othello key quotes

5.2.300-1 Iago "demand me nothing. what you know, you know./from this time forth i will never speak word"

Kills emilia to silence her, highlights his misogyny. final lines are gloating and selfish - iago's silence is as cruel as his poisonous words have been and in keeping with the villain's egotism

5.2.239-40 Montano and Gratiano about Othello "let him not pass/but kill him rather"

Montano and Gratiano begin to assert the common-sense, masculine values of the venetian state by insisting that wicked deeds are punished - the tragic hero has been reduced to the status of base villain. treat othello like a common criminal. the disarming of othello is symbolic. he is reduced to a nonentity; he is no longer a husband and now the venetians have taken his weapon, he is no longer a soldier. being degraded is fitting given his crime.

5.1.33 Othello "strumpet, I come"

Othello's violent words foreshadow his violent deeds. talks like a villain, announces evil intentions dramatically.

5.2.153,160 Emilia "most filthy bargain','as ignorant as dirt"

contrasts desdemona who tries to preserve Othello's good name when she says she is responsible for her death. Emilia is correct in her allocation of blame for Desdemona's dearth, and so othello has proved to be a bad bargain as a husband. the reference to Brabantio's death from grief reinforces this idea. the other fitting 'death' is iago's unmasking as villain. Emilia and desdemona's deaths are sacrificial but their reputations are enhanced when they die - they have proved honesty and loyalty

2.1.176 Iago "clyster-pipes"

crude and vulgar image to describe female sexuality. earlier referred to desdemona as 'land carrack'. shows his misogyny.

3.4.161-2 emilia "a monster/begot upon itself, born on itself"

describing othello as eaten up with jealousy. her comments enable us to appreciate how much faith desdemona has in othello and we learn we can rely on emilia's judgement. first person to see othello's jealousy? echo the green eyed monster in 3.3?

3.3.56-59 Othello and desdemona D "shall't be tonight at supper" O "no not tonight" D "tomorrow dinner then?" O "I shall not dine at home"

desdemona blurs the boundaries between domestic and public life when she intercedes for cassio, making othello uncomfortable. abrupt and fragmented speech. start seeing her as an enemy rather than an ally, love becomes war

2.1.161 desdemona "o, most lame and impotent conclusion"

displays playful sexuality, iago want to misconstruct it. audience maybe uncomfortable but her sexuality is purposefully stressed: desdemona's physical attraction to othello establishes his innocence of witchcraft, males them a good couple match. sexuality important to the plot as iago's designs rely on her sexual attractiveness. her confidence and quick wits will be used against her when iago makes her speech seem unreliable and dishonest. cruel irony as desdemona warns emilia playfully about believing what iago says when it is her who needs to be careful

3.3.387 Othello "I think my wife be honest, and think she is not"

doesn't know what to believe however the violent images he uses indicates iago is winning, also physical violence when grabbing him foreshadows the violence he will use on desdemona. he speaks of 'poison, or fire, or suffocating streams', speech breaks down which signifies the disruption in his mind.

3.3.503 Iago "i am your own forever"

echo othello earlier in the scene 'i am bound to thee forever'. marriage. othelleo united with his enemy. when othello begins discussing killing desdemona, we know the first battle in the war for his mind has been won by iago.

4.2.90-2 othello "i cry you mercy then/i took you for that cunning wh**e of venice/that married with othello"

element of sympathy; desdemona's presence is painful to othello. speaks to her with contempt when he leaves. third person, dramatises himself - so painful that he has to distance himself from what he is saying. helps othello justifying his words and actions.

4.2.14 emilia "remove your thought, it doth abuse your bosom"

emilia's open defence for desdemona prepares us for the role in 5.2 when she reveals othello's crime. emilia's disapproval reminds us how far othello has fallen. ironically, emilia doesn't realise othello's thoughts have been abused by iago

4.3.21 desdemona "all's one...how foolish are our minds"

engaged in a ritual of undressing, prepares for her death bed not marriage night. foreboding herself, drawn to barabry's melancholy song of death. lost and unrequited love.

