William Shakespeare's Othello 9781909417052

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9781909417052

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Mentor Shakespeare Series

William Shakespeare’s

Othello Leaving Certificate English

With notes by

Hugh Holmes Higher & Ordinary Levels

Mentor Books Ltd., 43 Furze Road Sandyford Industrial Estate Dublin 18 Republic of Ireland Tel: +353 1 295 2112/3 Fax: +353 1 295 2114 e-mail: [email protected] www.mentorbooks.ie A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © Hugh Holmes 2013 The right of Hugh Holmes to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in Ireland by W&G Baird Ltd. ISBN: 978–1–909417–05-2 Editor: Una Whelan Typesetting: Kathryn O’Sullivan Design: Mary Byrne

ontentscontentsc Character List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Act 1

Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Scene 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Scene 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Act 1 Revision Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Act 2

Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Scene 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Scene 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Act 2 Revision Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Act 3

Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Scene 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Scene 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Scene 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Act 3 Revision Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Act 4

Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Scene 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Scene 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Act 4 Revision Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

contentscontent Act 5

Scene 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Scene 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Act 5 Revision Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Tragedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Imagery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 The Life of Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Ordinary Level Exam

Ordinary Level Exam Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Ordinary Level Past Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Ordinary Level Sample Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Ordinary Level Sample Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Higher Level Exam

Higher Level Exam Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Higher Level Past Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Higher Level Sample Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Higher Level Sample Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Characters OTHELLO:

A general in the Venetian Army

DESDEMONA:

A Venetian gentlewoman, Othello’s wife

IAGO:

Othello’s ancient (fl ag bearer)

EMILIA:

Iago’s wife

CASSIO:

Othello’s lieutenant, a Florentine

RODERIGO:

A Venetian gentleman

BRABANTIO:

A senator, Desdemona’s father

THE DUKE:

The Duke of Venice

BIANCA:

Cassio’s mistress

LODOVICO:

A Venetian gentleman

GRATIANO:

A Venetian gentleman, Desdemona’s uncle

MONTANO:

Governor of Cyprus

CLOWN:

Othello’s servant

SENATORS, OFFICERS, ATTENDANTS, MESSENGER, SAILOR, GENTLEMEN, MUSICIANS

Setting Act 1 takes place in Venice. The rest of the play is set on the island of Cyprus.

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Act 1 Scene 1 Scene Summary

The play begins with Roderigo and Iago in mid-conversation. Roderigo complains that Iago did not inform him of Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. Iago appears bitter that he has not been made Othello’s lieutenant and that Michael Cassio has been promoted ahead of him. Iago expresses his deep hatred of Othello (‘The Moor’). Iago and Roderigo wake Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, and tell him about Othello and Desdemona’s marriage. Brabantio is furious and sends out a search party for his daughter.

Venice. A street at night. Enter RODERIGO and IAGO RODERIGO Tush! Never tell me; I take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.1 IAGO ’Sblood2, but you will not hear me: If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor3 me.

Tush!...of this: The play begins midconversation. Roderigo is annoyed that Iago did not tell him of Othello’s marriage to Desdemona 2 ’Sblood: God’s blood 3 abhor: hate 1

RODERIGO Thou told’st me Thou didst hold him in thy hate. IAGO

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Despise me If I do not. Three great ones of the city,4 In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, Off-capped5 to him, and, by the faith of man, I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.6 But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, Evades them, with a bombast circumstance7 Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,8 And, in conclusion, Nonsuits my mediators.9 For, ‘Certes,’10 says he, ‘I have already chose my offi cer.’ And what was he? Forsooth,11 a great arithmetician, One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,12 A fellow almost damned in a fair wife13 That never set a squadron in the fi eld,

Three great ones…city: Three important gentlemen of Venice 5 Off-capped: doffed their hats (this is a sign of respect) 6 I know…a place: I know how valuable I am and I should have been made Othello’s lieutenant 7 Evades…circumstance: avoids answering them directly by using longwinded excuses 8 Horribly stuffed…war: filled with boasts about his military achievements 9 Nonsuits my mediators: turns down the men pleading on my behalf 10 Certes: certain 11 Forsooth: in truth 12 a Florentine: Florentines were thought of as businessmen rather than soldiers 13 A fellow…fair wife: Cassio is unmarried. This line is sometimes taken to mean that Cassio’s weakness is his fondness for women 4

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Act 1 Scene 1

Nor the division of a battle14 knows More than a spinster – unless the bookish theoric15 – Wherein the toged consuls can propose As masterly as he.16 Mere prattle, without practice,17 Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election!18 And I – of whom his eyes had seen the proof At Rhodes, at Cyprus19 and on other grounds Christian and heathen – must be lee’d and calmed20 By debitor and creditor.21 This counter-caster,22 He, in good time, must his lieutenant be, And I – God bless the mark! – his Moorship’s ancient!23

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RODERIGO By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman. IAGO Why, there’s no remedy; ’tis the curse of service: Preferment goes by letter and affection,24 And not by old gradation,25 where each second Stood heir to the fi rst. Now, sir, be judge yourself, Whether I in any just term am affi ned26 To love the Moor.

Othello division of a battle: military strategy unless...theoric: unless you count military theory learnt from books 16 Wherein the toged…as he: about which toga-wearing senators know as much as him 17 Mere prattle…practice: Just talk without experience 18 had the election!: was selected! 19 proof…Cyprus: evidence of my military ability in Rhodes and in Cyprus 20 be lee’d and calmed: be slowed down/held back (as if a ship on the sea) 21 debitor and creditor: accountants 22 counter-caster: bookkeeper (Cassio is presented as a bureaucrat or theorist rather than a real soldier) 23 ancient: flag bearer 14 15

Preferment…affection: promotion depends on who you know and favouritism 25 gradation: rank 26 affined: duty-bound 24

RODERIGO I would not follow him then. IAGO O, sir, content you. I follow him to serve my turn upon him:27 We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly followed. You shall mark Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,28 That, doting on his own obsequious bondage,29 Wears out his time, much like his master’s ass, For nought but provender,30 and when he’s old, cashiered.31 Whip me such honest knaves! Others there are Who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty,32 Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves, And, throwing but shows of service on their lords, Do well thrive by them, and, when they have lined their coats,33 Do themselves homage. These fellows have some soul; And such a one do I profess myself. For, sir, It is as sure as you are Roderigo, Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago.34

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serve…upon him: take advantage of him 27

knee-crooking knave: kneeling servant 29 doting…bondage: valuing his servile duty 30 provender: food 31 cashiered: fired 28

32

trimmed…of duty: appear dutiful

lined their coats: lined their pockets (enriched themselves) 33

Were I…be Iago: If I was Othello I wouldn’t be Iago. Possibly meaning: 1. If I was Othello I wouldn’t want to be Iago 2. If I was honest like Othello I wouldn’t be myself 34

Act 1 Scene 1

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In following him, I follow but myself.35 Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so, for my peculiar end.36 For when my outward action doth demonstrate The native act and fi gure of my heart In complement extern,37 ’tis not long after But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at:38 I am not what I am.39 RODERIGO What a full fortune does the thicklips40 owe If he can carry’t thus!41 IAGO

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Call up her father,42 Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets, incense her kinsmen,43 And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,44 Plague him with fl ies!45 Though that his joy be joy, Yet throw such changes of vexation on’t,46 As it may lose some colour.47 RODERIGO Here is her father’s house; I’ll call aloud. IAGO Do, with like timorous accent48 and dire yell As when, by night and negligence, the fi re Is spied in populous cities.49 RODERIGO What, ho, Brabantio! Signior Brabantio, ho!

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Othello In following…myself: By serving Othello, I look after myself 36 peculiar end: personal purpose 35

For when…extern: When my behaviour reflects my true intentions 38 ’tis not long…peck at: it won’t be long until I am exposed and vulnerable to others (the image is of jackdaws pecking at Iago’s exposed heart) 39 I am not what I am: 1. I’m not what I seem 2.That wouldn’t be me. This may be an inverted reference to Exodus 3:14 where God tells Moses ‘I am that I am’ 40 thicklips: a racist reference to Othello 41 What a full…carry’t thus!: Othello will be a fortunate man if he can ‘carry it off’ (succeed) 42 her father: Desdemona’s father, i.e. Brabantio 43 incense her kinsmen: infuriate her relatives 44 though…climate dwell: although he is enjoying success now 45 Plague him with flies!: Ruin him! 46 throw such…on’t: torment him (Othello) 47 it may…colour: ruin it, i.e. his current success and happiness 37

48

timorous accent: fearful voice

As when…populous cities: like when a fire has been spotted in a densely populated city 49

IAGO Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! Thieves! Thieves! [BRABANTIO appears above, at a window] BRABANTIO What is the reason of this terrible summons? What is the matter there? RODERIGO Signior, is all your family within? 7

Act 1 Scene 1

Othello

IAGO Are your doors locked? BRABANTIO Why, wherefore ask you this? IAGO ’Zounds,50 sir, you’re robbed; for shame, put on your gown! Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul. Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is tupping51 your white ewe. Arise, arise! Awake the snorting52 citizens with the bell, Or else the devil will make a grandsire53 of you. Arise, I say!

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50

’Zounds: By God’s wounds

tupping: having sex with snorting: snoring 53 grandsire: grandfather 51 52

BRABANTIO What, have you lost your wits? RODERIGO Most reverend signior, do you know my voice? BRABANTIO Not I; what are you? RODERIGO My name is Roderigo.

100

BRABANTIO The worser welcome: I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: In honest plainness thou hast heard me say My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness, Being full of supper and distempering draughts,54 Upon malicious knavery,55 dost thou come To start my quiet?56

distempering draughts: alcoholic drinks 55 malicious knavery: trouble-making 56 start my quiet: disrupt my rest 54

RODERIGO Sir, sir, sir – BRABANTIO But thou must needs be sure My spirit and my place have in them power To make this bitter to thee.57 RODERIGO Patience, good sir. 8

make this bitter to thee: make trouble for you 57

Act 1 Scene 1

BRABANTIO What tell’st thou me of robbing? This is Venice: My house is not a grange.58

Othello

58

grange: remote farmhouse

59

service: a good deed

RODERIGO Most grave Brabantio, In simple and pure soul I come to you.

110

IAGO ’Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service59 and you think we are ruffi ans, you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;60 you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers61 for cousins and jennets for germans.62 BRABANTIO What profane63 wretch art thou? IAGO I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.64 BRABANTIO Thou art a villain! IAGO

Barbary horse: a North African horse coursers: fast horses 62 jennets for germans: horses as relatives 60 61

63

profane: vulgar

the beast with two backs: sexual union 64

You, are a senator!

BRABANTIO This thou shalt answer! I know thee, Roderigo.

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130

RODERIGO Sir, I will answer anything. But, I beseech65 you, If’t be your pleasure and most wise consent, As partly I fi nd it is, that your fair daughter, At this odd-even and dull watch o’ the night,66 Transported, with no worse nor better guard But with a knave of common hire,67 a gondolier,68 To the gross clasps69 of a lascivious70 Moor – If this be known to you and your allowance,71 We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs.72 But if you know not this, my manners tell me We have your wrong rebuke.73 Do not believe That, from the sense of all civility,74 I thus would play and trifl e with your reverence. Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,

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beseech: beg

odd-even…the night: neither night nor day, i.e. just after midnight 66

knave…hire: a common servant gondolier: boatman (in Venice, boats are used to taxi people) 69 gross clasps: disgusting embraces 70 lascivious: lustful/lecherous 71 allowance: permission 72 saucy wrongs: insolence 73 We have…rebuke: We have been unfairly scolded 74 civility: well-mannered behaviour 67 68

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Act 1 Scene 1

I say again, hath made a gross revolt,75 Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes In an extravagant and wheeling stranger76 Of here and everywhere. Straight satisfy yourself:77 If she be in her chamber or your house, Let loose on me the justice of the state For thus deluding you.

140

BRABANTIO Strike on the tinder,78 ho! Give me a taper!79 Call up all my people! This accident80 is not unlike my dream. Belief of it oppresses me already. Light, I say! Light! [Exit above]

Othello 75

revolt: rebellion (against her father)

extravagant…stranger: foreigner with no permanent home 77 Straight…yourself: Go now and see for yourself 76

Strike on the tinder: Light the torches taper: torch 80 accident: situation 78 79

IAGO

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Farewell, for I must leave you. It seems not meet,81 nor wholesome to my place,82 To be produced83 – as, if I stay, I shall – Against the Moor. For I do know, the state, However this may gall84 him with some check,85 Cannot with safety cast him,86 for he’s embarked With such loud87 reason to the Cyprus wars, – Which even now stand in act,88 – that, for their souls, Another of his fathom89 they have none To lead their business. In which regard, Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a fl ag and sign of love,90 Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely fi nd him, Lead to the Sagittary the raised search,91 And there will I be with him. So, farewell. [Exit] [Enter BRABANTIO below in his nightgown, and Servants with torches]

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BRABANTIO It is too true an evil: gone she is. And what’s to come of my despised time Is nought but bitterness. Now, Roderigo, Where didst thou see her? – O unhappy girl! – With the Moor, say’st thou? – Who would be a father! – How didst thou know ’twas she? – O she deceives me Past thought! – What said she to you? – Get more tapers, Raise all my kindred. Are they married, think you?

meet: proper wholesome…place: appropriate to my position 83 produced: called on as a witness 84 gall: irritate 85 check: reprimand 86 cast him: cast him aside 87 loud: urgent 88 stand in act: have begun 89 fathom: ability 81 82

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a flag…of love: appear loyal

Lead to…raised search: lead the search party to the Sagittary Inn 91

Act 1 Scene 1

Othello

RODERIGO Truly, I think they are.

170

BRABANTIO O heaven! How got she out? O treason of the blood!92 Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds By what you see them act. Is there not charms By which the property of youth and maidhood May be abused?93 Have you not read, Roderigo, Of some such thing?

treason of the blood!: betrayal of her family 92

Is there not…abused?: Aren’t there spells that can deceive young people and girls? 93

RODERIGO Yes, sir, I have indeed. BRABANTIO Call up my brother. – O, would you had had her!94 – Some one way, some another. – Do you know Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

O, would…had her!: O, if only you had married her 94

RODERIGO I think I can discover him, if you please, To get good guard and go along with me.

180

BRABANTIO Pray you, lead on. At every house I’ll call; I may command at most. Get weapons, ho! And raise some special offi cers of night. On, good Roderigo, I’ll deserve your pains.95 [Exeunt]

I’ll deserve your pains: I’ll reward you for your trouble 95

Key Quotations

IAGO

In following him, I follow but myself.

IAGO

I am not what I am.

IAGO

. . . an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe.

IAGO

Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a fl ag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign.



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Act 1 Scene 1

Othello

Commentary The play opens mid-conversation with Roderigo admonishing Iago for not telling him about Othello’s relationship with Desdemona. Roderigo is revealed as a gullible fool at whose expense Iago has been enriching himself: ‘That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine’. Although Roderigo is disgruntled, Iago deals with his complaints by fooling him into believing that they are both united in their hatred of Othello. Iago clearly hates Othello. He explains to Roderigo that this is because he was not given the position of Othello’s lieutenant in favour of Michael Cassio. Iago states that he was recommended to Othello by powerful Venetian gentlemen: ‘Three great ones of the city, / In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, / Off-capped to him’ but that this was ignored by Othello. If we take Iago at his word, this serves to explain his feelings towards Othello. However, this is the only time in the play that reference is made to Iago’s professional ambitions. For this reason, some critics believe that Iago has fabricated this story in an effort to win Roderigo’s trust. Michael Cassio, Othello’s newly appointed lieutenant, is portrayed by Iago as inept and unsuited to the job. Iago says that Cassio ‘never set a squadron in the fi eld’ and has only military theory (‘bookish theoric’) rather than experience on the battlefi eld: ‘Mere prattle, without practice, / Is all his soldiership.’ By his own admission Iago is a liar (‘I am not what I am’); the audience, therefore, would be right to be suspicious of Iago’s depiction of Cassio. Iago reveals himself to the audience as underhand and false. He explains that he will mask his contempt for Othello and appear loyal: ‘Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a fl ag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign.’ Iago pithily explains that his pretence of loyalty is only a way of serving his own purposes: ‘In following him, I follow but myself.’ Race relations are an important ingredient of the drama of Othello. The racist slurs that Iago and Roderigo use to vilify Othello add to the sense of hatred and distrust that contextualise the action. Othello is a Moor (a black man from North Africa). Roderigo hatefully refers to him as ‘the thicklips’ and a ‘lascivious Moor’. He stresses the idea of Othello as a foreigner by dubbing him a ‘wheeling stranger’. Iago’s language is also prejudicial. He presents Othello as animal-like to Brabantio: ‘an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe’, ‘you’ll / have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; / you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have / coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.’ Iago employs gross animalistic imagery to imagine Othello and Desdemona’s lovemaking: ‘your daughter / and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.’ Racism is sometimes offered as a motivation for Iago’s actions. However, it may simply be a convenient way for him to express his hatred. Roderigo’s reasons for hating Othello are far simpler: he is a jilted suitor. Brabantio alludes to Roderigo’s frequent advances towards Desdemona: ‘I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: / In honest plainness thou hast heard me say / My daughter is not for thee’. Roderigo’s feelings for Desdemona, later present an opportunity for Iago to exploit him.

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Act 1 Scene 1

Othello

As the play’s tragic hero, Othello enjoys an elevated status at the start of the drama. He is a general of the Venetian army and enjoys the respect and esteem of the state. Even Iago acknowledges his social superiority: ‘Another of his fathom they have none / To lead their business.’ Othello’s eventual downfall will seem all the more tragic in comparison to his initial privileged position.

Questions

1. At the start of the scene Roderigo says to Iago ‘thou…hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine’. What does this suggest to you about the relationship between the two characters? 2. What reason does Iago offer for his hatred of Othello? 3. How does Iago intend to behave around Othello? 4. How is Cassio depicted by Iago? Quote from the scene in your response. 5. Find a quotation from this scene that shows Roderigo wished to marry Desdemona himself. 6. Iago uses language to anger Brabantio. Find two examples of this and explain why they would contribute to Brabantio’s fury. 7. Why do you think Iago goes to the trouble of informing Brabantio about Othello and Desdemona’s elopement? Quote from the scene in your response. 8. (a) Make a list of all the derogatory (offensive) comments Iago and Roderigo make about Othello in this scene. (b) What does this tell you about these two characters? 9. What evidence in this scene shows that Roderigo is a gull (a gullible fool)? 10. What is your impression of Brabantio from this scene? 11. Imagine you are Iago and you have just left Brabantio’s house. Write a diary entry describing the events of the night, your feelings about Roderigo, your thoughts about your missed promotion and your attitude towards Othello. 12. Do you agree that this scene is rich in dramatic tension? Explain your answer by referring to the text.

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Act 1 Scene 2 Scene Summary

Iago talks to Othello and pretends to be concerned that Brabantio seeks to dissolve the marriage. However, Othello appears confi dent that his military record and reputation will protect him. Cassio arrives and tells Othello that the Duke requires him urgently. Iago tells Cassio that Othello is married. Brabantio confronts Othello and accuses him of bewitching Desdemona. Othello and Brabantio go to see the Duke.

Enter OTHELLO, IAGO, and Attendants with torches. IAGO Though in the trade of war I have slain men, Yet do I hold it very stuff1 o’ the conscience To do no contrived2 murder. I lack iniquity Sometimes to do me service.3 Nine or ten times I had thought to have yerked4 him, here under the ribs.

very stuff: the essence contrived: planned 3 I lack…service: I am sometimes too lacking in wickedness for my own good 4 yerked: stabbed 1 2

OTHELLO ’Tis better as it is. IAGO

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Nay, but he prated,5 And spoke such scurvy6 and provoking terms Against your honour That, with the little godliness I have, I did full hard forbear him.7 But, I pray you, sir, Are you fast8 married? For be sure of this, That the magnifi co9 is much beloved, And hath in his effect a voice potential As double as the Duke’s.10 He will divorce you, Or put upon you what restraint and grievance The law, with all his might to enforce it on, Will give him cable.11 OTHELLO Let him do his spite. My services which I have done the Signiory12 Shall out-tongue13 his complaints. ’Tis yet to know, – Which, when I know that boasting is an honour, I shall promulgate14 – I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege,15 and my demerits16 May speak unbonneted17 to as proud a fortune

5 6

prated: spoke foolishly scurvy: despicable

I did…forbear him: I found it difficult to put up with him 8 fast: firmly/properly 9 magnifico: Venetian nobleman, i.e. Brabantio 10 a voice…the Duke’s: great influence. It was thought (incorrectly) that the Duke had a deciding vote as well as his own vote in all matters. Iago is saying that Brabantio is so influential that it is as if he too has a ‘double’ vote. 11 Will…cable: Will allow him to do 7

the Signiory: the parliament of Venice out-tongue: out speak 14 promulgate: proclaim publicly 15 I fetch…siege: I am descended from royalty 16 demerits: merits 17 May speak unbonneted: Are equal 12 13

Act 1 Scene 2

30

Othello

As this that I have reached. For know, Iago, But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition18 Put into circumscription and confi ne For the sea’s worth.19 But, look! What lights come yond?

18

IAGO Those are the raised20 father and his friends: You were best go in.

20

OTHELLO Not I. I must be found. My parts, my title and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly.21 Is it they? IAGO By Janus,22 I think no. [Enter CASSIO, and Offi cers with torches]

unhoused…condition: freedom (as a bachelor) Put…sea’s worth: restrain for all the treasure found in the sea 19

raised: awakened/roused

my perfect soul…rightly: my clear conscience will show me for who I am 21

Janus: Roman god with two faces (god of beginnings and transitions) 22

OTHELLO The servants of the Duke? And my lieutenant? The goodness of the night upon you, friends! What is the news? CASSIO

The Duke does greet you, general, And he requires your haste-post-haste23 appearance, Even on the instant.

23

haste-poste-haste: urgent

OTHELLO What is the matter, think you?

40

CASSIO Something from Cyprus as I may divine.24 It is a business of some heat.25 The galleys Have sent a dozen sequent messengers26 This very night at one another’s heels, And many of the consuls, raised and met, Are at the Duke’s already. You have been hotly called for; When, being not at your lodging to be found, The senate hath sent about three several quests27 To search you out. OTHELLO ’Tis well I am found by you. I will but spend a word here in the house, And go with you. [Exit]

divine: presume heat: urgency 26 sequent messengers: messengers one after another 24 25

three several quests: three separate search parties 27

15

Act 1 Scene 2

CASSIO

50

Ancient, what makes he here?

IAGO ’Faith, he to-night hath boarded28 a land carrack.29 If it prove lawful prize, he’s made for ever. CASSIO I do not understand. IAGO CASSIO

Othello

boarded: 1. boarded a ship 2. entered in a sexual sense 29 land carrack: a treasure ship 28

He’s married. To who? [Enter OTHELLO]

IAGO Marry,30 to – Come, captain, will you go? OTHELLO Have with you.31

30

Marry: By the Virgin Mary

31

Have with you: I’ll go with you

32

I am for you: I will fight you

CASSIO Here comes another troop to seek for you. [Enter BRABANTIO, RODERIGO, and Offi cers with torches and weapons] IAGO It is Brabantio. General, be advised, He comes to bad intent. OTHELLO Holla! Stand there! RODERIGO Signior, it is the Moor. BRABANTIO

Down with him, thief! [They draw on both sides]

IAGO You, Roderigo! Come, sir, I am for you.32

16

Act 1 Scene 2

60

70

80

OTHELLO Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.33 Good signior, you shall more command with years Than with your weapons. BRABANTIO O thou foul thief! Where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her!34 For I’ll refer me to all things of sense, If she in chains of magic were not bound, Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy, So opposite to marriage that she shunned The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation,35 Would ever have, to incur a general mock,36 Run from her guardage37 to the sooty bosom Of such a thing as thou – to fear, not to delight! Judge me the world, if ’tis not gross in sense38 That thou hast practised on her with foul charms,39 Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals That weaken motion:40 I’ll have’t disputed on; ’Tis probable and palpable to thinking.41 I therefore apprehend and do attach42 thee For an abuser of the world, a practiser Of arts inhibited and out of warrant.43 [To the Offi cers] Lay hold upon him: if he do resist, Subdue him at his peril. OTHELLO Hold your hands, Both you of my inclining,44 and the rest. Were it my cue to fi ght, I should have known it Without a prompter. Whither will you that I go To answer this your charge?45 BRABANTIO To prison, till fi t time Of law and course of direct session Call thee to answer. 46

90

Othello Keep…rust them: Put away your swords as the night air will rust them 33

34

enchanted her: put a spell on her

wealthy…our nation: rich suitors incur…mock: be mocked publicly 37 guardage: guardianship, i.e. her father’s protection 38 gross in a sense: abundantly clear 39 practised…charms: performed spells on her 35 36

weaken motion: weaken senses/dull the mind 41 ’Tis probable…thinking: it is reasonable to think so 42 attach: arrest 43 arts…warrant: illegal dark arts, i.e. black magic 40

you of my inclining: those who take my side 44

Whither…this charge?: Where would you have me go to answer this charge? 45

To prison…answer: To prison until you have to answer in court 46

OTHELLO What if I do obey? How may the Duke be therewith satisfi ed, Whose messengers are here about my side, Upon some present business of the state To bring me to him? 17

Act 1 Scene 2

Othello

OFFICER ’Tis true, most worthy signior; The Duke’s in council and your noble self, I am sure, is sent for. BRABANTIO How? The Duke in council? In this time of the night? – Bring him away: Mine’s not an idle cause.47 The Duke himself, Or any of my brothers of the state, Cannot but feel this wrong as ’twere their own: For if such actions may have passage free, Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.48 [Exeunt]

OTHELLO

OTHELLO OTHELLO

47

idle cause: unimportant problem

For if such…statesmen be: if such crimes are not punished, slaves and nonChristians will rule us 48

Key Quotations I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege, and my demerits May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune As this that I have reached. But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confi ne For the sea’s worth. My parts, my title and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly.

Commentary

Othello’s fi rst appearance on stage establishes him as a confi dent, open fi gure. As Iago warns him of Brabantio’s desire to dissolve the marriage to Desdemona, Othello brushes these concerns aside. He proudly refers to his good reputation: ‘My services which I have done the Signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints’ and asserts that he is a capable and moral man: ‘My parts, my title and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly’. This pride will eventually contribute to Othello’s downfall as it leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s suggestions later in the play. Othello is an authoritative, natural leader. This may stem from his royal lineage which he proudly draws Iago’s attention to: ‘I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege, and my demerits May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune As this that I have reached.’ Othello’s commanding presence is clearly evident as he calmly deals with Brabantio’s aggressive behaviour and prevents the confrontation from erupting into violence: ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them. / Good signior, you shall more command with years / Than with your weapons.’ However, as well as his natural authority, this scene 18

Act 1 Scene 2

Othello

also displays Othello’s prideful nature. Later in the play Othello’s pride will contribute to his undoing. Othello expresses the depth of his love for Desdemona. He tells Iago that he would never lose his freedom as a bachelor for all the riches in the sea, but Desdemona is worth so much more: ‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confi ne For the sea’s worth’ In contrast to the forthright and honourable fi gure of Othello, Iago is seen as crafty and twofaced in this scene. He pretends to be concerned for Othello by warning him of Brabantio’s anger. Similarly, when Roderigo appears armed alongside Brabantio’s men, Iago publicly distances himself from him: ‘You, Roderigo! Come, sir, I am for you’ in an effort to mask their conspiracy against Othello. As in the fi rst scene, Brabantio is hot-headed. He employs racial stereotyping to sully Othello and is appalled by the notion that his daughter would willingly marry a black man. He says to Othello that his daughter would never ‘incur a general mock, / Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom / Of such a thing as thou – to fear, not to delight!’ Brabantio accuses Othello of sorcery in an effort to explain his daughter’s behaviour: ‘thou hast practised on her with foul charms, / Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals / That weaken motion’. Brabantio aligns Othello with the devil calling him ‘Damned’ and refers disparagingly to nonChristians: ‘For if such actions may have passage free, / Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.’ His views draw on ungrounded fears of other races and cultures. The backdrop of war is fi tting to the confl ict within this scene. We learn that there is a military threat in Cyprus (a Venetian stronghold) and that Othello is urgently needed by the Venetian parliament. This also helps to establish Othello as a signifi cant public fi gure.

Questions

1. At the start of the play Othello is in a privileged social position. Find evidence of his elevated status in this scene. 2. Why do you think Iago calls on Roderigo to fight when it appears violence is about to erupt? 3. Brabantio refers hatefully to Othello’s race in this scene. Find examples of this in the text. 4. What is your initial impression of Othello from this scene? Quote from the scene in your answer. 5. Imagine you are the officer in this scene. Write a report for the Duke about the confrontation between Brabantio and Othello.

19

Act 1 Scene 3 Scene Summary

The Duke and senators receive reports of the Turkish fl eet that is en route to attack Cyprus. Before the Duke, Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. Othello recounts how he won Desdemona’s love. Desdemona confi rms that she loves Othello. Othello is placed in charge of the defence of Cyprus. Arrangements are made for Desdemona to go to Cyprus to be at Othello’s side. Iago dissuades Roderigo from committing suicide arguing that Desdemona will soon tire of Othello. Iago persuades Roderigo to go to Cyprus also.

Venice. A council chamber. Enter the DUKE and Senators taking seats at a table. Offi cers attending. DUKE There is no composition1 in these news That gives them credit.2

1

FIRST SENATOR Indeed, they are disproportioned;3 My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.4

3

2

4

composition: consistency gives them credit: makes it credible

disproportioned: out of proportion galleys: ships

DUKE And mine, a hundred and forty. SECOND SENATOR And mine, two hundred. But though they jump not on a just account,5 – As in these cases, where the aim reports, ’Tis oft with difference6 – yet do they all confi rm A Turkish fl eet, and bearing up to Cyprus.

10

DUKE Nay, it is possible enough to judgement:7 I do not so secure me in the error,8 But the main article I do approve In fearful sense.9 SAILOR [Within] What ho! What ho! What ho!

20

But though…account: Although the exact number is not agreed 6 As in…difference: As it is often with these cases, where the estimates differ 5

possible…judgement: certainly possible when you consider it 8 I do not…error: I take no comfort from the inconsistency in the numbers 9 But…fearful sense: I assume the gist of the reports are true and this makes me fearful 7

Act 1 Scene 3

Othello

OFFICER A messenger from the galleys. [Enter SAILOR] DUKE Now, what’s the business? SAILOR The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes. So was I bid report here to the state By Signior Angelo. DUKE How say you by this change?

20

30

FIRST SENATOR This cannot be, By no assay10 of reason. ’Tis a pageant, To keep us in false gaze,11 when we consider The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk. And let ourselves again but understand, That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes, So may he with more facile question bear it, For that it stands not in such warlike brace, But altogether lacks the abilities That Rhodes is dressed in.12 If we make thought of this, We must not think the Turk is so unskilful To leave that latest which concerns him fi rst, Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain, To wake and wage a danger profi tless.13 DUKE Nay, in all confi dence, he’s not for Rhodes.14 OFFICER Here is more news. [Enter MESSENGER] MESSENGER The Ottomites,15 reverend and gracious, Steering with due course towards the isle of Rhodes, Have there injointed them with an after fl eet.16

assay: test ’Tis a pageant…gaze: It’s a trick to distract us 10 11

And let ourselves…Rhodes is dressed in: We should think about how significant Cyprus is to the Turks: more important than Rhodes and more easily captured when you consider that Cyprus doesn’t have the military defences that Rhodes does. 13 Neglecting…profitless: avoiding an easy conquest to instead wage a potentially dangerous and profitless battle 14 in all confidence…Rhodes: I am confident the Turkish ships are not heading to Rhodes 12

15

Ottomites: Turks

injointed…after fleet: joined up with a fleet that was following them 16

FIRST SENATOR Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess?

21

Act 1 Scene 3

40

MESSENGER Of thirty sail: and now they do re-stem17 Their backward course,18 bearing with frank appearance19 Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signior Montano, Your trusty and most valiant servitor,20 With his free duty21 recommends you thus, And prays you to believe him.

Othello re-stem: redirect backward course: their original route 19 frank appearance: obvious intention 17 18

20 21

valiant servitor: brave servant free duty: willing service

DUKE ’Tis certain, then, for Cyprus. Marcus Luccicos, is not he in town? FIRST SENATOR He’s now in Florence. DUKE Write from us to him – post post-haste dispatch.22 FIRST SENATOR Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor. Enter BRABANTIO, OTHELLO, CASSIO, IAGO, RODERIGO, and Offi cers 50

60

DUKE Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you Against the general enemy Ottoman. [To BRABANTIO] I did not see you; welcome, gentle signior; We lacked your counsel23 and your help tonight. BRABANTIO So did I yours. Good your Grace, pardon me. Neither my place nor aught I heard of business Hath raised me from my bed, nor doth the general care24 Take hold on me, for my particular grief Is of so fl ood-gate and o’erbearing nature That it engluts and swallows other sorrows And it is still itself.25 DUKE

Why, what’s the matter?

BRABANTIO My daughter! O, my daughter! DUKE AND SENATORS Dead? 22

post post-haste dispatch: post it urgently 22

23

counsel: advice

24

general care: state business

my particular grief…still itself: my personal problem (marriage of Desdemona to Othello) is so overwhelming that it consumes other sorrows and yet still remains 25

Act 1 Scene 3

BRABANTIO Ay, to me! She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks:26 For nature so preposterously to err, Being not defi cient, blind, or lame of sense, Sans27 witchcraft could not.

70

DUKE Whoe’er he be that in this foul proceeding Hath thus beguiled28 your daughter of herself And you of her, the bloody book of law You shall yourself read in the bitter letter After your own sense,29 yea, though our proper son Stood in your action.30 BRABANTIO Humbly I thank your Grace. Here is the man, this Moor, whom now, it seems, Your special mandate31 for the state-affairs Hath hither brought. ALL

Othello

26

mountebanks: quack/fake doctor

27

Sans: without

28

beguiled: charmed

You shall…own sense: You shall read the law as you see fit 30 though our proper…action: even if my own son has to face your charge 29

31

mandate: orders

32

potent: powerful

We are very sorry for’t.

DUKE [To OTHELLO] What, in your own part, can you say to this? BRABANTIO Nothing, but this is so.

80

90

OTHELLO Most potent,32 grave, and reverend signiors, My very noble and approved good masters, That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter, It is most true; true, I have married her. The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more.33 Rude34 am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace:35 For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith,36 Till now some nine moons wasted,37 they have used Their dearest action in the tented fi eld,38 And little of this great world can I speak, More than pertains to feats of broil39 and battle. And therefore little shall I grace my cause In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

The very head…no more: This is the full extent of my crime, nothing more 34 Rude: blunt/unskilled 35 soft phrase of peace: eloquence 36 since…pith: since my arms had the strength of a seven-year-old, i.e. since I was seven 37 Till now…wasted: until nine months ago 38 tented field: battlefield 39 broil: fighting 33

23

Act 1 Scene 3

I will a round unvarnished tale40 deliver Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what charms, What conjuration41 and what mighty magic, (For such proceeding I am charged withal) I won his daughter.

100

BRABANTIO A maiden never bold, Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion42 Blushed at herself; and she, in spite of nature, Of years, of country, credit, everything, To fall in love with what she feared to look on! It is a judgement maimed43 and most imperfect, That will confess perfection so could err44 Against all rules of nature, and must be driven To fi nd out practices of cunning hell, Why this should be.45 I therefore vouch again That with some mixtures powerful o’er the blood, Or with some dram46 conjured to this effect, He wrought47 upon her.

Othello round unvarnished tale: a blunt, unpolished story 41 conjuration: magic 40

42

motion: inner feelings/desire

43

judgement maimed: distorted view err: go astray

44

must be driven…should be: must be forced to find the reason (for Desdemona’s actions) in hell’s plans 46 dram: potion 47 wrought: worked 45

DUKE 110

To vouch this, is no proof, Without more wider and more overt test Than these thin habits48 and poor likelihoods49 Of modern seeming50 do prefer against him. FIRST SENATOR But, Othello, speak. Did you by indirect and forced courses51 Subdue and poison this young maid’s affections? Or came it by request and such fair question As soul to soul affordeth?52 OTHELLO

120

I do beseech you, Send for the lady to the Sagittary,53 And let her speak of me before her father. If you do fi nd me foul54 in her report, The trust, the offi ce I do hold of you, Not only take away, but let your sentence Even fall upon my life. DUKE

24

Fetch Desdemona hither.

thin habits: unconvincing suggestions poor likelihoods: weak probabilities 50 modern seeming: commonplace appearances 48 49

indirect…courses: devious and forceful means 51

Or came it …affordeth?: Was this (marriage) the result of you asking and the pleasant conversation that happens between two people? 52

the Sagittary: the inn where Othello and Desdemona are staying 53

54

foul: wicked/guilty

Act 1 Scene 3

OTHELLO [To Iago] Ancient, conduct them: you best know the place. [Exeunt IAGO and Attendants] And, till she come, as truly as to heaven I do confess the vices of my blood,55 So justly to your grave ears I’ll present How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, And she in mine. DUKE

130

140

150

160

Othello

55

blood: passion

Say it, Othello.

OTHELLO Her father loved me, oft invited me, Still questioned me56 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 the very moment that he bade me tell it. Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,57 Of moving accidents by fl ood and fi eld58 Of hair-breadth scapes59 i’ the imminent deadly breach,60 Of being taken by the insolent foe And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence And with it all my travels’ history: Wherein of antres vast61 and deserts idle,62 Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven It was my hint63 to speak – such was my process – And of the Cannibals that each other eat, The Anthropophagi64 and men whose heads Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear Would Desdemona seriously incline:65 But still the house-affairs would draw her thence: Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,66 She’d come again, and with a greedy ear Devour up my discourse. Which I observing, Took once a pliant67 hour, and found good means To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,68 Whereof by parcels69 she had something heard, But not intentively.70 I did consent, And often did beguile her of her tears,71 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, in faith, ’twas strange, ’twas passing strange, ’Twas pitiful, ’twas wondrous pitiful.

