for goodness sake! – just wave his flag.

RODERIGO

By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.

Good grief, I’d rather be his executioner.

IAGO

Why, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service,

I’m powerless; this pain comes with the job.

Preferment goes by letter and affection,

Promotion comes through cronies’ favouritism

And not by old gradation, where each second

And not by rank, whereby subordinates

Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself,

Reported to their master. So, decide

Whether I in any just term am affined

If there is any reason I’m obliged

To love the Moor.

To love the Moor.

RODERIGO

I would not follow him then.

If I were you, I wouldn’t.

IAGO

O, sir, content you;

Oh sir, don’t worry:

I follow him to serve my turn upon him:

I only work for him to get revenge:

We cannot all be masters, nor all masters

Not everyone can lead, nor all those leading

Cannot be truly followed. You shall mark

Cannot lead everyone. I’m sure you’ve noticed

Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,

Many obedient, hardworking soldiers

That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,

That act like slaves and blindly do their jobs,

Wears out his time, much like his master's ass,

And let time pass, just like their master’s donkey,

For nought but provender, and when he's old, cashiered:

Just to be fed; then when they’re old, they’re fired.

Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are

I’d whip those honest fools. But there are others

Who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty,

That, though they’re dressed in soldier’s uniform,

Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,

Do secretly think only of themselves,

And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,

And through some empty gestures for their leaders,

Do well thrive by them and when they have lined

They take their money and when they have earned

their coats

their fill,

Do themselves homage: these fellows have some soul;

Hoard all of it themselves. These guys have soul,

And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,

And, proudly, I am one of them myself. For, sir,

It is as sure as you are Roderigo,

I’m certain, just as you are called Roderigo,

Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago:

If I were him, I’d not want to be me.

In following him, I follow but myself;

By working for him, I work for myself;

Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,

God is my only judge: the work I do

But seeming so, for my peculiar end:

That seems sincere, I do to sort myself out.

For when my outward action doth demonstrate

For if my outer actions represented

The native act and figure of my heart

The way I really felt within my heart

In compliment extern, 'tis not long after

So one could see it for themselves, then not long

But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve

After I’d worn my heart upon my sleeve,

For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.

The crows would peck it; I’m not who I seem.

RODERIGO

What a full fortune does the thicklips owe

How lucky old big-lips is then if he

If he can carry't thus!

Can carry this one off!

IAGO

Call up her father,

Go call her father,

Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight,

Wake him up: shake him up, destroy his sleep,

Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,

And shout his name out loud; wind-up his family,

And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,

And, though he lives within a lovely house,

Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy,

We’ll pester him. And though he may stay happy,

Yet throw such changes of vexation on't,

We will be so incredibly annoying

As it may lose some colour.

His happiness will fade a bit.

RODERIGO

Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud.

Here is her father’s house; I’ll shout to him.

IAGO

Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell

Do it! And shout like someone terrified

As when, by night and negligence, the fire

Like, when at night through negligence, a fire

Is spied in populous cities.

Is spotted in a busy city.

RODERIGO

What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!

Hey up, Brabantio! Mister Brabantio, hey!

IAGO

Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!

Wake up! Oi, you, Brabantio! You’re being robbed!

Look to your house, your daughter and your bags!

Secure your house, your daughter and your bags!

Thieves! Thieves!

Thieves! Thieves!

[BRABANTIO APPEARS ABOVE, AT A WINDOW]

BRABANTIO

What is the reason of this terrible summons?

What is the reason for this awful shouting?

What is the matter there?

Whatever’s going on?

RODERIGO

Signior, is all your family within?

Sir, are your family home?

IAGO

Are your doors locked?

Are your doors locked?

BRABANTIO

Why, wherefore ask you this?

Why? Why do you ask this?

IAGO

'Zounds, sir, you're robbed; for shame, put on your gown;

By Christ’s wounds, you’ve been robbed! Put on your clothes;

Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul;

Your heart will break, for you’ve lost half your soul;

Even now, now, very now, an old black ram

For at this very moment, an old black ram

Is topping your white ewe. Arise, arise;

Is sleeping with your white ewe. So, get up;

Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,

Wake all the sleeping people with your bell,

Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you:

Or else the devil will make you a granddad.

