Original: O, sir, content you;
Modern: Oh, sir, calm down;

Original: I follow him to serve my turn upon him:
Modern: I follow him so I can use him for my own purposes:

Original: We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Modern: We can’t all be in charge, and those who are in charge

Original: Cannot be truly follow’d. You shall mark
Modern: Can’t have truly loyal followers. You’ll notice

Original: Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,
Modern: Many obedient, bowing servants,

Original: That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,
Modern: Who love being submissive slaves,

Original: Wears out his time, much like his master’s ass,
Modern: Waste their lives, just like their master’s donkey,

Original: For nought but provender, and when he’s old, cashier’d:
Modern: Working only for food, and when they’re old, they’re fired:

Original: Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are
Modern: To hell with such honest fools. But there are others

Original: Who, trimm’d in forms and visages of duty,
Modern: Who dress themselves up to look dutiful,

Original: Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,
Modern: But keep their hearts focused on themselves,

Original: And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,
Modern: And only pretending to serve their masters,

Original: Do well thrive by them and when they have lined their coats
Modern: They do well for themselves and when they’ve made their money

Original: Do themselves homage: these fellows have some soul;
Modern: They serve only themselves: these guys have some brains;

Original: And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir,
Modern: And that’s exactly what I am. Because, sir,

Original: It is as sure as you are Roderigo,
Modern: It’s as certain as your name is Roderigo,

Original: Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago:
Modern: If I were Othello, I wouldn’t trust Iago:

Original: In following him, I follow but myself;
Modern: By following him, I’m really only serving myself;

Original: Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
Modern: God knows I’m not doing this out of love and loyalty,

Original: But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
Modern: But I pretend to be, for my own special purpose:

Original: For when my outward action doth demonstrate
Modern: Because when my actions on the outside show

Original: The native act and figure of my heart
Modern: What I really think and feel in my heart

Original: In compliment extern, ‘tis not long after
Modern: Through external politeness, it won’t be long before

Original: But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
Modern: I’ll be wearing my heart on my sleeve

Original: For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.
Modern: For birds to attack: I am not what I appear to be.

In Act I, Scene 1 of Othello, Iago and Roderigo appear in a Venice street at night, deep in heated conversation. Iago expresses his bitter resentment toward Othello, the Moor, for promoting Michael Cassio to lieutenant instead of him, despite Iago’s years of faithful service. Iago reveals his manipulative nature, declaring that while he must appear to serve Othello outwardly, he will pursue his own vengeful purposes. Roderigo, who has been paying Iago for his supposed help in wooing Desdemona, learns that she has secretly married Othello, which enrages him.

The two men proceed to Brabantio’s house, where they wake Desdemona’s father with loud shouts and crude announcements about his daughter’s elopement. They inform Brabantio that Desdemona has stolen away in the night to marry Othello, using coarse and racially charged language to describe the union. Brabantio, initially skeptical and angry at being disturbed, becomes increasingly alarmed as he realizes his daughter is indeed missing from her bed. Iago slips away before Brabantio can see him clearly, leaving Roderigo to face the furious father, who arms himself and calls for help to pursue Othello and recover his daughter.

Othello opens in Venice, where the Moorish general Othello has secretly married Desdemona, the daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio. When Iago, Othello’s ensign who harbors deep resentment for being passed over for promotion in favor of Cassio, reveals this marriage to Brabantio, the senator accuses Othello of using witchcraft to seduce his daughter. However, when the Duke of Venice summons Othello to lead the Venetian forces against a Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Desdemona herself testifies that she married Othello willingly out of love. The Duke dismisses Brabantio’s charges, and Othello departs for Cyprus with Desdemona, Iago, and his officers.

Once in Cyprus, the Turkish fleet is destroyed by a storm, but Iago begins executing his plan for revenge. He manipulates Cassio into a drunken brawl that results in Cassio’s demotion, then convinces Cassio to seek Desdemona’s help in regaining Othello’s favor. Iago uses these innocent meetings between Desdemona and Cassio as evidence to plant seeds of jealousy in Othello’s mind, suggesting that his wife is having an affair with the former lieutenant. To strengthen his deception, Iago arranges for Othello to overhear him speaking suggestively with Cassio about Bianca, Cassio’s mistress, while Othello believes they are discussing Desdemona.

The manipulation reaches its climax when Iago obtains Desdemona’s handkerchief—Othello’s first gift to her—through his wife Emilia, who serves as Desdemona’s attendant. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s chambers and later shows it to Othello as proof of the affair. Consumed by jealousy and convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity, Othello smothers her in their bed. When Emilia discovers the murder, she reveals Iago’s treachery before he kills her. Othello, realizing he has murdered his innocent wife, stabs himself and dies beside Desdemona. Iago is arrested, Cassio is appointed to govern Cyprus, and Iago is taken away to face torture and execution for his crimes.