3.3.398-9 Iago "would you, the supervisor, grossly grape on?/behold her topped?'

final images relate to othello's thoughts of murder, and iago wonders if othello wants to witness the adultery - his element of proof even though this 'proof' is fake. irony? crude and graphic terms

4.1.167 othello "how shall i murder him, iago?"

first thought after spying on cassio, wants him to endure an agonising death. verbal and physical violence in the scene foreshadows the end of the play, othello becomes overwhelmed by his violent thoughts.

5.1.62 Roderigo "O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!"

first to recognise Iago's villainy as he dies. Iago has previously used animal imagery to his own advantage (especially against othello i.e. 'an old black ram is tupping your white ewe'.....'moor') and is now recognised as a villain using similar language. the imagery of dogs reminds us of how Iago's inhumanity has dehumanised Othello. Ironically, Roderigo sees the truth too late, foreshadowing Othello seeing the truth in 5.2

2.1.85 cassio "hail to thee, lady; and the grace of heaven"

greets desdemona like a courtier. idealises her, excessive. echo hail mary prayer, kneels down to elevate her. religious references, contrast iago who would happily degrade women and refers to them as prostitutes. cassio's gallantry contrasts iago's misogyny.

3.4.71 Othello "magic in the web"

handkerchief now has ominous significance, represents different things to diff characters. mythic qualities for othello, represent the moor itself. represents the magic of othello and desdemona's marriage which has been destroyed by iago. furthermore, the strawberries could indicate othello's passion or desdemona's soon-to-be-spilt blood

5.1.33 Othello about Desdemona "unblest fate"

her fault for his actions, not taking responsibility. Othello's melodramatic speech style detracts from his heroism but also reminds us how completely his mind has been corrupted by Iago

1.3.60-1 brabantio "she is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted/by spells and medicines"

his daughter is dead to him and lost forever because she married othello. renaissance belief in witchcraft and black people as evil. triadic structure "abused, stolen, corrupt" seems as if he's never going to get her back. othello's behaviour is so far against venician morality it renders him criminal.

3.3.243 Othello "if more thou dost perceive, let me know more"

his false belief in desdemona's treachery is reflected in images of seeing and knowing. iago's perception is relied on as if there is already evidence and 'more' to find. othello is no longer 'well tuned' with his wife, but with iago who even instructs othello to spy on desdemona, suggesting his increasing power over othello

1.3.167-9 Othello "she loved me for the dangers I had passed/and I loved her that she did pity them./this is the only witchcraft I have used"

humour. witchcraft beliefs, racism. loves the world othello brings to her, provides escape for desdemona. enjoys hearing the stories. charms audience like he charms desdemona. well spoken and linguistically skilled. makes fun of being accused that he is evil and is a witch because of his race.

1.3.396-7 Iago "tenderly led by th'nose/as asses are"

iago compares othello to an animal that will follow wherever it is lead regardless just like othello will trust iago even without evidence. racial context

3.4.105-7 emilia "they are all but stomachs [appetites] and we all but food/...eat us hungerly, and when they are full/they belch us"

image of vomiting suggests the danger that desdemona is in; she will be eaten up and destroyed. the metaphor indirectly highlights desdemona being more vulnerable and isoalted than othello because she is a woman, despite her good nature and generosity.

2.1.168-9 Iago "[spinning a] web [to] ensnare as great a fly as cassio"

imagery establishes iago's deadly power, audience realise iago should be feared and his asides provide alarming running commentry. ironic as cassio mocks iago at 165, know it's his social and professional inferior who is in control. iago intends to use cassio's gallantry and sophistication against him.

3.3.38-40 Iago "I cannot think it/that he would steal away so guilty-like/seeing you coming"

imagery of seeing, thinking and knowing demonstrates how iago poisons othello's mind, shown right from the beginning of this scene and is weaved throughout. he comments on what looks like physical evidence and interprets events for othello.