Arise, I say.

Get up, I say.

BRABANTIO

What, have you lost your wits?

What, have you lost your mind?

RODERIGO

Most reverend signior, do you know my voice?

Fine sir, do you not recognise my voice?

BRABANTIO

Not I what are you?

I don’t; who are you?

RODERIGO

My name is Roderigo.

My name is Roderigo.

BRABANTIO

The worser welcome:

You are not welcome here:

I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:

I’ve told you not to hang around my house.

In honest plainness thou hast heard me say

With honest openness, you’ve heard me say

My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness,

You can’t be with my daughter. And now, madly,

Being full of supper and distempering draughts,

Full up from dinner and intoxicated,

Upon malicious bravery, dost thou come

You arrogantly come here to upset me

To start my quiet.

And break my sleep.

RODERIGO

Sir, sir, sir,--

Sir, sir, sir,–

BRABANTIO

But thou must needs be sure

But you must understand

My spirit and my place have in them power

I have resilience and wherewithal

To make this bitter to thee.

To make this bad for you.

RODERIGO

Patience, good sir.

Wait up, good sir.

BRABANTIO

What tell'st thou me of robbing? This is Venice;

Why do you talk of robbery? This is Venice;

My house is not a grange.

My home is not a farm house.

RODERIGO

Most grave Brabantio,

Brabantio,

In simple and pure soul I come to you.

I come to you with pure and good intentions.

IAGO

'Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not

For Christ’s sake, you’re so stubborn, you would not

serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to

serve God if told to by the devil. So, though we’ve come to

do you service and you think we are ruffians, you'll

help you and you think we’re bad guys, you’ll

have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;

let your daughter be shagged by an African horse;

you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have

your descendants will neigh to you; your family

coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.

will consist of ponies and colts.

BRABANTIO

What profane wretch art thou?

What foul-mouth fool are you?

IAGO

I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter

I am the man to tell you that your daughter

and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

and the Moor are currently laid down together, having sex.

BRABANTIO

Thou art a villain.

You are a villain.

IAGO

You are--a senator.

You are…a senator.

BRABANTIO

This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo.

You’ll pay for this, Roderigo; I know what you’re like.

RODERIGO

Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech you,

I’ll pay for what I’ve done. But, hear me out:

If't be your pleasure and most wise consent,

If it’s your wish, and she has your permission,

As partly I find it is, that your fair daughter,

As it appears, that your beautiful daughter,

At this odd-even and dull watch o' the night,

At this strange time, between midnight and one,

Transported, with no worse nor better guard

Has gone, with no one better to protect her

But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,

Than your boy-servant who propels your boat,

To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor--

Into the hands of a vile, lustful Moor –

If this be known to you and your allowance,

If you know this and this has got your blessing,

We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs;

Well then, our boldness must have caused offence.

But if you know not this, my manners tell me

But if you do not know of this, good manners

We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe

State you are wrong to tell us off. Don’t think

That, from the sense of all civility,

That I’d forgo all sense of decency

I thus would play and trifle with your reverence:

To mess about with your respect of me.

Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,

So if your daughter left without permission,

I say again, hath made a gross revolt;

I’ll say again, she’s grossly disobeyed you,

Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes

Wedding herself, her beauty and her wealth

In an extravagant and wheeling stranger

To an exuberant, exotic nomad

Of here and every where. Straight satisfy yourself:

From God knows where. Go, see it for yourself:

If she be in her chamber or your house,

If she is in her bedroom in your house,

Let loose on me the justice of the state

Then sue me to bring justice from the law

For thus deluding you.

For lying to you like this.

BRABANTIO

Strike on the tinder, ho!

Strike a match!

Give me a taper! Call up all my people!

Give me a candle! Wake up everyone!

This accident is not unlike my dream:

This ghastly scene is similar to my dream:

Belief of it oppresses me already.

Believing it is already upsetting.

Light, I say! Light!

Get me some light!

