OTHELLO A monologue from the play by William Shakespeare OTHELLO: Her father loved me, oft invited me; Still questioned me the story of my life From year to year -- the battles, sieges, fortunes That I have passed. I ran it through, even from my boyish days To th' very moment that he bade me tell it. Wherein I spoke of most diastrous chances, Of moving accidents by flood and field; Of hairbreadth scapes i' the' imminent deadly breach; Of being taken by the insolent foe And sold to slavery; of my redemption thence And portance in my travels' history; Wherein of anters vast and deserts idle, Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven, It was my hint to speak -- such was the process; And of the Cannibals that each other eat, The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear Would Desdemona seriously incline; But still the house affairs would draw her thence; Which ever she could with haste dispatch, She'ld come again, and with a greedy ear Devour up my discourse. Which I observing, Took once a pliant hour, and found good means To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart That I would all my pilgrimage dilate, Whereof by parcels she had something heard, But not intentively. I did consent, And often did beguile her of her tears When I did speak of some distressful stroke That my youth suffered. My story being done, She gave me for my pains a world of sighs. She swore, i' faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange; 'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful. She wished she had not heard it; yet she wished That heaven had made her such a man. She thanked me; And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her, I should but teach him how to tell my story, And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake. She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have used. Here comes the lady. Let her witness it. Purchase this play! MORE MONOLOGUES BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

RELATED LINKS: Othello - Analysis of the play. Othello Quotations - Quotes from the play. The Romantic Iago - A unique analysis of the character of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Biographical aspects of the Sonnets - Examines the worth of Shakespeare's sonnets in piecing together clues as to the nature of his romantic life. Doubtful Plays of Shakespeare - Analysis of evidence supporting the claim of Shakespearean authorship of several questionable Elizabethan plays. Greene's Jealousy of Shakespeare - As early as 1592, Shakespeare's dramatic work had excited the envy and indignation of his contemporaries, including the accomplished scholar and dramatist, Robert Greene. His Family and Education - Available biographical details of Shakespeare's early life. His Marriage and Relations with his Wife - Known facts of Shakespeare's relationship with Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare Index - An index of articles on to the Elizabethan dramatist. The Shakespeare-Bacon Theory - Analysis of the theory that the plays of William Shakespeare were not written by the man whose biography we are familiar with, but rather under pseudonym by Lord Chancellor Francis Bacon. Shakespeare Monologues - More monologues by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Coined Words - A study of words coined by Shakespeare which either have been, or deserve to be, adopted into common usage. Shakespeare: Sonnets - An index of poems by William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare - A biography. William Shakespeare - A biography. Purchase books by William Shakespeare Search eBay! or Abebooks for more books by William Shakespeare.

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