2.3.17-19 iago "sport for Jove...full of game"

images of lust about desdemona, disrespectful and full of disgust; to iago love is weakness. reinforces misogyny. contrast cassio who refers to her as "fresh and delicate, modest, perfection" - two versions of desdemona foreshadow the choice othello will have to make

3.4.36 othello "give me your hand. this hand is moist, my lady"

imperatives, command, show othello physically marking the beginning of his interrogation of desdemona. sees this as proof of her lechery. his 'palm reading' can be linked to his pagan ancestry, revealing that he is moving away from the christian values he adopted. foreshadows othello's comments about the magic qualities of the handerchief. focus on hand foreshadows desdemona's fate in a darkly ironic way; othello uses his hands to smother desdemona

2.1.43 "warlike island"

in cyprus, removed from the orderly social and political scene of venice. the storm foreshadows the passions that will be unleashed in this new setting. the storm could represent othello and his violent emotions or iago whose violence and evil, disturbing plans it reflects.

3.3.119 Iago "my lord, you know I love you"

ironic as just when othello begins to feel at odds with desdemona, iago speaks to him using the language of love. the scene is a battle between desdemona's true love and iago's false love. because iago's voice is the one othello wants to listen to, the audience will know that true love has been defeated by false words.

5.2.275-8 Othello "whip me, ye devils/from the possession of this heavenly sight...Blow me about in the winds, roast me in sulpher, wash me down in steep-gulfs of liquid fire!"

juxtaposition of heaven and hell, good and bad. religious imagery no longer used to justify his actions but instead he invites God's punishment. Tortured by what he's done, recognises his guilt. believes he deserves the torments of hell. clearly feels like he deserves torture, desire to be punished rather than run away from the consequences of his actions like iago does. implies that shakespeare means to rehabilitate the tragic protagonist; othello rises above emilia and the venetians' reductive versions of him as he readjusts his perception of himself.

1.3.381-3 Iago "I hate the moor/and it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets/he's done my office. i know not if't be true"

juxtaposition of thought and know. powerful and direct verb 'hate' to open argument. suggest his simple motives will be concelaed by complicated lies and evil pans. direct verb is iago's way of telling us his plan to destroy openly

1.1.64-5 iago "but i will wear my heart upon my sleeve/for daws to peck at. i am not what i am'

juxtaposition. wearing heart on sleeve implies honesty and truthfulness. biblical references and plagues, casts iago in the role of the devil. shakespeare has structured the play i such a way where the audience will question apperance versus reality and the truth from the start

5.2.1,54 Othello "it is the cause"..."deny each article"

language of justice and law to justify killing desdemona. when he realises the truth he takes justice into his own hands and kills himself. poetic justice; kills himself with the sword he used to kill enemies of the venetian state which is what he proved to be when he killed desdemona

1.1.143-4 Iago "not meet nor wholesome to my place/to be produced"

language used is a good example of the irony the audience will associate with him. neither his words or actions have been wholesome so far. dramatic irony. roderego fails to to see that a man who admits he is a selfish fraud might be using him and brabantio and is unaware of the truth of his word to iago. by the end of this scene shakespeare has established iago as a powerful, manipulative figure who instigates and stage-manages chaos efficientlyfr

1.2.63-5 brabantio "thou hast enchanted her./for i'll refer me to all things of sense/if she in chains of magic were not bound"

lexical field of magic. "enchanted, magic, foul charms". draws to witchcraft and racism in renaissance. thinks the only way othello (because of his race) can make desdemona fall for him is because of black magic

act 3 scene 3 - the significance of structure and pace

long scene on stage but moves swiftly. works for iago, needs his poison to work quickly. creates a sense of claustropobia; othello enters and exits twice but cannot escape iago's manipulation and his foul thoughts. often one to one dialogue between othello and iago who dominates. othello and iago finish each other's lines, showing he is moving closer to iago and away from desdemona. structure mirrors the structure of 2.3, desdemona's reputation is ruined here.