[EXIT ABOVE]

IAGO

Farewell; for I must leave you:

Goodbye; I have to leave you.

It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,

It won’t be right, nor helpful to my role,

To be produced--as, if I stay, I shall--

To testify – for if I stay, I’ll have to –

Against the Moor: for, I do know, the state,

Against the Moor. For I’m aware the state –

However this may gall him with some cheque,

Although rebuking him might irritate him –

Cannot with safety cast him, for he's embarked

Can’t safely fire him, for he has departed

With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars,

With credibility to fight with Cyprus

Which even now stand in act, that, for their souls,

Within the current war, they well know

Another of his fathom they have none,

There is no other person of his stature

To lead their business: in which regard,

To lead their battles. And I must accept,

Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains.

Although I hate him just as much as hell,

Yet, for necessity of present life,

I must, to keep the current life I have,

I must show out a flag and sign of love,

Show indication that I do support him,

Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him,

Although it’s just an act. You’re sure to find him

Lead to the Sagittary the raised search;

By searching in the Sagittary Inn;

And there will I be with him. So, farewell.

And I will be there with him. So, goodbye.

[EXIT]

[ENTER, BELOW, BRABANTIO, AND SERVANTS WITH TORCHES]

BRABANTIO

It is too true an evil: gone she is;

It is an evil truth, for she has gone;

And what's to come of my despised time

And all my wretched time on earth that’s left

Is nought but bitterness. Now, Roderigo,

Is full of bitterness. Now, Roderigo,

Where didst thou see her? O unhappy girl!

Where did you see her? Oh, unhappy girl!

With the Moor, say'st thou? Who would be a father!

With the Moor, you said? Who’d be a father!

How didst thou know 'twas she? O she deceives me

How did you know it was her? Oh, she’s tricked me

Past thought! What said she to you? Get more tapers:

Beyond belief! What did she say? Get candles,

Raise all my kindred. Are they married, think you?

And wake my family. Do you think they’re married?

RODERIGO

Truly, I think they are.

In truth, I think they are.

BRABANTIO

O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!

How did she leave the house? And cheat her family!

Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds

From now on, fathers, do not trust your daughters

By what you see them act. Is there not charms

Except by their behaviour. Aren’t there spells

By which the property of youth and maidhood

That can be used on young and youthful virgins

May be abused? Have you not read, Roderigo,

To rape them? Have you read of that, Roderigo?

Of some such thing?

Have you read such a thing?

RODERIGO

Yes, sir, I have indeed.

Yes, sir, I have.

BRABANTIO

Call up my brother. O, would you had had her!

Call up my brother. I wish you had wed her!

Some one way, some another. Do you know

Some go this way; and some go that. Do you know

Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

Where we might apprehend her with the Moor?

RODERIGO

I think I can discover him, if you please,

I think that I can find him, if you will

To get good guard and go along with me.

Provide me guards to go along with me.

BRABANTIO

Pray you, lead on. At every house I'll call;

Please, lead the way. I’ll stop at every house;

I may command at most. Get weapons, ho!

At most of them I’ll tell them to get weapons,

And raise some special officers of night.

And I will form a fighting force tonight.

On, good Roderigo: I'll deserve your pains.

Lead on Roderigo. I will compensate you.

[EXEUNT]

ACT 1, SCENE 2

ANOTHER STREET.

[ENTER OTHELLO, IAGO, AND ATTENDANTS WITH TORCHES]

IAGO

Though in the trade of war I have slain men,

Although I have killed men fighting in battle,

Yet do I hold it very stuff o' the conscience

I hold the firm belief one can’t commit

To do no contrived murder: I lack iniquity

Premeditated murder. I’ve no mean streak

Sometimes to do me service: nine or ten times

That might look after me: for many times

I had thought to have yerked him here under the ribs.

I thought that I should stab him in the ribs.

OTHELLO

'Tis better as it is.

It’s better that you didn’t.

IAGO

Nay, but he prated,

No, but he blabbed

And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms

And spoke such awful and incendiary words

Against your honour

Against your honour

That,