Still questioned me: continually asked me about 56

chances: incidents moving accidents…field: exciting events on sea and land 59 hair-breadth scapes: bare escapes/ ‘close shaves’ 60 breach: hole in a fortification 57 58

61 62

antres vast: huge caves deserts idle: empty deserts

63

hint: opportunity/cue

64

Anthropophagi: cannibals

seriously incline: 1. lean forwards 2. be drawn to 65

66

with haste dispatch: finish quickly

pliant: 1. open to influence 2. favourable/suitable 68 my pilgrimage dilate: tell her about my travels 69 parcels: parts (of the story) 70 intentively: attentively 71 beguile her of her tears: made her cry 67

25

Act 1 Scene 3

170

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. [Enter DESDEMONA, IAGO, and Attendants] DUKE I think this tale would win my daughter too. Good Brabantio, Take up this mangled matter at the best:72 Men do their broken weapons rather use Than their bare hands.

180

190

Take up…at the best: make the best of this troublesome situation 72

BRABANTIO I pray you, hear her speak. If she confess that she was half the wooer, Destruction on my head, if my bad blame Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress. Do you perceive in all this noble company Where most you owe obedience? DESDEMONA My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty. To you I am bound for life and education: My life and education both do learn me How to respect you. You are the lord of duty: I am hitherto73 your daughter. But here’s my husband: And so much duty as my mother showed To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord. BRABANTIO God be with you! I have done. Please it your Grace, on to the state-affairs. I had rather to adopt a child than get it.74 Come hither, Moor. I here do give thee that with all my heart Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart I would keep from thee. For your sake, jewel, I am glad at soul I have no other child:

26

Othello

73

hitherto: up till now

I had rather…get it: I wish I had adopted a child rather than fathered one naturally 74

Act 1 Scene 3

For thy escape would teach me tyranny, To hang clogs on them.75 I have done, my lord. 200

210

220

DUKE Let me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence,76 Which, as a grise77 or step, may help these lovers Into your favour. When remedies are past,78 the griefs are ended By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.79 To mourn a mischief that is past and gone Is the next way to draw new mischief on.80 What cannot be preserved when fortune takes, Patience her injury a mockery makes.81 The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief: He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.82 BRABANTIO So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile:83 We lose it not, so long as we can smile. He bears the sentence well that nothing bears But the free comfort which from thence he hears.84 But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow. These sentences, to sugar, or to gall, Being strong on both sides, are equivocal.85 But words are words. I never yet did hear That the bruised heart was pierced86 through the ear. I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of state. DUKE The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude87 of the place is best known to you – and though we have there a substitute88 of most allowed suffi ciency,89 yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice on you.90 You must therefore be content to slubber the gloss91 of your new fortunes with this more stubborn and boisterous92 expedition.

230

OTHELLO The tyrant custom,93 most grave senators, Hath made the fl inty and steel couch of war My thrice-driven bed of down.94 I do agnize95 A natural and prompt alacrity96 I fi nd in hardness, and do undertake These present wars against the Ottomites. Most humbly therefore bending to your state,

Othello For thy escape…clogs on them: Your escape from my household would teach me to be strict with any other children. I would weigh their feet down (‘hang clogs’) 75

Let me…sentence: Allow me to speak like you and offer a proverb 77 grise: a stage/a step in a stair 78 When…past: When there is no solution 79 the griefs….depended: the trouble ends when we accept that the worst has happened and that our hopes are dashed 80 To mourn…mischief on: To dwell on a past trouble will only lead to fresh trouble 81 Patience…makes: Acceptance of loss helps us to cope with misfortune 82 The robbed…bootless grief: Smiling in the face of loss lessens the effect of misfortune. You do yourself no good if you spend time in pointless grieving 83 So let…beguile: If so, we should allow the Turks to steal Cyprus from us 84 He bears…hears: If you have no problems to bear, it is easy to listen to such proverbs 76

These sentences…equivocal: These proverbs can comfort or irritate. Their meaning is ambiguous 86 pierced: lanced/cured (as in lanced a boil) 85

fortitude: strength substitute: deputy, i.e. Montano, Governor of Cyprus 89 allowed sufficiency: a man acknowledged as being very capable 90 yet opinion…on you: yet popular opinion, which ultimately decides such things, holds that we would be safer with you in charge 91 slubber the gloss: sully your new joy 92 stubborn and boisterous: rough and violent 87 88

tyrant custom: force of habit flinty and steel…bed of down: sleeping in my armour on the battlefield is like the softest feather bed for me 95 agnize: accept 96 alacrity: eagerness 93 94

27

Act 1 Scene 3

240

I crave fi t disposition97 for my wife. Due reference of place and exhibition,98 With such accommodation and besort99 As levels with her breeding.100 DUKE

Othello fit disposition: appropriate arrangements 98 exhibition: financial support 99 besort: attendants 100 As levels…breeding: suitable to her upbringing 97

If you please, Be’t at her father’s. BRABANTIO I’ll not have it so. OTHELLO Nor I. DESDEMONA Nor I – I would not there reside, To put my father in impatient thoughts By being in his eye. Most gracious Duke, To my unfolding101 lend your prosperous ear; And let me fi nd a charter102 in your voice, To assist my simpleness.103 DUKE

250

260

28

my unfolding: my view I’m about to give 102 charter: support 103 my simpleness: humble request 101

What would you, Desdemona?

DESDEMONA That I did love the Moor to live with him, My downright violence and storm of fortunes May trumpet to the world.104 My heart’s subdued105 Even to the very quality of my lord. I saw Othello’s visage106 in his mind, And to his honour and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.107 So that, dear lords, if I be left behind, A moth of peace,108 and he go to the war, The rites for which I love him are bereft me,109 And I a heavy interim110 shall support By his dear absence. Let me go with him. OTHELLO Let her have your voices. Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not To please the palate of my appetite,111 Nor to comply with heat112 – the young affects In me defunct113 – and proper satisfaction, But to be free and bounteous114 to her mind.

My downright…the world: My rebellious behaviour and shunning of fortune proclaims my love to the world 105 subdued: devoted 106 visage: face 107 And to his…consecrate: I am dedicated to the honourable and soldierly aspects of his character 108 A moth of peace: an idler 109 The rites…bereft me: denied my role as a loving wife 110 heavy interim: drawn-out passage of time 104

not / To please…appetite: not to satisfy my needs 112 to comply with heat: to satisfy me sexually 113 the young…defunct: youthful passion has died with age 114 free and bounteous: generous 111

Act 1 Scene 3

270

Othello

And heaven defend your good souls, that you think I will your serious and great business scant115 For she is with me. No, when light-winged toys Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness My speculative and offi ced instruments,116 That my disports corrupt and taint my business, Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, And all indign and base adversities Make head against my estimation! 117 DUKE Be it as you shall privately determine, Either for her stay or going. The affair cries haste, And speed must answer it.

115

scant: neglect

when light-winged…instruments: when the joy of lovemaking blinds me 116

That my…estimation!: If my sexual pleasure gets in the way of my work, let housewives make my helmet a saucepan and let my enemies slander my good name! i.e. if sex interferes with my work, let me be ridiculed 117

FIRST SENATOR You must away tonight. DESDEMONA Tonight, my lord? DUKE OTHELLO

280

This night. With all my heart.

DUKE At nine i’ the morning here we’ll meet again. Othello, leave some offi cer behind, And he shall our commission118 bring to you; With such things else of quality and respect As doth import you.

118

commission: orders

OTHELLO

So please your Grace, my ancient – A man he is of honest and trust – To his conveyance I assign my wife, With what else needful your good Grace shall think To be sent after me. DUKE

290

Let it be so. Good night to every one. [To BRABANTIO] And, noble signior, If virtue no delighted beauty lack, Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.119

If virtue…than black: If virtue is not lacking in beauty, your son-in-law is fair rather than black (fair skin was seen as beautiful while blackness was equated with ugliness) 119

29

Act 1 Scene 3

Othello

FIRST SENATOR Adieu, brave Moor. Use Desdemona well. BRABANTIO Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee. [Exeunt the DUKE, BRABANTIO, Senators, CASSIO, Offi cers and Attendants]

300

OTHELLO My life upon her faith! Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee. I prithee,120 let thy wife attend on her, And bring them after in the best advantage. Come, Desdemona: I have but an hour Of love, of worldly matters and direction, To spend with thee. We must obey the time. [Exeunt OTHELLO and DESDEMONA]

120

prithee: please

121

incontinently: immediately

RODERIGO Iago! IAGO What say’st thou, noble heart? RODERIGO What will I do, thinkest thou? IAGO Why, go to bed, and sleep. RODERIGO I will incontinently121 drown myself. IAGO If thou dost, I shall never love thee after. Why, thou silly gentleman!

310

RODERIGO It is silliness to live when to live is torment – and then have we a prescription to die when death is our physician.122 IAGO O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefi t and an injury, I never found man that knew how to

30

It is silliness…physician: It is foolish to live in torment when we have a remedy: death 122

Act 1 Scene 3

love himself. Ere I would say I would drown myself for the love of a guinea-hen,123 I would change my humanity with a baboon.124 RODERIGO What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it.

320

330

IAGO Virtue? A fi g!125 ’Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners. So that if we will plant nettles, or sow lettuce, set hyssop126 and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender127 of herbs, or distract it with many – either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with industry128 – why, the power and corrigible authority129 of this lies in our wills. If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions.130 But we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings,131 our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this that you call love to be a sect or scion.132 RODERIGO It cannot be.

340

350

IAGO It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will.133 Come, be a man! Drown thyself! Drown cats and blind puppies! I have professed me thy friend and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness.134 I could never better stead135 thee than now. Put money in thy purse; follow thou the wars; defeat thy favour with an usurped beard;136 I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor – put money in thy purse – nor he his to her. It was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration137 – put but money in thy purse. These Moors are changeable in their wills – fi ll thy purse with money. The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts,138 shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.139 She must change for youth: when she is sated140 with his body, she will fi nd the error of her choice. She must have change, she must, therefore put money in thy purse. If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst. If sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring

Othello guinea-hen: a showy bird, i.e. a prostitute 124 Ere I would…baboon: I’d rather be a monkey than say I’d drown myself for a woman. Baboons were thought to be very lecherous monkeys 123

125

A fig!: So what!

hyssop: a type of herb gender: type 128 manured with industry: developed with hard work 129 corrigible authority: the power to correct 130 If the balance…conclusions: If we didn’t have reason to counterbalance our passionate impulses, we would be led to disaster 131 carnal stings: sexual desires 132 sect or scion: cutting or shoot (of a plant). Iago presents love as growing out of sexual desire 126 127

permission of the will: lack of willpower 133

I confess…toughness: I pledge myself tied to your cause with unbreakable ropes 135 stead: help 136 defeat…beard: ruin your appearance with a fake beard 134

It was…sequestration: Their relationship started suddenly and will end just as quickly 137

locusts: the sweet fruit of the Carob tree 139 coloquintida: a bitter fruit 140 sated: satisfied 138

31

Act 1 Scene 3

barbarian and a supersubtle Venetian not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her141 – therefore make money! A pox of drowning thyself! – it is clean out of the way.142 Seek thou rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go without her.143 RODERIGO Wilt thou be fast144 to my hopes, if I depend on the issue? 360

IAGO Thou art sure of me. Go, make money. I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again: I hate the Moor. My cause is hearted:145 thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive146 in our revenge against him. If thou canst cuckold147 him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport.148 There are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered. Traverse!149 Go, provide thy money! We will have more of this tomorrow. Adieu.

Othello If sanctimony…enjoy her: If the marriage vow between a sinful/ wandering barbarian (Othello) and a crafty Venetian (Desdemona) is not too difficult for my cleverness and for hell, then you shall have her (Desdemona) 142 clean out of the way: the wrong course to take 143 Seek thou…without her: You’re better off being hanged for pursuing Desdemona than killing yourself and definitely not having her 144 be fast: supportive 141

145

hearted: determined

conjunctive: united cuckold him: make his wife be unfaithful to him 148 sport: amusement 149 Traverse!: Quick march! 146 147

RODERIGO Where shall we meet i’ the morning? IAGO At my lodging. 370

RODERIGO I’ll be with thee betimes. IAGO Go to, farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo? RODERIGO What say you? IAGO No more of drowning, do you hear? RODERIGO I am changed: I’ll sell all my land. IAGO Go to, farewell, put money enough in your purse. [Exit RODERIGO] Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:150 For I mine own gained knowledge should profane, If I would time expend with such a snipe

32

Thus…purse: I always make money from fools 150

Act 1 Scene 3 380

390

Othello

But for my sport and profi t.151 I hate the Moor: And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets He has done my offi ce.152 I know not if’t be true, Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety.153 He holds me well:154 The better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio’s a proper155 man. Let me see now: To get his place and to plume up my will156 In double knavery.157 How? How? Let’s see – After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear That he is too familiar with his wife. He hath a person and a smooth dispose158 To be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are. I have’t. It is engendered.159 Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light. [Exit] OTHELLO

For I mine own…profit: I would abuse the wisdom I have attained if I spent time with such a fool (‘snipe’) without getting some fun and personal gain 152 it is thought…office: people say that Othello has slept with my wife 153 Yet I…surety: But I’ll treat these suspicions as if they are certainties 154 holds me well: holds me in high regard 155 proper: good looking 156 plume…will: strengthen my control 157 double knavery: twice as deceitful (because both Cassio and Othello will suffer) 158 dispose: manner 151

It is engendered: It (the plan) is conceived 159

Key Quotations She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them.

DESDEMONA

That I did love the Moor to live with him, My downright violence and storm of fortunes May trumpet to the world.

THE DUKE

If virtue no delighted beauty lack, Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.

BRABANTIO

Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee.

IAGO

Thus do I ever make my fool my purse

IAGO

I hate the Moor

IAGO

The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are.

IAGO

Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.

33

Act 1 Scene 3

Othello

Commentary

Othello is considered an important heroic leader by the Venetian parliament. This scene consolidates our initial impression of Othello as a respected and able general. Othello has the full backing of the Venetian senators and the trust of the Duke. Othello is called upon to command the Cypriot defence forces against the Turkish invasion. The parliament’s unwavering high regard for Othello is further conveyed by their backing of him in his disagreement with Brabantio and the urgency with which they send him to Cyprus. Othello’s exotic past and resilience in the face of adversity paint him in a romantic light and help to clearly establish him as the hero of the drama. Despite his protests that he lacks eloquence and will tell ‘a round unvarnished tale’, Othello speaks movingly of his past and proves himself a capable orator. We learn of his ‘hair-breadth scapes’, his survival of slavery and how he faced cannibals. Othello’s stirring speech confi rms him as a character who can act nobly in the face of adversity. His eventual downfall is made all the more tragic by this fact. Othello’s fl awed humanity (his excessive pride) is hinted at in this scene. He is shown to take great pride in his past adventures and has a tendency to see himself as a character from a heroic tale. Othello thrives on his reputation as a brave soldier and defi nes himself by it. He boasts that Desdemona fell in love with him because of his heroism and valour: ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed’. Othello fi nds this admiration for his heroism attractive: ‘And I loved her that she did pity them.’ Othello takes pride in himself as a trustworthy soldier who can never be deterred from his duties, not even by love: ‘when light-winged toys Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness My speculative and offi ced instruments, That my disports corrupt and taint my business, Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, And all indign and base adversities Make head against my estimation!’ Brabantio’s prejudices are further confi rmed in this scene. He characterises Othello’s appearance as monstrous and capable of inspiring fear: ‘To fall in love with what she feared to look on!’ Brabantio connects Othello’s race with witchcraft thus drawing on his suspicions of other cultures. He cannot imagine why his daughter would willingly have a relationship with a black man and accuses Othello of using magic and potions to win Desdemona: ‘She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted / By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks’. Brabantio’s parting shot to Othello pre-empts Othello’s eventual jealousies: ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee’. This subtly gives the audience a sense of what is to come in the play. Desdemona is forthright and spirited in this scene. She confi dently appeals to her father’s sense of reason and asserts her love for Othello. She asks directly to accompany her husband to Cyprus and seems undaunted before the powerful Duke and senators. Desdemona admits that she was drawn to Othello because of his exotic tales and status as a brave soldier: ‘I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honour and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate’. Othello’s reputation as a soldier seems just as important to Desdemona as it is to Othello himself. Othello is afforded a fair hearing in this scene. The baseless charge of witchcraft made by Brabantio is dealt with in a judicious manner: Othello is allowed to give his perspective, while Desdemona is called as a witness. 34

Act 1 Scene 3

Othello

Othello’s openness is an admirable trait but one that also leaves him vulnerable: ‘The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are.’ Iago sees this ‘free and open nature’ as a weakness that will allow him to arouse Othello’s jealousy by suggesting that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago points to the important role reason plays in counterbalancing passion. He highlights the idea that without the tempering effect of reason, ‘the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions.’ As the play progresses the audience see how Othello succumbs to his own overly passionate nature (‘the blood and baseness’ of his nature) and lacks suffi cient reason to control his emotions. This eventually contributes to his tragic downfall. Despite the fact that he is dubbed ‘Honest Iago’ by Othello, Iago is shown to be a malevolent schemer in this scene. Iago plans to exploit the gullible Roderigo: ‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’ and convinces him to go to Cyprus. This will later facilitate Iago’s schemes against Othello. Iago’s scheme is given a diabolical air as he delights in the evilness of his plan: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.’ Iago offers another possible motivation for his hatred of Othello. He mentions a rumour that his wife, Emilia, has had an affair with Othello: ‘I hate the Moor: / And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my offi ce.’ Iago is not absolutely certain that the gossip is true. However, he intends to proceed as if it is: ‘I know not if’t be true, / Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety.’

Questions

1. Would you agree that Othello has the respect of the Venetian parliament and the Duke? Refer to the text in your answer. 2. Othello says that he lacks eloquence: ‘Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’. Do you agree with him? Explain your answer with reference to the text. 3. Describe Othello’s life before he met Desdemona as expressed through his speech to the Duke. 4. Would you agree that Othello is afforded every opportunity to defend himself against Brabantio’s charge of witchcraft? Explain your answer by referring to the text. 5. Which of the following adjectives best describes Desdemona’s demeanour in this scene: confident, spirited, defiant, romantic, loyal? Explain your choice, making reference to the text. 6. Another explanation for Iago’s hatred of Othello is introduced here. (a) What is it? (b) Do you believe it? Why / why not? 7. Iago is described as ‘honest’ in this scene. What evidence is there to the contrary?

35

Act 1

Revision Quiz

1. Who is Desdemona’s father? 2. Which character plans to woo Desdemona away from Othello? 3. Give two possible reasons Iago offers for his hatred of Othello. 4. Who is given the position of Othello’s lieutenant? 5. Where is Othello sent to defend against a Turkish invasion? 6. What accusation does Brabantio make against Othello? 7. Brabantio asks Desdemona who she is most obedient to. What is her response? 8. At the end of this act, Iago explains his plan to ruin Othello. What is it? 9. Who says each of the following?

(a)

Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign



(b)

But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea’s worth



(c)

I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege, and my demerits May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune As this that I have reached

10. Rewrite these quotations. In each case, write the speaker’s name and fill in the blanks.

36



(a)



(b) Thus do I ever make my fool my ________



(c) I am not what ________ ________.



(d) Look to her, Moor, if thou hast ________ to see: She has ________ her father, and may thee.



(e) If virtue no delighted beauty lack, Your son-in-law is far more ________ than ________.



(f) an old black ________ / Is tupping your ________ ewe.

The Moor is of a free and _________ nature, That thinks men ________ that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are.

Act 2 Scene 1 Scene Summary

A storm at sea destroys the invading Turkish fl eet. Cassio, Iago and Desdemona arrive in Cyprus before Othello. As they await news of Othello’s ship, Desdemona talks jokingly with Iago. Iago tells Roderigo that Cassio and Desdemona are in love. Iago instructs Roderigo to goad Cassio into a fi ght. He explains how this will lead to Cassio being dismissed from his post. In soliloquy, Iago refl ects on his scheme to ruin Othello.

Cyprus. A sea port. Enter MONTANO and two Gentlemen MONTANO What from the cape can you discern at sea? FIRST GENTLEMAN Nothing at all. It is a high-wrought fl ood;1 I cannot, ’twixt the heaven and the main,2 Descry3 a sail. MONTANO Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land. A fuller blast ne’er shook our battlements. If it hath ruffi aned4 so upon the sea, What ribs of oak,5 when mountains6 melt on them, Can hold the mortise?7 What shall we hear of this? 10

SECOND GENTLEMAN A segregation8 of the Turkish fl eet – For do but stand upon the foaming shore, The chidden billow9 seems to pelt the clouds; The wind-shaked surge, with high and monstrous mane, Seems to cast water on the burning bear,10 And quench the guards11 of the ever-fi xed pole.12 I never did like molestation13 view On the enchafed fl ood.14 MONTANO If that the Turkish fl eet Be not ensheltered and embayed,15 they are drowned!

high-wrought flood: turbulent sea the main: the sea 3 Descry: see 1 2

ruffianed: buffeted ribs of oak: ship frame 6 mountains: large waves 7 mortise: joints 4 5

8

segregation: dispersal

9

chidden billow: rebuked sea

burning bear: the Little Bear constellation 11 guards: two bright stars in the Little Bear 12 pole: the pole star 13 molestation: turmoil 14 enchafed flood: furious sea 10

15

embayed: sheltering in a bay

37

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

It is impossible they bear it out. [Enter a third Gentleman] 20

THIRD GENTLEMAN News, lads! Our wars are done! The desperate tempest16 hath so banged the Turks, That their designment halts.17 A noble ship of Venice Hath seen a grievous wrack and sufferance18 On most part of their fl eet.

desperate tempest: awful storm designment: plan 18 grievous wrack and sufferance: terrible shipwreck and damage 16 17

MONTANO How? Is this true? THIRD GENTLEMAN The ship is here put in, A Veronesa.19 Michael Cassio, Lieutenant to the warlike Moor Othello, Is come on shore – the Moor himself at sea, And is in full commission20 here for Cyprus. 30

MONTANO Pray heavens he be! For I have served him, and the man commands Like a full soldier. Let’s to the seaside, ho! As well to see the vessel that’s come in As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello, Even till we make the main and the aerial blue An indistinct regard.23 THIRD GENTLEMAN Come, let’s do so: For every minute is expectancy Of more arrivance. [Enter CASSIO] CASSIO Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle,

38

Veronesa: type of ship

20

full commission: full authority

21

Touching: when discussing sadly: grave

MONTANO I am glad on’t; ’tis a worthy governor. THIRD GENTLEMAN But this same Cassio, though he speak of comfort Touching21 the Turkish loss, yet he looks sadly,22 And prays the Moor be safe, for they were parted With foul and violent tempest.

40

19

22

Even till…regard: until we can’t distinguish between the sea and the sky 23

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

That so approve the Moor. O, let the heavens Give him defence against the elements, For I have lost us him on a dangerous sea. MONTANO Is he well shipped?

50

CASSIO His bark is stoutly timbered,24 and his pilot Of very expert and approved allowance.25 Therefore my hopes, not surfeited to death, Stand in bold cure.26 [A cry within, ‘A sail, a sail, a sail!’] [Enter a Messenger]

bark…timbered: ship is well made his pilot…allowance: his steersman is an expert and has proven himself 26 Therefore…cure: Therefore my hopes, although not excessive, keep me confident 24 25

CASSIO What noise? MESSENGER The town is empty; on the brow o’ the sea27 Stand ranks of people, and they cry ‘A sail!’

27

brow o’ the sea: headland

28

shot of courtesy: cannon fire in salute

CASSIO My hopes do shape him for the governor. [Cannons heard] SECOND GENTLEMAN They do discharge their shot of courtesy:28 Our friends at least. CASSIO

I pray you, sir, go forth, And give us truth who ’tis that is arrived. SECOND GENTLEMAN I shall. [Exit] 60

MONTANO But, good lieutenant, is your general wived? CASSIO Most fortunately. He hath achieved a maid That paragons description29 and wild fame, One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,30 And in the essential vesture of creation Does tire the ingener.31

paragons description: is beyond description 30 quirks of blazoning pens: fanciful writing of boasting poets 31 essential…ingener: her essential natural appearance exhausts the artist’s imagination 29

39

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

[Enter Second Gentleman] How now! Who has put in? SECOND GENTLEMAN ’Tis one Iago, ancient to the general.

70

CASSIO He’s had most favourable and happy speed: Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, The guttered32 rocks and congregated sands,33 Traitors ensteeped34 to clog the guiltless keel,35 As having sense of beauty, do omit Their mortal natures, letting go safely by The divine Desdemona.36 MONTANO What is she?

80

CASSIO She that I spake of, our great captain’s captain, Left in the conduct of the bold Iago, Whose footing37 here anticipates our thoughts A sevennight’s speed.38 Great Jove,39 Othello guard! And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath, That he may bless this bay with his tall ship, Make love’s quick pants40 in Desdemona’s arms, Give renewed fi re to our extincted41 spirits And bring all Cyprus comfort!

guttered: jagged congregated sands: sandbanks 34 ensteeped: submerged under water 35 clog…keel: obstruct the inexperienced ships 36 As having…Desdemona: as they (the rocks) have an appreciation of beauty, they will forget their deadliness and allow the heavenly Desdemona through 32 33

footing: arrival on land Whose…speed: whose arrival is a week sooner than expected 39 Jove: Jupiter: the Roman god of the sky 40 love’s quick pants: breathe heavily after making love 41 extincted: extinguished 37 38

[Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA, IAGO, RODERIGO and Attendants] O, behold! The riches of the ship is come on shore! Ye men of Cyprus, let her have your knees.42 Hail to thee, lady! And the grace of heaven, Before, behind thee, and on every hand, Enwheel43 thee round! DESDEMONA I thank you, valiant Cassio. What tidings can you tell me of my lord?

90

40

CASSIO He is not yet arrived, nor know I aught But that he’s well and will be shortly here.

let her have your knees: kneel before her 42

43

Enwheel: encircle

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

DESDEMONA O, but I fear! How lost you company? CASSIO The great contention44 of the sea and skies Parted our fellowship. [Within, ‘A sail, a sail!’ Cannons heard] – But, hark! A sail! SECOND GENTLEMAN They give their greeting to the citadel:45 This likewise is a friend.

44

contention: conflict

45

citadel: fortress

46

gall your patience: be irritated

CASSIO

100

See for the news. [Exit Gentleman] [To Iago] Good ancient, you are welcome. [To EMILIA] Welcome, mistress. Let it not gall your patience,46 good Iago, That I extend my manners. ’Tis my breeding That gives me this bold show of courtesy. [Kisses EMILIA] IAGO Sir, would she give you so much of her lips As of her tongue she oft bestows on me, You would have enough.47 DESDEMONA Alas, she has no speech. IAGO In faith, too much; I fi nd it still, when I have list to sleep.48 Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, She puts her tongue a little in her heart, And chides with thinking.49 EMILIA

110

You have little cause50 to say so.

IAGO Come on, come on! You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.51

Sir would she…enough: If she offered you as much of her lips as she gives out to me, you would have enough 47

In faith…sleep: In truth, she speaks too much. Particularly when I want to sleep. 49 Marry…thinking: By Mary, she holds her tongue before you lady but I bet she is scolding me in her thoughts 48

50

cause: reason

You are pictures…in your beds: You (women) are silent and virtuous when you’re out, noisy in your rooms, uncontrollable in your kitchens, appear innocent when you cause injury, are devils when you’re insulted, gamblers with your housekeeping and grudging in bed 51

41

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

DESDEMONA O, fi e upon thee, slanderer! IAGO Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk: You rise to play and go to bed to work. EMILIA You shall not write my praise. IAGO

No, let me not.

DESDEMONA What wouldst thou write of me, if thou shouldst praise me? IAGO O gentle lady, do not put me to’t, For I am nothing, if not critical. 120

DESDEMONA Come on, assay.52 – There’s one gone to the harbour?

52

assay: test me

IAGO Ay, madam. DESDEMONA I am not merry; but I do beguile The thing I am, by seeming otherwise.53 – Come, how wouldst thou praise me? IAGO I am about it; but indeed my invention54 Comes from my pate55 as birdlime does from frieze:56 It plucks out brains and all. But my muse labours,57 And thus she is delivered: If she be fair and wise – fairness58 and wit:59 The one’s for use, the other useth it. 130

DESDEMONA Well praised! How if she be black and witty? IAGO If she be black, and thereto have a wit, She’ll fi nd a white that shall her blackness fi t.

42

I do beguile…otherwise: although I seem merry, I am otherwise 53

invention: creativity pate: head 56 as birdlime…frieze: just as glue does from woollen cloth, i.e. with great difficulty. Birdlime: glue used to snare birds; frieze: woollen cloth. 57 muse labours: imagination is struggling 58 fairness: beauty/pale complexion 59 wit: intelligence 54 55

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

DESDEMONA Worse and worse! EMILIA

How if fair and foolish?

IAGO She never yet was foolish that was fair, For even her folly helped her to an heir.60 DESDEMONA These are old fond paradoxes61 to make fools laugh i’ the alehouse.62 What miserable praise hast thou for her that’s foul63 and foolish?

140

IAGO There’s none so foul and foolish thereunto,64 But does foul pranks65 which fair and wise ones do. DESDEMONA O heavy ignorance! Thou praisest the worst best. But what praise couldst thou bestow on a deserving woman indeed, one that in the authority of her merit,66 did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself?67

150

IAGO She that was ever fair and never proud, Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,68 Never lacked gold and yet went never gay,69 Fled from her wish70 and yet said ‘Now I may’. She that being angered, her revenge being nigh, Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fl y,71 She that in wisdom never was so frail72 To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail.73 She that could think and ne’er disclose her mind, See suitors following and not look behind, She was a wight,74 if ever such wight were –

her folly…heir: her foolishness/ promiscuity helped her have a child 60

fond paradoxes: foolish absurdities alehouse: pub 63 foul: ugly 61 62

64 65

thereunto: as well foul pranks: sexual acts

authority of her merit: known to be virtuous 67 put on…itself: make even malicious individuals praise her 66

Had tongue…loud: spoke when she wanted but not in a loud manner 69 gay: excessively dressed 70 Fled…wish: controlled her impulses 68

Bade…fly: controlled her feelings of being wronged and banished her anger 72 frail: morally weak/open to temptation 73 To change…salmon’s tail: to give up something valuable for something worthless 71

74

wight: person

DESDEMONA To do what? IAGO To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.75 DESDEMONA O most lame and impotent76 conclusion! Do not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband. How say

To suckle…beer: To mother fools and catalogue trivialities (‘small beer’) 75

76

impotent: feeble/weak 43

Act 2 Scene 1 160

170

Othello

you, Cassio? Is he not a most profane77 and liberal78 counsellor?

77

CASSIO He speaks home,79 madam. You may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar.80

79

IAGO [Aside] He takes her by the palm. Ay, well said, whisper! With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fl y as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do! I will gyve81 thee in thine own courtesies.82 You say true: ’tis so, indeed – If such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fi ngers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sir83 in. Very good! Well kissed! An excellent courtesy! ’Tis so, indeed. Yet again your fi ngers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes84 for your sake! [Trumpet within] – The Moor! I know his trumpet. CASSIO

78

profane: crude liberal: rude

home: directly You may relish…scholar: You may appreciate him more as a soldier than as a scholar 80

81 82

gyve: snare courtesies: courtly behaviour

to play the sir: playing the part of a gentleman 83

clyster-pipes: syringes used to inject the rectum 84

’Tis truly so.

DESDEMONA Let’s meet him and receive him. CASSIO Lo, where he comes! [Enter OTHELLO and Attendants] OTHELLO O my fair warrior! DESDEMONA My dear Othello!

180

44

OTHELLO It gives me wonder great as my content85 To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy! If after every tempest come such calms, May the winds blow till they have wakened death! And let the labouring bark86 climb hills of seas Olympus-high87 and duck again as low As hell’s from heaven! If it were now to die, ’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute

85

content: contentment

labouring bark: struggling ship Olympus-high: as high as Mount Olympus (in Greek mythology it is the home of the gods) 86 87

Act 2 Scene 1

That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate.88

190

DESDEMONA The heavens forbid But that our loves and comforts should increase, Even as our days do grow!

Othello My soul…fate: My soul is so absolutely content that I can’t imagine any greater comfort in the future 88

OTHELLO

Amen to that, sweet powers! I cannot speak enough of this content. It stops me here; it is too much of joy. And this, and this, the greatest discords be [Kisses DESDEMONA] That e’er our hearts shall make! IAGO

[Aside] O, you are well tuned now! But I’ll set down the pegs89 that make this music, As honest as I am.

set down the pegs: loosen the strings, i.e. untune 89

OTHELLO

200

210

Come, let us to the castle. News, friends! Our wars are done, the Turks are drowned. How does my old acquaintance of this isle? – Honey, you shall be well desired in Cyprus; I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet – I prattle out of fashion, and I dote In mine own comforts. I prithee, good Iago, Go to the bay and disembark my coffers.90 Bring thou the master to the citadel; He is a good one, and his worthiness Does challenge much respect. Come, Desdemona, Once more, well met at Cyprus. [Exeunt all but IAGO and RODERIGO] IAGO [To a leaving attendant] Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. [To Roderigo] Come hither. If thou be’st valiant – as, they say, base men being in love have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them – list91 me. The lieutenant tonight watches on the court of guard. First, I must tell thee this: Desdemona is directly in love with him.

disembark my coffers: offload my luggage 90

91

list: listen

RODERIGO With him! Why, ’tis not possible! 45

Act 2 Scene 1

220

230

240

IAGO Lay thy fi nger thus, and let thy soul be instructed. Mark me with what violence92 she fi rst loved the Moor, but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies – and will she love him still for prating?93 Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed; and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? When the blood is made dull94 with the act of sport,95 there should be, again to infl ame it and to give satiety a fresh appetite, loveliness in favour,96 sympathy in years,97 manners and beauties, all which the Moor is defective in. Now, for want of these required conveniences,98 her delicate tenderness will fi nd itself abused, begin to heave the gorge,99 disrelish100 and abhor101 the Moor – very nature will instruct her in it and compel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this granted – as it is a most pregnant and unforced position102 – who stands so eminent in the degree of this fortune as Cassio does? A knave very voluble,103 no further conscionable than in putting on the mere form of civil and humane seeming,104 for the better compassing of his salt and most hidden loose affection.105 Why none, why none: a slipper and subtle106 knave, a fi nder of occasions, that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advantages,107 though true advantage never present itself – a devilish knave. Besides, the knave is handsome, young, and hath all those requisites in him that folly and greenminds108 look after. A pestilent109 complete knave, and the woman hath found him already. RODERIGO I cannot believe that in her; she’s full of most blessed condition.110 IAGO Blessed fi g’s-end! The wine she drinks is made of grapes.111 If she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor. Blessed pudding! Didst thou not see her paddle112 with the palm of his hand? Didst not mark that?

Othello

92

violence: passion/haste

93

prating: babbling

blood…dull: passion has faded act of sport: lovemaking 96 loveliness in favour: an attractive appearance 97 sympathy in years: similar in age 98 required conveniences: necessary comforts 99 heave the gorge: vomit 100 disrelish: lose her appetite for 101 abhor: despise 102 pregnant…position: obvious and incontestable point 103 voluble: silver-tongued/smooth talking 104 no further…seeming: his conscience troubles him only to appear virtuous 105 for the better…affection: all the better to hide his lascivious nature and sexual desire 106 subtle: sneaky 107 can stamp…advantages: can create opportunities 108 greenminds: innocent/ inexperienced 109 pestilent: noxious 94 95

110

condition: character

The wine…grapes: i.e. She’s only human 111

112

paddle: fondle/caress

RODERIGO Yes, that I did – but that was but courtesy.

