Oth. It is too late. Emilia within. [He fmothers her. My lord, my lord! what ho! 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.- Emil. What ho! my lord, my lord! Oth. Who's there? Emil. O, good my lord, I would speak a word with you. Oth. Yes; 'tis Emilia:-by and by.-She's 'Tis like, fhe comes to fpeak of Caffio's death; 2 It is too late. After this fpeech of Othello, the elder quarto adds an invocation from Defdemona, confifting only of the facred name, thrice repeated. As this must be fuppofed to have been ut tered while fhe is yet ftruggling with death, I think an editor may be excufed from inferting fuch a circumftance of fupererogatory horror, efpecially as it is found in but one of the ancient copies. STEEVENS. This alteration was probably made in confequence of the statute of the 3d of James I. c. 21. which lays a penalty for the profane ufe of the name of God, &c. in ftage-plays interludes, May-games, &c. TOLLET. The ftatute was neceffary; for not only the ancient moralities, but the plays (thofe of Chapman in particular) abound with the moft wanton and fhocking repetitions of a name which never ought to be mentioned in fuch an irreverend manner on the stage. STEEVENS. 66 3 My wife! my wife! what wife ?-1 have no wife:] Filium unicum adolefcentulum habeo: ah! quid dixi habere me? imo habui, Chreme." Ter Heautont, STEEVENS, O infupportable! O heavy hour! Methinks, it fhould be now a huge eclipse Of fun and moon; and that the affrighted globe Should yawn at alteration. Emil. I do befeech you I may speak with you. O, good my lord! Oth. I had forgot thee: O, come in Æmilia :Soft, by and by :-Let me the curtains draw.Where art thou? What's the matter with thee now? [Unlocks the door. Enter Emilia. Emil. O, my good lord, yonder's foul murder done. Oth. What? now? Emil. But now, my lord. Oth. It is the very error of the moon ; She comes more near the earth than fhe was wont, And makes men mad. Emil. Caffio, my lord, hath kill'd a young Venetian, Call'd-Roderigo, Oth. Roderigo kill'd! And Caffio kill'd! Emil. No, Caffio is not kill'd. Oth. Not Caffio kill'd? Then murder's out of tune, And fweet revenge grows harfh. Def. O, falfely, falfely murder'd! Emil. 40 falfely, falfely murder'd!] It cannot be fuppofed that a perfon who had been effectually frangled or fmothered, could freak again; for if the power of breathing returned after the inftrument of fuffocation was removed, no act of violence had in reali y taken place by which the conclufion of life could be brought on. fuch is the peculiar fate of Defdemona, that fhe is fupposed to be fmothered, revives to acquaint us that he fmothered berff, and then dies without any oftenfible caufe of death. I am of opinion that Emil. Alas! what cry is that? Oth. That! what? Emil. Out, and alas! that was my lady's voice :Help! help, ho! help!-O lady, fpeak again! Sweet Defdemona! O, fweet mistress, fpeak! Dif. A guiltlefs death I die. Emil. O, who hath done This deed? Def. No body; I myfelf; farewel : Commend me to my kind lord; O, farewel. [Dies. Oth. Why, how should the be murder'd ? that fome theatrical direction has been omitted; and that when Othello fays: Not dead? not yet quite dead? I, that am cruel, am yet merciful; I would not have thee linger in thy pain: So, fo. He then flabs her, repeating the two laft words, as he repeats the blow. Thus Virgil: fic, fic juvat ire fub umbras." After the repetition of wounds, Defdemona might fpeak again, with propriety, and yet very foon expire; as fays Caffio of Roderigo : -even but now he spake, After long feeming dead. The first refolution of Othello was to poifon her, but from this measure he is diffuaded by the policy of lago. He is next determined to use the poinard; but, his tenderness awaking, he cannot bear to deform thofe beauties which he had fo often approached with other fenfations and for different purposes. Therefore fays he : I'll not fhed her blood, Nor fear that whiter fkin of hers than fnow, And fmooth as monumental alabaster : And this refolution we are to imagine he would have kept, but that he was averse to employing thofe means again, which had already appeared to be uncertain in their effect. If this apparent want of a play-houfe direction had occasioned any abfurdity in the original reprefentation of the play, probably it is glanced at by Ben Jonfon in the Alchemill, act." Did'ft hear a cry, faid'ft thou? Yes, fir, like unto a man that had been frangled an hour, and could not fpeak." STEEVENS, Amil. Alas, who knows? Oth. You heard her fay herself, it was not I. Emil. She faid fo; I muft needs report the truth. Oth. She's, like a liar, 'Twas I that kill'd her. gone to burning hells; Emil. O, the more angel fhe, And you the blacker devil! Oth. She turn'd to folly, and he was a whore". Emil. Thou doft bely her, and thou art a devil. Oth. She was 7 falfe as water. Amil. Thou art rafh as fire, to say That fhe was falfe; O, fhe was heavenly true ! Oth. Thy husband. Emil. That fhe was falfe to wedlock ? Oth. Ay, with Caffio. Nay, had the been true, If heaven would make me fuch another world, Of one entire and perfect chryfolite, I'd not have fold her for it. Emil. My husband? Oth. Ay, 'twas he that told me firft ; s She's, like a liar, gone to burning hell] Here is nothing faulty in this paffage, but it may be read, She's, like a liar gone to burn in bell. The vulgar denunciation of future vengeance is, I think, you'll burn in hell tor this. WHALLEY, She turn'd to folly and he was a subere.] Folly fignifies here, as in the facred writings, depravity of mind. So, in our author's Rape of Lucrece: "Her fad behaviour feeds his vulture folly." MALONE. 7 —falfe as water.] As water that will fupport no weight, nor keep any impreffion. JOHNSON. 8 that told me firft;] The folio reads, "that told me on Ler firft," STEEVENS, An An honeft man he is, and hates the flime Emil. My husband? Oth. What needs this iteration, woman? I fay, thy hufband. 2 Emil. O miftrefs, villainy hath made mocks My husband fay, that fhe was false? I fay, thy husband; Do'ft understand the word ? Emil. If he fay fo, may his pernicious foul Rot half a grain a day! he lies to the heart; She was too fond of her moft filthy bargain. Oth. Ha! Emil. Do thy worst : This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven, Oth. Peace, you were beft. Emil. Thou haft not half that power to do me harm, As I have to be hurt. O gull! O dolt! As ignorant as dirt! thou haft done a deed, 9 iteration,-] The folio reads-iterance. STEEVENS. Emil.] The first quarto omits this and the following speech. STEEVENS. 2 villainy has made mocks with love!] Villainy has taken ad♣ vantage to play upon the weakness of a violent paffion. JOHNSON. 3 Thou hast not half that power to do me harm, As I have to be hurt.-] Power for will: for will fignifying both ability and inclination, and power fignifying ability, he ufes pover for inclination. But the Oxford Editor, not understanding his author's phrafeology any better when he had ended than when he had begun with him, alters, As I have to be hurt, to, As I have to bear hurt: which yet does not mend the matter, had the poet here ufed power in the fenfe of ability. WARBURTON. The Oxford Editor faw well the meaning of his author, but weakened his expreflion. She means to fay, I have in this caufe power to endure more than thou haft power to inflict. JOHNSON. |