1.3.185-7 Desdemona "I am hitherto your daughhter. but here's my husband;/ and so much duty as my mother showed/to you, preferring you before her father"

loves her father, following in her mother's footsteps however. conflict between romance and family love. desdemona's love is divided.

1.1.124 about desdemona "the gross class of a lascivious moor"

makes it clear her revolt is outrageous becuase she has not only decieved her father but also because she has chosen a moor. reflects renaissance ideas and stereotypes of the black man as a cunning sexual predator

1.2.50 Iago "boarded a land carrack"

metaphor of piracy, iago degrades othello and adds to brabantio's accusation that he is a foul theif.

3.3.434 Othello "i'll tear her all to pieces"

most arresting line. shows how he has become a jealous tyrant and is basically controlled by iago now. before he loved desdemona and worshipped the ground she walked on but now he has images of killing her

1.3.253 desdemona "saw othello's visage in his mind"

no doubt they love each other but did they fall in love with an image or the idea of each other? love too idealistic?

3.1.40-41 Cassio about Iago "i never knew/a Florentine more kind and honest"

ominous irony, couldn't be more wrong about iago who is plotting against him.

3.1.16-17 Clown "to hear music, the general does/not greatly care"

ominous irony. in shakespeare's twelfth night the nobleman orsino calls music 'the food of love'. here the music intrudes private time for othello and desdemona. othello's dislike of the music may suggest he is barbarian since an appreciation of music was thought to be the sign of a civilised and cultured mind.

5.2.356-7 Othello "i kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this,/killing myself, to die upon a kiss"

othello atones for his excessive self-love by destroying himself. by linking kissing and killing, Othello is suggesting that he cannot live without desdemona. links with cassio's description of him, fitting epitaph as othello was "great of heart" according to cassio.

3.3.271 othello "she's gone, i am abused"

othello introduces the subject of desdemona himself when he is warned in general terms about jealousy, also sees things from extreme positions. desdemona can only be a perfect, submmissive wife or a 'wh**e' - context. echo brabantio act 1 (?) 'i am abused'

1.2.59 othello "keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them"

othello is a successful soldier, used to leading armies. presents him as a noble leader

5.2.243 Othello "but why should honour outlive honesty?"

othello knows he deserves to die. questions needs careful consideration. may doubt othello's conception of himself as honourable at this momoent but not for long. when we realise he has a weapon we know he will use it on himself, inflict the punishment he feels he deserves.

4.2 othello wonders how desdemona can look so 'lovely fair' whilst being a 'weed' (68), he is 'grim as hell' (65) when faced with the 'rose-lipped cherubin' desdemona (64)

othello's speech is peppered with vile images even when he is eloquent. the insults he offers desdemona and emilia makes it hard to view othello with sympathy

5.2.279 Othello "O desdemon! dead, desdemon. dead! O, O"

overcome by woe looking at desdemona's body. lines echo othello's earlier despair. realises he's moving closer to desdemona and her romantic values again

4.1.246 desdemona "i will not stay to offend you"

passive to othello's abuse, foreshadows her grace and dignity when she dies

1.3.398-9 Iago "hell and night/must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light"

personification of his plan as a birth that will take place as a result of his villainous intentions to fool roderigo, trick othello into believing cassio is pursuing desdemona and justifying that their honest nature will lead them to their destruction. apperance versus reality theme

1.2.26-7 about othello "free condition/put into circumscription and confine"

post marriage. audience may wonder how othello will combine his conflicting roles as military man and lover-husband.

3.3.290 othello "your napkin is too little"

pushes away the handkerchief when desdemona tries to help him like a loving wife would. rejection of the handkerchief emphasises how he is starting to reject desdemona. othello vulnerable; inexperienced in dealing with conflict in his private life demonstrated by uneasy exchanges with desdemona - his headache is a symbol of his discomfort.