250

46

IAGO Lechery, by this hand! An index and obscure prologue113 to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met so near with their lips that their breaths embraced together. Villainous thoughts, Roderigo! When these mutualities114

index…prologue: a preface and shadowy introduction 113

114

mutualities: intimacies

Act 2 Scene 1

260

so marshal the way, hard at hand comes the master and main exercise,115 the incorporate conclusion.116 Pish! But, sir, be you ruled by me. I have brought you from Venice. Watch you tonight. For the command, I’ll lay’t upon you. Cassio knows you not. I’ll not be far from you. Do you fi nd some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline,117 or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favourably minister.118

Othello master…exercise: the main action, i.e. sex 116 incorporate conclusion: bodies united at last, i.e. sex 115

tainting his discipline: disparaging his professionalism (as a soldier) 117

118

minister: offer

RODERIGO Well –

270

IAGO Sir, he is rash and very sudden in choler,119 and haply120 may strike at you. Provoke him, that he may. For even out of that will I cause these of Cyprus to mutiny121 – whose qualifi cation shall come into no true taste again but by the displanting of Cassio.122 So shall you have a shorter journey to your desires by the means I shall then have to prefer them – and the impediment most profi tably removed, without the which there were no expectation of our prosperity.123 RODERIGO I will do this, if I can bring it to any opportunity.

sudden in choler: easily angered haply: perhaps 121 these…mutiny: the people of Cyprus to riot 119

120

whose qualification…Cassio: who won’t be pacified until Cassio is replaced 122

without the which…prosperity: without which we couldn’t expect to succeed 123

IAGO I warrant thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel. I must fetch his necessaries ashore. Farewell. RODERIGO Adieu. [Exit]

280

IAGO That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it; That she loves him, ’tis apt and of great credit.124 The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not,125 Is of a constant, loving, noble nature, And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too – Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure126 I stand accountant for as great a sin, But partly led to diet127 my revenge – For that I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat.128 The thought whereof

apt…credit: likely and credible howbeit…not: even though I can’t bear him 124 125

126

peradventure: perhaps

127

diet: feed

leaped…seat: taken my place, i.e. had sex with Emilia 128

47

Act 2 Scene 1

290

300

Othello

Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards. And nothing can or shall content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife, Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgement129 cannot cure. Which thing to do, If this poor trash of Venice,130 whom I trace For his quick hunting,131 stand the putting on,132 I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,133 Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb134 – For I fear Cassio with my nightcap135 too – Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me. For making him egregiously an ass136 And practising upon his peace and quiet Even to madness.137 ’Tis here, but yet confused: Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.138 [Exit]

judgement: reason/rationality poor trash of Venice: i.e. Roderigo 131 whom I trace…hunting: whom I restrain from pursuing Desdemona too energetically 132 stand…putting on: follows my lead 133 on the hip: at my mercy. This is a wrestling term 134 Abuse…garb: slander Cassio by describing him to Othello as lustful 135 with my nightcap too: slept with my wife also 136 egregiously an ass: an exceptional fool 137 And practising…madness: and plotting against his peace of mind to the point of insanity 138 ’Tis here…till used: The plan is here in my mind but not quite clear. Dishonesty is never plainly seen until it has occurred 129 130

Key Quotations IAGO

Come on, come on! You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.

IAGO

With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fl y as Cassio.

IAGO

O, you are well tuned now! / But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music, / As honest as I am.

IAGO

’Tis here, but yet confused: / Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.

Commentary

The storm that threatens the ships at sea is a fi tting precursor to the turmoil the characters are soon to face. In his absence Othello is discussed by Montano and three gentlemen. This reinforces how highly regarded Othello is. Montano calls Othello ‘a worthy governor’ when he learns that Othello is to take command of Cyprus. He also dubs him ‘brave Othello’ in praise of his military ability. In his banter with Desdemona, Iago reveals his cynical view of women. He speaks disparagingly of his wife Emilia, and characterises women as deceitful: ‘Come on, come on! You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds’ 48

Act 2 Scene 1





Othello

Although Iago speaks in jest here, his comments suggest a distrustful and cynical nature. Later, in Acts 3 and 4, this view of women is balanced by Emilia’s equally distrustful attitude towards men. Cassio is presented as a refi ned and courteous individual. He speaks respectfully about Desdemona to Montano: ‘… He hath achieved a maid That paragons description and wild fame, One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens, And in the essential vesture of creation Does tire the ingener’ He also asks Iago’s pardon for kissing Emilia: ‘Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, / That I extend my manners. ’Tis my breeding / That gives me this bold show of courtesy.’ In this scene Iago malevolently schemes to ruin Othello. He remarks that Othello’s life is currently harmonious: ‘O, you are well tuned now!’ However, Iago intends to create discord with his sinister plan: ‘I’ll set down the pegs that make this music’. Iago aims to encourage jealousy within Othello by suggesting that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. Iago relishes the misery he is set to cause and hopes to ruin Othello’s happiness even to the point of madness: ‘And practising upon his peace and quiet / Even to madness.’ Iago enrols the unwitting Roderigo in his plan by instructing him to goad Cassio into a fi ght to bring about his dismissal. Othello and Desdemona exhibit the depth of their love in this scene. They joyfully greet each other and clearly take great pleasure in each other’s company. Desdemona expresses great optimism for their continued happiness: ‘our loves and comforts should increase, / Even as our days do grow!’ However, the dramatic irony* of Iago’s bitter asides overshadows this joy. Iago’s soliloquy raises questions about his motivation. The soliloquy is emotionally charged as Iago struggles to justify his malevolence. Iago says that his hatred is partly due to the ‘poisonous mineral’ of jealousy for Emilia’s supposed infi delity with Othello. In Act 1, Scene 3, Iago says that he is not absolutely certain if the rumour of the affair is true but he vows to proceed as if it were. Iago makes good on this promise here: ‘And nothing can or shall content my soul / Till I am evened with him, wife for wife.’ Iago also mentions a similar suspicion about Cassio: ‘I fear Cassio with my nightcap too’. This raises questions about Iago’s motivation in the play. Does it stem from paranoia about his wife’s fi delity? Or is Iago merely looking to justify to himself his hatred of Othello? Iago also toys with the idea that he is attracted to Desdemona himself and that this partly feeds his need for ‘revenge’: ‘I do love her too – Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure I stand accountant for as great a sin, But partly led to diet my revenge’. It seems that Iago himself fails to adequately provide a motive for his actions. Iago, although a schemer, is also a quick-thinking opportunist. He admits that the fi ner details of his evil plan are not fully formed and that the complete scheme will only be clear to him as it happens: ‘’Tis here, but yet confused: / Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.’ *Dramatic irony: when the audience knows something that the characters on stage are unaware of. In this case, Othello and Desdemona are wholly unaware of Iago’s plot to ruin their happiness. 49

Act 2 Scene 1

Othello

Questions

1. Look at the conversation between Montano and the gentlemen at the start of this scene. What does it tell the audience about Othello’s reputation? 2. Referring directly to this scene, describe Cassio’s opinion of: (a) Othello (b) Desdemona 3. Basing your answer on this scene, what is your view of Cassio? 4. What does Iago’s banter with Desdemona tell us about his view of women? 5. Dramatic irony is when the audience is aware of something that characters on stage are not. Find an example of dramatic irony in this scene. 6. Both Othello and Iago use a musical metaphor in this scene. (a) Find where this occurs. (b) What does it communicate to the audience? 7. (a) What lie does Iago tell Roderigo about Cassio? (b) How might Cassio’s behaviour encourage Roderigo to believe this? 8. Iago gives Roderigo instructions on what to do to ensure that Cassio loses his position as Othello’s lieutenant. What are these instructions? 9. Look at Iago’s soliloquy at the end of this scene. (a) What motivation does he give for scheming against Othello and Cassio? (b) Do you think he truly believes these reasons? Why / why not? 10. What do you think Iago means when he says, ‘’Tis here, but yet confused: / Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used’? 11. Would you agree that this scene increases the tension of Othello? Refer directly to the scene in your answer.

50

Act 2 Scene 2 Scene Summary

A herald announces a night of festivities to celebrate the destruction of the Turkish fl eet and to honour Othello and Desdemona’s marriage.

A street. Enter a Herald with a proclamation. People following.

10

HERALD It is Othello’s pleasure, our noble and valiant general, that, upon certain tidings now arrived, importing the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet,1 every man put himself into triumph:2 some to dance, some to make bonfires, each man to what sport and revels his addiction leads him. For, besides these beneficial news, it is the celebration of his nuptial.3 So much was his pleasure should be proclaimed. All offices4 are open, and there is full liberty of feasting from this present hour of five till the bell have told eleven. Heaven bless the isle of Cyprus and our noble general Othello! [Exit]

importing…fleet: telling of the Turkish fleet’s complete destruction 2 every man…triumph: everybody should celebrate 1

3 4

nuptial: wedding offices: kitchens, inns, etc.

Commentary

This short scene illustrates Othello’s social importance, in that the whole of Cyprus will celebrate his marriage to Desdemona.

51

Act 2 Scene 3 Scene Summary

Iago encourages Cassio to drink alcohol and gets him drunk. Roderigo insults Cassio and a fi ght breaks out. Montano is wounded by Cassio. Othello dismisses Cassio from his post as lieutenant. Iago convinces Cassio to go to Desdemona for help. Iago believes this will encourage Othello to think that his wife is having an affair with Cassio.

A hall in the castle. Enter OTHELLO, DESDEMONA, CASSIO and Attendants OTHELLO Good Michael, look you to the guard tonight. Let’s teach ourselves that honourable stop, Not to outsport discretion.1 CASSIO Iago hath direction what to do – But, notwithstanding,2 with my personal eye Will I look to’t.

Let’s teach…discretion: Let’s practise restraint and not celebrate too much 1

2

notwithstanding: despite this

OTHELLO

10

Iago is most honest. Michael, good night. Tomorrow with your earliest Let me have speech with you. [To DESDEMONA] Come, my dear love, The purchase made, the fruits are to ensue, That profi t’s yet to come ’tween me and you. [To Cassio] Good night. [Exeunt OTHELLO, DESDEMONA, and Attendants] [Enter IAGO] CASSIO Welcome, Iago. We must to the watch.

52

IAGO Not this hour,3 lieutenant: ’tis not yet ten o’ the clock. Our general cast us thus early for the love of his Desdemona – who let us not therefore blame – he hath not yet made wanton the night with her,4 and she is sport for Jove.5

Not this hour: Not now he hath…with her: he hasn’t made love to her tonight yet 5 she is…Jove: she is an appropriate sexual partner for Jove. Jove (Jupiter) was king of the gods and considered to have a large sexual appetite 3 4

Act 2 Scene 3

CASSIO She’s a most exquisite6 lady. IAGO And, I’ll warrant her, full of game.7 20

Othello 6

exquisite: extraordinarily beautiful

7

full of game: sexually eager

CASSIO Indeed, she’s a most fresh and delicate creature. IAGO What an eye she has! Methinks it sounds a parley of provocation.8 CASSIO An inviting eye – and yet methinks right modest. IAGO And when she speaks, is it not an alarum9 to love?

Methinks…provocation: I think it invites sexual thoughts 8

9

alarum: call

CASSIO She is indeed perfection. IAGO Well, happiness to their sheets! Come, lieutenant, I have a stoup10 of wine; and here without are a brace of Cyprus gallants11 that would fain have a measure12 to the health of black Othello. 30

stoup: flagon/large jug a brace…gallants: two Cypriot gentlemen. Iago is perhaps understating the number of drinking companions to encourage Cassio to join them 12 fain…measure: happily drink 10 11

CASSIO Not tonight, good Iago. I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking. I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment. IAGO O, they are our friends. But one cup – I’ll drink for you. CASSIO I have drunk but one cup tonight, and that was craftily qualifi ed13 too, and, behold, what innovation14 it makes here. I am unfortunate in the infi rmity, and dare not task my weakness with any more.

13 14

craftily qualified: carefully diluted innovation: 1. disturbance 2. change

IAGO What, man! ’Tis a night of revels. The gallants desire it. CASSIO Where are they? 53

Act 2 Scene 3 40

Othello

IAGO Here at the door. I pray you, call them in. CASSIO I’ll do’t, but it dislikes me. [Exit]

50

IAGO If I can fasten but one cup upon him, With that which he hath drunk tonight already, He’ll be as full of quarrel and offence15 As my young mistress’ dog. Now, my sick fool Roderigo, Whom love hath turned almost the wrong side out, To Desdemona hath tonight caroused Potations pottle-deep16 – and he’s to watch. 17 Three else of Cyprus – noble swelling spirits, That hold their honours in a wary distance, The very elements of this warlike isle18 – Have I tonight fl ustered with fl owing cups.19 And they watch too. Now, ’mongst this fl ock of drunkards, Am I to put our Cassio in some action That may offend the isle. – But here they come: If consequence do but approve my dream, 20 My boat sails freely, both with wind and stream. [Enter CASSIO with MONTANO and Gentlemen; servants following with wine] CASSIO ’Fore God, they have given me a rouse21 already.

offence: tetchiness/readiness to take offence 15

To Desdemona…pottle-deep: to Desdemona he has tonight drunk toasts to the bottom of the glass 17 he’s to watch: he’s on guard duty 18 noble swelling…warlike isle: proud souls who are quick to take offence, typical individuals of this warring nation 19 flustered…cups: confused with lots of drink 16

If consequence…dream: if events turn out the way I’ve planned 20

21

rouse: drink

22

cannikin: small can

23

life’s but a span: life is short

MONTANO Good faith, a little one. Not past a pint, as I am a soldier. 60

IAGO Some wine, ho! [Sings] ‘And let me the cannikin22 clink, clink, And let me the cannikin clink A soldier’s a man, A life’s but a span,23 Why, then, let a soldier drink.’ Some wine, boys! CASSIO ’Fore God, an excellent song.

54

Act 2 Scene 3

70

IAGO I learned it in England, where, indeed, they are most potent in potting.24 Your Dane, your German, and your swagbellied Hollander25 – Drink, ho! – are nothing to your English. CASSIO Is your Englishman so exquisite26 in his drinking? IAGO Why, he drinks you with facility your Dane dead drunk.27 He sweats not to overthrow your Almain.28 He gives your Hollander a vomit, ere the next pottle can be fi lled.29 CASSIO To the health of our general!

Othello

potent in potting: great drinkers swag-bellied Hollander: beer-bellied Dutchman 24 25

26

exquisite: excellent

Why…dead drunk: Why he easily would drink a Danish man to death i.e. ‘under the table’ 28 He sweats…Almain: He can outdrink a German without breaking a sweat 29 ere the next…filled: before the next mug can be refilled 27

MONTANO I am for it, lieutenant, and I’ll do you justice.

80

IAGO O sweet England! [Singing] ‘King Stephen was a worthy peer, His breeches cost him but a crown; He held them sixpence all too dear, With that he called the tailor lown.30 He was a wight31 of high renown, And thou art but of low degree: ’Tis pride that pulls the country down, Then take thine auld cloak about thee.’ Some wine, ho!

30

lown: a man of low social status

31

wight: individual

CASSIO ’Fore God, this is a more exquisite song than the other. IAGO Will you hear’t again? 90

CASSIO No, for I hold him to be unworthy of his place that does those things. Well, God’s above all – and there be souls must be saved, and there be souls must not be saved. IAGO It’s true, good lieutenant. 55

Act 2 Scene 3

Othello

CASSIO For mine own part – no offence to the general, nor any man of quality – I hope to be saved. IAGO And so do I too, lieutenant.

100

CASSIO Ay, but, by your leave, not before me. The lieutenant is to be saved before the ancient. Let’s have no more of this. Let’s to our affairs. – God forgive us our sins! – Gentlemen, let’s look to our business. Do not think, gentlemen, I am drunk. This is my ancient – this is my right hand, and this is my left. I am not drunk now. I can stand well enough, and speak well enough. ALL Excellent well! CASSIO Why, very well then. You must not think then that I am drunk. [Exit] MONTANO To the platform, masters. Come, let’s set the watch.

110

IAGO You see this fellow that is gone before: He is a soldier fi t to stand by Caesar And give direction – and do but see his vice. ’Tis to his virtue a just equinox,32 The one as long as the other – ’tis pity of him. I fear the trust Othello puts him in. On some odd time33 of his infi rmity, Will shake this island.

’Tis to his virtue…equinox: it (his vice for drinking) counterbalances his virtue just like night and day are balanced during the equinox 33 odd time: unexpected time 32

MONTANO But is he often thus? IAGO ’Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep:34 He’ll watch the horologe a double set, If drink rock not his cradle.35

56

MONTANO It were well The general were put in mind of it.

’Tis evermore…sleep: Increasingly he drinks before bed 35 He’ll watch…cradle: He’ll watch the clock twice around (i.e. 24 hours) if drink doesn’t soothe him to sleep 34

Act 2 Scene 3 120

Othello

Perhaps he sees it not, or his good nature Prizes the virtue that appears in Cassio And looks not on his evils. Is not this true? [Enter RODERIGO] IAGO [Aside to him] How now, Roderigo? I pray you, after the lieutenant, go! [Exit RODERIGO] MONTANO And ’tis great pity that the noble Moor Should hazard36 such a place as his own second With one of an ingraft infi rmity.37 It were an honest action to say So to the Moor.

36 37

hazard: risk ingraft infirmity: deeply rooted illness

IAGO 130

Not I, for this fair island! I do love Cassio well and would do much To cure him of this evil. [Cry within: ‘Help! help!’] – But, hark! what noise? [Enter RODERIGO pursued by CASSIO] CASSIO ’Zounds – you rogue! You rascal! MONTANO What’s the matter, lieutenant? CASSIO A knave teach me my duty! I’ll beat the knave into a twiggen bottle.38 RODERIGO Beat me! CASSIO Dost thou prate,39 rogue? [Strikes RODERIGO]

twiggen bottle: wicker cover for a wine bottle 38

39

prate: ‘give me lip’

MONTANO Nay, good lieutenant! [Restraining him] I pray you, sir, hold your hand.

57

Act 2 Scene 3

CASSIO Let me go, sir, or I’ll knock you o’er the mazzard.40

Othello 40

mazzard: head

41

mutiny: riot

42

goodly: fine (sarcastic)

43

Diablo: The Devil

44

Hold…lives!: Stop or lose your lives

MONTANO Come, come, you’re drunk! 140

CASSIO Drunk!

[They fi ght]

IAGO [Aside to RODERIGO] Away, I say. Go out, and cry a mutiny.41 [Exit RODERIGO] Nay, good lieutenant! God’s will, gentlemen! – Help, ho! Lieutenant, sir! – Montano! Help, masters! – Here’s a goodly42 watch indeed! [Bell rings] Who’s that which rings the bell? Diablo,43 ho! – The town will rise. God’s will, lieutenant, You will be shamed for ever! [Enter OTHELLO and Attendants with weapons] OTHELLO

What is the matter here?

MONTANO ’Zounds, I bleed still! I am hurt to the death. [Attacks Cassio] He dies! OTHELLO Hold, for your lives!44 150

IAGO Hold, ho! Lieutenant – sir – Montano! – Gentlemen! Have you forgot all sense of place and duty? Hold! The general speaks to you. Hold, for shame! OTHELLO Why, how now, ho! From whence ariseth this? Are we turned Turks, and to ourselves do that Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites? For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl! He that stirs next to carve for his own rage Holds his soul light;45 he dies upon his motion!46 Silence that dreadful bell. It frights the isle

58

He that stirs…soul light: The next man that moves to vent his anger considers his life cheap 46 he dies…motion!: he will be killed as soon as he moves 45

Act 2 Scene 3 160

170

From her propriety.47 What is the matter, masters? Honest Iago, that look’st dead with grieving, Speak, who began this? On thy love, I charge thee. IAGO I do not know. Friends all but now, even now, In quarter,48 and in terms like bride and groom Divesting them for bed.49 And then, but now – As if some planet had unwitted men – 50 Swords out, and tilting one at other’s breast, In opposition bloody. I cannot speak Any beginning to this peevish51 odds, And would52 in action glorious I had lost Those legs that brought me to a part of it!

Othello 47

propriety: peace

quarter: conduct in terms…bed: like a bride and groom undressing for bed 50 As if…men: as if the planets had induced madness 48 49

51 52

peevish: pig-headed would: I wish

OTHELLO How comes it, Michael, you are thus forgot? CASSIO I pray you, pardon me. I cannot speak.

180

OTHELLO Worthy Montano, you were wont be civil.53 The gravity54 and stillness55 of your youth The world hath noted, and your name is great In mouths of wisest censure:56 what’s the matter, That you unlace57 your reputation thus And spend your rich opinion58 for the name Of a night-brawler? Give me answer to it. MONTANO Worthy Othello, I am hurt to danger. Your offi cer, Iago, can inform you – While I spare speech, which something now offends me59 – Of all that I do know. Nor know I aught60 By me that’s said or done amiss this night, Unless self-charity61 be sometimes a vice, And to defend ourselves it be a sin When violence assails62 us.

you were…civil: you used to be so polite 54 gravity: serious manner 55 stillness: calm demeanour 56 censure: judgement 57 unlace: undo 58 spend…opinion: throw away your good name 53

which something…offends me: it hurts for me to speak (because I’m wounded) 60 aught: anything 61 self-charity: regard for oneself 59

62

assails: attacks

OTHELLO 190

Now, by heaven, My blood begins my safer guides to rule,63 And passion, having my best judgement collied,64 Assays65 to lead the way. If I once stir, Or do but lift this arm, the best of you

My blood…rule: I’m starting to be led by my anger 64 collied: clouded/blackened/darkened 65 Assays: tries 63

59

Act 2 Scene 3

200

Shall sink in my rebuke.66 Give me to know How this foul rout67 began, who set it on, And he that is approved in this offence,68 Though he had twinned with me, both at a birth, Shall lose me.69 What, in a town of war, Yet wild, the people’s hearts brimful of fear, To manage private and domestic quarrel? In night, and on the court and guard of safety? ’Tis monstrous. Iago, who began it? MONTANO If partially affi ned,70 or leagued in offi ce,71 Thou dost deliver more or less than truth, Thou art no soldier.

Othello sink in my rebuke: fall under my reprimand 67 rout: brawl 68 approved in this offence: proven guilty of this crime 69 Though he had twinned...lose me: even if he is my twin, born at the same time as me, he will lose my support 66

partially affined: bound by friendship/connection, i.e. biased 71 leagued in office: influenced because you work together 70

IAGO

210

220

230

Touch me not so near. I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio. Yet, I persuade myself, to speak the truth Shall nothing wrong him. Thus it is, general: Montano and myself being in speech, There comes a fellow crying out for help, And Cassio following him with determined sword, To execute upon him. Sir, this gentleman Steps in to Cassio, and entreats his pause.72 Myself the crying fellow did pursue, Lest by his clamour73 – as it so fell out – The town might fall in fright. He, swift of foot, Outran my purpose and I returned the rather For that I heard the clink and fall of swords, And Cassio high in oath – which till tonight I ne’er might say before. When I came back – For this was brief – I found them close together, At blow and thrust, even as again they were When you yourself did part them. More of this matter cannot I report – But men are men: the best sometimes forget. Though Cassio did some little wrong to him, As men in rage strike those that wish them best, Yet surely Cassio, I believe, received From him that fl ed some strange indignity,74 Which patience could not pass.75 OTHELLO

I know, Iago, Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter,76 60

entreats his pause: begs him to stop 72

Lest by his clamour: in case, that by his shouting 73

indignity: insult Which…not pass: which he couldn’t leave unanswered 74 75

doth mince this matter: does tone down what happened 76

Act 2 Scene 3

Othello

Making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee But never more be offi cer of mine. [Enter DESDEMONA with Attendants] Look, if my gentle love be not raised up! [To CASSIO] I’ll make thee an example. DESDEMONA What’s the matter, dear?

240

OTHELLO All’s well now, sweeting;77 come away to bed. [To MONTANO] Sir, for your hurts, myself will be your surgeon. Lead him off. [MONTANO is helped away] Iago, look with care about the town, And silence those whom this vile brawl distracted. Come, Desdemona: ’tis the soldiers’ life To have their balmy slumbers waked with strife.78 [Exeunt all but IAGO and CASSIO]

77

sweeting: my sweet

their balmy…strife: woken from their soothing sleep by trouble 78

IAGO What, are you hurt, lieutenant? CASSIO Ay, past all surgery. IAGO Marry, God forbid!

250

CASSIO Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself,79 and what remains is bestial.80 My reputation, Iago, my reputation!

79

IAGO As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some bodily wound. There is more sense in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. You have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute81 yourself such a loser. What, man! There are ways to recover the general again.82 You are but now cast in his mood – a punishment more in policy than in malice83 – even so as one would beat his offenceless84 dog to affright an imperious lion. Sue to him85 again, and he’s yours.

81

the immortal…myself: the part that lives on after death 80 bestial: beastlike

repute: consider recover…again: regain Othello’s favour 83 more in policy…malice: more for political reasons than hatred 84 offenceless: innocent 85 Sue to him: Plead with him 82

61

Act 2 Scene 3 260

CASSIO I will rather sue to be despised than to deceive so good a commander with so slight, so drunken, and so indiscreet an offi cer. Drunk? And speak parrot?86 And squabble? Swagger? Swear? And discourse fustian87 with one’s own shadow? O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil!

Othello

86 87

parrot: rubbish discourse fustian: talk nonsense

IAGO What was he that you followed with your sword? What had he done to you? CASSIO I know not. IAGO Is’t possible? 270

CASSIO I remember a mass of things, but nothing distinctly: a quarrel, but nothing wherefore. O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! That we should, with joy, pleasance,88 revel and applause, transform ourselves into beasts!

88

pleasance: pleasure

89

wrath: anger unperfectness: imperfection

IAGO Why, but you are now well enough. How came you thus recovered? CASSIO It hath pleased the devil drunkenness to give place to the devil wrath.89 One unperfectness90 shows me another, to make me frankly despise myself. 280

IAGO Come, you are too severe a moraler.91 As the time, the place, and the condition of this country stands, I could heartily wish this had not befallen. But, since it is as it is, mend it for your own good. CASSIO I will ask him for my place again; he shall tell me I am a drunkard! Had I as many mouths as Hydra,92 such an answer would stop them all. To be now a sensible man, by and by93 a fool, and presently94 a beast! O strange! Every inordinate95 cup is unblessed and the ingredient is a devil.

62

90

91

moraler: moraliser

Hydra: a mythological serpent with many heads 93 by and by: then 94 presently: now 95 inordinate: excessive 92

Act 2 Scene 3 290

IAGO Come, come, good wine is a good familiar96 creature, if it be well used; exclaim no more against it. And, good lieutenant, I think you think I love you.

Othello 96

familiar: friendly

CASSIO I have well approved it, sir. I drunk!

300

IAGO You or any man living may be drunk at a time, man. I’ll tell you what you shall do. Our general’s wife is now the general. I may say so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces.97 Confess yourself freely to her. Importune98 her help to put you in your place again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested. This broken joint between you and her husband entreat99 her to splinter100 – and, my fortunes against any lay101 worth naming, this crack of your love shall grow stronger than it was before.

contemplation…graces: the study of her (Desdemona’s) qualities 98 Importune: Beg 97

entreat: beseech splinter: repair 101 lay: bet 99

100

CASSIO You advise me well. IAGO I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kindness.

310

CASSIO I think it freely – and betimes102 in the morning I will beseech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me.103 I am desperate of my fortunes if they check104 me here.

betimes: early undertake for me: take on my case 104 check: prevent 102 103

IAGO You are in the right. Good night, lieutenant. I must to the watch. CASSIO Good night, honest Iago. [Exit] IAGO And what’s he then that says I play the villain? When this advice is free I give, and honest, Probal105 to thinking and indeed the course To win the Moor again? For ’tis most easy The inclining106 Desdemona to subdue

105

Probal: probable

106

inclining: helpful 63

Act 2 Scene 3 320

330

340

In any honest suit. She’s framed as fruitful As the free elements.107 And then for her To win the Moor – were’t to renounce his baptism, All seals and symbols of redeemed sin – 108 His soul is so enfettered109 to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she list, Even as her appetite shall play the god With his weak function.110 How am I then a villain To counsel Cassio to this parallel course, Directly to his good? Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at fi rst with heavenly shows,111 As I do now. For whiles this honest fool Plies112 Desdemona to repair his fortunes, And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, I’ll pour this pestilence113 into his ear: That she repeals him114 for her body’s lust. And by how much she strives to do him good, She shall undo her credit with the Moor. So will I turn her virtue into pitch,115 And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all. [Enter RODERIGO] – How now, Roderigo? RODERIGO I do follow here in the chase, not like a hound that hunts, but one that fi lls up the cry.116 My money is almost spent. I have been tonight exceedingly well cudgelled;117 and I think the issue will be, I shall have so much experience for my pains – and so, with no money at all and a little more wit, return again to Venice.

350

64

IAGO How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? Thou know’st we work by wit, and not by witchcraft, And wit depends on dilatory118 time. Does’t not go well? Cassio hath beaten thee. And thou, by that small hurt, hast cashiered119 Cassio. Though other things grow fair against the sun, Yet fruits that blossom fi rst will fi rst be ripe. Content thyself awhile. By the mass, ’tis morning! Pleasure and action make the hours seem short. Retire thee – go where thou art billeted.120 Away, I say! Thou shalt know more hereafter. Nay, get thee gone.

Othello She’s framed…elements: She’s created as generous as nature itself 108 were’t to renounce…sin: even if it meant renouncing Christianity and all its symbols 109 enfettered: tied 110 Even as her…function: just as his (Othello’s) sexual desire for her shall rule him because he is unable to resist her 107

111

heavenly shows: appear virtuous

112

Plies: begs

113

pestilence: poison

repeals him: appeals to have him (Cassio) reinstated in his job 114

115

pitch: black tar

fills up the cry: makes up the hunting pack 117 cudgelled: beaten 116

118

dilatory: slowly passing

119

cashiered: dismissed

120

billeted: lodging as a soldier

Act 2 Scene 3

360

Othello

[Exit RODERIGO] Two things are to be done: My wife must move for121 Cassio to her mistress – I’ll set her on – Myself the while to draw the Moor apart, And bring him jump122 when he may Cassio fi nd Soliciting his wife. Ay, that’s the way! Dull not device by coldness and delay.123 [Exit] OTHELLO

must move for: plead on (Cassio’s) behalf 121

jump: at precisely the right time Dull not…delay: Don’t let the plot lose its momentum by lack of energy or any hesitancy 122 123

Key Quotations My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion, having my best judgement collied, Assays to lead the way.

CASSIO

Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.

IAGO

His soul is so enfettered to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she list, Even as her appetite shall play the god With his weak function.

IAGO

Divinity of hell! / When devils will the blackest sins put on, / They do suggest at fi rst with heavenly shows

IAGO

I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear

IAGO

So will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all.

Commentary

This scene combines the comedy of drunkenness, the visual spectacle of onstage fi ghting and rich dramatic tension. Although the scene is both humorous and exciting, it is also important in terms of plot development and the relationships between the characters. As they discuss Desdemona, the differences between Cassio and Iago are brought into sharp relief. Iago is vulgar and bawdy as he refers to Desdemona in sexually suggestive terms: ‘she is sport for Jove’, ‘I’ll warrant her, full of game’, ‘What an eye she has! Methinks it sounds a parley of / provocation.’ Cassio refuses to discuss her in this manner and instead respectfully stresses her beauty and virtue: ‘An inviting eye – and yet methinks right modest’. Iago is adept at masking his true intentions. He feigns a jovial nature to encourage Cassio to get drunk and capably entertains the drinkers with his singing and jokes. Similarly, Iago pretends to be Cassio’s friend and makes Othello think he is toning down his report of the fi ght; in reality Iago is setting Cassio up for a fall. Iago stage manages the melee, encouraging Roderigo to raise the alarm to ‘cry a mutiny’ while all the time appearing as a reluctant witness. Iago’s songs are of thematic importance in the play. They point to the danger of excessive pride: ‘He was a wight of high renown, / And thou art but of low degree / ’Tis pride that pulls the country down’. 65

Act 2 Scene 3



Othello

In this scene Othello acts authoritatively but rashly. Othello stops the brawl and quickly restores order. However, he reveals himself to be impatient. He asks three times who began the brawl; when he fails to get an answer he becomes enraged. It is clear that Othello cannot tolerate uncertainty. Othello’s need for certainty leads him to dismiss Cassio with little investigation. Iago’s observation, ‘How poor are they that have not patience!’ can be easily applied to Othello. Othello himself recognises he is led by his emotions rather than rationality in this scene: ‘Now, by heaven, My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion, having my best judgement collied, Assays to lead the way.’ This excitable nature and failure to apply reason eventually will contribute to Othello’s downfall. Othello is becoming increasingly dependant on Iago’s advice. Othello calls fi rst on ‘Honest Iago’ to report what happened and trusts him to be an innately good person: ‘I know, Iago, / Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, / Making it light to Cassio.’ Cassio’s concern for his reputation makes him an easy target for Iago’s manipulative strategies. After he loses his position as Othello’s lieutenant, Cassio despairs for his damaged reputation, seeing it as representative of his civilised, refi ned nature: ‘Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.’ Iago preys on this. Driven by his pride in his reputation, Cassio approaches Desdemona in the hope that she can convince Othello to reinstate him. Desdemona’s goodness is continually stressed. Cassio calls her a ‘a most exquisite lady’ and a ‘fresh and delicate creature’. Othello addresses her as ‘my gentle love’. Iago, however, is contemptuous of her goodness and sees it as a vulnerability that he can exploit: ‘I turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all.’

Questions

1. At the start of this scene Iago and Cassio discuss Desdemona. (a) What does Iago suggest about her personality? (b) How does Cassio respond to Iago’s suggestive comments? 2. Why is Iago so keen to get Cassio drunk? 3. (a) How does Iago depict English, Danish, German and Dutch drinkers? (b) How do you think Shakespeare’s audience would have responded to this? 4. How does Iago escalate the brawl so that it affects the whole island? 5. What evidence shows that Othello reacts angrily to the brawl? 6. How does Iago manipulate Othello in this scene? 7. Do you agree that Othello shows himself to be reliant on Iago’s advice in this scene? Explain your answer. 8. (a) Cassio feels that he has tarnished his reputation. What advice does Iago give him to restore it? (b) Why does Iago give Cassio this advice? 9. ‘Iago uses other people’s good qualities against them.’ Do you agree with this statement? Refer to this scene in your answer. 10. Imagine you are a journalist for a tabloid newspaper. Write an article about the brawl. Quote key characters as witnesses. 66

Act 2

Revision Quiz

1. How is the invading Turkish fleet destroyed? 2. To whom is Iago married? 3. Othello gives two reasons for announcing a night of celebration for Cyprus. What are they? 4. Whom does Cassio wound in the drunken brawl? 5. How does Othello punish Cassio for his actions during the brawl? 6. After Cassio is punished, what advice does Iago give him? 7. What is Iago’s plan to ruin Othello at this point of the play? 8. Which of the following words is often used to describe Iago? (a) Loyal (b) Honest (c) Honourable (d) Brave 9. Who says each of the following? (a) Come on, come on! You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds. (b) Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. (c) His soul is so enfettered to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she list, Even as her appetite shall play the god With his weak function. (d) My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion, having my best judgement collied, Assays to lead the way. 10. Rewrite these quotations. In each case, write the speaker’s name and fill in the blanks. (a) O, you are well ________now! But I’ll set down the ________ that make this music, As ________ as I am. (b) ‘Tis here, but yet confused: / ________ plain face is never seen till ________. (c) I’ll pour this ________ into his ear (d) So will I turn her virtue into ________, And out of her own ________ make the net That shall ________ them all.

67

Act 3 Scene 1 Scene Summary

Cassio hires musicians to play for Othello. The clown sends them away. Iago sends Emilia to speak with Cassio. She promises to arrange a meeting between Cassio and Desdemona.

Before the castle. Enter CASSIO with Musicians CASSIO Masters, play here; I will content your pains.1 Something that’s brief – and bid ‘Good morrow, general.’ [Music] [Enter CLOWN2] CLOWN Why masters, have your instruments been in Naples,3 that they speak i’ the nose4 thus? FIRST MUSICIAN How, sir, how!

I will…pains: I will reward you for your trouble 1

Clown: a comic servant. Shakespeare often gave his comic characters names but not in Othello 2

Naples: a city known for venereal disease 4 speak i’ the nose: 1. speak with a nasal voice associated with Naples 2. suffer from venereal disease 3

CLOWN Are these, I pray you, wind instruments? FIRST MUSICIAN Ay, marry, are they, sir. CLOWN O, thereby hangs a tail.5

5

tail: 1. story 2. penis

FIRST MUSICIAN Whereby hangs a tail, sir? 10

68

CLOWN Marry, sir, by many a wind instrument6 that I know. But, masters, here’s money for you, and the general so likes your music, that he desires you, for love’s sake, to make no more noise7 with it.

wind instrument: 1. muscial instruments (e.g. flutes) 2. anus 6

noise: the clown is making a crude joke about flatulence 7

Act 3 Scene 1

Othello

FIRST MUSICIAN Well, sir, we will not. CLOWN If you have any music that may not be heard, to’t8 again. But, as they say, to hear music the general does not greatly care.

8

to’t: play it

9

Prithee…quillets: Please, stop using puns

FIRST MUSICIAN We have none such, sir.

20

CLOWN Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I’ll away. Go, vanish into air, away! [Exeunt Musicians] CASSIO Dost thou hear, my honest friend? CLOWN No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you. CASSIO Prithee, keep up thy quillets.9 There’s a poor piece of gold for thee: if the gentlewoman that attends the general’s wife be stirring, tell her there’s one Cassio entreats10 her a little favour of speech. Wilt thou do this?

10

entreats: asks

CLOWN She is stirring, sir. If she will stir hither, I shall seem to notify unto her. CASSIO Do, good my friend. [Exit CLOWN] [Enter IAGO] In happy time,11 Iago. 30

IAGO You have not been abed, then? CASSIO Why, no: the day had broke before we parted. I have made bold, Iago, to send in to your wife. My suit to her is, that she will to virtuous Desdemona Procure me some access.12

In happy time: You’ve come at a good moment 11

Procure…access: help me to see her (Desdemona) 12

69

Act 3 Scene 1

IAGO I’ll send her to you presently – And I’ll devise a mean to draw the Moor Out of the way, that your converse13 and business May be more free.

40

50

CASSIO I humbly thank you for’t. [Exit IAGO] – I never knew A Florentine14 more kind and honest. [Enter EMILIA] EMILIA Good morrow, good lieutenant. I am sorry For your displeasure, but all will sure be well. The general and his wife are talking of it, And she speaks for you stoutly.15 The Moor replies, That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus, And great affi nity,16 and that in wholesome wisdom17 He might not but refuse you, but he protests he loves you And needs no other suitor but his likings To take the safest occasion by the front To bring you in again.18 CASSIO

Yet, I beseech you, If you think fi t, or that it may be done, Give me advantage of some brief discourse With Desdemona alone.

