Page 1468 - Shakespeare - Vol. 3

DESDEMONA

What is the matter?

OTHELLO
All’s well now, sweeting; come away to bed:
Sir, for your hurts, myself will be your surgeon; [245]
Lead him off.

Montano is led off.
Iago, look with care about the town,
And silence those whom this vile brawl distracted.
Come, Desdemona: ’tis the soldiers’ life,

To have their balmy slumbers wak’d with strife. [250]
Exeunt all but Iago and Cassio.

IAGO
What, are you hurt, lieutenant?

CASSIO
Ay, past all surgery.

IAGO
Marry, God forbid!

CASSIO
Reputation, reputation, I ha’ lost my reputation! I ha’ lost the immortal part,

sir, of myself, and [255] what remains is bestial; my reputation, Iago, my
reputation!

IAGO
As I am an honest man, I thought you had receiv’d some bodily wound, there
is more offence in that than in reputation: reputation is an idle and most
[260] false imposition, oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. You

have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser; what
man, there are ways to recover the general again: you are but now cast in his
mood, a punishment more in policy [265] than in malice, even so, as one

would beat his offenceless dog, to affright an imperious lion: sue to him
again, and he’s yours.