1.1.88-9 iago "an old black ram/is tupping your white ewe"

racial stereotypes of venician society. black and white contrasted/juxtaposed. fear of inter-racial marriage, miscegenation seen as unnatural. animalistic imagery. begin to get a disturbing image of othello as a dangerous create who abuses others, notably white women

2.1.188-91 Othello "i fear/my soul hath her content so absolute/that not another comfort like to his/succeeds in unknown fate'

reinforces his innocence. thinks he is at the height of happiness but the unknowingly foreshadows the tragedy that awaits him. negativity in his words undermine the power of the love he has with desdemona and foreshadow the tragedy to come

4.1.8 othello "the devil their virtue attempts, and they tempt heaven"

religious christian imagery, contrast of heaven and hell. brutality in othello. within this scene he uses prose and his speeches are full of disjointed sentence structures which signals his debasement. speeches are full of savagery and egotism, no longer the sophisticated and smart person he was at the beginning of the play.

1.3.195-6 Brabantio "for your sake, jewel/ I am glad at soul I have no other child"

relinqueshes desdemona, refers to her as a jewel, foreshadow othello in act 5. jewel implies she is a precious reward for othello, treated carefully, worth something. glad he has no other child as desdemona's actions would teach him tyranny. sadness, clearly loves her. grieving father, embodies prejudice. anger understandable but not his beliefs, anger filled with grief

5.2.10-13 Othello "once put out thy light... I know not where is that promethan heat/that can thy light relume"

repetition of light. words describing desdemona links to imagery of the light as her paleness to suggest her innocent purity.

1.1.162-4 brabantio "where didst thou see her?/with the Moor, say'st thou?/how didst thou know 'twas she?"

repetition of questions, frantic pace when spoken. sense of panic, think of othello as dangerous and we haven't even met him. 'moor' racial sterotypes and animalistic imagery. 'know' foreshadows the rest of the play; thought versus knowledge central theme

1.1.20 Iago "a fellow almost damned in a fair wife"

reveals the patriarchal context of the play. this causal sexism helps to establish iago's misogyny which he will use to infect othello's mind. imagery makes it clear that men view women as possessions

1.3.143 Othello "and of the cannibals that each other eat"

sarcastic and funny, meant to embarrass brabantio and make fun of him. role reversal. othello often described as 'the moor' which is animalistic so he uses his linguistic skills to poke fun at the stereotypes

4.2.60-3 othello "the fountain from which my current runs/or else dries up: to be discarded thence/or keep it as a cistern for foul toads/to knot and gender in"

says his pure love has been polluted, biblical and wh**e references. struggle to reconcile the warring emotions of love and jealousy dramatised through contrasting images. suggest how much under iago's influence othello is. the repetition of wh**e and strumpet indicate how far he is removed from the noble hero of the first two acts, evven if he still speaks poetically and with a measured tone at times.

2.1.180-183 Othello "If after every tempest come such calms/May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!/And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas"

sea metaphor to describe his happiness is worrying. says he would be prepared to come thorough terrible dangers so long as he had desdemona to greet him. overwhelmed by feelings for her, how will he cope when iago destroys the faith he has in her? othello's joy adds to the tension of the scene

3.3.192 Othello "she had eyes and chose me"

secure in his wife's live, however later due to iago's manipulation he believes he is a cuckold and has been decieved by his wife

1..3.242-4 Desdemona "i would not there reside/to put my father in impatient thoughts/by being in his eye"

see an adult who is manipulative and her own person. desdemona defies gender stereotypes by standing up for herself and defying her father. grateful for him for bringing her up but won't do what the men in her life tell her to do, make own choices. feminist reading appreciate this

5.2.31-2 Othello "kill thy unprepared spirit...i would not kill thy soul"

sees desdemona as a funeral monument before she dies. urges her to pray because he doesn't want to kill her. obsessed with masculine reputation as he wants to be 'an honourable murderer'. suggests he still cares about desdemona to some little extent.

