Othello: Act II, Scene iii; First Folio
Othello. Act 2, Scene 3. Iago
This speech is used in our interview with Lee Nishri-Howitt
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1460: And what’s he then,
1461: That saies I play the Villaine?
1462: When this aduise is free I giue, and honest,
1463: Proball to thinking, and indeed the course
1464: To win the Moore againe.
1465: For ’tis most easie
1466: Th’ inclyning Desdemona to subdue
1467: In any honest Suite. She’s fram’d as fruitefull
1468: As the free Elements. And then for her
1469: To win the Moore, were to renownce his Baptisme,
1470: All Seales, and Simbols of redeemed sin:
1471: His Soule is so enfetter’d to her Loue,
1472: That she may make, vnmake, do what she list,
1473: Euen as her Appetite shall play the God,
1474: With his weake Function. How am I then a Villaine,
1475: To Counsell Cassio to this paralell course,
1476: Directly to his good? Diuinitie of hell,
1477: When diuels will the blackest sinnes put on,
1478: They do suggest at first with heauenly shewes,
1479: As I do now. For whiles this honest Foole
1480: Plies Desdemona, to repaire his Fortune,
1481: And she for him, pleades strongly to the Moore,
1482: Ile powre this pestilence into his eare:
1483: That she repeales him, for her bodies Lust,
1484: And by how much she striues to do him good,
1485: She shall vndo her Credite with the Moore.
1486: So will I turne her vertue into pitch.
1487: And out of her owne goodnesse make the Net,
1488: That shall en-mash them all.