Othello

13

converse: conversation

Florentine: i.e. one of my own people. Cassio is from Florence; Iago is from Venice. Cassio, like Othello, is an outsider 14

she speaks…stoutly: she speaks strongly in your favour 16 great affinity: has powerful relatives 17 wholesome: sensible/beneficial 15

but he protests…in again: but he loves you and wants no one to replace you; he will grab the first safe opportunity to reinstate you 18

EMILIA

Pray you, come in. I will bestow you where you shall have time To speak your bosom19 freely. CASSIO

70

I am much bound to you. [Exeunt]

speak your bosom: speak what’s in your heart 19

Act 3 Scene 1

Othello

Commentary

This scene provides some comic relief for the audience after the violence and tension of the previous scene. The clown’s crude puns and the jokes he makes at the musicians’ expense are unsophisticated but still humorous. Cassio is clearly desperate to be reinstated as Othello’s lieutenant. He hires musicians to play outside Othello’s lodgings and bribes the clown to depart in case he causes offence. Having not slept since the brawl, he attempts to secure a meeting with Desdemona, thus playing into the hands of Iago. Emilia is kind and tries to oblige Cassio. However, without realising it, she too is helping Iago achieve his sinister goal of driving Othello into a jealous rage.

Questions

1. Many productions cut the part of this scene which features the clown. (a) Why do you think this is often done? (b) If you were directing this scene would you do the same? Why / why not? 2. Why is Iago keen for Cassio to meet with Desdemona? 3. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience know something that a character on stage does not. Find an example of dramatic irony in this scene. 4. In Act 1 Scene 1, Iago remarked that Cassio is a ‘Florentine’. What point is Cassio making when he says, ‘I never knew / A Florentine more kind and honest’? 5. What is your initial impression of Emilia from this scene?

71

Act 3 Scene 2 Scene Summary

Othello gives Iago letters to be sent to the Venetian senate.

The gates of the castle. Enter OTHELLO, IAGO and Gentlemen OTHELLO These letters give, Iago, to the pilot,1 And by him do my duties2 to the senate: That done, I will be walking on the works.3 Repair4 there to me. IAGO

pilot: ship’s captain do my duties: pay my respects 3 works: ramparts 4 Repair: Return 1 2

Well, my good lord, I’ll do’t.

OTHELLO This fortifi cation, gentlemen, shall we see’t? GENTLEMAN We’ll wait upon your lordship. [Exeunt]

Commentary

This short scene illustrates how Othello is reliant on Iago. Othello’s offi cial letters to the senate are entrusted to Iago. Othello is blind to the danger Iago poses. It is ironic that Othello is seen inspecting Cyprus’s military defences but fails to recognise that his most deadly enemy is beside him.

72

Act 3 Scene 3 Scene Summary

Desdemona urges Othello to reinstate Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Desdemona drops her handkerchief. Emilia fi nds it and gives it to her husband. Iago plans to leave it in Cassio’s room as evidence that Desdemona and Cassio are having a sexual relationship. Othello insists that Iago give him proof of the affair. Iago says he heard Cassio call Desdemona’s name in his sleep and that he saw Cassio with her handkerchief. Othello swears vengeance and Iago promises to kill Cassio for him. Othello makes Iago his lieutenant.

The garden of the castle. Enter DESDEMONA, CASSIO and EMILIA DESDEMONA Be thou assured, good Cassio, I will do All my abilities in thy behalf. EMILIA Good madam, do. I know it grieves my husband, As if the case were his. DESDEMONA O, that’s an honest fellow. Do not doubt, Cassio, But I will have my lord and you again As friendly as you were. CASSIO

Bounteous1 madam, Whatever shall become of Michael Cassio, He’s never anything but your true servant. 10

DESDEMONA I 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 further off Than in a politic distance.2 CASSIO

Ay, but, lady, That policy may either last so long, Or feed upon such nice3 and waterish diet,

1

Bounteous: Kind

He shall…distance: he shall be reserved around you no more than is shrewdly necessary 2

3

nice: thin 73

Act 3 Scene 3

Or breed itself so out of circumstance, That, I being absent and my place supplied,4 My general will forget my love and service.

20

DESDEMONA Do not doubt that.5 Before Emilia here I give thee warrant of thy place.6 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.7 His bed shall seem a school, his board8 a shrift;9 I’ll intermingle every thing he does With Cassio’s suit. Therefore be merry, Cassio, For thy solicitor10 shall rather die Than give thy cause away.

Othello 4

supplied: filled (by someone else)

Do not…that: Don’t worry about that I give thee…thy place: I guarantee your position 5 6

I’ll watch him…patience: I’ll keep him awake and pester him 8 board: table 9 shrift: confession 7

10

solicitor: one who argues the case

11

your discretion: as you see fit

[Enter OTHELLO and IAGO] EMILIA Madam, here comes my lord. 30

CASSIO Madam, I’ll take my leave. DESDEMONA Why, stay, and hear me speak. CASSIO Madam, not now: I am very ill at ease – Unfi t for mine own purposes. DESDEMONA Well, do your discretion.11 [Exit CASSIO] IAGO Ha! I like not that. OTHELLO

What dost thou say?

IAGO Nothing, my lord: or if – I know not what. OTHELLO Was not that Cassio parted from my wife? 74

Act 3 Scene 3

40

Othello

IAGO Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it, That he would steal away so guilty-like, Seeing you coming. OTHELLO I do believe ’twas he. DESDEMONA How now, my lord! I have been talking with a suitor here, A man that languishes12 in your displeasure.

12

languishes: pines away

13

grace: favour reconciliation: apology

OTHELLO Who is’t you mean?

50

DESDEMONA Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my lord, If I have any grace13 or power to move you, His present reconciliation14 take. For if he be not one that truly loves you, That errs in ignorance and not in cunning,15 I have no judgement in an honest face. I prithee, call him back.

14

That errs…cunning: he made a mistake due to his own stupidity not on purpose 15

OTHELLO Went he hence now? DESDEMONA Yes, faith – so humbled That he hath left part of his grief with me, To suffer with him. Good love, call him back. OTHELLO Not now, sweet Desdemona – some other time. DESDEMONA But shall’t be shortly? OTHELLO

The sooner, sweet, for you.

DESDEMONA Shall’t be tonight at supper? OTHELLO

No, not tonight. 75

Act 3 Scene 3

DESDEMONA Tomorrow dinner16 then? OTHELLO

Othello Tomorrow dinner: lunchtime tomorrow 16

I shall not dine at home; I meet the captains at the citadel. 60

70

DESDEMONA Why then, tomorrow night, or Tuesday morn – On Tuesday noon, or night, or Wednesday morn. I prithee, name the time, but let it not Exceed three days. In faith, he’s penitent.17 And yet his trespass,18 in our common reason – Save that they say the wars must make examples Out of their best –19 is not almost a fault To incur a private check.20 When shall he come? Tell me, Othello. I wonder in my soul, What you would ask me, that I should deny, Or stand so mammering21 on. What! Michael Cassio, That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time, When I have spoke of you dispraisingly, Hath ta’en your part – to have so much to do To bring him in?22 Trust me, I could do much –

penitent: sorry trespass: crime 19 Save…best: only that they say the military must lead by example 17 18

is not almost…check: is barely worth a private reprimand 20

21

mammering: hesitating

22

bring him in: reinstated as lieutenant

23

boon: favour

OTHELLO Prithee, no more. Let him come when he will. I will deny thee nothing.

80

DESDEMONA Why, this is not a boon.23 ’Tis as I should entreat you wear your gloves, Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep you warm, Or sue to you to do a peculiar profi t To your own person.24 Nay, when I have a suit Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed, It shall be full of poise and diffi cult weight And fearful to be granted.25 OTHELLO

Or sue…own person: or beg you to do something for your own benefit 24

It shall…granted: it will be a weighty request and difficult to grant 25

I will deny thee nothing. Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me this, To leave me but a little to myself. DESDEMONA Shall I deny you? No. Farewell, my lord.

76

OTHELLO Farewell, my Desdemona. I’ll come to thee straight.26

26

straight: straight away

Act 3 Scene 3

DESDEMONA Emilia, come. [To OTHELLO] Be as your fancies teach you;27 Whate’er you be, I am obedient. [Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA] 90

OTHELLO Excellent wretch! Perdition28 catch my soul, But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, Chaos29 is come again. IAGO My noble lord – OTHELLO

Othello 27

Be as…teach you: Do as you wish

28

Perdition: Damnation

Chaos: the darkness and confusion before the world existed 29

What dost thou say, Iago?

IAGO Did Michael Cassio, when you wooed my lady, Know of your love? OTHELLO He did, from fi rst to last. Why dost thou ask? IAGO But for a satisfaction of my thought – No further harm. OTHELLO

Why of thy thought, Iago?

IAGO I did not think he had been acquainted with her. 100

OTHELLO Oh yes – and went between us30 very oft. IAGO Indeed! OTHELLO Indeed? Ay, indeed. Discern’st thou aught in that?31 Is he not honest? IAGO

went between…oft: often acted as a go-between 30

Discern’st…that?: Do you see something in that? 31

Honest, my lord?

77

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

OTHELLO Honest! Ay, honest. IAGO

My lord, for aught I know.

OTHELLO What dost thou think? IAGO

110

Think, my lord?

OTHELLO Think, my lord! By heaven, he echoes me, As if there were some monster in his thought Too hideous to be shown! Thou dost mean something. I heard thee say even now, thou lik’st not that, When Cassio left my wife. What didst not like? And when I told thee he was of my counsel In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst ‘Indeed!’ And didst contract and purse thy brow together,32 As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain Some horrible conceit.33 If thou dost love me, Show me thy thought.

contract…together: furrowed your brow/frowned 32

As if thou…conceit: as if you were keeping some horrible thought to yourself 33

IAGO My lord, you know I love you. OTHELLO

120

I think thou dost – And, for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty, And weigh’st thy words before thou giv’st them breath,34 Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more. For such things in a false disloyal knave Are tricks of custom,35 but in a man that’s just They are close denotements,36 working from the heart That passion cannot rule.

weigh’st thy words…breath: consider your words carefully before saying them 34

35 36

tricks of custom: usual strategies close denotements: hidden signs

IAGO

For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn, I think that he is honest. OTHELLO I think so too. IAGO 78

Men should be what they seem – Or those that be not, would they might seem none! 37

Men should be...seem none!: Men should appear as they are. If they’re not honest, they should not appear so! 37

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

OTHELLO Certain, men should be what they seem. IAGO Why, then, I think Cassio’s an honest man. 130

OTHELLO Nay, yet there’s more in this. I prithee, speak to me as to thy thinkings, As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts The worst of words.38

give thy…words: express your worst thoughts 38

IAGO

140

Good my lord, pardon me. Though I am bound to every act of duty, I am not bound to that all slaves are free to. Utter my thoughts? Why, say they are vile and false – As where’s that palace whereinto foul things Sometimes intrude not? Who has a breast so pure, But some uncleanly apprehensions Keep leets and law days and in session sit With meditations lawful?39 OTHELLO Thou dost conspire against thy friend, Iago, If thou but think’st him wronged and mak’st his ear A stranger to thy thoughts.40 IAGO

150

I do beseech you – Though I perchance am vicious41 in my guess As, I confess, it is my nature’s plague42 To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy43 Shapes faults that are not – I entreat you then, From one that so imperfectly conjects,44 Would take no notice, nor build yourself a trouble Out of his scattering45 and unsure observance. It were not for your quiet46 nor your good, Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom, To let you know my thoughts. OTHELLO

Who has a breast…lawful?: Whose heart is so pure that it never has let foul ideas sit side-by-side with good ones? The image here is of the mind as a court with guilty and innocent thoughts sitting together; ‘leets and law days’ and ‘in session’ are legal terms referring to court sessions 40 mak’st his ear…thoughts: don’t tell him (i.e. me) what you are thinking 39

vicious: mistaken / at fault / blameworthy 42 my nature’s plague: my shortcoming 43 jealousy: suspicion 41

one that…conjects: a person that often guesses incorrectly 44

45 46

scattering: disordered quiet: peace of mind

Zounds!

IAGO Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls.47

immediate…souls: most treasured possession 47

79

Act 3 Scene 3

160

Who steals my purse steals trash: ’tis something, nothing; ’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that fi lches48 from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed.

Othello

48

filches: steals

OTHELLO By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts! IAGO You cannot, if my heart were in your hand – Nor shall not, whilst ’tis in my custody. OTHELLO Ha!

170

IAGO O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.49 That cuckold50 lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger. But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!51 OTHELLO O misery! IAGO Poor and content is rich, and rich enough, But riches fi neless52 is as poor as winter To him that ever fears he shall be poor. Good God, the souls of all my tribe defend From jealousy!

It is the green-eyed…feeds on: Jealousy is a green-eyed beast which teases that which it consumes 50 cuckold: man whose wife is unfaithful 51 But O…loves: But O, time drags for him who is infatuated with, but suspicious of, the one he loves! 49

52

fineless: without limit

OTHELLO

180

80

Why, why is this? Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy, To follow still the changes of the moon With fresh suspicions?53 No! To be once in doubt Is once54 to be resolved. Exchange me for a goat55 When I shall turn the business of my soul To such exsuffl icate and blown surmises,56 Matching thy inference.57 ’Tis not to make me jealous To say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company, Is free of speech, sings, plays and dances well. Where virtue is, these are more virtuous. Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw

To follow…suspicions?: Do you think I’d get new suspicions with each phase of the moon? 54 once: once and for all 55 Exchange…goat: I’d rather trade places with a goat. Goats were considered lustful animals 56 exsufflicate…surmises: exaggerated and overblown assumptions 57 Matching thy interference: as you imply 53

Act 3 Scene 3

190

200

The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt –58 For she had eyes, and chose me. No Iago. I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; And on the proof, there is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy!59 IAGO I am glad of this, for now I shall have reason To show the love and duty that I bear you With franker60 spirit. Therefore, as I am bound61, Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio. Wear your eye thus: not jealous nor secure.62 I would not have your free and noble nature, Out of self-bounty,63 be abused. Look to’t. I know our country disposition64 well; In Venice they do let God see the pranks65 They dare not show their husbands. Their best conscience Is not to leave’t undone, but keep’t unknown.66 OTHELLO Dost thou say so?

Othello Nor from…revolt: Just because I have few virtues doesn’t mean I will suspect Desdemona of disloyalty 58

And on the proof…jealousy!: only when there is proof (one way or another) will I cast aside my love or jealousy! 59

60 61

franker: more direct bound: duty bound

not jealous nor secure: neither jealous nor confident of her loyalty 63 self-bounty: generous nature 62

country disposition: 1. the typical Venetian character 2. sexual behaviour of Venetians 65 pranks: sexual acts 66 Their best…unknown: Their (Venetians’) idea of morality is not to avoid sins but to hide what they’ve done 64

IAGO She did deceive her father, marrying you – And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks, She loved them most. OTHELLO

And so she did.

IAGO 210

Why, go to then. She that so young could give out such a seeming, To seel her father’s eyes up close as oak67 – He thought ’twas witchcraft. – But I am much to blame. I humbly do beseech you of your pardon For too much loving you. OTHELLO

seel…oak: seal her father’s eyes as close as the grain in oak 67

I am bound to thee for ever.

IAGO I see this hath a little dashed your spirits. OTHELLO Not a jot,68 not a jot.

68

Not a jot: Not a bit 81

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

IAGO

220

I’ faith, I fear it has. I hope you will consider what is spoke Comes from my love. But I do see you’re moved.69 I am to pray you not to strain my speech To grosser issues nor to larger reach Than to suspicion.70 OTHELLO I will not.

69

moved: upset

I am to pray…suspicion: I hope that you won’t see what I’ve said as anything more than unfounded suspicion 70

IAGO

Should you do so, my lord, My speech should fall into such vile success71 As my thoughts aim not at. Cassio’s my worthy friend – My lord, I see you’re moved.

71

vile success: horrible outcome

72

erring: straying

OTHELLO

No, not much moved: I do not think but Desdemona’s honest. IAGO Long live she so! And long live you to think so! OTHELLO And yet, how nature erring72 from itself –

230

IAGO Ay, there’s the point, as – to be bold with you – Not to affect73 many proposed matches Of her own clime, complexion and degree,74 Whereto we see in all things nature tends –75 Foh! One may smell in such a will most rank, Foul disproportion thoughts unnatural.76 But pardon me; I do not in position Distinctly speak of her77 – though I may fear Her will, recoiling to her better judgement, May fall to match you with her country forms And happily repent.78 OTHELLO

240

Farewell, farewell. – If more thou dost perceive, let me know more. Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, Iago. IAGO [Going] My lord, I take my leave.

82

affect: be drawn to/like her own…degree: her own nationality, colour and class 75 Whereto…tends: just as all things in nature choose their own kind 76 One may smell…unnatural: You may smell in such a person, foul, perverse, unnatural thoughts 77 I do not…of her: In saying this I’m not speaking specifically about Desdemona 78 May fall…repent: might compare you with the forms (bodies/appearances) of her own kind and perhaps regret her marriage to you 73 74

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

OTHELLO Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.

250

IAGO [Returning] My lord, I would I might entreat your honour To scan79 this thing no further. Leave it to time. Though it be fi t that Cassio have his place – For sure, he fi lls it up with great ability – Yet, if you please to hold him off awhile, You shall by that perceive him and his means. Note, if your lady strain his entertainment80 With any strong or vehement importunity,81 Much will be seen in that. In the meantime, Let me be thought too busy in my fears82 – As worthy cause I have to fear I am – And hold her free, I do beseech your honour. OTHELLO Fear not my government.83 IAGO

260

270

79

scan: analyse

strain his entertainment: push for reinstatement 81 vehement importunity: strong demands 82 too busy in my fears: overly suspicious 80

83

government: management/self-control

I once more take my leave. [Exit]

OTHELLO This fellow’s of exceeding honesty, And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit, Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard,84 Though that her jesses85 were my dear heartstrings, I’d whistle her off and let her down the wind To prey at fortune.86 Haply,87 for I am black And have not those soft parts of conversation88 That chamberers89 have, or for I am declined Into the vale of years90 – yet that’s not much – She’s gone; I am abused; and my relief Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites!91 I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others’ uses. Yet, ’tis the plague of great ones: Prerogatived92 are they less than the base;93 ’Tis destiny unshunnable,94 like death. Even then this forked95 plague is fated to us When we do quicken.96 – Look where she comes: [Enter DESDEMONA and EMILIA]

haggard: untamed (this is a reference to a wild hawk) 85 jesses: straps (fastened around a hawk’s legs) 86 prey at fortune: fend for herself 87 Haply: Perhaps 88 soft…conversation: social graces 89 chamberers: courtiers/gallants 90 declined…years: aging 84

91

appetites: sexual desires

Prerogatived: privileged base: lower social classes 94 unshunnable: inescapable 95 forked: horned. It was believed that cuckolds (men whose wives were unfaithful) grew horns. 96 do quicken: are conceived 92 93

83

Act 3 Scene 3

If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself!97 I’ll not believe’t.

280

DESDEMONA How now, my dear Othello! Your dinner, and the generous islanders By you invited, do attend your presence.

Othello If she…itself!: If she is unfaithful, then heaven itself is false! As Desdemona appears, Othello finds renewed confidence in her. This is only temporary 97

OTHELLO I am to blame. DESDEMONA Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well? OTHELLO I have a pain upon my forehead here. DESDEMONA Faith, that’s with watching; ’twill away again. Let me but bind it hard, within this hour It will be well. OTHELLO Your napkin is too little: [He puts the handkerchief from him, and it drops] Let it alone. Come, I’ll go in with you. DESDEMONA I am very sorry that you are not well. [Exeunt OTHELLO and DESDEMONA]

290

EMILIA I am glad I have found this napkin: This was her fi rst remembrance98 from the Moor. My wayward99 husband hath a hundred times Wooed100 me to steal it – but she so loves the token, For he conjured101 her she should ever keep it, That she reserves it evermore about her To kiss and talk to. I’ll have the work ta’en out,102 And give’t Iago. What he will do with it, heaven knows, not I: I nothing but to please his fantasy.103 [Enter Iago] IAGO How now? What do you here alone?

84

remembrance: keepsake wayward: wrong-headed/ unpredictable 100 Wooed: tried to persuade 101 conjured: made her promise 98 99

I’ll have…out: I’ll have the design copied 102

I nothing…fantasy: I am nothing to him except a person to satisfy his whims 103

Act 3 Scene 3 300

EMILIA Do not you chide;104 I have a thing for you. IAGO A thing for me? It is a common thing105 – EMILIA Ha!

Othello 104

chide: give out

common thing: 1. ordinary thing 2. sex which is available to anybody 105

IAGO – To have a foolish wife. EMILIA O, is that all? What will you give me now For the same handkerchief? IAGO

What handkerchief?

EMILIA What handkerchief? Why, that the Moor fi rst gave to Desdemona – That which so often you did bid me steal. IAGO Hast stolen it from her? 310

EMILIA No, ’faith: she let it drop by negligence, And, to the advantage I, being here, took’t up. Look, here it is. IAGO

A good wench! Give it me.

EMILIA What will you do with’t, that you have been so earnest To have me fi lch106 it? IAGO

106

filch: steal

[Snatching it] Why, what’s that to you?

EMILIA If it be not for some purpose of import, Give’t me again. Poor lady, she’ll run mad When she shall lack it. 85

Act 3 Scene 3

IAGO

320

330

Be not acknown on’t.107 I have use for it. Go, leave me. [Exit EMILIA] I will in Cassio’s lodging lose this napkin, And let him fi nd it. Trifl es108 light as air Are to the jealous confi rmations strong As proofs of holy writ.109 – This may do something. The Moor already changes with my poison. Dangerous conceits110 are in their natures poisons, Which at the fi rst are scarce found to distaste,111 But, with a little act112 upon the blood, Burn like the mines of sulphur.113 I did say so. [Enter OTHELLO] Look, where he comes! Not poppy,114 nor mandragora,115 Nor all the drowsy syrups116 of the world, Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou owed’st yesterday.

Othello Be not...on’t: Pretend you know nothing about it 107

108

Trifles: Valueless things

109

holy writ: the Bible

conceits: ideas at the first…distaste: at first are rarely distasteful 112 act: action 113 sulphur: a mineral that emits an unpleasant odour and produces a bloodred liquid when burned 110 111

poppy: opium mandragora: a drug that causes sleep and hallucinations 116 drowsy syrups: sleeping potions 114 115

OTHELLO Ha, ha! False to me? IAGO Why, how now, general! No more of that. OTHELLO Avaunt!117 Be gone! Thou hast set me on the rack.118 I swear ’tis better to be much abused Than but to know’t a little. IAGO

340

117 118

Avaunt!: Away! the rack: an instrument of torture

How now, my lord!

OTHELLO What sense had I of her stolen hours of lust? I saw’t not, thought it not; it harmed not me: I slept the next night well, fed well, was free and merry. I found not Cassio’s kisses on her lips. He that is robbed, not wanting what is stolen, Let him not know’t, and he’s not robbed at all. IAGO I am sorry to hear this. OTHELLO I had been happy, if the general camp,119

86

119

general camp: whole army

Act 3 Scene 3

Pioneers120 and all, had tasted her sweet body, So I had nothing known. O now, for ever Farewell the tranquil121 mind! Farewell content! Farewell the plumed122 troops, and the big wars, That make ambition virtue! – O, farewell! 350 Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,123 The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fi fe,124 The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance125 of glorious war! And O you mortal engines126, whose rude127 throats The immortal Jove’s128 dread clamours counterfeit,129 Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone! IAGO Is’t possible, my lord?

360

OTHELLO Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore! Be sure of it! – Give me the ocular130 proof. Or by the worth of man’s eternal soul, Thou hadst been better have been born a dog Than answer my waked wrath!131 IAGO

Pioneers: foot soldiers of the lowest rank who dug trenches 121 tranquil: peaceful/contented 122 plumed: decorated with feathers 120

123 124

trump: trumpet fife: a military flute

Pride…circumstance: the pride, stately displays and ceremony 126 mortal engines: deadly cannons 127 rude: rough 128 Jove: (Jupiter) Roman god of thunder and king of the gods 129 Jove’s…counterfeit: the imitation of Jove’s fearful roars (i.e. thunder) 125

130

ocular: visible

131

waked wrath: awoken fury

Is’t come to this?

OTHELLO Make me to see’t – or, at the least, so prove it, That the probation132 bear no hinge nor loop To hang a doubt on133 – or woe upon thy life! IAGO My noble lord –

370

Othello

probation: proof probation…doubt on: the proof doesn’t have a mount nor a loop for doubt to cling to (proof without any doubt) 132 133

OTHELLO If thou dost slander her and torture me, Never pray more; abandon all remorse. On horror’s head horrors accumulate; Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed: For nothing canst thou to damnation add Greater than that. IAGO

O grace! O heaven forgive me! Are you a man? Have you a soul or sense? God be wi’ you; take mine offi ce.134 O wretched fool, That lov’st to make thine honesty a vice!

134

office: job 87

Act 3 Scene 3

O monstrous world! Take note, take note, O world! To be direct and honest is not safe. I thank you for this profi t,135 and from hence I’ll love no friend, sith136 love breeds such offence. 380

Othello

135 136

profit: profitable lesson sith: since

OTHELLO Nay, stay: thou shouldst be honest. IAGO I should be wise, for honesty’s a fool And loses that it works for. OTHELLO

By the world, I think my wife be honest and think she is not; I think that thou art just and think thou art not. I’ll have some proof. Her name, that was as fresh As Dian’s visage,137 is now begrimed138 and black As mine own face. If there be cords139 or knives, Poison or fi re, or suffocating streams, I’ll not endure it. Would I were satisfi ed!140 390

IAGO I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion. I do repent me that I put it to you. You would be satisfi ed? OTHELLO

Would! Nay, I will.

IAGO And may. But, how? How satisfi ed, my lord? Would you, the supervisor,141 grossly gape on?142 Behold her topped?143 OTHELLO Death and damnation! O!

400

88

Dian’s visage: Diana’s face. Diana: virgin Roman goddess of the moon and hunting who is associated with chastity 138 begrimed: sooty/dirty 139 cords: ropes (for hanging) 140 satisfied: had proof 137

IAGO It were a tedious diffi culty, I think, To bring them to that prospect. Damn them then, If ever mortal eyes do see them bolster144 More than their own! What then? How then? What shall I say? Where’s satisfaction? It is impossible you should see this, Were they as prime145 as goats, as hot as monkeys, As salt as wolves in pride,146 and fools as gross147

supervisor: spectator grossly gape on: obscenely watch open-mouthed 143 Behold…topped: Watch her having sex 141 142

144

bolster: pillow, i.e. share a pillow

prime: sexually ready As salt…pride: as lecherous as wolves in heat 147 gross: stupid 145 146

Act 3 Scene 3

As ignorance made drunk. But yet, I say, If imputation148 and strong circumstances,149 Which lead directly to the door of truth, Will give you satisfaction, you may have’t.

Othello imputation: accusation circumstance: circumstantial evidence 148 149

OTHELLO Give me a living reason she’s disloyal. 410

420

IAGO I do not like the offi ce;150 But, sith I am entered in this cause so far – Pricked to’t151 by foolish honesty and love – I will go on. I lay with Cassio lately,152 And, being troubled with a raging tooth, I could not sleep. There are a kind of men so loose of soul, That in their sleeps will mutter their affairs. One of this kind is Cassio: In sleep I heard him say, ‘Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves.’ And then, sir, would he gripe153 and wring my hand, Cry, ‘O sweet creature!’ and then kiss me hard, As if he plucked up kisses by the roots That grew upon my lips; then laid his leg Over my thigh, and sighed, and kissed; and then Cried, ‘Cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor!’

150

office: job

Pricked to’t: spurred on/urged on I lay…lately: I recently shared a bed with Cassio 151 152

153

gripe: grip

OTHELLO O monstrous! Monstrous! IAGO

Nay, this was but his dream.

OTHELLO But this denoted a foregone conclusion154 –

430

IAGO ’Tis a shrewd doubt,155 though it be but a dream, And this may help to thicken other proofs That do demonstrate thinly. OTHELLO

denoted…conclusion: indicated that something had already happened 154

155

shrewd doubt: clever suspicion

I’ll tear her all to pieces!

IAGO Nay, yet be wise. Yet we see nothing done, She may be honest yet. Tell me but this: 89

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief Spotted with strawberries in your wife’s hand? OTHELLO I gave her such a one; ’twas my fi rst gift. IAGO I know not that; but such a handkerchief – I am sure it was your wife’s – did I today See Cassio wipe his beard with. OTHELLO If it be that – 440

450

IAGO If it be that, or any that was hers, It speaks against her with the other proofs. OTHELLO O, that the slave156 had forty thousand lives! One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. Now do I see ’tis true. Look here, Iago, All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. ’Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught,157 For ’tis of aspics’158 tongues! [He kneels] IAGO

slave: could refer to either Cassio or Desdemona 156

157 158

fraught: burden aspics: asps: poisonous snakes

Yet be content.

OTHELLO O, blood, blood, blood! IAGO Patience, I say; your mind perhaps may change. OTHELLO Never, Iago: Like to the Pontic Sea,159 Whose icy current and compulsive course160 Ne’er feels retiring ebb,161 but keeps due on To the Propontic162 and the Hellespont,163 Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love, Till that a capable164 and wide revenge 90

Pontic Sea: the Black Sea compulsive course: overpowering current 161 retiring ebb: retreating tide 162 Propontic: Sea of Marmara 163 Hellespont: The Dardenelles 159 160

164

capable: effective

Act 3 Scene 3 460

470

Swallow them up. Now, by yond marble165 heaven, In the due reverence of a sacred vow I here engage166 my words. IAGO Do not rise yet. [He kneels] Witness, you ever-burning lights above, You elements167 that clip168 us round about, Witness that here Iago doth give up The execution of his wit,169 hands, heart, To wronged Othello’s service! Let him command, And to obey shall be in me remorse, What bloody business ever.170 [They rise]

Othello 165

marble: unfeeling

166

engage: pledge

167

elements: heavenly bodies clip: clasp

168

execution of his wit: application of his mind 169

And to obey…ever: out of sympathy, I’ll obey any bloody command 170

OTHELLO

I greet thy love, Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous,171 And will upon the instant put thee to’t. Within these three days let me hear thee say That Cassio’s not alive.

acceptance bounteous: great gratitude 171

IAGO

My friend is dead; ’Tis done at your request. But let her live. OTHELLO Damn her, lewd minx!172 O, damn her, damn her! Come, go with me apart.173 I will withdraw To furnish me with some swift means of death For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant. 480

172 173

lewd minx!: lecherous animal apart: away

IAGO I am your own for ever. [Exeunt]

91

Act 3 Scene 3

DESDEMONA

Othello

Key Quotations My lord shall never rest; I’ll watch him tame and talk him out of patience. His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift; I’ll intermingle every thing he does With Cassio’s suit. Therefore be merry, Cassio, For thy solicitor shall rather die Than give thy cause away.

IAGO

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.

OTHELLO

O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others’ uses.

IAGO

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, Which at the fi rst are scarce found to distaste, But, with a little act upon the blood, Burn like the mines of sulphur.

OTHELLO

Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, For ’tis of aspics’ tongues!

OTHELLO

… my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love, Till that a capable and wide revenge Swallow them up.

Commentary

Act 3, Scene 3 is referred to as ‘The Temptation Scene’ as Iago tempts Othello to jealousy, ‘the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on’. Desdemona’s innate goodness is evident as she promises to do all she can for Cassio. She says that she will pester Othello on Cassio’s behalf. However, her reference to her marriage bed (‘His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift; / I’ll intermingle every thing he does / With Cassio’s suit’) is dramatically ironic as Othello fears his bed has been tainted by Cassio. Similarly, out of a sense kindness, she says to Cassio that ‘thy solicitor shall rather die / Than give thy cause away’ thus foreshadowing what is to come in the fi nal act of the play. Iago shows his opportunistic nature in this scene. When Cassio rushes off in embarrassment at Othello’s arrival, Iago’s quick thinking puts a sinister interpretation on the manner of his 92

Act 3 Scene 3



Othello

departure: ‘I cannot think it, / That he would steal away so guilty-like, / Seeing you coming.’ Similarly, when Iago learns that Emilia has Desdemona’s handkerchief he immediately sees an opportunity to deepen Othello’s suspicions and plans to hide the handkerchief in Cassio’s room. Iago’s success depends largely on an ability to seize on opportunities such as these. Emilia’s virtues (her kindness and loyalty) are exploited by Iago. By kindly facilitating the meeting between Desdemona and Cassio and by loyally giving Iago the handkerchief, Emilia unwittingly helps her husband ruin Othello and Desdemona. Iago deviously arouses Othello’s suspicions. By pretending to be reluctant to speak, Iago strengthens Othello’s belief in his suggestions. Othello becomes desperate to hear ‘The worst of words’ believing that Iago is withholding some horrible information: ‘This honest creature doubtless / Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.’ The more reluctant Iago is to speak, the greater weight his words have. Othello’s open nature leaves him susceptible to Iago’s suggestions. Iago plays upon Othello’s insecurities about being an outsider to make Desdemona’s alleged infi delity seem plausible. He says that it is natural for Desdemona to be attracted to those of ‘her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’. This idea seems to arouse self-doubt in Othello who wonders if his race, lack of refi nement and age may be driving Desdemona away: ‘Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have, or for I am declined / Into the vale of years’. Othello’s pride is revealed as a fl aw in his character. As he comes to believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful, he cries out in pain. He no longer feels he is worthy of respect and bids farewell to his military career: ‘Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars, That make ambition virtue! – O, farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fi fe, The royal banner, and all quality Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!’ As Othello’s pride is wounded he succumbs to rage and jealousy. Othello is clearly tormented by the possibility that Desdemona has been unfaithful. He curses marriage and sees his imagined situation as miserable: ‘O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others’ uses.’ Othello fi nds uncertainty particularly torturous: ‘I think my wife be honest and think she is not… / I’ll have some proof… / Would I were satisfi ed!’ He calls for ‘ocular proof’ to dispel any uncertainty and says, ‘Make me to see’t – or, at the least, so prove it, / That the probation bear no hinge nor loop / To hang a doubt on.’ In his overwhelming desire for certainty, Othello abandons reason. This causes him to be consumed by jealous emotions and a desire for revenge.

93

Act 3 Scene 3

Othello

As Othello’s doubts about his wife grow, his language becomes increasingly violent. His torment gives way to a thirst for revenge: ‘Death and damnation!’, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ It is interesting that he adopts some of the diabolic imagery that characterises Iago’s soliloquies as if Iago’s thoughts have infected his own: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ Iago stokes Othello’s fury and disgust by encouraging Othello to visualise Desdemona and Cassio having sex: ‘Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on? / Behold her topped?’ Iago then employs gross bestial imagery to further Othello’s revulsion: ‘Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride’. This scene explores the nature of jealousy. Iago recognises that it may be based on trivialities: ‘Trifl es light as air / Are to the jealous confi rmations strong / As proofs of holy writ’ but jealousy can be unrelenting in its torment: ‘with a little act upon the blood, / Burn like the mines of sulphur.’ This is certainly true of Othello whose torturous jealousy and rage are rooted in uncertainty and doubt. As Othello accepts that Desdemona is unfaithful he becomes unwavering in his desire for revenge: ‘my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love, Till that a capable and wide revenge Swallow them up.’ As a tragic hero, Othello has now chosen a path that will lead towards disaster.

Questions

1. Desdemona promises Cassio that Othello’s ‘bed shall seem a school… / I’ll intermingle every thing he does / With Cassio’s suit.’ How does this play into Iago’s hands? 2. Describe how Iago arouses Othello’s suspicions in this scene. 3. How does Iago make Othello feel like an outsider to Desdemona’s world? 4. Iago warns Othello, ‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on.’ Would you agree that in this instance Iago is being truthful? Explain your answer by referring to this scene. 5. Iago uses crude sexual images to torment Othello. Write down two images that you feel add to Othello’s despair and fury. 6. Iago favours suggestion rather than lies to arouse Othello’s jealousy. In this scene he tells only two outright lies. What are they? 7. As this scene progresses, Othello’s language becomes increasingly violent. (a) Find three examples of this. (b) Basing your answer on these, how do you think the play will end? 8. What do you learn about the relationship between Iago and Emilia from this scene? 9. ‘Iago’s success relies on a combination of luck and deviousness.’ Do you agree with this statement? Refer to this scene in your response. 10. What do you learn about the nature of jealousy from this scene?

94

Act 3 Scene 4 Scene Summary

Othello asks Desdemona for the handkerchief. He becomes angry when she can’t produce it. Emilia thinks Othello is jealous but Desdemona doesn’t agree. Bianca accuses Cassio of avoiding her. Cassio asks Bianca to copy the embroidery of the handkerchief. She agrees.

A courtyard in the castle. Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA and CLOWN DESDEMONA Do you know, sirrah,1 where Lieutenant Cassio lies?2 CLOWN I dare not say he lies anywhere.

sirrah: a term used to address inferiors lies: lodges. The clown puns on the word taking it to mean ‘not telling the truth’ 1 2

DESDEMONA Why, man? CLOWN He’s a soldier, and for one to say a soldier lies, is stabbing.3 DESDEMONA Go to.4 Where lodges he? CLOWN To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where I lie.5 DESDEMONA Can anything be made of this?

10

CLOWN I know not where he lodges, and for me to devise a lodging and say he lies here or he lies there, were to lie in mine own throat.6 DESDEMONA Can you enquire him out, and be edifi ed by report?7 CLOWN I will catechize8 the world for him: that is, make questions, and by them answer.

is stabbing: could be stabbed (for calling the soldier a liar) 3

4

Go to: Oh give me a break/Oh come on

To tell you…lie: To tell you where he lodges is to tell you that I lie (because the clown doesn’t know) 5

6

lie…throat: I’d be telling a bold lie

edified by report: learn from someone else 8 catechize: a reference to the Catechism: a method of gaining religious instruction through a series of questions and answers 7

95

Act 3 Scene 4

DESDEMONA Seek him: bid him come hither. Tell him I have moved9 my lord on his behalf, and hope all will be well. CLOWN To do this is within the compass10 of man’s wit,11 and therefore I will attempt the doing it. [Exit] DESDEMONA Where should I lose12 that handkerchief, Emilia?

