Othello the Moor of Venice Author:William Shakespeare Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: His Intellectual Virulence. I have spoken of the secret delight lago takes in so framing his speech of seeming friendship to the Moor as to make it rasp and c... more »orrode where it touches. The same wantonness of malignant sport appears in his talk to Cassio when the latter is smarting with the sense of having been cashiered for drunkenness. He there uses a style of concealed irony, as being the aptest way to sting his friend; taking for granted that he has no sensibilities of honour to be hurt by what has happened. The dialogue, though richly characteristic of both the speakers, is too long for quotation here. But it would hardly do to omit the soliloquy which closes the scene, lago persuades the amiable and self-accusing lieutenant to engage Desdemona as his advocate to the Moor, and then, being left alone, communes with himself as follows : And what's he, then, that says I play the villain ? When this advice is free I give and honest, Probal to thinking, and indeed the course To win the Moor again. For 'tis most easy Th' inclining Desdemona to subdue In any honest suit: she's framed as fruitful As the free elements. And then for her To win the Moor, — were't to renounce his baptism, All seals and symbols of redeemed sin, — His soul is so enfetter'd to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she list, Even as her appetite shall play the god With his weak function. How am I, then, a villain To counsel Cassio to this parallel course, Directly to his good ? Divinity of Hell! When devils will their blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows. As I do now : for, while this honest fool Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes. And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, I'll pour this pestilence into hi...« less