Narrator
It was a sunny day. William Shakespeare's daughter and Bess the barmaid are at the fair.

Daughter
Lalalalala…

Bess
You're very happy today aren't you my duck?

Daughter
Oh Bess, I'm in love.

Bess
You're not still after that Robert Harley are you?

Daughter
Nooooo! It's Henry Bull. He's wonderful: handsome and brave… and he loves me too… but Bess, father mustn't find out. Henry hasn't got any money. Father wouldn't approve.

Bess
Well my duck, you need to hide your feelings better then! You're wearing your heart upon your sleeve; the whole world can see how you feel! Oh! Hello Mr Will…

Daughter
Father!

Will
Good afternoon Bess; Daughter… and what are you two gossiping about? Who's wearing their heart upon their sleeve?

Bess
We were …err… discussing that evil Iago, in your play Othello. He wears his heart upon his sleeve, doesn't he Mr Will?

Will
Ah, yes, Othello, my tragedy. A very good topic for discussion. Iago says: I will wear my heart upon my sleeve…

Robert Harley as Iago
I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.

Will
But, even though Iago talks about wearing his heart on his sleeve he doesn't actually intend to do it. Iago never reveals his true feelings, except perhaps to the audience, and even they cannot fully trust him!

Bess
Well, showing your true feelings certainly can lead to trouble.

Daughter
What feelings does Iago hide, father? Is he in love?

Will
No: quite the opposite. Iago pretends to be loyal to Othello so that he can destroy him! That's why he says: I am not what I am.

Narrator
We'll leave them there for now. Many of Shakespeare's characters conceal their true feelings. Some hide their love, while Iago, Shakespeare's most hateful villain, hides his plans to destroy everyone around him. Nowadays, the phrase to wear your heart upon - or on - your sleeve still means: to make your feelings and emotions obvious, even if it makes you vulnerable. In a 2015 interview, US actress Kristen Stewart, star of the Twilight movies, said:

Clip 1
I wear my heart on my sleeve. If I'm in a mood, my mood shows.

Narrator
It's often used to talk about love and romance.

Clip 2
When I told him I loved him, he broke up with me. I'll never wear my heart on my sleeve again.

Will
Now, dear daughter, who is this young man who's made you so cheerful?

Daughter
Oh… errr… nobody…

Will
Nobody…?

Bess
Didn't I tell you not to wear your heart on your sleeve?!

Daughter
Oh dear. To wear, or not to wear: that is the question…

Edited by: geilien.cn

wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve 心直口快;让感情外露；把心事挂在脸上；公开表露感情
When someone wears his or her heart on his or her sleeve, he or she displays the feelings and opinions openly, rather than keep them private. wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve，“把某人的心戴在领口上”，是指不掩饰自己情感，公开自我情绪和意见。
① You can’t tell how she feels. She doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve.
你弄不清她的想法，她是不轻 易表露感情的。
② He wears his heart on his sleeve and often gets hurt.
他 是个感情外露的人，常常受到伤害。
A:I am unable to make out his heart.
A:我真得弄不懂他的意思。
B：He is a man who never wears his heart on his sleeve.
B:他是个从不流露自己感情的人。