Othello 9

moved: urged

10 11

compass: scope wit: intelligence

12

should I lose: could I have lost

13

crusadoes: gold coins from Portugal baseness: inferior components

EMILIA I know not, madam. 20

DESDEMONA Believe me, I had rather lose my purse Full of crusadoes.13 And, but my noble Moor Is true of mind and made of no such baseness14 As jealous creatures are, it were enough To put him to ill thinking. EMILIA

14

Is he not jealous?

DESDEMONA Who, he? I think the sun where he was born Drew all such humours15 from him.

15

humours: moods/characteristics

[Enter Othello] EMILIA

Look, where he comes.

DESDEMONA I will not leave him now till Cassio Be called to him. – How is’t with you, my lord?

30

OTHELLO Well, my good lady. [Aside] O, hardness to dissemble!16 – How do you, Desdemona? DESDEMONA Well, my good lord.

96

O…dissemble!: 1. O how hard it is to keep up this pretence in front of her! 2. O how hard a person she is to deceive me! 16

Act 3 Scene 4

OTHELLO Give me your hand. This hand is moist,17 my lady. DESDEMONA It yet hath felt no age, nor known no sorrow. OTHELLO This argues18 fruitfulness19 and liberal20 heart. Hot, hot and moist. This hand of yours requires A sequester21 from liberty, fasting and prayer, Much castigation,22 exercise devout23 – For here’s a young and sweating devil here, That commonly rebels. ‘Tis a good hand, A frank24 one.

40

DESDEMONA You may, indeed, say so; For ’twas that hand that gave away my heart. OTHELLO A liberal hand! The hearts of old gave hands, But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts.25 DESDEMONA I cannot speak of this. Come now, your promise. OTHELLO What promise, chuck?26 DESDEMONA I have sent to bid Cassio come speak with you. OTHELLO I have a salt and sullen rheum27 offends me – Lend me thy handkerchief.

Othello moist: damp/sweaty. A ‘moist’ palm was supposed to indicate lust 17

argues: suggests fruitfulness: 1. fertility 2. generosity 20 liberal: 1. promiscuous 2. generous 21 sequester: removal 22 castigation: discipline 23 exercise devout: regular praying 18 19

frank: 1. free 2. unreserved 3. generous 24

The hearts of old…hearts: People used to give their hearts when they gave their hands in marriage, now only hands are given 25

chuck: my little chicken. This is a term of endearment 26

salt…rheum: troublesome, persistent cold 27

DESDEMONA Here, my lord. OTHELLO That which I gave you. DESDEMONA I have it not about me. OTHELLO Not? 97

Act 3 Scene 4 50

Othello

DESDEMONA No, indeed, my lord. OTHELLO

60

That’s a fault. That handkerchief Did an Egyptian to my mother give. She was a charmer,28 and could almost read The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it, ’Twould make her amiable29 and subdue my father Entirely to her love. But if she lost it Or made gift of it, my father’s eye Should hold her loathed30 and his spirits should hunt After new fancies.31 She, dying, gave it me And bid me, when my fate would have me wive, To give it her. I did so – and take heed on’t:32 Make it a darling33 like your precious eye. To lose’t or give’t away were such perdition34 As nothing else could match.

28

charmer: witch

29

amiable: lovable

30

loathed: hated new fancies: new women

31

take heed on’t: take note darling: prized possession 34 perdition: damnation 32 33

DESDEMONA Is’t possible?

70

OTHELLO ’Tis true: there’s magic in the web35 of it. A sibyl36, that had numbered in the world The sun to course two hundred compasses,37 In her prophetic fury38 sewed the work. The worms were hallowed39 that did breed the silk, And it was dyed in mummy40 which the skilful41 Conserved42 of maidens’43 hearts. DESDEMONA Indeed! Is’t true? OTHELLO Most veritable44. Therefore look to’t well.

web: weave sibyl: witch 37 that had numbered…compasses: who had been in the world for 200 revolutions of the sun around the world, i.e. 200 years old 38 prophetic fury: predictive trance 39 hallowed: sacred 40 mummy: liquid made from mummified bodies 41 skilful: skilled people 42 conserved: made from 43 maidens: virgins 35 36

44

veritable: true

45

startingly: jumpily

DESDEMONA Then would to God that I had never seen’t! OTHELLO Ha! Wherefore? DESDEMONA Why do you speak so startingly45 and rash?

98

OTHELLO Is’t lost? Is’t gone? Speak, is it out o’ the way?

Act 3 Scene 4

Othello

DESDEMONA Heaven bless us! OTHELLO Say you? DESDEMONA It is not lost. But what an if it were? OTHELLO How? 80

DESDEMONA I say it is not lost. OTHELLO

Fetch’t, let me see’t.

DESDEMONA Why, so I can, sir, but I will not now. This is a trick to put me from my suit.46 Pray you, let Cassio be received again. OTHELLO Fetch me the handkerchief! My mind misgives.47 DESDEMONA Come, come! You’ll never meet a more suffi cient man.48 OTHELLO The handkerchief!

46

suit: request

47

My mind misgives: I am troubled

sufficient man: capable man, i.e. Cassio 48

DESDEMONA I pray, talk me of Cassio. OTHELLO The handkerchief!

90

DESDEMONA A man that all his time Hath founded his good fortunes on your love, Shared dangers with you – OTHELLO The handkerchief! 99

Act 3 Scene 4

Othello

DESDEMONA I’ faith, you are to blame. OTHELLO ’Zounds!

[Exit]

EMILIA Is not this man jealous? DESDEMONA I ne’er saw this before. Sure, there’s some wonder49 in this handkerchief: I am most unhappy in the loss of it.

100

49

wonder: magic

50

importune: beg

51

office: duty

EMILIA ’Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs, and we all but food: To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us. Enter IAGO and CASSIO] – Look you, Cassio and my husband! IAGO There is no other way: ’tis she must do’t. And, lo, the happiness! Go, and importune50 her. DESDEMONA How now, good Cassio! What’s the news with you?

110

CASSIO Madam, my former suit. I do beseech you That by your virtuous means I may again Exist, and be a member of his love Whom I, with all the offi ce51 of my heart, Entirely honour. I would not be delayed. If my offence be of such mortal52 kind That nor my service past, nor present sorrows, Nor purposed merit in futurity,53 Can ransom me into his love again,54 But to know so must be my benefi t – So shall I clothe me in a forced content,55 And shut myself up in some other course, To fortune’s alms.56 DESDEMONA Alas, thrice-gentle Cassio,

100

mortal: fatal purposed merit in futurity: promises for the future 54 ransom…again: buy me back into his favour 52 53

55

forced content: forced happiness

56

fortune’s alms: fate’s charity

Act 3 Scene 4

120

My advocation is not now in tune.57 My lord is not my lord – nor should I know him, Were he in favour as in humour altered.58 So help me every spirit sanctifi ed,59 As I have spoken for you all my best And stood within the blank60 of his displeasure For my free speech! You must awhile be patient. What I can do I will – and more I will Than for myself I dare. Let that suffi ce61 you.

Othello My advocation…tune: My advocacy for you is not going well/now isn’t a good time to advocate for you 58 nor should I…altered: I wouldn’t know him if his appearance (‘favour’) was as changed as his mood (‘humour’) 59 sancitified: blessed 60 blank: target 57

61

suffice: be enough for

62

strange: uncharacteristic

IAGO Is my lord angry? EMILIA

He went hence but now, And certainly in strange62 unquietness.

130

140

IAGO Can he be angry? I have seen the cannon, When it hath blown his ranks into the air, And, like the devil, from his very arm63 Puffed his own brother,64 and can he be angry? Something of moment then: I will go meet him: There’s matter in’t indeed, if he be angry. DESDEMONA I prithee do so. [Exit IAGO] Something, sure, of state, Either from Venice, or some unhatched practice65 Made demonstrable66 here in Cyprus to him, Hath puddled67 his clear spirit. And in such cases Men’s natures wrangle68 with inferior things, Though great ones are their object. ’Tis even so – For let our fi nger ache, and it endues Our other healthful members even to that sense Of pain.69 Nay, we must think men are not gods, Nor of them look for such observancy As fi t the bridal.70 Beshrew71 me much, Emilia, I was, unhandsome warrior as I am, Arraigning72 his unkindness with my soul73 – But now I fi nd I had suborned74 the witness, And he’s indicted75 falsely. EMILIA

150

Pray heaven it be State-matters, as you think, and no conception76 Nor no jealous toy77 concerning you.

his very arm: beside him Puffed his own brother: killed his brother/killed his comrade 63 64

unhatched practice: unknown plot Made demonstrable: revealed 67 puddled: confused 65 66

68

wrangle: quarrel

For let our finger…pain: if our finger hurts it leads all the other healthy limbs (‘members’) to feel pain 70 such observancy…bridal: the kind of attention received on the wedding day 71 Beshrew: curse 72 Arraigning: accusing 73 with my soul: from my heart 74 suborned: induced the witness to give false evidence 75 indicted: charged 69

76 77

conception: fanciful idea toy: unlikely notion 101

Act 3 Scene 4

DESDEMONA Alas the day! I never gave him cause.78 EMILIA But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot79 upon itself, born on itself.

Othello 78

cause: a reason (to be jealous)

79

Begot: fathered

80

fit: in an appropriate mood

DESDEMONA Heaven keep that monster from Othello’s mind! EMILIA Lady, amen.

160

DESDEMONA I will go seek him. Cassio, walk here about. If I do fi nd him fi t,80 I’ll move your suit And seek to effect it to my uttermost. CASSIO I humbly thank your ladyship. [Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA] [Enter BIANCA] BIANCA Save you, friend Cassio! CASSIO

What make you from home? How is it with you, my most fair Bianca? I’ faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house. BIANCA And I was going to your lodging, Cassio. What, keep a week away? Seven days and nights? Eight score eight81 hours? And lovers’ absent hours More tedious than the dial eight score times?82 O weary reckoning! CASSIO 170

102

Pardon me, Bianca. I have this while with leaden thoughts been pressed, But I shall in a more continuate83 time Strike off this score of absence. Sweet Bianca, [Giving her DESDEMONA’s handkerchief] Take me this work out.84

Eight score eight: eight twenties plus eight, i.e. 168 82 And lovers’…times?: And aren’t absent hours from a lover more tiresome than if the clock just revolved 160 times 81

83

continuate: uninterrupted

Take…work out: copy this embroidery for me 84

Act 3 Scene 4

Othello

BIANCA

O Cassio, whence came this? This is some token from a newer friend,85 To the felt absence now I feel a cause.86 Is’t come to this? Well, well.

newer friend: new lover To the felt…cause: now I see the reason for your noted absence 85 86

CASSIO

180

Go to, woman! Throw your vile guesses in the devil’s teeth, From whence you have them. You are jealous now That this is from some mistress, some remembrance. No, by my faith, Bianca. BIANCA

Why, whose is it?

CASSIO I know not neither: I found it in my chamber. I like the work well. Ere it be demanded87 – As like enough it will – I’d have it copied. Take it, and do’t, and leave me for this time.

Ere it be demanded: Before somebody asks for it 87

BIANCA Leave you! Wherefore? CASSIO I do attend88 here on the general And think it no addition, nor my wish, To have him see me womaned89. BIANCA

88

attend: wait

89

womaned: with a woman

90

soon at night: tonight

Why, I pray you?

CASSIO Not that I love you not. BIANCA 190

But that you do not love me! I pray you, bring me on the way a little, And say if I shall see you soon at night.90 CASSIO ’Tis but a little way that I can bring you, For I attend here – but I’ll see you soon. BIANCA ’Tis very good. I must be circumstanced.91 [Exeunt]

I must be circumstanced: I’ll have to put up with the situation 91

103

Act 3 Scene 4

DESDEMONA EMILIA

EMILIA

Othello

Key Quotations my noble Moor Is true of mind and made of no such baseness As jealous creatures are

’Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs, and we all but food: To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us. But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself.

Commentary

For Othello, the handkerchief has become a test of Desdemona’s fi delity. Her failure to show it intensifi es his belief that she has been unfaithful. This is compounded by her pleading on Cassio’s behalf. The handkerchief, which was once a symbol of love, has now come to represent betrayal for Othello. Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is starting to disintegrate. Othello no longer addresses his wife in a loving manner but is instead curt and formal: ‘Well, my good lady.’ They speak at cross-purposes: while Othello repeatedly asks for the handkerchief, Desdemona continues to plead on Cassio’s behalf. Communication between them is starting to break down. Iago’s cynical view of women in Act 2 is paralleled by Emilia’s view of men here. She believes that men use women and then discard them: ‘’Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs, and we all but food: To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They belch us.’ The image of being consumed and then belched is gross but captures the extent of her disillusionment. Emilia is worldly enough to recognise that Othello is jealous. She sees that jealousy is often unfounded and fuels itself: ‘But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself.’ The comparison with a monster is fi tting in Othello’s case and echoes Iago’s description of jealousy as a ‘green-eyed monster’. Emilia does not tell Desdemona the truth about the handkerchief. This is done either out of a sense of self-preservation or out of loyalty to her husband Iago. Desdemona naïvely believes that Othello is bothered by affairs of state. She chides herself for being unsympathetic to him: ‘Beshrew me much, Emilia, I was, unhandsome warrior as I am, 104

Act 3 Scene 4

Othello

Arraigning his unkindness with my soul – But now I fi nd I had suborned the witness, And he’s indicted falsely.’ Some critics see this as indicating that Desdemona has an idealised view of her husband and fails to face reality. Others argue that it testifi es to the extent of her love for Othello. Bianca’s jealousy is an echo of Othello’s, albeit a faint one. Many of the characters in Othello harbour jealous suspicions: Bianca about Cassio, Othello about Desdemona, and Iago about Emilia. All of these jealous suspicions are unfounded.

Questions

1. Describe Othello’s attitude towards Desdemona in this scene. 2. (a) How does Desdemona respond to Othello’s request for the handkerchief? (b) Do you think this was the best way to respond? Why / why not? 3. Why do you think Emilia does not tell Desdemona the truth about the handkerchief? 4. What view of men does Emilia express in this scene? 5. (a) What evidence shows Desdemona is reluctant to characterise Othello as jealous? (b) How does she try to explain his aggressive behaviour? 6. Why is Bianca jealous? 7. What does this scene say about the nature of jealousy? 8. Basing your answer on this scene, which famous actors would you cast in the roles of Othello, Iago, Desdemona and Emilia? In each case justify your casting choices by referring to this scene.

105

Act 3

Revision Quiz

1. About which of the following does Othello NOT express insecurities? (a) his race (b) his age (c) his manners and eloquence (d) his military experience 2. Who replaces Cassio as Othello’s lieutenant? 3. What is the name of Cassio’s mistress? 4. Which one of the following characters does NOT harbour jealous suspicions in the play? (a) Bianca (b) Emilia (c) Othello (d) Iago 5. What pattern is embroidered on the handkerchief? (a) Daisies (b) Love hearts (c) Strawberries (d) Hands 6. What does Cassio do with the handkerchief? 7. Which scene is referred to as ‘The Temptation Scene’? 8. Who does Iago promise to kill for Othello? 9. Who says each of the following? (a) But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself. (b) my noble Moor Is true of mind and made of no such baseness As jealous creatures are (c) O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others’ uses.

106

Act 3 Revision Quiz

Othello

10. Rewrite these quotations. In each case, write the speaker’s name and fill in the blanks. (a) O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the ________-________ monster which doth mock The ________ it feeds on. (b) ’Tis not a year or two shows us a ________. They are all but ________, and we all but food: To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, They ________ us. (c) Arise, black ________, from thy _______ hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, For ’tis of ________ tongues!

107

Act 4 Scene 1 Scene Summary

Iago continues to tell Othello lies about Desdemona and Cassio. Othello becomes overwrought and falls into a trance. Iago instructs Othello to hide and observe Cassio. Iago talks to Cassio about Bianca but Othello believes they are talking about Desdemona. As Cassio laughs and jokes, Othello becomes more enraged. Othello sees Cassio take the handkerchief from Bianca and becomes convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Othello decides to kill Desdemona. Iago promises to kill Cassio. Othello is called back to Venice. Cassio is to take charge of Cyprus. Othello remains furious with Desdemona and strikes her.

Cyprus. Before the castle. Enter OTHELLO and IAGO IAGO Will you think so? OTHELLO

Think so, Iago!

IAGO

What, To kiss in private? OTHELLO

An unauthorised1 kiss!

1

unauthorised: unlawful

IAGO Or to be naked with her friend in bed An hour or more, not meaning any harm? OTHELLO Naked in bed, Iago, and not mean harm! It is hypocrisy against the devil!2 They that mean virtuously, and yet do so, The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven.3

10 108

IAGO So they do nothing, ’tis a venial slip4. But if I give my wife a handkerchief –

It is hypocrisy…devil!: 1. That’s cheating the devil (because they’re flirting with the idea of adultery but not carrying it out) 2. That’s cheating in full view of the devil 3 They that mean…heaven: People who mean to be good but expose themselves to temptation by the devil are testing heaven 4 venial slip: pardonable sin 2

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

OTHELLO What then? IAGO Why, then, ’tis hers, my lord – and, being hers, She may, I think, bestow’t on any man. OTHELLO She is protectress5 of her honour too: May she give that? IAGO Her honour is an essence6 that’s not seen:7 They have it very oft that have it not:8 But, for the handkerchief –

20

OTHELLO By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it! Thou said’st – it comes o’er my memory, As doth the raven o’er the infected house,9 Boding to all – he had my handkerchief.

5

protectress: protector

essence: quality that’s not seen: 1. it’s invisible 2. there is no evidence for it 8 They have it…not: often those without honour appear to have it 6 7

As doth…house: as does a raven perch over a plague-ridden household. Ravens signified misfortune 9

IAGO Ay, what of that? OTHELLO

That’s not so good now.

IAGO

What, If I had said I had seen him do you wrong? Or heard him say – as knaves be such abroad, Who having by their own importunate suit, Or voluntary dotage of some mistress, Convinced or supplied them, cannot choose But they must blab – 10 OTHELLO

30

Hath he said anything?

IAGO He hath, my lord – but be you well assured, No more than he’ll unswear11. OTHELLO

as knaves…blab: just as there are some rogues around who, through persistence or infatuation, have seduced or satisfied women and can’t help but brag about it 10

11

unswear: deny

What hath he said? 109

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

IAGO ’Faith, that he did – I know not what he did. OTHELLO What? What? IAGO Lie – OTHELLO With her? IAGO

40

With her, on her – what you will.

OTHELLO Lie with her?12 Lie on her?13 We say lie on her, when they belie14 her. Lie with her! ’Zounds, that’s fulsome15! – Handkerchief – confessions – handkerchief! To confess, and be hanged for his labour – fi rst, to be hanged, and then to confess! I tremble at it. Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction.16 It is not words that shake me thus. – Pish! Noses, ears and lips! Is’t possible? – Confess? – Handkerchief! – O devil! [Falls in a trance] IAGO Work on, My medicine17, work! Thus credulous18 fools are caught; And many worthy and chaste19 dames even thus, All guiltless, meet reproach. What, ho! my lord! My lord, I say! Othello! [Enter CASSIO] How now, Cassio!

50

Lie with her?: Sleep with her? Lie on her?: 1. Sleep with her? 2. Tell lies about her? 14 belie: tell lies about 15 fulsome: sickening 12 13

Nature…instruction: My being wouldn’t be so overcome with passion if there wasn’t some truth to this 16

medicine: poison credulous: gullible 19 chaste: sexually virtuous 17 18

CASSIO What’s the matter? IAGO My lord is fallen into an epilepsy20. This is his second fi t; he had one yesterday.

20

fallen…epilepsy: has had a fit

21

forbear: hold off

CASSIO Rub him about the temples. IAGO 110

No, forbear21.

Act 4 Scene 1

60

The lethargy must have his quiet course.22 If not, he foams at mouth and by and by Breaks out to savage madness. Look he stirs. Do you withdraw yourself a little while, He will recover straight. When he is gone, I would on great occasion speak with you. [Exit CASSIO] – How is it, general? Have you not hurt your head? OTHELLO Dost thou mock23 me? IAGO

I mock you! No, by heaven! Would you would bear your fortune like a man!

Othello The lethargy…course: The coma must run its course without interference 22

mock: tease. Othello accuses Iago of suggesting that he has horns on his head. Cuckolds were said to ‘wear the horns’ like a male stag who has allowed a stronger male to steal his mate 23

OTHELLO A horned man’s a monster and a beast. IAGO There’s many a beast then in a populous city, And many a civil24 monster.

24

civil: 1. civilised 2. citizen of a city

OTHELLO Did he confess it? IAGO

70

Good sir, be a man. Think every bearded fellow that’s but yoked May draw with you.25 There’s millions now alive That nightly lie in those unproper beds Which they dare swear peculiar26. Your case is better. O, ’tis the spite of hell, the fi end’s arch-mock27, To lip a wanton in a secure couch,28 And to suppose her chaste! No, let me know – And knowing what I am, I know what she shall be.

Think every…with you: Every married man drags the same burden as you 26 peculiar: their own 27 the fiend’s arch-mock: the devil’s greatest mockery 28 To lip…couch: to kiss an immoral woman, confident that she is faithful 25

OTHELLO O, thou art wise; ’tis certain. IAGO

80

Stand you awhile apart: Confi ne yourself but in a patient list.29 Whilst you were here o’erwhelmed with your grief – A passion most unsuiting such a man – Cassio came hither. I shifted him away, And laid good ’scuse upon your ecstasy30;

Confine…list: be confined to the boundary of patience, i.e. be patient 29

30

ecstasy: fit 111

Act 4 Scene 1

90

Bade him anon return and here speak with me, The which he promised. Do but encave31 yourself, And mark the fl eers32, the gibes33, and notable scorns, That dwell in every region of his face; For I will make him tell the tale anew: Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when He hath, and is again to cope34 your wife. I say, but mark his gesture35. Marry, patience, Or I shall say you are all in all in spleen36, And nothing of a man.

Othello encave: hide fleers: sneers 33 gibes: jeers 31 32

cope: copulate with/have sex with mark his gesture: watch his expressions 36 all in all spleen: nothing but anger 34 35

OTHELLO

Dost thou hear, Iago? I will be found most cunning in my patience, But – dost thou hear? – most bloody. IAGO

100

That’s not amiss – But yet keep time in all. Will you withdraw? [OTHELLO withdraws] [Aside] Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, A housewife37 that by selling her desires Buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature That dotes on Cassio – as ’tis the strumpet’s plague38 To beguile39 many and be beguiled by one. He, when he hears of her, cannot refrain From the excess of laughter. Here he comes. [Enter CASSIO] As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad, And his unbookish40 jealousy must conster41 Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures and light behaviours, Quite in the wrong. – How do you now, lieutenant? CASSIO The worser that you give me the addition42 Whose want43 even kills me. IAGO Ply44 Desdemona well, and you are sure on’t. Now, if this suit lay in Bianca’s power, How quickly should you speed! CASSIO

110 112

Alas, poor caitiff45!

OTHELLO [Aside] Look, how he laughs already!

37

housewife: prostitute

38

plague: curse beguile: deceive

39

40 41

42 43

unbookish: ignorant conster: construe/interpret

the addition: the title of lieutenant Whose want: the lack of which

44

Ply: Persistently ask

45

caitiff: wretch

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

IAGO I never knew woman love man so. CASSIO Alas, poor rogue! I think, i’ faith, she loves me. OTHELLO [Aside] Now he denies it faintly, and laughs it out. IAGO Do you hear, Cassio? OTHELLO [Aside] Now he importunes46 him To tell it o’er. Go to – well said, well said!

46

importunes: urges

IAGO She gives it out that you shall marry her: Do you intend it? CASSIO Ha, ha, ha! 120

OTHELLO [Aside] Do you triumph, Roman?47 Do you triumph? CASSIO I marry her! What? A customer48? I prithee, bear some charity to my wit: do not think it so unwholesome49. Ha, ha, ha!

Do you triumph, Roman?: Othello imagines Cassio as a conquering Roman 47

customer: 1. a prostitute (Bianca) 2. a prostitute’s customer (Cassio) 49 unwholesome: defective 48

OTHELLO [Aside] So, so, so, so: they laugh that win. IAGO ’Faith, the cry50 goes that you shall marry her.

50

cry: gossip

51

scored: wounded

CASSIO Prithee, say true. IAGO I am a very villain else! OTHELLO [Aside] Have you scored51 me? Well. CASSIO This is the monkey’s own giving out.52 She is persuaded I

This is…giving out: The little monkey (Bianca) is spreading this rumour 52

113

Act 4 Scene 1 130

Othello

will marry her, out of her own love and fl attery, not out of my promise. OTHELLO [Aside] Iago beckons me. Now he begins the story. CASSIO She was here even now. She haunts me in every place. I was the other day talking on the sea-bank with certain Venetians, and thither comes the bauble53, and, by this hand, she falls me thus about my neck.

53

bauble: worthless thing/toy

54

lolls: hangs about hales: drags

OTHELLO [Aside] Crying ‘O dear Cassio!’ as it were. His gesture imports it.

140

CASSIO So hangs, and lolls54, and weeps upon me, so hales55, and pulls me. Ha, ha, ha!

55

OTHELLO [Aside] Now he tells how she plucked him to my chamber. O, I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall throw it to! CASSIO Well, I must leave her company. IAGO Before me! Look where she comes. CASSIO ’Tis such another fi tchew56! Marry, a perfumed one. [Enter BIANCA] What do you mean by this haunting of me?

150

114

BIANCA Let the devil and his dam57 haunt you! What did you mean by that same handkerchief you gave me even now? I was a fi ne fool to take it. I must take out the work? A likely piece of work, that you should fi nd it in your chamber, and not know who left it there! This is some minx’s58 token, and I must take out the work? There, give it your hobby-horse59, wheresoever you had it, I’ll take out no work on’t. CASSIO How now, my sweet Bianca! How now! How now!

fitchew: 1. polecat (a type of weasel) 2. a prostitute 56

57

dam: dame (mother)

58

minx: mistress hobby-horse: prostitute

59

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

OTHELLO [Aside] By heaven, that should be my handkerchief! BIANCA If you’ll come to supper tonight, you may. If you will not, come when you are next prepared for60. [Exit] 160

when…prepared for: next time I’m prepared for you, i.e. never 60

IAGO After her, after her! CASSIO ’Faith, I must. She’ll rail61 in the street else. IAGO Will you sup62 there?

61

rail: rant

62

sup: supper (have dinner)

63

very fain: gladly

CASSIO ’Faith, I intend so. IAGO Well, I may chance to see you; for I would very fain63 speak with you. CASSIO Prithee, come; will you? IAGO Go to; say no more. [Exit CASSIO] OTHELLO [Advancing] How shall I murder him, Iago? IAGO Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice? 170

OTHELLO O Iago! IAGO And did you see the handkerchief? OTHELLO Was that mine? IAGO Yours, by this hand. And to see how he prizes the foolish

115

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

woman your wife! She gave it him, and he hath given it his whore. OTHELLO I would have him nine years a-killing64. A fi ne woman, a fair woman, a sweet woman! IAGO Nay, you must forget that.

180

OTHELLO Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature! She might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks65. IAGO Nay, that’s not your way. OTHELLO Hang her! I do but say what she is: so delicate with her needle66, an admirable musician – O, she will sing the savageness out of a bear – of so high and plenteous wit and invention67 – IAGO She’s the worse for all this.

190

command him tasks: order him (the emperor) about 65

delicate…needle: skilled at embroidery 66

of so high…invention: has such great intelligence and imagination 67

OTHELLO O, a thousand, thousand times – and then, of so gentle a condition! IAGO Ay, too gentle68. OTHELLO Nay, that’s certain. But yet the pity of it, Iago! O Iago, the pity of it, Iago! IAGO If you are so fond over her iniquity69, give her patent to offend70; for, if it touch not you, it comes near nobody. OTHELLO I will chop her into messes71! Cuckold me!

116

nine years a-killing: kill him over a nine-year period, i.e. give him a slow, torturous death 64

gentle: submissive. Iago is playing upon Othello’s reference to Desdemona’s ‘gentle condition’ (tender nature) 68

iniquity: sinfulness give her…offend: give her licence to sin 69 70

messes: pieces of meat, i.e. I will make mincemeat of her 71

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

IAGO O, ’tis foul in her. OTHELLO With mine offi cer! 200

IAGO That’s fouler. OTHELLO Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate72 with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind73 again. This night, Iago!

expostulate: argue unprovide my mind: weaken my resolve 72 73

IAGO Do it not with poison; strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated. OTHELLO Good, good! The justice of it pleases; very good. IAGO And for Cassio, let me be his undertaker74. You shall hear more by midnight.

let…undertaker: 1. allow me to deal with him 2. allow me to kill him 74

OTHELLO Excellent good. [A trumpet within] – What trumpet is that same? 210

IAGO Something from Venice, sure. [Enter LODOVICO, DESDEMONA and Attendants] ’Tis Lodovico Come from the Duke. See, your wife is with him. LODOVICO God save you, worthy general! OTHELLO

With all my heart, sir.

LODOVICO The Duke and senators of Venice greet you. [Gives OTHELLO a letter] 117

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

OTHELLO I kiss the instrument of their pleasures75. [Opens the letter and reads] DESDEMONA And what’s the news, good cousin76 Lodovico?

the instrument…pleasures: i.e. the letter from the Duke and senators 75

cousin: 1. cousin (in the modern sense) 2. kinsman / relative 76

IAGO I am very glad to see you, signior. Welcome to Cyprus. LODOVICO I thank you. How does Lieutenant Cassio? IAGO

220

Lives, sir.

DESDEMONA Cousin, there’s fallen between him and my lord An unkind breach77 – but you shall make all well.

77

unkind breach: rift/falling out

OTHELLO Are you sure of that? DESDEMONA My lord? OTHELLO [Reads] ‘This fail you not to do, as you will –’ LODOVICO He did not call; he’s busy in the paper78. Is there division ’twixt my lord and Cassio? DESDEMONA A most unhappy one: I would do much To atone them79, for the love I bear to Cassio. OTHELLO Fire and brimstone! DESDEMONA My lord? OTHELLO

118

Are you wise?

busy in the paper: busy with the letter, i.e. reading 78

79

atone them: reconcile them

Act 1 Scene Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

DESDEMONA What, is he angry?

230

LODOVICO Maybe the letter moved him; For, as I think, they do command him home, Deputing Cassio in his government. DESDEMONA By my troth, I am glad on’t. OTHELLO Indeed! DESDEMONA

My lord?

OTHELLO I am glad to see you mad. DESDEMONA Why, sweet Othello? OTHELLO [Striking her] Devil! DESDEMONA I have not deserved this. LODOVICO My lord! – this would not be believed in Venice, Though I should swear I saw’t. ’Tis very much. Make her amends80; she weeps.

80

Make her amends: Apologise to her

OTHELLO 240

O devil, devil! If that the earth could teem81 with woman’s tears, Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile82. Out of my sight!

teem: give birth crocodile: ‘crocodile’s tears’ are said to be false. It was thought that crocodiles shed false tears to lure prey 81 82

DESDEMONA

I will not stay to offend you. [Going]

LODOVICO Truly, an obedient lady – I do beseech83 your lordship, call her back.

83

beseech: beg 119

Act 4 Scene 1

Othello

OTHELLO Mistress! DESDEMONA My lord? OTHELLO What would you with her, sir? LODOVICO Who, I, my lord?

250

260

OTHELLO Ay, you did wish that I would make her turn. Sir, she can turn84, and turn, and yet go on, And turn again. And she can weep, sir, weep. And she’s obedient85, as you say, obedient, Very obedient. – Proceed you in your tears. – Concerning this, sir – O well-painted86 passion! – I am commanded home. – Get you away; I’ll send for you anon. – Sir, I obey the mandate87, And will return to Venice. – Hence, avaunt! [Exit DESDEMONA] Cassio shall have my place. And, sir, tonight, I do entreat that we may sup together: You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus. Goats and monkeys!88 [Exit] LODOVICO Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all-in-all suffi cient89? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident, nor dart of chance,90 Could neither graze nor pierce? IAGO

turn: change her mind

85

obedient: sexually compliant

86

well-painted: false / disguising

mandate: command (given in the letter) 87

Goats and monkeys!: Goats and monkeys were seen as lecherous animals. This echoes Iago’s image in Act 3, Scene 3 ‘as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys’ 88

all-in-all sufficient: completely capable 90 shot…chance: i.e. unforeseen misfortune 89

He is much changed.

LODOVICO Are his wits safe? Is he not light of brain91? IAGO He’s that he is. I may not breathe my censure92 What he might be. If what he might he is not, I would to heaven he were!93

120

84

LODOVICO What! Strike his wife?

91

light of brain: losing his sanity

breathe…censure: say anything critical 92

If what he might…he were!: Possibly: I hope he is insane, because if he isn’t, heaven won’t excuse his behaviour 93

Act 4 Scene 1

270

Othello

IAGO ’Faith, that was not so well – yet would I knew94 That stroke would prove the worst. LODOVICO Is it his use95? Or did the letters work upon his blood96, And new-create this fault?

94

would I knew: I wish I could be certain

95

use: habit work upon his blood: anger him

96

IAGO

Alas, alas! It is not honesty in me to speak What I have seen and known. You shall observe him, And his own courses will denote him97 so That I may save my speech. Do but go after, And mark how he continues. LODOVICO I am sorry that I am deceived98 in him. [Exeunt]

OTHELLO

his own courses will denote him: his own behaviour will reveal him to you 97

98

deceived: mistaken

Key Quotations Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature! She might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks.

OTHELLO

Hang her! I do but say what she is: so delicate with her needle, an admirable musician – O, she will sing the savageness out of a bear – of so high and plenteous wit and invention –

LODOVICO

Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all-in-all suffi cient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident, nor dart of chance, Could neither graze nor pierce?



Commentary

Othello is now totally at Iago’s mercy. Iago torments Othello with images of Desdemona and Cassio in bed together. Othello’s disjointed speech refl ects his anguish and lack of control. Othello becomes so overwrought he falls into a trance. The image of Iago standing over the enfeebled Othello visually communicates Iago’s dominance. At the start of the play Othello was forthright and faced all obstacles openly and honestly. However, Othello has become corrupted and is reduced to taking underhand measures: he fi nds himself lurking in a corner trying to eavesdrop on Cassio. Iago masterfully orchestrates events to encourage Othello’s jealousy. By skilfully 121

Act 4 Scene 1



Othello

placing Othello out of earshot and encouraging Cassio to discuss Bianca, Iago fans the fl ames of Othello’s jealousy. So infl uential is Iago, that he actually suggests how Othello should kill Desdemona: ‘Do it not with poison; strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.’ Othello is a deeply confl icted character, torn between his love for Desdemona and his jealous resentment. As Othello’s suspicions become convictions, his wounded pride causes him to use wild and violent language: ‘Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live’, ‘I will chop her into messes!’. However, Othello’s violent imagery is juxtaposed with language of adoration: ‘O, the world hath not a sweeter creature!’, ‘Hang her! I do but say what she is: so delicate with her needle, an admirable musician – O, she will sing the savageness out of a bear – of so high and plenteous wit and invention’. The audience cannot help but be moved by a man utterly destroyed by such powerful emotions. Othello’s status as a noble, unfl appable leader is simultaneously ruined alongside his personal happiness. Othello strikes Desdemona in public which immediately spurs Lodovico to call Othello’s character into question: ‘Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all-in-all suffi cient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident, nor dart of chance, Could neither graze nor pierce?’ Othello’s world, both publicly and privately, is unravelling. Despite Othello’s irrational behaviour, Desdemona acts with composure. After she has been struck and insulted she replies with dignity: ‘I have not deserved this.’ Desdemona avoids any kind of emotional spectacle and shows great restraint, saying to Othello as she leaves, ‘I will not stay to offend you.’ Some critics see this as testimony to the depth of Desdemona’s love. Others argue that Desdemona is unable to reconcile Othello’s abusive behaviour with her ideal of the man.

Questions

1. This scene begins mid-conversation. What do you think Othello and Iago were discussing just before they came on stage? 2. Iago plays on the word ‘lie’ in the early part of this scene. (a) Explain the two meanings of the word here. (b) What effect does this word have on Othello? (c) Why is it ironic for the audience that Iago dwells on the word ‘lie’? 3. How does this scene show that Iago has considerable influence over Othello? 4. How is Othello shown to be a conflicted character in this scene? 5. (a) How does Cassio suggest Bianca is a prostitute? (b) Do you think this is a fair or unfair characterisation? Explain why you think so. 6. Basing your answer on this scene: (a) How does Cassio feel about Bianca? (b) How does Bianca feel about Cassio? 7. Why do you think Iago wants Othello to strangle rather than poison Desdemona? 8. (a) What is Lodovico’s reaction to Othello’s treatment of Desdemona? (b) What does this tell us about how Othello’s fortunes are changing? 9. Comment on how Desdemona behaves in this scene. 10. ‘Iago is a masterful manipulator.’ Discuss this statement in relation to this scene. 122

Act 4 Scene 2 Scene Summary

Othello questions Emilia about Desdemona’s meeting with Cassio. Othello doubts her account. Othello charges Desdemona with adultery. She is stunned by the accusation. Emilia suspects that somebody has been lying to Othello. Roderigo complains to Iago that he has given him many jewels to petition Desdemona on his behalf but there has been no result. He threatens to ask for his jewels back from Desdemona. Iago tells Roderigo that Othello and Desdemona are leaving Cyprus and that Cassio will be the new governor. He tells Roderigo to kill Cassio to prevent Desdemona from leaving.