1.1.10 iago 'i know my price: I am worth no worse a place'

shows his ego. repetition of I reinforces his drive and pride. driven by bitterness and contempt. jealous of cassio's promotion, bitter to him and othello. issues right from the beginning of the play

2.1.287-292 iago "constant, loving, noble nature...love...lust...partly led to diet my revenge"

soliloquy closes the scene, know the villain will triumph. iago hateful and contempt-filled speech contrasts othello's. personal and professional jealousy dominates soliloquy - says he loves desdemona but then calls it lust. iago wants othello to suffer the same torment that rages inside him. undertone of competitive racism in soliloquy, can't accept that an aristocratic white woman has chosen a black soldier

3.3.480-1 Othello "furnish me with some wift means of death/for the fair devil"

speaks like the villain of a jacobean revenge tragedy. living up to the racial stereotypes of the renaissance period

4.2.151 desdemona "win my lord again"

still loves othelllo and will continue to do so however unkindly he treats her. repetition of lord emphasises this. her innocence and naivety is highlighted here - 'ignorant sin' , humility and generosity.

3.3.89 desdemona "what e'er you be, i am obedient"

submission foreshadows the way in which she will accept responsibility for her own death

3.3.317 emilia "what will you do with't, that you've been so earnest"

submission to her husband; like desdemona in the scene her voice is not listened to. giving iago the handkerchief because he wants it is a sign of danger to come. her reluctant submission foreshadows emilia's silence about the handkerchief in 3.4 when she unwittingly propels desdemona towards tragedy.

3.3.490 Iago "wronged othello's service"

swears allegiance. parody of the wedding vow desdemona made to othello. horrific irony

3.3.182 othello "no: to be once in doubt/is once to be resolved"

swift to anger (2.3) and his resolution is a weakness now. decisiveness makes iago's work easier for him.

3.1.37-8 Iago "i'll devise a mean to draw the moor/out of the way"

the audience may also see it as ironic that iago talks openly to cassio about decieving othello in order to show how loyal he is to cassio

2.2.9-19 Herald "there is full liberty of feasting... till the bell have told eleven"

the festival was meant to celebrate the 'peridition' of the turkish flee,t but othello said the celebration of peace should become a celebration of his marriage. herald stresses othello's generosity which iago will take advantage of in order to start his own campaign of destruction.

3.3.324-7 iago "i will in cassio's lodging lose this napkin/and let him find it. trifles light in air/are, to the jealous, confirmations strong/as proofs of holy writ"

the handkerchief in desdemona's hands is a symbol of love and faithfulness. now that iago has it, it becomes a sinister object and a symbol of abuse and the misuse of power. later in the scene iago turns the handkerchief into false proof of adultery. the love token then becomes a symbol of destruction

4.1.20-1 othello "o, it comes o'er my memory/as doth the raven o'er the infectious house"

the plague references reminds us that iago is still infecting othello with poision. he is utterly relentless and completely focused. othello is passive, and the sentence structure suggests his mind is being acted upon - he is no longer in control of his thoughts. croaking ravens were thought to be birds of ill omen, so the imagery here foreshadows the tragic outcome for othello once his peace of mind is destroyed.

3.2.4 Iago "my good lord"

the very short scene encapsulates one of iago's key methods of manipulation by pretending to be helpful and faithful. speaks respectfully to othello and does his bidding when he is sent to deliver letters. like cassio in 3.1 othello believes he is being assisted rather than plotted against by iago.

4.3.43 desdemona "murmured her moans"

the woman in the song does this as she lay by the water. foreshadow desdemona's actions when she's dying. the words of the song refer to the accusations of unfaithfulness, reminds the audience of the heroine's predicament. unlike the woman in the song she is unable to soften othello's heart with her tears

4.1.196 othello "chop her into messes"

thoughts about killing his wife, sees it as justice, sign of madness? verbal violence leads to physical violence when he hits desdemona.

2.3.376-7 Iago "away, i say, thou shalt know more hereafter/nay, get thee gone"

to roderigo, emphasise his insignificance even though he is like a minor iago? intentions and actions are villainous as he wants to cuckold othello and destroy cassio's career. however he is stage managed by iago and does whatever he tells him to do

4.1.192-3 othello "but yet the pity of it iago - o, iago, the pity of it, iago!"

torn between thoughts of his wife's sweetness and her treachery. internal conflict, shows that there's a small part of him which feels bad about killing his wife despite falling victim to iago's manipulation.

