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Enter DESDEMONA,
CASSIO, and EMILIA
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DESDEMONA, CASSIO
and EMILIA enter.
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DESDEMONA Be thou assured, good Cassio, I will do
All my abilities in thy behalf.
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DESDEMONA I’ll do everything I can for you, Cassio.
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EMILIA Good madam, do. I warrant it grieves my husband
As if the cause were his.
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EMILIA Please do, madam. My husband’s so upset about
Cassio’s problem you’d think it was his
own.
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DESDEMONA
5Oh, that’s an honest fellow. Do not doubt, Cassio,
But I will have my lord and you again
As friendly as you were.
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DESDEMONA Your husband’s such a good man. Don’t worry,
Cassio. I’m sure you and my husband will be as friendly
as you were before.
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CASSIO Bounteous madam,
Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio,
He’s never anything but your true servant.
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CASSIO My dear beautiful lady, whatever happens to Michael Cassio,
he’ll always be your humble servant.
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DESDEMONA
10I know ’t, I thank you. You do love my lord.
You have known him long, and be you well assured
He shall in strangeness stand no farther off
Than in a polite distance.
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DESDEMONA I know that. Thank you. You’re my husband’s
friend and you’ve known him a long time. I assure you the
only reason he’s keeping away from you now is
political.
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CASSIO Ay, but, lady,
That policy may either last so long,
15Or feed upon such nice and waterish diet,
Or breed itself so out of circumstances,
That, I being absent and my place supplied,
My general will forget my love and service.
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CASSIO Yes, my lady. But those political considerations might last such a
long time that the general will forget my love and service,
especially if I’m gone and someone else has my
job.
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DESDEMONA Do not doubt that. Before Emilia here
20I give thee warrant of thy place. Assure thee,
If I do vow a friendship, I’ll perform it
To the last article. My lord shall never rest,
I’ll watch him tame and talk him out of
patience.
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DESDEMONA That’ll never happen. Emilia here will be my witness: I
promise you that you’ll get your position back again. And
if I promise to help someone, I do everything I can. My husband will
never get a moment’s rest, I’ll keep him up at
night talking about you until he runs out
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