A room in the castle. Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA OTHELLO You have seen nothing then? EMILIA Nor ever heard, nor ever did suspect. OTHELLO Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together. EMILIA But then I saw no harm, and then I heard Each syllable that breath made up between them. OTHELLO What, did they never whisper? EMILIA

Never, my lord.

OTHELLO Nor send you out o’ the way? EMILIA

Never.

OTHELLO To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor nothing?

123

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA Never, my lord. 10

OTHELLO That’s strange. EMILIA I durst1, my lord, to wager she is honest, Lay down my soul at stake. If you think other, Remove your thought2. It doth abuse your bosom3. If any wretch have put this in your head, Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!4 For, if she be not honest, chaste and true, There’s no man happy. The purest of their wives Is foul as slander. OTHELLO

20

Bid her come hither. Go! [Exit EMILIA] She says enough, yet she’s a simple bawd5 That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore6, A closet lock and key of villainous secrets – And yet she’ll kneel and pray. I have seen her do’t. [Enter DESDEMONA with EMILIA]

durst: dare Remove your thought: put it out of your mind 3 abuse your bosom: deceives your heart 4 Let heaven…curse!: Allow heaven to curse whoever said this to you. The ‘serpent’s curse’ is a biblical reference to the serpent in the Garden of Eden who was cursed by heaven after tempting Adam to knowledge 1 2

5 6

bawd: a brothel madam This…whore: refers to Desdemona

DESDEMONA My lord, what is your will? OTHELLO

Pray, chuck, come hither.

DESDEMONA What is your pleasure? OTHELLO

Let me see your eyes; Look in my face. DESDEMONA What horrible fancy’s7 this? OTHELLO [To EMILIA] Some of your function8, mistress, Leave procreants9 alone and shut the door; Cough, or cry ‘hem’,10 if anybody come: Your mystery11, your mystery! Nay, dispatch! [Exit EMILIA] 124

7

fancy: whim

Some …function: Do your job (as a brothel keeper) 9 procreants: procreators (people having sex) 10 cry ‘hem’: clear your throat 11 mystery: business (as a brothel keeper) 8

Act 4 Scene 2 30

DESDEMONA Upon my knees, what doth your speech import12? I understand a fury in your words. But not the words. OTHELLO

Othello 12

import: mean

Why? What art thou?

DESDEMONA Your wife, my lord – your true and loyal wife. OTHELLO Come – swear it! Damn thyself – Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves Should fear to seize thee. Therefore be double damned: Swear thou art honest! DESDEMONA Heaven doth truly know it. OTHELLO Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell. DESDEMONA To whom, my lord? With whom? How am I false? 40

OTHELLO O Desdemona! Away! Away! Away! DESDEMONA Alas the heavy day! Why do you weep? Am I the motive of13 these tears, my lord? If haply14 you my father do suspect An instrument of this your calling back,15 Lay not your blame on me. If you have lost him16, Why, I have lost him too.

motive of: reason for haply: maybe/perhaps 15 you my father…back: you suspect you were called back to Venice because of my father 16 lost him: lost his friendship 13 14

OTHELLO

50

Had it pleased heaven To try me with affl iction – had they rained All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head, Steeped17 me in poverty to the very lips, Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes, I should have found in some place of my soul A drop of patience. But alas, to make me A fi xed fi gure18 for the time of scorn To point his slow unmoving fi nger at!19

17

Steeped: drenched

fixed figure: a person of ridicule/a laughing stock 19 for the time…finger at!: to be scorned for eternity 18

125

Act 4 Scene 2

60

Yet could I bear that too well, very well. But there, where I have garnered20 up my heart, Where either I must live, or bear no life, The fountain from the which my current runs,21 Or else dries up – to be discarded thence, Or keep it as a cistern22 for foul toads To knot and gender23 in! Turn thy complexion there, Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin24! Ay, there, look grim as hell!25 DESDEMONA I hope my noble lord esteems me honest26. OTHELLO O ay – as summer fl ies are in the shambles27, That quicken even with blowing28. O thou weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet That the sense aches at thee – would thou hadst ne’er been born! DESDEMONA Alas, what ignorant29 sin have I committed?

70

80

OTHELLO Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,30 Made to write ‘whore’ upon? What committed? Committed! O thou public commoner31! I should make very forges of my cheeks,32 That would to cinders burn up modesty33, Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed! Heaven stops the nose at it34 and the moon winks35, The bawdy wind that kisses all it meets36 Is hushed within the hollow mine of earth, And will not hear it37. What committed! Impudent strumpet!38 DESDEMONA By heaven, you do me wrong.

Othello garnered: gathered/hoarded The fountain…runs: the source from where my happiness springs 22 cistern: reservoir 23 To knot and gender: to squirm and have sex 24 cherubin: angel 25 Turn...grim as hell!: Even Patience, that rose-lipped angel, would grow pale and grim as hell at the sight of such a spectacle! 20 21

esteems me honest: considers me faithful/virtuous/chaste 26

shambles: abattoir/slaughter-house That quicken…blowing: that come to life as the eggs are laid 27 28

29

ignorant: unintentional

30

fair paper…book: i.e. Desdemona

commoner: prostitute I should…cheeks: My cheeks should blush (with embarrassment) 33 That would…modesty: that would burn my modesty to ashes 34 stops: closes 35 the moon winks: the moon shuts its eyes 36 The bawdy…meets: the obscene wind, that is itself sexually free 37 Is hushed…hear it: is silenced in a cave and will not listen to your deeds 38 Impudent strumpet!: Brazen whore! 31 32

OTHELLO Are you not a strumpet? DESDEMONA No, as I am a Christian! If to preserve this vessel39 for my lord From any other foul unlawful touch Be not to be a strumpet, I am none. 126

39

this vessel: my body

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

OTHELLO What, not a whore? DESDEMONA No, as I shall be saved! OTHELLO Is’t possible? DESDEMONA O, heaven forgive us! OTHELLO

90

I cry you mercy then: I took you for that cunning whore of Venice That married with Othello. [Calling Emilia] You, mistress, [Enter Emilia] That have the offi ce40 opposite to Saint Peter41, And keep the gate of hell! You, you, ay, you! We have done our course42. There’s money for your pains. [Throws coins to Emilia] I pray you, turn the key and keep our counsel43. [Exit OTHELLO] EMILIA Alas, what does this gentleman conceive44? How do you, madam? How do you, my good lady? DESDEMONA ’Faith, half asleep45.

office: job Saint Peter: St Peter was thought of as the gatekeeper to heaven 42 our course: our business, i.e. have had sex 43 keep our counsel: keep our business secret 40 41

44

conceive: think

45

half asleep: stunned

EMILIA Good madam, what’s the matter with my lord? DESDEMONA With who? EMILIA Why, with my lord, madam. 100

DESDEMONA Who is thy lord? EMILIA

He that is yours, sweet lady.

DESDEMONA I have none. Do not talk to me, Emilia;

127

Act 4 Scene 2

I cannot weep, nor answer have I none, But what should go by water46. Prithee, tonight Lay on my bed my wedding sheets, remember – And call thy husband hither. EMILIA

IAGO What is your pleasure, madam? How is’t with you? DESDEMONA I cannot tell. Those that do teach young babes Do it with gentle means and easy tasks. He might have chid me so; for, in good faith, I am a child to chiding49. IAGO

But what…water: except what can be said with tears 46

Here’s a change indeed! [Exit]

DESDEMONA ’Tis meet47 I should be used so, very meet. How have I been behaved, that he might stick The small’st opinion on my least misuse48? [Enter IAGO and EMILIA]

110

Othello

47

meet: fitting

that he might…misuse: that he could have such a low opinion of me based on my smallest fault 48

I am a child to chiding: 1. I am not used to being scolded 2. I act like a child when I’m scolded 49

What’s the matter, lady?

EMILIA Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored50 her. Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,51 As true hearts cannot bear.

bewhored: called her a whore Thrown such…upon her: berated her with such abusive and violent language 50 51

DESDEMONA Am I that name, Iago? IAGO

What name, fair lady?

DESDEMONA Such as she says my lord did say I was.

120

EMILIA He called her whore. A beggar in his drink52 Could not have laid such terms upon his callet53. IAGO Why did he so?

128

52 53

A beggar…drink: A drunk beggar callet: prostitute

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

DESDEMONA I do not know. I am sure I am none such. IAGO Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day! EMILIA Hath she forsook54 so many noble matches55, Her father and her country and her friends, To be called whore? Would it not make one weep?

54 55

forsook: declined matches: marriages

DESDEMONA It is my wretched fortune. IAGO

Beshrew56 him for’t! How comes this trick57 upon him? DESDEMONA Nay, heaven doth know.

130

EMILIA I will be hanged, if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue58, Some cogging59, cozening60 slave, to get some offi ce61, Have not devised this slander. I’ll be hanged else. IAGO Fie, there is no such man! It is impossible.

Beshrew: Curse trick: 1. deceptive idea 2. foolish behaviour 56 57

insinuating rogue: slyly hinting scoundrel 59 cogging: cheating 60 cozening: tricking 61 office: job/position 58

DESDEMONA If any such there be, heaven pardon him!

140

EMILIA A halter62 pardon him! And hell gnaw his bones! Why should he call her whore? Who keeps her company? What place? What time? What form? What likelihood? The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave, Some base63 notorious knave, some scurvy64 fellow. O heaven, that such companions thou’dst unfold, And put in every honest hand a whip To lash the rascals naked through the world Even from the east to the west! IAGO

Speak within door65.

62

halter: noose

63

base: lowlife scurvy: despicable

64

65

within door: more quietly

129

Act 4 Scene 2

EMILIA O, fi e upon them! Some such squire he was That turned your wit66 the seamy side without67, And made you to suspect me with the Moor68. IAGO You are a fool. Go to.

150

160

DESDEMONA O good Iago, What shall I do to win my lord again? Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven, I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel: If e’er my will did trespass ’gainst his love, Either in discourse of thought69 or actual deed, Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense, Delighted them in any other form – Or that I do not yet, and ever did, And ever will – though he do shake me off To beggarly divorcement – love him dearly, Comfort forswear70 me! Unkindness may do much, And his unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love. I cannot say ‘whore’. It does abhor71 me now I speak the word. To do the act that might the addition72 earn Not the world’s mass of vanity73 could make me. IAGO I pray you, be content; ’tis but his humour. The business of the state does him offence, And he does chide74 with you.

Othello

wit: common sense the seamy…without: inside out 68 And made…Moor: and made you (Iago) suspect that I had slept with the Moor 66 67

69

discourse of thought: train of thought

70

forswear: reject/denounce

abhor: detest addition: name/title (of ‘whore’) 73 the world’s…vanity: i.e. all the riches in the world 71 72

74

chide: quarrel

75

stay the meat: await their food

DESDEMONA If ’twere no other – IAGO

170

It is but so, I warrant. [Trumpets within] Hark, how these instruments summon to supper! The messengers of Venice stay the meat75. Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well. [Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA] [Enter RODERIGO] How now, Roderigo! RODERIGO I do not fi nd that thou deal’st justly with me.

130

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

IAGO What in the contrary? RODERIGO Every day thou daff’st me with some device76, Iago; and rather, as it seems to me now, keep’st from me all conveniency77 than suppliest me with the least advantage78 of hope. I will indeed no longer endure it – nor am I yet persuaded to put up in peace79 what already I have foolishly suffered. 180

77 78 79

conveniency: opportunity advantage: favourable opportunity put up in peace: quietly put up with

IAGO Will you hear me, Roderigo? RODERIGO ’Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and performances are no kin together80. IAGO You charge me most unjustly. RODERIGO With nought but truth. I have wasted myself out of my means.81 The jewels you have had from me to deliver to Desdemona would half have corrupted a votarist82. You have told me she hath received them and returned me expectations and comforts of sudden respect and acquaintance83, but I fi nd none.

190

daff’st me…device: fob me off with some trick 76

IAGO Well, go to – very well. RODERIGO Very well? Go to? I cannot go to, man; nor ’tis not very well. By this hand, I think it is scurvy84, and begin to fi nd myself fopped85 in it.

your words…together: your words and actions do not relate to each other 80

I have…means: I have spent all of my money 82 votarist: nun/monk 81

comforts…acquaintance: promises of immediate attention and meetings 83

84 85

scurvy: trickery fopped: duped/deceived

IAGO Very well. RODERIGO I tell you ’tis not very well! I will make myself known to Desdemona. If she will return me my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation86. If not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you87. IAGO You have said now.

I will give over…solicitation: I will forget my request for her love and my illegal wooing 87 seek satisfaction of you: look for satisfaction from you, i.e. a return of the jewels and/or a duel 86

131

Act 4 Scene 2 200

RODERIGO Ay, and said nothing but what I protest88 intendment of doing. IAGO Why, now I see there’s mettle89 in thee, and even from this instant to build on thee a better opinion than ever before. Give me thy hand, Roderigo. Thou hast taken against me a most just exception – but yet, I protest, I have dealt most directly in thy affair.

Othello I protest intendment: I seriously declare my intentions 88

89

mettle: grit/determination/spirit

90

valour: bravery

91

devise…my life: plan my murder

92

compass: possibility

93

depute: appoint

RODERIGO It hath not appeared.

210

IAGO I grant indeed it hath not appeared, and your suspicion is not without wit and judgement. But, Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed, which I have greater reason to believe now than ever – I mean purpose, courage and valour90 – this night show it! If thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona, take me from this world with treachery and devise engines for my life. 91 RODERIGO Well, what is it? Is it within reason and compass92? IAGO Sir, there is especial commission come from Venice to depute93 Cassio in Othello’s place. RODERIGO Is that true? Why, then Othello and Desdemona return again to Venice.

220

IAGO O, no: he goes into Mauritania94 and takes away with him the fair Desdemona, unless his abode be lingered here95 by some accident – wherein none can be so determinate96 as the removing of Cassio. RODERIGO How do you mean, removing of him? IAGO Why, by making him uncapable of Othello’s place: knocking out his brains.

132

Mauritania: region of North Africa ruled by the Moors 95 unless his abode…here: unless his stay here is prolonged 96 determinate: determining 94

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

RODERIGO And that you would have me to do?

230

IAGO Ay, if you dare do yourself a profi t and a right. He sups tonight with a harlotry97, and thither will I go to him. He knows not yet of his honourable fortune. If you will watch his going thence, which I will fashion to fall out between twelve and one, you may take him at your pleasure. I will be near to second your attempt, and he shall fall between us. Come, stand not amazed at it, but go along with me. I will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to put it on him. It is now high suppertime, and the night grows to waste98: about it!99 RODERIGO I will hear further reason for this.

97

harlotry: prostitute

98

the night…waste: the night is fading about it!: let’s get to it!

99

IAGO And you shall be satisfi ed. [Exeunt]

OTHELLO

OTHELLO

Key Quotations Had it pleased heaven To try me with affl iction – had they rained All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head, Steeped me in poverty to the very lips, Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes, I should have found in some place of my soul A drop of patience. But alas, to make me A fi xed fi gure for the time of scorn To point his slow unmoving fi nger at! Yet could I bear that too well, very well. But there, where I have garnered up my heart, Where either I must live, or bear no life, The fountain from the 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! Turn thy complexion there, Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin! Ay, there, look grim as hell! O ay – as summer fl ies are in the shambles, That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet That the sense aches at thee – would thou hadst ne’er been born! 133

Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA

The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave, Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.

DESDEMONA

Unkindness may do much, And his unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love.

Commentary

Desdemona is displayed as an innocent character. Not only is she slow to understand Othello’s accusation but she struggles to even say the word ‘whore’. Emilia also testifi es to Desdemona’s innocence calling her ‘honest, chaste and true’. Desdemona’s innocence and innate goodness invite the audience’s pity. Desdemona’s unwavering commitment to Othello makes her all the more a pitiful victim. Even after she is berated by her husband, Desdemona remains loving and loyal. She explains that despite Othello’s accusations and verbal abuse, her love for him is unaffected: ‘Unkindness may do much, / And his unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love.’ She seeks to remind Othello of the love they shared by instructing Emilia to lay out the wedding sheets on the bed. Othello is a confl icted character, torn between his love for Desdemona and his bitter hatred of her. Othello cannot help but recognise Desdemona’s beauty. He tells her that she is ‘so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet / That the sense aches at thee’. Othello struggles to reconcile this with his conviction that she has been unfaithful: ‘Was this fair paper, this most goodly book, / Made to write ‘whore’ upon?’ Torn between these contradictory ideas, and longing for some certainty, Othello tries to abandon his instinctive love for Desdemona and bitterly embraces the idea of her infi delity. Othello’s feverish jealousy has now completely clouded his reason, exaggerating the alleged single incident of infi delity with Cassio by imagining her as a prostitute: a ‘public commoner’, ‘impudent strumpet’ and a ‘cunning whore’. Othello’s pride is also shown as a motivating factor. Othello feels that Desdemona’s supposed behaviour will embarrass him: ‘I should make very forges of my cheeks, / That would to cinders burn up modesty, / Did I but speak thy deeds’. Othello’s pride causes him to fear mockery: ‘to make me / A fi xed fi gure for the time of scorn / To point his slow unmoving fi nger at!’ Othello’s hyperbole (exaggeration) here shows that he has lost all sense of proportion as his mad jealousy has overcome his previously calm and rational disposition. Emilia alludes to Iago’s suspicion that she had an affair with Othello. This recalls one of the reasons Iago offered for hating Othello and shows how jealousy is a potential motive for Iago. This scene is rich in dramatic irony. Desdemona asks Iago for advice about how she can be reconciled with Othello, while Emilia tells Iago that she suspects somebody has corrupted Othello: ‘The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave, / Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.’ Roderigo comes close to understanding Iago’s true nature. However, he is easily manipulated by Iago and continues to be a pawn in Iago’s scheme. Roderigo is now given the task of killing Cassio. Iago is dangerously close to being revealed as a villain as both Emilia and Roderigo nearly see him for what he is. This adds to the audience’s sense of excitement as the play moves towards its fi nal act. 134

Act 1 Scene Act 4 Scene 2

Othello

Questions

1. (a) What view of Desdemona does Emilia offer Othello? (b) How does Othello react to this? 2. What evidence is there that Othello still loves Desdemona? 3. Do you think Othello’s pride has been damaged? Why / why not? 4. (a) How does Desdemona react to Othello’s accusations? (b) What do you think of this reaction? 5. In Act 1 Othello was accused of witchcraft by Brabantio. Compare how Othello behaved in Act 1, Scenes 2 and 3 with his behaviour in this scene. 6. Are there any examples of dramatic irony in this scene? Refer to the scene in your response. 7. Find a quotation which shows that Iago once suspected Emilia of having an affair with Othello. 8. In what way has Iago exploited Roderigo? 9. Do you feel that Iago comes close to being uncovered in this scene? Explain your answer. 10. Imagine you could interview Emilia at this point of the play. (a) Write down three questions you would ask her. (b) Write down the responses you think she would give. 11. Reputation and honour are recurring ideas in Othello. How are these ideas explored in this scene? 12. Do you agree that this scene explores the ideas of truth and deception? Refer to the scene in your response.

135

Act 4 Scene 3 Scene Summary

Othello orders Desdemona to bed and tells her to dismiss Emilia for the night. As Desdemona prepares for bed she sings ‘Willow’, a tragic love song. Desdemona wonders if there really are unfaithful women. Emilia says there are, but their behaviour is no worse than their husbands’.

Another room in the castle. Enter OTHELLO, LODOVICO, DESDEMONA, EMILIA and Attendants LODOVICO I do beseech you, sir, trouble yourself no further. OTHELLO O, pardon me; ’twill do me good to walk. LODOVICO Madam, good night; I humbly thank your ladyship. DESDEMONA Your honour is most welcome. OTHELLO Will you walk, sir? O, Desdemona – DESDEMONA My lord? OTHELLO Get you to bed on the instant; I will be returned forthwith1. Dismiss your attendant there. Look it be done. DESDEMONA I will, my lord. [Exeunt OTHELLO, LODOVICO and Attendants] 10

136

EMILIA How goes it now? He looks gentler than he did.

1

forthwith: without delay

Act 4 Scene 3

DESDEMONA He says he will return incontinent2. He hath commanded me to go to bed, And bade3 me to dismiss you. EMILIA

Othello 2

incontinent: immediately

3

bade: instructed

4

nightly wearing: nightgown

5

checks: reprimands

6

shroud: wrap (for burial)

Dismiss me?

DESDEMONA It was his bidding – therefore, good Emilia, Give me my nightly wearing4, and adieu. We must not now displease him. EMILIA I would you had never seen him!

20

DESDEMONA So would not I. My love doth so approve him, That even his stubbornness, his checks5, his frowns – Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them. EMILIA I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed. DESDEMONA All’s one. Good faith, how foolish are our minds! If I do die before thee, prithee shroud6 me In one of those same sheets. EMILIA

30

Come, come you talk.

DESDEMONA My mother had a maid called Barbary7; She was in love, and he she loved proved mad And did forsake her. She had a song of ‘Willow’8 – An old thing ’twas, but it expressed her fortune9, And she died singing it. That song tonight Will not go from my mind. I have much to do, But to go hang my head all at one side, And sing it like poor Barbary. – Prithee, dispatch.

Barbary: the maid’s name is significant as Barbary is a region of North Africa. Othello is from this area 8 Willow: a symbol of grief for unrequited love 9 fortune: fate 7

EMILIA Shall I go fetch your nightgown? DESDEMONA No, unpin me here. This Lodovico is a proper10 man.

10

proper: 1. admirable 2. handsome 137

Act 4 Scene 3

Othello

EMILIA A very handsome man. DESDEMONA He speaks well. EMILIA I know a lady in Venice would have walked barefoot to Palestine for a touch of his nether lip11.

40

50

DESDEMONA [Singing] ‘The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow. Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow. The fresh streams ran by her, and murmured her moans, Sing willow, willow, willow. Her salt tears fell from her, and softened the stones;’ [Giving clothes to EMILIA] Lay by these12 ‘Sing willow, willow, willow’ Prithee, hie13 thee: he’ll come anon14. ‘Sing all a green willow must be my garland. Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve’ Nay, that’s not next. Hark! Who is’t that knocks?

11

nether lip: bottom lip

12

Lay by these: Put these aside

13

hie: hurry anon: shortly/soon

14

EMILIA It is the wind. DESDEMONA [Singing] ‘I called my love false love; but what said he then? Sing willow, willow, willow. If I court more women, you’ll couch15 with more men.’ – So, get thee gone. Good night. Mine eyes do itch. Doth that bode weeping? EMILIA

60

138

couch: lie/share a bed with

16

in conscience: truly

’Tis neither here nor there.

DESDEMONA I have heard it said so. O, these men, these men! Dost thou in conscience16 think – tell me, Emilia – That there be women do abuse their husbands In such gross kind17? EMILIA

15

There be some such, no question.

In such gross kind: in such a horrible way 17

Act 4 Scene 3

Othello

DESDEMONA Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world? EMILIA Why, would not you? DESDEMONA No, by this heavenly light! EMILIA Nor I neither by this heavenly light – I might do’t as well i’ the dark. DESDEMONA Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world? EMILIA The world’s a huge thing: it is a great price for a small vice18. DESDEMONA In troth19, I think thou wouldst not.

70

EMILIA In troth, I think I should – and undo’t when I had done. Marry, I would not do such a thing for a joint-ring20, nor for measures of lawn21, nor for gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty exhibition22. But for the whole world? Why, who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch? I should venture23 purgatory24 for it. DESDEMONA Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong for the whole world.

18

vice: immoral act

19

troth: truth

joint-ring: gimmal ring: a ring made of two interlocking hoops. An engaged couple would wear a hoop each, joining them together when they were married 21 lawn: linen 22 petty exhibition: trivial gift 23 venture: risk going to 24 purgatory: a place where the souls of those who have died are punished for their sins before going to heaven 20

EMILIA Why the wrong is but a wrong i’ the world – and having the world for your labour, ’tis a wrong in your own world, and you might quickly make it right. 80

DESDEMONA I do not think there is any such woman. EMILIA Yes, a dozen – and as many to the vantage25 as would Store26 the world they played for. But I do think it is their husbands’ faults

25 26

to the vantage: more Store: fill/stock/populate

139

Act 4 Scene 3

90

100

Othello

If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties, And pour our treasures into foreign27 laps, Or else break out in peevish28 jealousies, Throwing restraint upon us – or say they strike us, Or scant our former having in despite29 – Why, we have galls30, and though we have some grace,31 Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know Their wives have sense32 like them. They see and smell And have their palates both for sweet and sour, As husbands have. What is it that they do When they change us for others? Is it sport?33 I think it is. And doth affection breed it?34 I think it doth. Is’t frailty that thus errs?35 It is so too. And have not we affections, Desires for sport – and frailty – as men have? Then let them use us well: else let them know, The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.36 DESDEMONA Good night, good night. God me such uses send,37 Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!38 [Exeunt]

DESDEMONA

27 28

foreign: other women’s peevish: irritable/cranky

scant…despite: spitefully reduce our allowance 30 galls: resentment 31 grace: mercy 32 have sense: are sensual 29

sport: fun/pleasure And doth…breed it?: Is it caused by passion? 35 Is’t frailty…errs?: Is weakness the cause? 33 34

The ills…us so: the bad things that we do, are learnt from men 36

God me…send: God, expose me to such behaviour 38 Not to pick…bad mend!: not to learn bad habits, but to improve myself by knowing what is bad! 37

Key Quotations My love doth so approve him, That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns – Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them.

EMILIA

Then let them use us well: else let them know, The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.

DESDEMONA

God me such uses send, Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!

Commentary

This scene is quiet and melancholic in contrast to the tension and drama of the preceding scene. There is a sense of foreboding in this scene. Desdemona has a vague premonition of her own death and instructs Emilia that she wishes to be buried in her wedding sheets: ‘If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me / In one of those same sheets.’ Desdemona also recalls the death of her mother’s maid, Barbary, and how she died singing the tragic love song ‘Willow’. Barbary was abandoned by a lover who became mad. This echoes Othello’s mad jealousy and Barbary’s death foreshadows Desdemona’s. ‘Willow’ is sung by Desdemona throughout this scene and provides a haunting reminder that Othello is planning to kill Desdemona. Desdemona’s saint-like devotion is moving for the audience. Despite Othello’s aggression and accusations, she cannot help but love him: ‘My love doth so approve him, / That even his 140

Act 4 Scene 3

Othello

stubbornness, his checks, his frowns – / Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them.’ Shakespeare unreservedly points to Desdemona’s innate goodness making Othello’s actions all the more tragic. This scene also suggests that Desdemona holds an idealised, unrealistic vision of Othello. She fails to appreciate that he is a fl awed human being. This is in keeping with what originally sparked her love for Othello: his romantic tales of adventure. Desdemona’s virtue and purity help to stress how corrupted Othello has become. Desdemona’s goodness borders on the naïve. She expresses her disbelief to Emilia that some women are unfaithful to their husbands. While Emilia argues that a husband’s poor behaviour encourages a wife’s infi delity, Desdemona says she would hope to learn from mistreatment rather than take vengeance: ‘God me such uses send, / Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!’ This is a pointed contrast to Othello’s need for retribution. Emilia is a foil (contrast) for Desdemona’s purity and innocence. While Desdemona romantically believes in love and fi delity, Emilia offers a cynical view of marriage and places little value on marital faithfulness. She says that infi delity allows women the opportunity to punish husbands who mistreat them: ‘Then let them use us well: else let them know, / The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.’ Her view of men neatly balances Iago’s view of women expressed in Act 2, Scene 1.

Questions

1. How does Desdemona’s singing of ‘Willow’ contribute to the mood of this scene? 2. Apart from the song ‘Willow’, how else does Shakespeare create a sense of foreboding in this scene? 3. What view of men and marriage is offered by: (a) Desdemona? (b) Emilia? 4. Look back at Act 2, Scene 1. How is Emilia’s view of men balanced by Iago’s view of women? 5. How does Shakespeare establish Desdemona as an innocent victim in this scene? 6. (a) Imagine you are in Emilia’s position. Write down what you would say to Desdemona at this point of the play. (b) Explain why you would say this.

141

Act 4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Revision Quiz

What does Iago claim to have witnessed while sharing a bed with Cassio? (a) Cassio reading a letter from Desdemona. (b) Cassio talking in his sleep about Desdemona. (c) Cassio talking in his sleep about murdering Othello. (d) Cassio confessing his jealousy of Othello’s high rank. What instructions are contained in the letter that Othello receives from Venice? Why is Roderigo annoyed with Iago? Who does Iago instruct Roderigo to kill? Othello decides to poison Desdemona. What other method of murder does Iago suggest to Othello instead? 6. What does Desdemona ask Emilia to put on her bed? 7. What song did Desdemona hear from her mother’s maid, Barbary? 8. According to Emilia whose fault is it when wives are unfaithful? (a) Their husbands’ (b) The husbands’ mistresses’ (c) Society’s 9. Who says each of the following? (a) My love doth so approve him, That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns – Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them. (b) Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature! She might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks. (c) Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate Call all-in-all sufficient? Is this the nature Whom passion could not shake? Whose solid virtue The shot of accident, nor dart of chance, Could neither graze nor pierce? 10. Rewrite these quotations. In each case, write the speaker’s name and fill in the blanks. (a) O ay – as summer flies are in the ________, That ________ even with blowing. O thou weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so ________ That the ________ aches at thee – would thou hadst ne’er been born! (b) Then let them ________ us well: else let them know, The ________ we do, their ills instruct us so. (c) ________ me such uses send, Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad ________! 142

Act 5 Scene 1 Scene Summary

As Cassio leaves Bianca’s house, he is attacked and wounded by Roderigo. Cassio then injures Roderigo. Iago wounds Cassio by stabbing him from behind. Iago then stabs and kills Roderigo. In front of Lodovico and Gratiano, Iago accuses Bianca of being involved in the attack on Cassio.

Cyprus. A street. Enter IAGO and RODERIGO IAGO Here, stand behind this bulk;1 straight will he come: Wear thy good rapier bare,2 and put it home.3 Quick, quick! Fear nothing – I’ll be at thy elbow. It makes us, or it mars4 us; think on that, And fi x most fi rm thy resolution. RODERIGO Be near at hand: I may miscarry in’t.5 IAGO Here, at thy hand. Be bold, and take thy stand. [Retires]

10

RODERIGO I have no great devotion6 to the deed, And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons. ’Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword! He dies! IAGO [Aside] I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,7 And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio, Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, Every way makes my gain. Live Roderigo, He calls me to a restitution large Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him As gifts to Desdemona.8 It must not be, if Cassio do remain; He has a daily beauty9 in his life

bulk: a stall that projects from the front of a building 2 Wear…bare: have your sword withdrawn from its scabbard 3 put it home: drive it into his body 4 mars: destroys 1

I may…in’t: I might not carry it out properly 5

6

devotion: commitment

I have rubbed…sense: I have rubbed this pimple raw, i.e. I have irritated Roderigo to the point where he is about to explode 7

Live Roderigo…Desdemona: If Roderigo lives he’ll ask for the gold and jewels I swindled from him as gifts to Desdemona 9 daily beauty: 1. excellent manners 2. ever-present attractiveness 3. virtue 8

143

Act 5 Scene 1 20

That makes me ugly. And besides, the Moor May unfold10 me to him: there stand I in much peril. No, he must die. – Be’t so! I hear him coming! [Enter CASSIO]

Othello 10

unfold: reveal

RODERIGO I know his gait; ’tis he. Villain, thou diest! [Attacks CASSIO] CASSIO That thrust had11 been mine enemy indeed, But that my coat12 is better than thou know’st. I will make proof of thine!13 [Draws, and wounds RODERIGO] RODERIGO O, I am slain! [IAGO from behind wounds CASSIO in the leg, and exits]

had: would have coat: Cassio may be wearing a protective garment such as a coat of mail or heavy leather jerkin 13 I will…thine!: I’ll put yours (your coat) to the test! 11

12

CASSIO I am maimed for ever. Help, ho! Murder! Murder! [Enter OTHELLO] OTHELLO The voice of Cassio. Iago keeps his word. 30

RODERIGO O, villain that I am! OTHELLO

It is even so.

CASSIO O, help, ho! Light! A surgeon! OTHELLO ’Tis he: O brave Iago, honest and just, That hast such noble sense14 of thy friend’s wrong! Thou teachest me. Minion,15 your dear lies dead, And your unblest16 fate hies17. Strumpet, I come! Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted:18 Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lust’s blood be spotted! [Exit] [Enter LODOVICO and GRATIANO] 144

14

noble sense: fine understanding

Minion: 1. Darling 2. Whore, i.e. Desdemona 15

unblest: damned hies: hurries 18 Forth…blotted: Your charming eyes are erased from my heart 16 17

Act 5 Scene 1

CASSIO What, ho! No watch? No passage?19 Murder! Murder!

Othello 19

passage: passers-by

20

heavy: dark counterfeits: fake calls for help

GRATIANO ’Tis some mischance – the cry is very direful. 40

CASSIO O, help! LODOVICO Hark! RODERIGO O wretched villain! LODOVICO Two or three groan! It is a heavy20 night. These may be counterfeits21. Let’s think’t unsafe To come in to the cry without more help.

21

RODERIGO Nobody come? Then shall I bleed to death. LODOVICO Hark! [Enter IAGO, with a light] GRATIANO Here’s one comes in his shirt22, with light and weapons.

22

shirt: nightshirt / pyjamas

IAGO Who’s there? Whose noise is this that cries on murder? 50

LODOVICO We do not know. IAGO

Did not you hear a cry?

CASSIO Here, here! For heaven’s sake, help me! IAGO

What’s the matter?

GRATIANO This is Othello’s ancient, as I take it. 145

Act 5 Scene 1

LODOVICO The same indeed, a very valiant23 fellow.

Othello 23

valiant: 1. worthy 2. courageous

IAGO What are you here that cry so grievously? CASSIO Iago? O, I am spoiled, undone by villains! Give me some help. IAGO O me, lieutenant! What villains have done this? CASSIO I think that one of them is hereabout, And cannot make away. IAGO 60

O treacherous villains! [To LODOVICO and GRATIANO] What are you there? Come in, and give some help. RODERIGO O, help me here! CASSIO That’s one of them. IAGO

O murderous slave! O villain! [Stabs RODERIGO]

RODERIGO O damned Iago! O inhuman dog! IAGO Kill men i’ the dark! – Where be these bloody thieves? – How silent is this town! – Ho! Murder! Murder! – [To LODOVICO and GRATIANO] What may you be? Are you of good or evil? LODOVICO As you shall prove us, praise us.24 IAGO Signior Lodovico? 146

As you…praise us: As you find out the kind of people we are, you will praise us 24

Act 5 Scene 1

Othello

LODOVICO He, sir. 70

IAGO I cry you mercy. Here’s Cassio hurt by villains. GRATIANO Cassio! IAGO How is’t, brother! CASSIO My leg is cut in two. IAGO

Marry, heaven forbid! Light, gentlemen. – I’ll bind it with my shirt. [Enter BIANCA] BIANCA What is the matter, ho? Who is’t that cried? IAGO Who is’t that cried! BIANCA

O my dear Cassio! My sweet Cassio! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio! IAGO O notable strumpet! Cassio, may you suspect Who they should be that have thus mangled25 you? 80

25

mangled: wounded

CASSIO No. GRATIANO I am to fi nd you thus. I have been to seek you. IAGO Lend me a garter26. So. – O, for a chair, To bear him easily hence!

garter: a belt to hold a stocking or short sleeve in place 26

BIANCA Alas, he faints! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio! 147

Act 5 Scene 1

90

IAGO Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash27 To be a party28 in this injury. Patience awhile, good Cassio. Come, come; Lend me a light. Know we this face or no? Alas my friend and my dear countryman, Roderigo! No – yes, sure! – O heaven! Roderigo!

Othello trash: worthless person, i.e. Bianca 28 party: involved 27

GRATIANO What, of Venice? IAGO

Even he, sir. Did you know him?

GRATIANO Know him? Ay. IAGO Signior Gratiano? I cry you gentle pardon. These bloody accidents29 must excuse my manners, That so neglected you.30

accidents: sudden events neglected you: paid no attention to you 29 30

GRATIANO I am glad to see you. IAGO How do you, Cassio? – O, a chair, a chair! GRATIANO Roderigo?

100

IAGO He – he, ’tis he. [A chair is brought in] O, that’s well said, the chair! Some good man bear him carefully from hence. I’ll fetch the general’s surgeon. [To BIANCA] For you, mistress, Save you your labour. [To CASSIO] He that lies slain here, Cassio, Was my dear friend. What malice31 was between you? CASSIO None in the world – nor do I know the man. IAGO [To BIANCA] What, look you pale? – O, bear him out o’ the air!