5.1.31 Othello about Iago "brave...honest and just"

triadic structure. Othello is an onlooker who fails to see the truth. ironically, it is a misunderstanding that spurs him on to his own act of violence. believes iago has killed cassio. language links him with an atmosphere of treachery: speaks of blood and lust, blotches and stage.

2.1.299 iago "Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me"

triadic structure. fantasy. ironic as racial stereotypes of a 'moor' would place him socially below Iago yet he wants to get his approval

2.3.201 Othello "my blood begins my safer guides to rule"

turning point in the play, othello's loss of temper shows he is no longer master of himself. ruled by passion not judgement. idiom changing; his measured style now includes oaths like 'zounds' which suggests his loss of control

3.3.267-70 othello "black...declined/into the vale of years"

valerie traub suggested that othello is vulnerable because he internalises iago's negative view of black men which undermines his sense of self. under iago's influence he begins to consider the differences between himself and desdemona as problematic. speaks of his weak merits as a husband the once confident lover, proud of his royal lineage, military career and fitness as a husband is slowly being diminished

4.3.69-72 Emilia "small vice...a joint-ring"

virtuous women, wouldn't commit adultery for the promise of marriage. wedding ring symbolic for marriage and wife's chastity. double standards of sexual conduct. emilia takes chastity seriously, as her outrage at othello's accusations against desdemona show. emilia is virtuous if she is to be desdemona's defender after death. appropriate that a woman accuses and condemns desdemona's masculine abusers

1.3.128-9 Othello "her father loved me, oft invited me;/still questioned me the story of my life"

welcomed by brabantio, appreciated by him? enjambment verse is grand and elaborate, shows off his linguistic skills. self belief, eloquent.

3.3.90-92 Othello "perdition catch my soul/but I do love thee! and when i love thee not/chaos is come again"

words about love are troubling before iago's manipuation occurs. in a grip of emotions he cannot handle even before he becomes overwhelmed by jealousy. perdition and chaos foreshadow tragedy, ironic that othello should use these words at this point in the play; at the end of the scene he will be consumed by dark and chaotic thoughts whilst planning a murder

5.1.19-20 Iago about Cassio "hath a daily beauty in his life/that makes me ugly"

acts as motivation for Iago to want him murdered. jealousy. Iago cannot bear human virtue in any form and seeks to destroy it, psychological motive.

3.3.341-2 Othello "what sense had i of her stolen hours of lust?/i saw't not, thought it not'

agony reflected in images of seeing and knowing.

4.2.27/32-3 desdemona "what horrible fancy's this?...i understand a fury in yur words/but not the words"

bewildered by her husband's treatment of her, fear of othello wasn't here before. othello and desdemona no longer speak the same language. has become a figure of pathos in this scene, horribly ironic that she kneels to othello and iago who will destroy her physically as well as her reputation

3.3.119-164 Othello "show me thy thought...by heaven, I'll know thy thoughts"

by refusing to share his own thoughts, iago makes othello desperate to know what they are. irritation and anger shown through imperatives and exclamatory sentences which reinforce his desperation to know the truth. Iago doesn't share his thoughts because they are 'vile and false' which leads othello to assume the worst and jump to false conclusions

4.1.34 iago "with her, on her, what you will"

casual brutality of these words show how much iago enjoys his power. leaves it to othello's imagination to assume the worst, put thoughts in his head without directly saying them. iago also uses othello's name when he is in a trance/has a fit; no longer speaks to him with respect. the fit is a symbol of othello's degradation

1.3.95-97 "a maiden never bold/of spirit so still and quiet that her moti9on/blushed at herself"

contradictions in what brabantio tells us about his daughter and the woman we see on stage. image of the maiden hard to reconcile with othello's description of her as a warrior. draws attention to the theme of appearance versus reality as well as thought versus knowledge