148

31

malice: ill will

Act 5 Scene 1

Othello

[CASSIO and RODERIGO are carried off]

110

Stay you, good gentlemen. – [To BIANCA] Look you pale, mistress? – Do you perceive the gastness32 of her eye? [To BIANCA] Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon. – Behold her well! I pray you, look upon her. Do you see, gentlemen? Nay, guiltiness will speak, Though tongues were out of use. [Enter EMILIA]

32

gastness: look of fear

33

are scaped: have escaped

34

fruit: product/result

35

shake: tremble

36

charge: order

37

Fie upon thee: Shame on you

38

dressed: i.e. wounds dressed

EMILIA Alas, what’s the matter? What’s the matter, husband? IAGO Cassio hath here been set on in the dark By Roderigo and fellows that are scaped.33 He’s almost slain, and Roderigo dead. EMILIA Alas, good gentleman! Alas, good Cassio! IAGO This is the fruit34 of whoring. – Prithee, Emilia, Go know of Cassio, where he supped tonight. [To BIANCA] What, do you shake35 at that? 120

BIANCA He supped at my house – but I therefore shake not. IAGO O, did he so? I charge36 you, go with me. EMILIA Fie, fi e upon thee,37 strumpet! BIANCA I am no strumpet, but of life as honest As you that thus abuse me. EMILIA

As I! Foh! Fie upon thee!

IAGO Kind gentlemen, let’s go see poor Cassio dressed.38 – [To BIANCA] Come, mistress, you must tell’s another tale.–

149

Act 5 Scene 1

130

Othello

Emilia run you to the citadel,39 And tell my lord and lady what hath happed. [Exit EMILIA] – Will you go on I pray? [Aside] This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite.40 [Exeunt]

OTHELLO OTHELLO

39

citadel: fortress

40

fordoes me quite: totally undoes me

Key Quotations O brave Iago, honest and just, That hast such noble sense of thy friend’s wrong! Thou teachest me. Strumpet, I come! Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted: Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lust’s blood be spotted!

Commentary

This scene echoes the opening of the play with Iago and Roderigo conspiring at night to cause great mischief. Iago is resentful of virtue. Besides wanting Cassio dead to avoid suspicion, Iago also wants to see Cassio murdered for his virtuous appearance and charm: ‘He has a daily beauty in his life / That makes me ugly.’ Iago’s deviousness is shown as he slyly stabs Cassio from behind and wounds Roderigo to avoid exposure of his villainy. The fact that he promised to support Roderigo in the fi ght (‘I’ll be at thy elbow’) only adds to the treachery of Iago’s actions. Furthermore, Iago’s devious, quick mind allows him to defl ect suspicion away from himself by accusing Bianca of conspiring against Cassio. Othello’s wounded pride and need for certainty blinds him to reality and leads him continually to his tragic downfall: ‘O brave Iago, honest and just, / That hast such noble sense of thy friend’s wrong! / Thou teachest me’ and he leaves the scene to murder Desdemona: ‘Strumpet, I come! / Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted: / Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lust’s blood be spotted!’ Othello’s eyes are truly ‘blotted’ to both Desdemona’s innocence and Iago’s villainy. Othello has lost his natural sense of leadership and justice. In Act 2, when Iago and Roderigo incited a street brawl, Othello admirably restored order and took control of the situation. In contrast, this scene shows Othello, much like Iago, hiding in the shadows during the fi ght. Othello is now a corrupted fi gure who has lost his previous nobility and greatness.

150

Act 5 Scene 1

Othello

Questions

1. Why does Iago want both Cassio and Roderigo dead? 2. Why does Othello say ‘O brave Iago, honest and just, / That hast such noble sense of thy friend’s wrong!’ 3. Compare Othello’s actions following the street brawl in Act 2, Scene 3 with his behaviour in this scene. 4. How does Iago divert suspicion towards Bianca? 5. Identify two examples of dramatic irony in this scene. 6. Imagine you were directing a filmed version of this scene. What music/sound effects would you use? Explain your choice.

151

Act 5 Scene 2 Scene Summary

Othello murders Desdemona by smothering her. Othello tells Emilia that he relied on Iago for information about Desdemona and Cassio. Emilia realises her husband’s role in Desdemona’s death. She reveals that Iago asked her to give him the handkerchief. Iago kills Emilia. He then refuses to explain his motivation for conspiring against Othello. Othello asks that his deeds are fairly reported. He then kills himself.

A bedchamber in the castle. DESDEMONA in bed asleep; a light burning. Enter OTHELLO

10

20

OTHELLO It is the cause1, it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, you chaste2 stars! It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, And smooth as monumental alabaster.3 Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light.4 If I quench5 thee, thou fl aming minister,6 I can again thy former light restore,7 Should I repent me. But once put out thy light, Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,8 I know not where is that Promethean9 heat That can thy light relume.10 When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again. It must needs wither. I’ll smell it on the tree. [He kisses her] 11 O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword!12 One more, one more! Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee And love thee after. One more, and this the last. So sweet was ne’er so fatal. I must weep. But they are cruel tears. This sorrow’s heavenly: It strikes where it doth love. She wakes. DESDEMONA Who’s there? Othello?

152

1 2

cause: reason (for killing Desdemona) chaste: sexually uncorrupted

alabaster: white stone used to make grave monuments 4 light: the first ‘light’ is the lamp; the second ‘light’ is Desdemona’s life 5 quench: extinguish 6 flaming minister: i.e. the lamp 7 thy former light restore: relight you 8 Thou…nature: you perfect example of nature’s beauty 9 Promethean: Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure who gave fire to humanity 10 relume: relight 3

balmy: fragrant that dost…sword!: i.e. for justice not to be carried out 11

12

Act 5 Scene 2

OTHELLO

Othello

Ay, Desdemona.

DESDEMONA Will you come to bed, my lord? OTHELLO Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona? DESDEMONA Ay, my lord. OTHELLO If you bethink yourself of any crime Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace, Solicit for it straight. 13 DESDEMONA Alas, my lord, what may you mean by that? 30

OTHELLO Well, do it, and be brief. I will walk by. I would not kill thy unprepared spirit. No! Heaven forfend!14 I would not kill thy soul.

If you bethink…straight: If you can think of any crimes for which you haven’t repented to heaven, beg for forgiveness now 13

14

forfend: forbid

15

fatal: lethal/deadly

DESDEMONA Talk you of killing? OTHELLO

Ay, I do.

DESDEMONA

Then heaven Have mercy on me! OTHELLO

Amen, with all my heart!

DESDEMONA If you say so, I hope you will not kill me. OTHELLO Hum! DESDEMONA And yet I fear you – for you are fatal15 then When your eyes roll so. Why I should fear I know not, Since guiltiness I know not – but yet I feel I fear.

153

Act 5 Scene 2 40

Othello

OTHELLO Think on thy sins. DESDEMONA They are loves I bear to you.16 OTHELLO Ay, and for that thou diest.17 DESDEMONA That death’s unnatural that kills for loving. Alas, why gnaw you so your nether18 lip? Some bloody passion shakes your very frame.19 These are portents20 – but yet I hope, I hope, They do not point on me. OTHELLO

Peace,21 and be still!

They are…to you: They are the sins I committed for you, i.e. 1. rebelling against her father 2. loving Othello more than God 3. loving Othello too much 17 thou diest: you die 16

18 19

nether: lower frame: body

20

portents: ill-omens/bad signs

21

Peace: Quiet

DESDEMONA I will so. What’s the matter? OTHELLO That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee, Thou gavest to Cassio.

50

DESDEMONA No, by my life and soul! Send for the man, and ask him. OTHELLO

Sweet soul, take heed, Take heed of perjury:22 thou art on thy deathbed. DESDEMONA Ay, but not yet to die. OTHELLO

Yes, – presently.23 Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin, For to deny each article24 with oath Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception That I do groan withal.25 Thou art to die. DESDEMONA Then Lord have mercy on me! 154

perjury: false swearing/lying under oath 22

23

presently: soon

24

article: charge

Cannot remove…withal: Cannot dispel the unshakeable notion that makes me groan 25

Act 5 Scene 2

OTHELLO

60

Othello

I say, amen.

DESDEMONA And have you mercy too! I never did Offend26 you in my life – never loved Cassio But with such general warranty of heaven As I might love.27 I never gave him token.28 OTHELLO By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in’s hand. O perjured woman! Thou dost stone my heart,29 And makest me call what I intend to do A murder, which I thought a sacrifi ce: I saw the handkerchief.

Offend you: wrong you general warranty…might love: the general licence from heaven to love all people 28 token: a love token 26 27

29

stone my heart: turn my heart to stone

DESDEMONA He found it then. I never gave it him. Send for him hither. Let him confess a truth. OTHELLO

He hath confessed.

DESDEMONA What, my lord? 70

OTHELLO That he hath used thee.30 DESDEMONA How? Unlawfully?

That he hath used thee: That he had sex with you 30

OTHELLO Ay. DESDEMONA He will not say so. OTHELLO

No, his mouth is stopped; Honest Iago hath ta’en order for it. DESDEMONA O! My fear interprets!31 What, is he dead? OTHELLO Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge Had stomach for them all.32

31

interprets: expects the worst

Had all his hairs…them all: If he had as many lives as he had hairs, my revenge would have consumed them all 32

155

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

DESDEMONA Alas! He is betrayed and I undone! OTHELLO Out, strumpet! Weep’st thou for him to my face? DESDEMONA O, banish me, my lord, but kill me not! 80

OTHELLO Down, strumpet! DESDEMONA Kill me tomorrow! Let me live tonight! OTHELLO Nay, if you strive33 –

33

strive: struggle

DESDEMONA But half an hour! OTHELLO

Being done, there is no pause.34

DESDEMONA But while I say one prayer! OTHELLO

It is too late.

DESDEMONA O, Lord, Lord, Lord! [He smothers her] EMILIA [Within] My lord , my lord! What, ho! My lord, my lord!

90

OTHELLO What noise is this? Not dead? Not yet quite dead? I that am cruel am yet merciful; I would not have thee linger in thy pain. – So, so. EMILIA [Within] What, ho! My lord, my lord! OTHELLO

156

Who’s there?

Being done…pause: Once I’ve started, I cannot pause 34

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA [Within] O, good my lord, I would speak a word with you!

100

OTHELLO Yes, ’tis Emilia. – By and by.35 – She’s dead. ’Tis like she comes to speak of Cassio’s death. The noise was high. Ha! No more moving? Still as the grave. Shall she come in? Were’t good? I think she stirs again. No. – What’s best to do? If she come in, she’ll sure speak to my wife. My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife. O insupportable!36 O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe37 Should yawn at alteration.38 EMILIA [Within] I do beseech you That I may speak with you, O, good my lord! OTHELLO I had forgot thee. – O, come in, Emilia. Soft, by and by.39 Let me the curtains draw. [Unlocks the door] Where art thou? [Enter EMILIA] What’s the matter with thee now?

35

By and by: I’ll be there in a minute

36

insupportable: unbearable

globe: earth yawn at alteration: this great change (‘alteration’) should cause chasms to open (‘yawn’) in the earth 37 38

39

Soft, by and by: Wait a minute

EMILIA O, my good lord, yonder’s foul murders done! 110

OTHELLO What? Now? EMILIA But now, my lord. OTHELLO It is the very error40 of the moon: She comes more nearer earth than she was wont,41 And makes men mad.

error: mistake / straying from its usual course 41 than she was wont: than usual 40

EMILIA Cassio, my lord, hath killed a young Venetian Called Roderigo. OTHELLO

Roderigo killed! And Cassio killed! 157

Act 5 Scene 2

EMILIA

Othello

No, Cassio is not killed.

OTHELLO Not Cassio killed! Then murder’s out of tune, And sweet revenge grows harsh. 42 120

DESDEMONA O, falsely, falsely murdered! EMILIA O Lord, what cry is that? OTHELLO That! What? EMILIA Out, and alas! That was my lady’s voice. [She draws the bed-curtain] Help! Help, ho! Help! O lady, speak again! Sweet Desdemona! O sweet mistress, speak! DESDEMONA A guiltless death I die. EMILIA O, who hath done this deed? DESDEMONA Nobody – I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O, farewell! [She dies]

130

OTHELLO Why, how should she be murdered? EMILIA

Alas, who knows?

OTHELLO You heard her say herself, it was not I. EMILIA She said so. I must needs report the truth.

158

OTHELLO She’s like a liar, gone to burning hell! ’Twas I that killed her.

Then murder’s…harsh: Then the sweet music of revenge is out of tune and grates on the ear 42

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA

O, the more angel she, And you the blacker devil! OTHELLO She turned to folly,43 and she was a whore. EMILIA Thou dost belie44 her, and thou art a devil! OTHELLO She was false as water.45

43

folly: sexual recklessness

44

belie: lie about

45

was false as water: unstable like water

46

top: have sex with

47

extremity: extreme punishment

48

wedlock: marriage

49

entire: pure/complete chrysolite: green gemstone

EMILIA

Thou art rash as fi re, to say That she was false. O, she was heavenly true! 140

OTHELLO Cassio did top46 her! Ask thy husband else. O, I were damned beneath all depth in hell, But that I did proceed upon just grounds To this extremity.47 Thy husband knew it all. EMILIA My husband? OTHELLO EMILIA

Thy husband. That she was false to wedlock?48

OTHELLO Ay, with Cassio. Had she been true, If heaven would make me such another world Of one entire49 and perfect chrysolite,50 I’d not have sold her for it. EMILIA

150

50

My husband?

OTHELLO Ay, ’twas he that told me fi rst. An honest man he is, and hates the slime That sticks on fi lthy deeds. EMILIA

My husband?

159

Act 5 Scene 2

OTHELLO What needs this iterance51, woman? I say thy husband! EMILIA O mistress, villainy hath made mocks with love!52 My husband say that she was false!

Othello 51

iterance: repetition

villainy…with love: villainy has made a mockery of love 52

OTHELLO

He, woman. I say thy husband. Dost understand the word? My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago. EMILIA If he say so, may his pernicious53 soul Rot half a grain54 a day! He lies to the heart! She was too fond of her most fi lthy bargain.55 160

OTHELLO Ha!

pernicious: malicious/wicked grain: particle. Emilia is wishing a slow death on Iago 55 filthy bargain: awful marriage (to Othello) 53 54

EMILIA Do thy worst! This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven Than thou wast worthy her. OTHELLO

Peace, you were best.56

EMILIA Thou hast not half that power to do me harm As I have to be hurt.57 O gull!58 O dolt!59 As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed – I care not for thy sword – I’ll make thee known,60 Though I lost twenty lives. Help! Help Ho! Help! The Moor hath killed my mistress! Murder! Murder! [Enter MONTANO, GRATIANO, IAGO and Attendants] 170

Thou hast…hurt: You haven’t the power to hurt me half as much as I already have been (by Desdemona’s death) 58 gull: gullible fool 59 dolt: dunce 60 I’ll make…known: I’ll expose you 57

MONTANO What is the matter? How now, general? EMILIA O, are you come, Iago? You have done well, That men must lay their murders on your neck.61 GRATIANO What is the matter?

160

Peace…best: It would be best for you to keep quiet 56

lay their…neck: attribute their murders to you 61

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA Disprove this villain, if thou be’st a man. He says thou told’st him that his wife was false. I know thou didst not – thou’rt not such a villain. Speak, for my heart is full. IAGO I told him what I thought, and told no more Than what he found himself was apt62 and true. 180

62

apt: likely

63

odious: detestable

64

charm: control

65

bound: duty-bound

66

forfend: forbid

EMILIA But did you ever tell him she was false? IAGO I did. EMILIA You told a lie, an odious,63 damned lie! Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie! She false with Cassio! Did you say with Cassio? IAGO With Cassio, mistress. Go to, charm64 your tongue. EMILIA I will not charm my tongue. I am bound65 to speak. My mistress here lies murdered in her bed. ALL O heavens forfend!66 EMILIA And your reports have set the murder on.67

190

OTHELLO Nay, stare not, masters. It is true, indeed.

And your reports…on: And your misinformation has encouraged Othello to murder 67

GRATIANO ’Tis a strange truth. MONTANO O monstrous act! EMILIA

Villainy, villainy, villainy! I think upon’t – I think: I smell’t. O villainy! I thought so then – I’ll kill myself for grief – O villainy, villainy!

161

Act 5 Scene 2

IAGO What, are you mad? I charge68 you, get you home. EMILIA Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak. ’Tis proper I obey him – but not now. Perchance69, Iago, I will ne’er go home. 200

OTHELLO O! O! O!

Othello 68

charge: command

69

Perchance: Perhaps

[He falls on the bed]

EMILIA

Nay, lay thee down and roar! For thou hast killed the sweetest innocent That e’er did lift up eye.70 OTHELLO

[Rising] O, she was foul! [To GRATIANO] I scarce did know you, uncle. There lies your niece, Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopped. I know this act shows71 horrible and grim.

210

GRATIANO Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father’s dead. Thy match was mortal to him,72 and pure grief Shore his old thread in twain.73 Did he live now, This sight would make him do a desperate turn. Yea, curse his better angel from his side, And fall to reprobation!74 OTHELLO ’Tis pitiful; but yet Iago knows That she with Cassio hath the act of shame A thousand times committed. Cassio confessed it. And she did gratify his amorous works75 With that recognizance76 and pledge of love Which I fi rst gave her. I saw it in his hand. It was a handkerchief – an antique token My father gave my mother.

220

EMILIA O God! O heavenly God! IAGO Come, hold your peace.

162

lift up eye: i.e. look up to heaven to pray 70

71

shows: appears

Thy match…to him: Your marriage was the end of him 73 Shore…in twain: cut his thread of life in two 74 curse his better…reprobation!: he would drive his guardian angel away and fall to damnation 72

gratify…works: reward his loving caresses 76 recognizance: token 75

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA

’Twill out, ’twill out! I – peace? No, I will speak as liberal as the north.77 Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, All, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak.

as liberal…north: as freely as the north wind blows 77

IAGO Be wise, and get you home! EMILIA

I will not. [IAGO threatens to stab EMILIA]

GRATIANO Fie! – Your sword upon a woman?

230

EMILIA O thou dull78 Moor! That handkerchief thou speak’st of I found by fortune79 and did give my husband. For often, with a solemn earnestness – More than indeed belonged80 to such a trifl e – He begged of me to steal it. IAGO

78 79

dull: stupid fortune: chance

80

belonged: was appropriate

81

coxcomb: fool

Villainous whore!

EMILIA She give it Cassio! No, alas! I found it, And I did give’t my husband. IAGO

Filth, thou liest!

EMILIA By heaven, I do not. I do not, gentlemen. [To OTHELLO] O murderous coxcomb!81 What should such a fool Do with so good a wife? OTHELLO

Are there no stones in heaven But what serve for the thunder?82 – Precious villain! [OTHELLO runs at IAGO. MONTANO disarms him. IAGO stabs EMILIA from behind, and exits]

Are there no…thunder?: Are there no thunderbolts (to strike Iago) except for the ones used to make thunder? 82

GRATIANO The woman falls; sure, he hath killed his wife. 163

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

EMILIA Ay, ay. O, lay me by my mistress’ side. 240

GRATIANO He’s gone, but his wife’s killed. MONTANO ’Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon, Which I have here recovered from the Moor. Come, guard the door without; let him not pass, But kill him rather. I’ll after that same villain, For ’tis a damned slave. [Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO] OTHELLO

I am not valiant neither, But ever puny whipster83 gets my sword. But why should honour outlive honesty? Let it go all.

83

whipster: insignificant person

EMILIA 250

What did thy song bode, lady? Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the swan. And die in music. [Singing] ‘Willow, willow, willow.’ Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor. So come my soul to bliss84, as I speak true. So speaking as I think, I die, I die. [She dies] OTHELLO I have another weapon in this chamber; It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook’s temper85. O, here it is. – Uncle, I must come forth. GRATIANO [Within] If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear. Thou hast no weapon, and perforce86 must suffer.

260

OTHELLO Look in upon me then and speak with me, Or, naked87 as I am, I will assault thee. [Enter GRATIANO] GRATIANO What is the matter?

164

bliss: the supreme happiness of heaven 84

the ice-brook’s temper: hardened in ice-cold water 85

86

perforce: unavoidably

87

naked: weaponless

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

OTHELLO

270

280

Behold, I have a weapon: A better never did itself sustain Upon a soldier’s thigh. I have seen the day, That, with this little arm and this good sword, I have made my way through more impediments88 Than twenty times your stop. But, O vain boast! Who can control his fate? ’Tis not so now. Be not afraid, though you do see me weaponed. Here is my journey’s end, here is my butt,89 And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.90 Do you go back dismayed? ’Tis a lost91 fear: Man but a rush92 against Othello’s breast, And he retires. Where should Othello go? [OTHELLO goes to the bed] Now, how dost thou look now? O ill-starred wench!93 Pale as thy smock!94 When we shall meet at compt,95 This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, And fi ends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl! Even like thy chastity. O cursed slave! Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs96 of liquid fi re! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O! [Enter LODOVICO and MONTANO, with Iago held as a prisoner and CASSIO carried in a chair by Attendants]

88

impediments: obstacles

butt: end/destination sea-mark…sail: landmark for my final voyage 91 lost: groundless 92 Man but a rush: attack with nothing but a reed 93 O ill-starred wench!: O ill-fated woman! (‘wench’ is a term of endearment here) 94 smock: blouse 95 compt: Judgement Day 89 90

96

gulfs: chasms

LODOVICO Where is this rash and most unfortunate man? OTHELLO That’s he that was Othello. Here I am. LODOVICO Where is that viper? Bring the villain forth.

290

OTHELLO I look down towards his feet – but that’s a fable.97 If that thou be’st a devil, I cannot kill thee. [He wounds IAGO]

fable: myth. Othello is looking at Iago’s feet to see if they are hooved like the devil’s were fabled to be 97

LODOVICO Wrench his sword from him. 165

Act 5 Scene 2

IAGO

Othello

I bleed, sir, but not killed.

OTHELLO I am not sorry neither. I’d have thee live – For, in my sense98, ’tis happiness to die.

98

in my sense: from my perspective

99

nought: nothing

LODOVICO O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, Fallen in the practice of a damned slave, What shall be said to thee? OTHELLO

Why, anything: An honourable murderer, if you will – For nought99 I did in hate, but all in honour.

300

LODOVICO This wretch hath part confessed his villainy. Did you and he consent100 in Cassio’s death?

100

consent: conspire

101

cause: a reason

OTHELLO Ay. CASSIO Dear General, I never gave you cause.101 OTHELLO I do believe it, and I ask your pardon. Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil102 Why he hath thus ensnared103 my soul and body? IAGO Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word.

demi-devil: half-devil. Othello accepts that Iago is not a true devil as he is bleeding 103 ensnared: captured/trapped 102

LODOVICO What, not to pray? GRATIANO Torments will ope your lips. OTHELLO [To IAGO] Well, thou dost best. 310

166

LODOVICO Sir, you shall understand what hath befallen, Which, as I think, you know not. Here is a letter Found in the pocket of the slain Roderigo, And here another. The one of them imports104

104

imports: concerns

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

The death of Cassio to be undertook By Roderigo. OTHELLO O villain! CASSIO

320

Most heathenish105 and most gross!106

LODOVICO Now here’s another discontented paper,107 Found in his pocket too; and this, it seems, Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain – But that belike108 Iago in the nick109 Came in and satisfi ed him.

105 106

107

discontented paper: angry letter

108

belike: in all likelihood in the nick: in the nick of time

109

OTHELLO

[To IAGO] O thou pernicious caitiff!110 How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief That was my wife’s?

heathenish: ungodly/barbaric gross: monstrous

110

pernicious caitiff: cruel wretch

CASSIO

I found it in my chamber – And he himself confessed but even now That there he dropped it for a special purpose Which wrought to his desire.111 OTHELLO

330

340

wrought to his desire: worked to bring about his goal 111

O fool! Fool! Fool!

CASSIO There is besides in Roderigo’s letter, How he upbraids112 Iago, that he made him Brave113 me upon the watch – whereon it came That I was cast.114 And even but now he spake, After long seeming dead: Iago hurt him; Iago set him on. LODOVICO [To OTHELLO] You must forsake115 this room, and go with us. Your power and your command is taken off, And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave, If there be any cunning cruelty116 That can torment him much and hold him long,117 It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest,118 Till that the nature of your fault be known To the Venetian state. – Come, bring him away.

upbraids: reproaches Brave: provoke 114 whereon it came…cast: the result of which was my dismissal (as lieutenant) 112 113

115

forsake: leave

cunning cruelty: clever torture hold him long: keep him alive 118 close prisoner rest: remain imprisoned 116 117

167

Act 5 Scene 2

350

360

OTHELLO Soft you119; a word or two before you go. I have done the state some service, and they know’t. No more of that. I pray you, in your letters, When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,120 Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought121 Perplexed122 in the extreme; of one whose hand, Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away Richer than all his tribe;123 of one whose subdued124 eyes, Albeit unused to the melting mood,125 Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees Their medicinable126 gum. Set you down this. And say besides, that in Aleppo127 once, Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk Beat a Venetian and traduced128 the state, I took by the throat the circumcised dog, And smote129 him – thus! [Stabs himself] LODOVICO O bloody period!130

Othello 119

Soft you: Wait a minute

120

extenuate: tone down

121

wrought: worked upon Perplexed: confused

122

Like the base…his tribe: Like a lowly Indian who throws a pearl away even though it is worth more than his whole tribe. Indians were thought not to know the value of precious stones 124 subdued: overcome (by grief) 125 melting mood: sorrow 126 medicinable: medicinal 127 Aleppo: city in Syria 128 traduced: slandered 129 smote: struck 123

130

period: end

131

ere: before

GRATIANO All that is spoke is marred. OTHELLO I kissed thee ere131 I killed thee. No way but this; Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. [He falls on the bed and dies] CASSIO This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon. For he was great of heart.

370

168

LODOVICO [To IAGO] O Spartan dog,132 More fell133 than anguish, hunger, or the sea! Look on the tragic loading of this bed. This is thy work. The object134 poisons sight: Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house, And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor, For they succeed on you. To you, lord governor, Remains the censure135 of this hellish villain. The time, the place, the torture: O, enforce it!

Spartan dog: dogs from Sparta were notoriously vicious 133 fell: vicious/deadly 132

134

object: spectacle

135

censure: punishment

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

Myself will straight aboard,136 and to the state This heavy act with heavy heart relate. [Exeunt]

OTHELLO

OTHELLO OTHELLO

OTHELLO

OTHELLO

OTHELLO

LODOVICO OTHELLO

136

straight aboard: directly board a ship

Key Quotations It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars! It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed her blood, Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, And smooth as monumental alabaster. Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light. If I quench thee, thou fl aming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me. But once put out thy light, Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume. When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again. It must needs wither. I’ll smell it on the tree. Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge Had stomach for them all.

My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife. O insupportable! O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe Should yawn at alteration. I am not valiant neither, But ever puny whipster gets my sword. But why should honour outlive honesty? Let it go all.

I have seen the day, That, with this little arm and this good sword, I have made my way through more impediments Than twenty times your stop. But, O vain boast! Who can control his fate? Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fi re! O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, Fallen in the practice of a damned slave

Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well 169

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

Commentary

This scene explores ideas of justice. Othello seems to act out of a sense of misguided righteousness, seeing himself as a minister of justice rather than a jealous husband. He considers himself merciful by allowing her to pray: ‘I would not kill thy unprepared spirit. / No! Heaven forfend! I would not kill thy soul’ but is determined to see justice done. Justice is clearly an issue as Othello uses legalistic terminology in his accusations towards Desdemona: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O perjured woman’. However, Othello’s brand of justice is a corrupted one. Othello acts as judge, jury and executioner, but relies on powerful jealous emotions rather than reason. Desdemona is not afforded a fair hearing and her ‘trial’ makes a mockery of justice. In Act 1, when Othello was accused of witchcraft by Brabantio, due process was followed in that witnesses were called and Othello was given the right of reply. No such fairness is afforded to Desdemona here, so blinded is Othello by his wounded pride and his need for certainty. Desdemona’s love for her husband never falters. Some critics see her dying words as a selfl ess act as she attempts to defl ect blame from Othello by claiming she committed suicide. Others however, see Desdemona’s fi nal words as evidence that she never gives up on her vision of Othello as an idealised hero, that she in fact blames herself. Emilia redeems herself in this scene. Her previous cynicism is replaced by bravery as she nobly stands up to Othello and defi es her malevolent husband. Her loyalty to Desdemona is however unrewarded as she is maliciously killed by Iago. Othello’s guilt causes him huge suffering. After he realises how wrongful Desdemona’s death is he cries out in torment looking for eternal punishment: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fi re! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ Othello is a pitiful tragic fi gure by the end of the play. After he kills Desdemona, Othello recognises that he has lost all of his strength and battle prowess. He proudly recalls how he was once a valiant and capable warrior: ‘I have seen the day, That, with this little arm and this good sword, I have made my way through more impediments Than twenty times your stop.’ However, now he is easily disarmed and overwhelmed by apparently lesser men: ‘I am not valiant neither, But ever puny whipster gets my sword. But why should honour outlive honesty? Let it go all.’ Othello’s ‘honour’ (his greatness as a soldier) is ruined alongside his ‘honesty’ (his morality). This tragic fall is recognised by Lodovico: ‘O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, / Fallen in the practice of a damned slave.’ Through his suffering and tragic fall, Othello grows in wisdom at the end of his life. He sees the emptiness of his pride and the pointlessness of resisting fate. Othello dismisses his memories of military triumphs as merely a ‘vain boast’ and acknowledges the vanity of human endeavour; he asks ‘Who can control his fate?’ as he prepares for death. This wisdom is 170

Act 5 Scene 2

Othello

registered in his request that his deeds be reported faithfully and for him to be thought of as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well’. As he grows in wisdom, Othello also recognises that he is the architect of his own downfall comparing himself to an Indian who foolishly throws away a valuable treasure: ‘of one whose hand, / Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe.’ Iago remains an enigmatic character to the end. He is unwilling to explain his actions: ‘Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I never will speak word.’ This leaves the audience speculating about his motives: jealousy? suspicions about Emilia and Othello? resentment? racism? simple malevolence? Whatever the reason, Iago’s cleverness and cruelty conspire to make him a most memorable villain.

Questions

1. Would you agree that leading up to Desdemona’s death, there is an eerie calm in this scene? Explain your answer by referring to the text. 2. What evidence from this scene shows that Othello is conflicted as he prepares to murder his wife? 3. (a) Find three examples of legalistic language used by Othello as he talks to Desdemona. (b) What issues does Shakespeare raise in using such language? 4. Why do you think Desdemona claims to have committed suicide? 5. How does Shakespeare show that Emilia is struggling to come to terms with the fact that Iago corrupted Othello? 6. Why do you think Iago kills Emilia? 7. Do Emilia’s actions in this scene contrast with her behaviour throughout the play? Explain your answer. 8. Do you agree with Othello’s description of himself as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well’? 9. What wisdom does Othello gain at the end of his life?

171

Act 1 Scene

Othello

Act 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Revision Quiz

What reasons does Iago give for wanting Cassio dead? Who does Iago wound in Act 5, Scene 1? Who does Iago kill in Act 5, Scene 1? What does Iago accuse Bianca of? Who first reveals the truth about Iago? Whose letters complete the picture of Iago’s villainy? Who kills Emilia? What punishment does Lodovico promise for Iago? Who says each of the following? (a) O, the more angel she, And you the blacker devil! (b) O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, Fallen in the practice of a damned slave (c) O brave Iago, honest and just, That hast such noble sense of thy friend’s wrong! Thou teachest me. (d) I have seen the day, That, with this little arm and this good sword, I have made my way through more impediments Than twenty times your stop. But, O vain boast! Who can control his fate? 10. Rewrite these quotations. In each case, write the speaker’s name and fill in the blanks. (a) My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife. O insupportable! O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge ________ Of sun and moon, and that the ________ globe Should ________ at alteration. (b) Then must you speak Of one that loved not ________, but too ________ (c) Put out the ________, and then put out the light. If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light ________, Should I repent me. But once put out thy light, Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean ________ That can thy light ________ 172

Notes

Tragedy Tragedy is a form of drama that deals with human suffering. There are many definitions of what constitutes tragedy. Broadly speaking, tragedy depicts a hero who thrives at the beginning of a story but then, because of a tragic act, experiences a reversal of fortune. The tragic hero experiences great suffering and hardship in the drama but through this gains greater awareness about himself or the world. A tragedy often concludes with the hero’s death. Othello can be understood as a tragedy as it contains the follows tragic elements: The hero (Othello) is initially a person of high social status who prospers at the start of the play. Othello begins the drama as a respected military general. He is called upon by the Venetian senate to defend Cyprus from a Turkish invasion. At the start of the play he acts with composure and dignity and has the potential for greatness. Despite his/her potential for greatness, the hero has a tragic flaw. In Othello’s case it is his excessive pride and inability to control his passion that brings about his downfall. His pride is wounded after he becomes convinced that Desdemona has been unfaithful. This wounded pride drives him into a jealous rage which brings about the tragic consequences of the play. His highly charged emotional state clouds his reason and leads him to disaster. The hero’s flawed humanity leads him to commit a tragic act. In Othello’s case, it is the murder of his wife Desdemona. The hero experiences a reversal of fortune. Othello was once a respected and dignified military leader; by the end of the play he is left wretched, enfeebled and tortured by regret. Through suffering, the hero gains wisdom. Othello comes to see the emptiness of his own pride and the tragic results of his actions. The tragedy is that he is powerless to change his situation even after he has recognised it; he has become ensnared by his own flawed humanity. The tragic hero inspires pity. By the end of the play, the audience pity Othello for his wretched state and are moved by his expressions of remorse. The tragedy also excites fear. The audience of Othello feel fear for themselves. If a potentially great man like Othello can be brought so low, it seems possible for anybody to exercise such poor judgement and to experience such suffering.

The Hero Prospers and Enjoys High Social Status

At the beginning of a tragedy, the tragic hero prospers and enjoys an elevated social status. Othello begins the play as a celebrated general whose military prowess and bravery earn him the respect of all around him. Othello is called upon by the Duke and the Venetian senate to lead the defence of Cyprus from an invading Turkish fleet. Othello is made governor of Cyprus. He replaces Montano who expresses no resentment about the change. Instead he says that Othello is a ‘worthy governor’ and testifies to Othello’s greatness as a military leader: ‘For I have served him, and the man commands / Like a full soldier’ (Act 2, Sc 1). This sentiment is echoed throughout the first two acts. Othello’s potential for greatness is further signalled by his composure and decorum. He coolly

173

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deals with Brabantio’s slanderous charges of witchcraft. He ably brings calm to the situation, authoritatively instructing all to put away their weapons: ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them’ (Act 1, Sc 2). In the first act, Othello is controlled and confident because he is certain that he is acting correctly. At this point of the play there are no doubts to undermine his confidence and nothing to challenge his pride in himself. In his personal life too, Othello prospers at the start of the play. Othello’s loving relationship with Desdemona is readily apparent. He openly expresses his great love for his wife and is reluctant to be parted from her. This is evident after he survives the sea storm and arrives safely in Cyprus and he is overjoyed to see Desdemona: ‘It gives me wonder great as my content / To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Shakespeare stresses how much Othello has to lose. The esteem he enjoys, his innate nobility and his personal happiness all display a hero at the height of prosperity. Othello’s eventual state of wretchedness is all the more tragic as he falls from a position of such favour and finds himself ensnared by Iago’s sinister plan (see Tragic Reversal below).

The Hero is Characterised by a Tragic Flaw

Some critics point to Othello’s jealous nature as his tragic flaw. They argue that Othello is innately jealous and that Iago acts as a catalyst to help realise this. However, there is little to suggest that Othello is jealous at the start of the play. An alternative reading suggests that Othello’s tragic flaw lies in his excessive pride and inability to control his passion. From the start of the play, Othello is boastful of his success in war. He is shown to take great pride in his past adventures and has a tendency to see himself as a character from a heroic tale. He boasts that it was this romantic heroism that won Desdemona’s heart: ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed’. Othello thrives on his reputation as a brave soldier and says that nothing, not even love, can deter him from his military duty: ‘when light-winged toys Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness My speculative and officed instruments, That my disports corrupt and taint my business, Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, And all indign and base adversities Make head against my estimation!’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Throughout the play, Othello’s behaviour is informed by his great pride in himself as a man. Othello is also flawed by his inability to control his emotions. This is readily apparent in the wake of the brawl. Othello himself recognises that his emotions are clouding his judgement, that reason is being sacrificed to passion: ‘Now, by heaven, My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion, having my best judgement collied, Assays to lead the way’ (Act 2, Sc 3). It is worth noting that Othello’s emotions supplant his rationality only after he is confronted with uncertainty. Othello’s pride in himself as a figure of authority and a man of honour is undermined by doubt. It is this that provokes his passions. Othello’s pride in himself as a man becomes wounded by the belief that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Unable to control his passion, Othello becomes enraged and embraces violence and murderous revenge: ‘Death and damnation!’, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello’s excessive pride and overly passionate nature conspire to cloud his reason. 174

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He fails to adequately interrogate the suggestion that Desdemona has been unfaithful. This leads him to commit a tragic act (see below).

The Hero Commits a Tragic Act

Othello’s tragic act is the murder of Desdemona in the final scene. The audience witness the torment within Othello as he prepares to murder the woman he so deeply loves. Othello recognises that he can never undo this action but he nonetheless chooses to proceed, so wounded is his pride, so blinded is he by his passion: ‘But once put out thy light, Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume. When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again. It must needs wither’ (Act 5, Sc 2). After he has smothered Desdemona, Othello immediately expresses his overwhelming sense of loss. This amplifies the tragedy of the moment as we appreciate the magnitude of Othello’s tragic act: ‘My wife! My wife! What wife? I have no wife. O insupportable! O heavy hour! Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse Of sun and moon, and that the affrighted globe Should yawn at alteration’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello’s cataclysmic language here (‘huge eclipse’, ‘affrighted globe’, ‘yawn’) reflects the scale of his tragic act but also points to his inflated ego. So great is his pride that he arrogantly pictures his own situation as affecting the entire world.

The Hero Experiences Tragic Reversal

By the end of the play there is little left of the noble, confident and prosperous leader that was Othello in the first act. Othello is reduced to a pitiful, wretched state. Once he realises the truth about Iago’s lies, the horror of what he has done is brought fully home and he tormentedly cries out for punishment: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello’s torturous guilt and suffering complete his fall from his initial state of prosperity. As a result, Othello seems to lose his capabilities as a warrior and becomes enfeebled. He is easily disarmed and held captive: ‘I am not valiant neither, But ever puny whipster gets my sword. But why should honour outlive honesty? Let it go all’ (Act 5, Sc 2). In the first act, Othello was characterised by his good name, military prowess and deep love for his wife. He loses all of this in the final scene. This tragic fall is recognised by Lodovico: ‘O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, / Fallen in the practice of a damned slave.’ Othello has now 175

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Othello

succumbed to his own tragic flaw, his excessive pride and overly passionate nature.

The Hero Achieves Tragic Recognition

Through his suffering Othello grows in wisdom in his final moments. He recognises his own flawed humanity and berates himself for his gullibility: ‘O fool! Fool! Fool!’ Othello comes to recognise the emptiness of his former pride, seeing his military triumphs as merely a ‘vain boast’. He accepts the futility of resisting fate (‘Who can control fate?’) as he prepares himself for death. Othello sees that he was a ‘fool’ to become a slave to his passions and for arrogantly appointing himself an agent of ‘justice’. This growth in wisdom allows Othello to regain some of his former composure and nobility as he asks for his life to be reported faithfully: ‘Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, / Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely, but too well’ (Act 5, Sc 2). This begs the question what did Othello love ‘too well’? Desdemona? His reputation as a military leader? His image of himself as hero? It is arguably Othello’s pride in himself as a man, a soldier, a husband and agent of justice that he ‘loved . . . too well’. And it is this pride that became his undoing.

The Play Inspires Pity and Fear

It is vital in a tragedy that the audience feels pity for the tragic hero. Pity helps to create the feeling of loss at the end of the play. Despite the horror of Desdemona’s death, Othello still retains the audience’s pity. Our condemnation is reserved for Iago. Othello’s loving nature and innate nobility mean that the audience are already well disposed towards him. The loss of everything that he valued so highly (his reputation as a soldier, his honour and his loving wife) evokes our sympathy. We see Othello as a man who succumbed to his own tragic flaw. His excessive pride and overly passionate nature conspired to ruin him. Although we cannot forgive him for murdering Desdemona, we pity Othello for his flawed humanity and understand him as a man put upon by a most devious villain. Othello’s suffering and torturous guilt also encourage our pity. The vision of his wretched and enfeebled final state is deeply moving (see Tragic Reversal above). Because of the pity that Othello inspires, his eventual death creates a sense of tragic loss. At the end of Othello, the audience also experiences fear for themselves. The character of Othello illustrates how a good man can easily turn astray. If a figure with such innate goodness and capable of such greatness as Othello can be destroyed by his own flawed humanity, then anybody can potentially be undone. This disquieting idea excites fear in the audience and serves as a moral warning.

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Tragedy

Othello

The Development of Othello as a Tragic Hero Hero Prospers

Tragic Flaw

§ Othello enjoys the respect of the Duke, Venetian senators and those around him § He is a celebrated military leader § Othello is in a loving relationship with Desdemona § He exhibits nobility, composure, confidence and potential greatness § Othello’s tragic flaw is his excessive pride and overly passionate nature § This leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s lies § Othello’s jealous rage is the result of his tragic flaw

Tragic Act

§ Othello’s tragic act is the murder of his wife, Desdemona § This destroys him spiritually and morally, and leads to his suicide

Tragic Reversal

§ Othello experiences intense suffering once the truth about Iago’s lies is revealed § He cries out to be punished and is tortured by regret

Tragic Recognition

Inspires Pity and Fear

§ Othello immediately recognises his own failings as a prideful and arrogant man; he labels himself a ‘fool’ § He appreciates the emptiness of the pride he took in his military achievements § Othello understands the futility of resisting fate § Othello is left wretched and enfeebled and this arouses our pity § The audience pity Othello as a man who has lost it all (i.e. his wife, his honour, the respect of his peers) because of his flawed humanity § Othello excites fear in the audience who see their own potential for self-destruction 177

Characters Othello

As the tragic hero of the play, the character of Othello illustrates the destructive potential of human weakness. Othello’s descent from a much-loved general to a monster plagued by jealous fantasies is a fascinating psychological journey.

Respected as a Leader

At the start of the play, Othello enjoys the respect and admiration of those around him. He is recognised for his military prowess and is trusted by the Venetian senate to command the defence forces in Cyprus. Even Iago admits Othello’s talent as a military leader: ‘Another of his fathom they have none / To lead their business’ (Act 1, Sc 1). Many characters testify to Othello’s brilliance as a military leader, describing him as ‘valiant’ throughout the play: ‘valiant Othello’ (Act 1, Sc 3), ‘the valiant Moor’ (Act 1, Sc 3), ‘valiant general’ (Act 2, Sc 2). When Montano is replaced by Othello as the governor of Cyprus, he is pleased to have such a capable leader as ‘brave Othello’: ‘I have served him, and the man commands / Like a full soldier’ (Act 2, Sc1). Roderigo and Iago try to spark a riot on the night of Othello and Desdemona’s wedding. Montano tries to keep the peace but is drawn into a fight with Cassio. In contrast, Othello readily asserts his authority and commandingly restores order. However, as the play progresses Othello becomes increasingly influenced by Iago’s suggestions and starts to lose the admiration of those around him.

Excessively Proud

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Othello is flawed by his excessive pride. His vision of himself as a romantic heroic figure is pointed to in the first act. While explaining how he won the heart of Desdemona, Othello boasts of his adventures and speaks of them in a romantic manner: ‘From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes, That I have passed. …I spake of most disastrous chances, Of moving accidents by flood and field Of hair-breadth scapes i’ the imminent deadly breach, Of being taken by the insolent foe And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence And with it all my travels’ history: Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle, Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven …And of the Cannibals that each other eat, The Anthropophagi and men whose heads Do grow beneath their shoulders’ (Act 1, Sc 3).

Characters

Othello

He proudly explains that it was his status as an adventurer that seduced Desdemona: ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Othello’s pride in himself is challenged by his belief that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Othello imagines her supposed infidelity as a challenge to his manhood. He sees Desdemona’s supposed affair as signalling the end of his military career, so wounded is his male pride: ‘Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars, That make ambition virtue! – O, farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war! And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove’s dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone!’ In these lines Othello is not lamenting the loss of Desdemona, but the loss of his reputation. In the first act he relied on his reputation to defend himself against Brabantio and convince the Duke of his innocence; without it he feels completely undone, that he is no longer worthy to be thought of as a soldier. This highlights his excessive pride. Once his pride is challenged Othello succumbs to violent passions and destructive jealousy. He calls for bloody revenge: ‘Death and damnation!’, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). In an effort to restore his pride in himself as an honourable man, Othello casts himself in the role of an agent of justice. This is reflected in his language as he prepares to kill Desdemona: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O perjured woman’. He remarks ‘she must die, else she’ll betray more men’ (Act 5, Sc 2). It is his pride in himself as a good man that drives him here. Othello needs to feel that he is doing the right thing to restore his view of himself as a man worthy of respect. However, once Othello comes to learn the truth and Iago’s lies are exposed, he curses his foolish pride and sees the emptiness of his military boasts: ‘I have seen the day, That, with this little arm and this good sword, I have made my way through more impediments Than twenty times your stop. But, O vain boast! …O fool! Fool! Fool!’ It is Othello’s pride that gives him confidence in the first act, but it is also his pride that contributes to his downfall.

Loving

Othello’s love for Desdemona is readily apparent. Othello unreservedly expresses his love publicly and says that he values Desdemona above all else: ‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea’s worth’ (Act 1, Sc 2). After Othello has survived the storm at sea and the encounter with the Turkish fleet, he lovingly greets Desdemona and again testifies to the strength of their love. The joy and contentment he finds in his wife is evident to all: ‘It gives me wonder great as my content To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy! 179

Characters

Othello

If after every tempest come such calms, … If it were now to die, ’Twere now to be most happy, for I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate’ (Act 2, Sc 1). However, Othello’s love for Desdemona is not enough to quell his fury, nor does it trump his wounded pride. His murderous revenge is borne of his uncontrollable passion and the damage to his ego. Othello’s love for Desdemona becomes twisted into a jealous passion as Iago plays upon Othello’s flaws (see ‘Jealous’ below).

Undermined by Doubt and Uncertainty

Although Othello takes great pride in his abilities as a respected military leader and a man of honour, he also expresses doubt at various points in the drama. We first see a suggestion of this as he speaks to the Duke and the senators. Othello apologises in advance for lacking eloquence and doubts his own ability to speak well: ‘Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Othello’s doubts seem to be unfounded as he speaks movingly and persuades the Duke that his relationship with Desdemona is indeed a loving one. This illustrates how Othello’s huge confidence as military leader is not matched by his confidence in himself personally. Othello clearly idealises his wife but he cannot wholly believe that she loves him unreservedly. When Iago first suggests Desdemona’s infidelity, Othello expresses doubts about himself but is reluctant to suspect his wife of wrongdoing: ‘Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw / The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt’ (Act 3, Sc 3). However, as the conversation continues, Iago plays on Othello’s supposed ‘weak merits’ and exploits Othello’s insecurities about his race. Othello then hints at his own suspicion that Desdemona’s marriage to him may be unnatural because of their racial difference: Othello sees Desdemona’s love for him as ‘nature erring from itself’ (Act 3, Sc 3). This suggests that Othello has internalised some of the racial prejudice of Venetian society and as a result doubts his suitability for Desdemona. This insecurity is played upon by Iago who argues that Desdemona should naturally choose someone ‘Of her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’ (Act 3, Sc 3). As Othello reflects on this, he begins to see his black skin as signalling a lack of refinement and also wonders if he is too old for Desdemona: ‘Haply, for I am black And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have, or for I am declined Into the vale of years’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello’s insecurities about himself leave him vulnerable to Iago’s malevolent suggestions. In the end, Othello’s self-doubt becomes twisted into doubts about Desdemona’s fidelity. At the start of the play, when he is first challenged by Brabantio, we see how Othello acts in a self-assured manner. He acts confidently and coolly because he feels certain that his honour cannot be doubted: ‘My services which I have done the Signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints’ (Act 1, Sc 2). However, as the drama progresses it becomes obvious that Othello cannot tolerate uncertainty. In the wake of the brawl, Othello demands to know who began the fighting. He asks three times and when he fails to learn the truth he quickly loses his temper. Othello himself recognises that his violent temper overrules his rationality: ‘Now, by heaven, My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion, having my best judgement collied, 180

Characters

Othello

Assays to lead the way. If I once stir, Or do but lift this arm, the best of you Shall sink in my rebuke’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Similarly, Iago provokes Othello’s rage in the Temptation Scene (Act 3, Sc 3) by creating doubt. Iago recognises that Othello cannot tolerate uncertainty: ‘But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er / Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!’ and plays upon this throughout the scene. Othello exclaims, ‘No! To be once in doubt / Is once to be resolved.’ His need for certainty is so great that he acts rashly by placing his trust in Iago and committing himself to a course of violent revenge: ‘...my bloody thoughts, with violent pace, Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love, Till that a capable and wide revenge Swallow them up’ (Act 3, Sc 3).

Gullible

As a sincere and forthright character, Othello assumes the same honesty of those around him. This openness is exploited by Iago and contributes to Othello’s downfall. Othello is presented as an open character in his first appearance on stage. As he is warned of Brabantio’s intention to dissolve his marriage to Desdemona, Othello seems undaunted. Instead he asserts that he has nothing to hide and places his faith in honesty: ‘My parts, my title and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly’ (Act 1, Sc 2). Othello’s openness and honest nature help him to win the support of the Duke and undermine Brabantio’s accusations. However, Othello’s openness makes him gullible. Othello misplaces his trust in Iago. This is reflected in his frequent descriptions of Iago as ‘honest’. Othello naïvely believes that ‘men should be what they seem’ (Act 3, Sc 3); unfortunately this is not the case with Iago. Othello’s openness leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s malevolent suggestions. Iago recognises this trait as a vulnerability and actively exploits it to encourage Othello’s ruin: ‘The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are’ (Act 1, Sc 3).

Jealous

Iago tells Othello, ‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on’ (Act 3, Sc 3). This comment is ironically prophetic as Othello becomes consumed by his own monstrous jealousy, a jealousy sparked by Iago’s lies. Othello’s jealousy is encouraged in the Temptation Scene (Act 3, Sc 3) by Iago’s seemingly offhand comment about Cassio: ‘Ha! I like not that.’ Iago understands that jealousy often grows out of groundless suspicion (‘Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ’) but nonetheless can be hugely destructive and painful (‘with a little act upon the blood, / Burn like the mines of sulphur’). Through insinuation, Iago sparks Othello’s jealousy. He then fans the flames of Othello’s destructive passion, by encouraging Othello to visualise Desdemona and Cassio having sex: ‘Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on? / Behold her topped?’ Iago then employs gross bestial imagery to further Othello’s fury: ‘Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride’ (Act 3, Sc 3). As Othello’s jealousy grows so does his thirst for violent revenge: ‘Death and damnation!’, 181

Characters

Othello

‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’, ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). It is interesting that his diabolic language echoes the hellish imagery of Iago’s soliloquies as if Iago’s thoughts have infected his own: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello’s jealousy leads to the tragedy in the final scene. This once loving husband becomes his wife’s murderer. The audience witness the tragedy of Othello’s actions in the final scene as he becomes consumed by his own ‘green-eyed monster’.

Remorseful and Enfeebled by the End of the Play

In the play’s final scene Othello is presented as a wretched figure. As the truth about Iago is brought to light, Othello becomes tortured by regret. He berates himself for his own actions and cries out for punishment: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). As a man who prides himself on being a soldier his situation is now all the worse as he appreciates how feeble he has become. He is easily disarmed and overwhelmed by apparently lesser men: ‘I am not valiant neither, But ever puny whipster gets my sword. But why should honour outlive honesty? Let it go all.’ Othello’s ‘honour’ (his greatness as a soldier) is destroyed alongside his ‘honesty’ (his morality). It is Lodovico who points to this: ‘O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, / Fallen in the practice of a damned slave.’ Crippled by guilt and tormented by regret, Othello takes his own life. His tragic downfall from a once noble and admired leader to an enfeebled and pitiful murderer is a heartbreaking illustration of human weakness.

Othello

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§ § § § § § §

At first: a respected military leader Excessively proud Loving Undermined by doubt and uncertainty Gullible Jealous By the end: remorseful and enfeebled

Characters

Iago

Iago

Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most chilling characters. Embittered, clever, cynical and callous, he is a fascinating study in villainy. Iago’s suggestive whisperings and malevolent scheming show humanity at its most deplorable.

Deeply Cynical

Iago’s jaundiced view of humanity and his contempt for those around him grows partly out of his deeply cynical nature. He views love as merely an animalistic sexual expression and fails to see any beauty in the relationships between men and women. He tells Roderigo that love is merely lust by another name: ‘I take this that you call love to be a sect or scion’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Iago describes the relationships between men and women in the basest of terms, comparing lovemaking to a bestial act: ‘Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago is particularly cynical regarding women. He paints women as false, disagreeable and conniving: ‘You are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlours, wildcats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Here women are portrayed as appearing saintlike when in public (‘pictures out of doors’, ‘saints in your injuries’). Iago then imagines women as behaving very differently in the privacy of their homes: he depicts them as uncontrollable (‘wildcats’), noisy (‘bells’) and reluctant lovers (‘housewives in your beds’). Although this is said partly in jest to Desdemona, it seems confirmed by his dismissive treatment of Emilia whom he disparagingly accuses of prattling and nagging: ‘In faith, too much; I find it still, when I have list to sleep. Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, She puts her tongue a little in her heart, And chides with thinking’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Here Emilia is accused of keeping him awake with her nagging. Iago says that she may appear dutiful and respectful (‘before your ladyship…She puts her tongue a little in her heart’) but internally she is scolding Iago (‘chides with thinking’). Although Iago hides his cynical nature from Othello, it informs his actions throughout the play.

Jealous

Many of Iago’s snide remarks and bitter asides are characterised by jealousy. In terms of his professional career he appears to resent Cassio’s promotion to the position of lieutenant. In the first scene of Othello Iago complains that Cassio lacks military experience and relies solely on theory: ‘Mere prattle, without practice, / Is all his soldiership’. He resentfully undermines Cassio’s credentials by labelling him a ‘counter-caster’ and ‘arithmetician’ who is ‘Horribly stuffed with epithets of war’. Although Iago may have a justifiable gripe (he is arguably more capable than Cassio), this doesn’t detract from our understanding of him as an embittered and jealous individual. It is also plausible, as some critics argue, that Iago may make these comments simply for Roderigo’s benefit, to help justify his own bitter resentment. Iago also appears jealous of Cassio’s virtuous nature and good manners. He feels that by comparison with Cassio he is cast in a bad light: ‘He has a daily beauty in his life / That makes me ugly’ (Act 5, Sc 1). 183

Characters

Iago

Iago is also beset by a suspicious imagination that dwells on the possibility that Emilia has been unfaithful. He expresses his fear that Othello has had an affair with Emilia: ‘I hate the Moor: / And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Iago is perhaps not wholly convinced that the rumours are true, but so resolute is he in his hatred of Othello that he embraces the jealous thought: ‘I know not if’t be true, / Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety.’ Later in the play Iago also seems jealous of an imagined affair between Cassio and Emilia: ‘I fear Cassio with my nightcap too’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Again Iago draws on his jealousy to fuel and justify his malevolence.

Exploitative

Iago has a dark talent for exploiting human weakness and human goodness. He takes advantage of Roderigo’s infatuation with Desdemona to help frame Cassio. Furthermore, Roderigo’s gullible nature allows Iago to extract money from him: ‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Similarly, Iago identifies Cassio’s poor tolerance for alcohol and uses it to disgrace him in the eyes of Othello. Iago acknowledges Desdemona’s innate goodness and generous spirit. However, he sees this as a weakness rather than a virtue: ‘She’s framed as fruitful As the free elements… So will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all’ (Act 2, Scene 3). Knowing that Desdemona will plead enthusiastically to Othello to have Cassio reinstated, Iago uses this to suggest that Desdemona is in love with Cassio. This sinister twisting of the truth exploits both Desdemona’s goodness and also Othello’s openness. Iago also seizes upon Othello’s insecurities about being an outsider to undermine Othello’s confidence in his relationship with Desdemona. He says that it is natural for Desdemona to be attracted to those of ‘her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago’s suggestion arouses self-doubt in Othello who wonders if his race, lack of refinement and age may be driving Desdemona away: ‘Haply, for I am black And have not those soft parts of conversation That chamberers have, or for I am declined Into the vale of years’ (Act 3, Sc 3). In this scene Othello is influenced by Iago. His love for Desdemona becomes disfigured and twisted into a jealous rage.

Opportunistic

Iago’s malevolent schemes are complemented by his quick thinking and ability to seize upon opportunities as they arise. When he sees Cassio conferring with Desdemona he offers Othello a sinister interpretation of events: ‘I cannot think it, / That he would steal away so guilty-like, / Seeing you coming’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Similarly, as he learns of Cassio’s poor tolerance for alcohol, he quickly formulates a plan to disgrace Cassio in the eyes of Othello. After he kills Roderigo, Iago deflects suspicion away from himself by casting blame on Bianca. This kind of opportunism allows him to earn the moniker (nickname) ‘honest Iago’ and helps him avoid detection until the play’s final scene. 184

Characters

Evil

Iago

Iago embodies evil in the play. His language aligns him with the devil and associates him with darkness. This is apparent from the opening scene where Iago’s comment ‘I am not what I am’ inverts God’s statement to Moses in the Bible: ‘I am that I am’ (Exodus 3:14). Iago embraces evil as he appeals directly to hell and identifies himself as a devil: ‘Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now’ (Act 2, Sc 3). He also acknowledges the diabolic nature of his own plotting: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light’ (Act 1, Sc 3) and celebrates the sinful nature of his malevolent scheme. Although Iago cleverly dupes the other characters throughout the play, his wickedness is exposed at the end. Iago is clearly identified as evil incarnate and described in hellish terms: Othello calls him a ‘demi-devil’, Cassio describes him as ‘heathenish’ and Lodovico dubs him a ‘hellish villain’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello also looks to see if Iago has cloven hooves like Satan as he now understands him as an agent of evil.

Callous

Perhaps one of the most shocking aspects of Iago’s personality is his callous disregard for human life. Once he fears that he may be exposed by Cassio he immediately seeks to arrange his murder. He tells Roderigo that Cassio is to replace Othello as governor and that this will facilitate Desdemona leaving Cyprus. Roderigo accepts the task of killing Cassio. With similar heartlessness, Iago murders Roderigo opportunistically. This is both to avoid being exposed as a villain and also because he fears Roderigo may demand back the gold and jewels he swindled from him. Iago’s callousness is clearly evidenced in the final scene as he murders his own wife without hesitation. As Emilia exposes Iago’s villainy she is stabbed by Iago from behind. This murder is typical of his ruthless behaviour. Although Iago does not bear Desdemona any grudge, he encourages Othello to murder her. Iago sees this as the triumph of his scheme and a means by which he can ruin Othello’s life. For callous Iago, human life has no value.

Enigmatic

Although the audience learn how Iago encourages Othello’s tragic downfall, it is not wholly clear why he does it. Iago offers some possible motivations throughout the play: disgruntlement about being passed over for promotion, possible racial hatred and jealous fears about a rumoured affair between Othello and Emilia. However, none of these reasons fully explain the depth of Iago’s hatred and the lengths he goes to ruin Othello. Iago therefore remains an enigmatic villain. This is brought home in the final scene when he refuses to explain his actions and simply stops speaking. When Othello asks Iago to give reasons for his hatred, Iago simply refuses to speak: ‘Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I never will speak word’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Ultimately evil does not require a rational motivation.

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Characters

Desdemona

A Foil (contrast) to Othello

Aside from being an intriguing character in his own right, Iago functions as a foil to Othello. This deepens the audience’s understanding of the play’s tragic hero. As the play progresses Othello’s personality starts to mirror Iago’s. Like Iago, Othello becomes self-absorbed, consumed by senseless hatred and murderous in his desire for revenge. Arguably both are motivated by jealousy. However, throughout the drama, Iago exhibits patience and control. This provides a major point of contrast with Othello who grows increasingly impatient and ruled by his emotions. § § § § § § § §

Iago

Deeply cynical Jealous Exploitative Opportunistic Evil Callous Enigmatic A foil to Othello

Desdemona

As Iago’s polar opposite in the play, Desdemona embodies purity, loyalty and goodness. She is a victim of Iago’s scheme. Her eventual death evokes great pity that allows the audience to see the depths of Othello’s tragic fall. However, Shakespeare stresses that, like all human beings, Desdemona has flaws. The audience must not forget that she deceives her father, lies to Othello about the handkerchief and foolishly sees Othello as a romantic heroic figure rather than a jealous husband bent on revenge.

The Embodiment of Purity and Goodness

Desdemona is often described in heavenly terms and this identifies her as the embodiment of goodness within Othello. Cassio calls her ‘The divine Desdemona’ (Act 2, Sc 1) and in the same scene Roderigo uses similar language: ‘She’s full of a most blessed condition.’ Ironically, Iago too testifies to her purity and goodness: ‘She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Emilia also underscores Desdemona’s virtuous nature. She contrasts Othello’s corrupted state with Desdemona’s purity and innocence: ‘O, the more angel she, / And you the blacker devil!’ and cries ‘she was heavenly true!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello also describes Desdemona’s innate goodness in heavenly terms, calling her a ‘rose-lipped cherubin’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Desdemona’s attitude and behaviour testify to her purity. She is shocked by Emilia’s casual talk of infidelity and finds it difficult to believe that women can be disloyal to their husbands. When Emilia asks her if she would have an extra-marital affair, Desdemona’s shocked response emphasises her virtue: ‘No, by this heavenly light!’ (Act 4, Sc 3). So innocent is Desdemona that it never occurs to her that Othello is jealous until the worldly Emilia suggests it. Ultimately, Desdemona’s purity and goodness are exploited by Iago. Iago even states this as his aim: ‘So will I turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Desdemona’s goodness causes her to plead to Othello on Cassio’s behalf. As Iago hopes, this feeds Othello’s jealousy and helps to bring about Desdemona’s tragic death. 186

Characters

Desdemona

Devoted to Her Husband

Despite Othello’s mistreatment of Desdemona, her loyalty to her husband is unwavering throughout the play. We first see her devotion to Othello as she helps to defend him against the charge of witchcraft and expresses her love for him: ‘My heart’s subdued Even to the very quality of my lord. I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, And to his honour and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Throughout the play she stoically forgives Othello his ill-humour and erratic behaviour. She tells Iago that Othello’s mistreatment of her cannot undermine her love: ‘Unkindness may do much, / And his unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Similarly she tells Emilia: ‘My love doth so approve him, / That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns – / Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them’ (Act 4, Sc 3). Desdemona’s devotion is most clearly revealed in her dying words. After Othello has smothered her and she lies dying on their bed, she tries to exonerate her husband by falsely claiming that she committed suicide.

A Flawed Individual

However, some commentators criticise Desdemona for her blind devotion. They argue that Desdemona has fallen in love with an idealised vision of Othello as a romantic figure and foolishly is unable to accept reality. This is evidenced in the first act when the audience learn that Desdemona fell in love with Othello because of his tales of adventure rather than for who he really is. As Othello says, ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them.’ This line of argument sees Desdemona’s devotion as naïve and self-deceiving. It is for this reason that Desdemona is unable to see Othello for all of his flaws and cannot even come to blame Othello for her own death. Whether you accept this idea or not, Desdemona clearly makes mistakes in the play. Firstly, she dishonours her father by deceiving him and eloping with Othello. This, however, may be forgiven as resulting from her overwhelming love for Othello. It does, though, undermine the notion of her as being completely virtuous. Secondly, Desdemona does lie to Othello about her handkerchief. Othello suspects that she has given it to Cassio as a love token and questions her about it. Even though she cannot find it, Desdemona lies to Othello and insists she has not lost it. This fuels Othello’s suspicions. It could be argued that Desdemona is shocked by Othello’s insistence and aggressive manner but the fact that she lies does undermine the idea of her as being wholly angelic; like all of Shakespeare’s characters she is human and therefore flawed.

Desdemona

§ Embodies purity and goodness § Devoted to her husband § Arguably a flawed individual

187

Characters

Emilia

Emilia

Although Emilia is a loyal wife to the play’s villain and unwittingly helps Iago to ruin Othello, she redeems herself by the end of the play. Her unwavering loyalty to Desdemona drives her to bravely expose her husband’s villainy but she pays for this honesty with her life.

A Largely Astute Character

Although Emilia doesn’t realise Iago’s malevolence until the play’s end, she comes tantalisingly close to understanding the truth. It is Emilia who first recognises Othello as jealous and it is she who suspects that Othello is under the influence of a liar. This suggests a character with worldly experience and astuteness. Where Desdemona is romantic and naïve, Emilia is realistic and worldly. As Othello begins to act strangely towards his wife, it is Emilia who recognises the hallmarks of jealousy. Desdemona argues that Othello has no reason to be jealous but Emilia draws on her experience of the world, pointing out that jealousy is often irrational: ‘But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself’ (Act 3, Sc 4). Emilia clearly is familiar with the pattern of jealousy. It is easy to imagine that she has seen something similar to Othello’s behaviour in her own husband. She understands that jealousy thrives on empty suspicion, that it is ‘a monster / Begot upon itself, born of itself’. Later in the play (Act 4, Sc 2) Emilia astutely recognises that Othello is being influenced by ‘Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.’ She unknowingly and ironically provides an accurate description of Iago as he stands beside her: ‘I will be hanged, if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue, Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, Have not devised this slander.’ However, astute as Emilia is, Iago’s cunning blinds her to her husband’s true nature until Othello’s final scene.

A Loyal Wife (for most of the play)

Despite Iago’s suspicions about his wife’s fidelity, Emilia remains loyal to Iago until the closing scene. We first see this constancy as she stoically absorbs his put downs with little complaint. Iago, partly in jest, complains that Emilia talks too much: ‘I find it still, when I have list to sleep. Marry, before your ladyship, I grant, She puts her tongue a little in her heart, And chides with thinking’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Emilia responds meekly with: ‘You have little cause to say so.’ Iago also calls Emilia a ‘foolish wife’ and a ‘wench’ (Act 3, Sc 3); Emilia dutifully does not complain. Emilia’s loyalty to her husband is most evidenced when she steals Desdemona’s handkerchief for Iago without really questioning his motives: ‘What he will do with it, heaven knows, not I: / I nothing but to please his fantasy’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Emilia’s misguided loyalty is instrumental to the success of Iago’s scheme. Although she doesn’t know what Iago is planning, she dutifully turns a blind eye to her husband’s scheming. Like the other women in the play (Desdemona and Bianca) she loves a man who does not deserve that love. 188

Characters

Worldly

Emilia

As a worldly individual, Emilia has grown cynical of men and holds a jaundiced view of romantic relationships. She outlines these views to Desdemona telling her that women are used and then abandoned by men: ‘They are all but stomachs, and we all but food: / To eat us hungerly, and when they are full, / They belch us’ (Act 3 , Sc 4). This counterbalances Iago’s cynical view of women and also serves to emphasise the romantic love enjoyed by Othello and Desdemona. In Act 4, Sc 3 Desdemona naïvely struggles to believe that any woman could be disloyal to her husband. With worldly knowledge, Emilia replies that there are in fact many. She admits that she herself would be willing to have an affair, not for trivial items, but for ‘the whole world’: ‘Marry, I would not do such a thing for a joint-ring, nor for measures of lawn, nor for gowns, petticoats, nor caps, nor any petty exhibition. But for the whole world?’ Emilia then goes on to say: ‘Why, who would not make her husband a cuckold to make him a monarch?’ It is interesting how Emilia seems willing to cheat on her husband but the reward she imagines is to empower him (‘make him a monarch’). This is a strange mix of cynical practicality but also wifely loyalty. Seeing that Iago has suspected Emilia of infidelity in the past, it seems that mistrust and cynicism characterise their marriage. However, as we have already seen, Emilia is loyal to Iago throughout most of the play. It seems that she is trying to impress on Desdemona that women often do immoral things but also wishes to stress her devotion to Iago. Emilia is deeply cynical and emphatically blames men for any problems in a relationship: ‘But I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall’. She accuses men of harbouring ‘peevish jealousies’, restraining their wives’ freedoms, being physically and verbally abusive and of neglect. Emilia concludes by telling Desdemona: ‘Then let them use us well: else let them know, / The ills we do, their ills instruct us so’ (Act 4, Sc 3). However, despite this acknowledgement that men can be bullies and abusive, she remains true to Iago until the final scene. By stealing the handkerchief for Iago, Emilia compromises her friendship with Desdemona. She is unable to see her husband for the villain that he is. Ultimately Emilia is a worldly and knowing character, but when it comes to her own husband she is blinded to the truth.

Redeems Herself

Emilia’s greatest failing is her unwillingness to reveal to Desdemona the truth about the handkerchief. Emilia’s actions may stem from her loyalty to Iago or perhaps a sense of self-preservation as it is she who secured the handkerchief for Iago. However, Emilia does redeem herself towards the end of the play. She staunchly defends Desdemona’s honour as Othello interrogates her: ‘I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, / Lay down my soul at stake’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Her comment pre-empts the cost of her eventual honesty: her life. In the final scene Emilia bravely stands up to Othello by insisting on Desdemona’s innocence and raising the alarm upon her death: ‘Thou hast not half that power to do me harm As I have to be hurt. O gull! O dolt! As ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed – I care not for thy sword – I’ll make thee known, Though I lost twenty lives. Help! Help Ho! Help! The Moor hath killed my mistress! Murder! Murder!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Emilia struggles with the idea of defying her husband (‘’Tis proper I obey him – but / not now’) but her commitment to Desdemona overcomes this. She exposes Iago as a villain: ‘I will not charm my tongue. I am bound to speak. / My mistress here lies murdered in her bed.’ Her dying indictment 189

Characters

Cassio

of Othello reveals Emilia as a voice of moral reason in the final scene: ‘Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor.’ Emilia ends the play redeemed in the eyes of the audience and forgiven for her unwitting part in Iago’s scheme.

Emilia

§ § § §

Largely astute A loyal wife (for most of the play) Worldly Redeems herself

Cassio

Iago’s description of Cassio as ‘an honest fool’ (Act 2, Sc 3) seems most fitting. Cassio is a noble and gallant character who is deeply loyal to Othello. However, like the other characters in the play, he is flawed. Cassio overly values his reputation and this leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s manipulations and makes him an unwitting part of Iago’s scheme.

A Refined and Polite Gentleman

Cassio’s courtly manners are particularly evidenced in his gallant treatment of women. He reverentially refers to Desdemona as ‘divine’ (Act 2, Sc 1) and when asked if Othello has married says: ‘Most fortunately. He hath achieved a maid That paragons description and wild fame, One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens, And in the essential vesture of creation Does tire the ingener’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Although his language here is flamboyant, the emotions are sincere. The audience see Cassio’s refined manners when he courteously kisses Desdemona’s hand and politely asks Iago’s permission to kiss Emilia: ‘Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, / That I extend my manners. ’Tis my breeding / That gives me this bold show of courtesy’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Cassio’s refinement serves to highlight Iago’s base vulgarity. Cassio is too much the gentleman to be drawn into a crude conversation about Desdemona. He ignores Iago’s bawdy suggestions about Desdemona and instead points to her virtue and beauty. Where Iago characterises her as ‘full of game’, Cassio says she is a ‘most fresh and delicate creature’ and ‘right modest’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Here the contrast between Cassio and Iago is stark. This is neatly expressed later in the play by Iago who says of Cassio, ‘He has a daily beauty in his life / That makes me ugly’ (Act 5, Sc 1). However, Iago sees Cassio’s ‘manners’ and ‘breeding’ as something to exploit. He says of Cassio: ‘I will gyve thee in thine own courtesies’ (Act 2, Sc 1). And this becomes the case when Iago uses Cassio’s courteous treatment of Desdemona as a suggestion of an affair to fuel Othello’s mad jealousy.

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Characters

Overly Values His Reputation and Appearance

Cassio

Cassio’s drunken behaviour at the brawl causes him to deeply regret tarnishing his reputation. As a mannerly gentleman, he values how he is regarded by his peers: ‘Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Cassio considers reputation to be the most important aspect of a civilised man; without it he feels reduced to a ‘bestial’ state. Like Othello, Cassio’s concern with reputation and appearances points to flaws in his character. His courteous behaviour and gallantry illustrate his finesse, but Cassio is overly concerned with pleasing those around him. We first see this when Cassio foolishly allows Iago to ply him with alcohol. Cassio is keen to appear as a man among men, and once he learns that ‘The gallants desire it’ (Act 2, Sc 3) he drinks enthusiastically. After he is disgraced for his drunkenness, Cassio rushes headlong into pleading with Desdemona to petition Othello on his behalf without thinking about how this may be perceived. Cassio’s concern for his reputation makes him imprudent and impatient. This helps Iago to provoke Othello’s jealousy. Finally, Cassio unwisely engages with Iago in a disparaging mockery of Bianca. Despite the fact that he is Bianca’s lover and calls her ‘sweet Bianca’, Cassio has no scruples about denigrating her just to impress Iago. He labels her a prostitute and laughs at her expense. Cassio’s need to be liked and to appear amiable leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s manipulations.

Loyal

However, despite his flaws, Cassio does remain loyal to Othello. We see his heartfelt concern when Othello is lost at sea: ‘Thanks, you the valiant of this warlike isle, That so approve the Moor. O, let the heavens Give him defence against the elements, For I have lost us him on a dangerous sea’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Cassio appears committed to Othello as he looks forward to his safe arrival: ‘Give renewed fire to our extincted spirits / And bring all Cyprus comfort! (Act 2, Sc 1). After Cassio disgraces himself during the brawl, he expresses remorse for his drunkenness and is sincerely ashamed of dishonouring Othello: ‘I will rather sue to be despised than to deceive so good a commander with so slight, so drunken, and so indiscreet an officer’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Cassio’s loyalty never wanes, not even when he learns that Othello conspired with Iago to have him murdered. Cassio merely protests mildly: ‘Dear general, I never gave you cause’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Cassio’s great admiration for Othello is expressed in the play’s final moments as he laments the loss of Othello for ‘he was great of heart’.

Cassio

§ Refined gentleman § Overly values his reputation § Loyal

191

Imagery The rich imagery of Othello brings the themes of the play into sharp focus. Shakespeare uses poetic language to metaphorically explore key ideas. The play’s imagery also helps to create atmosphere and enriches the audience’s understanding of the characters. In particular, four recurring images are woven into the text: Disorder (Storms and Music) Animals Entrapment Heaven and Hell

Disorder (Storms and Music)

Typically with Shakespeare, chaos in nature often reflects disorder in the world of men. The storm at the start of Act 2 suggests the destruction that is soon to be unleashed upon Othello. The significance of Othello’s downfall is underlined by comparing it to this awesome natural phenomenon. The sea storm is violent enough to destroy the invading Turkish fleet: ‘The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks, / That their designment halts.’ Othello is able to survive this tempest but he will soon be overcome by the storm of his raging jealousy, an emotional tempest that will ruin both him and his wife. Shakespeare sets the action of the play against this stormy backdrop to draw attention to the force and uncontrollable nature of Othello’s jealous passions. Cassio believes that Desdemona’s beauty can placate any storm. As Desdemona comes into port in Cyprus he proclaims: ‘Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, The guttered rocks and congregated sands, Traitors ensteeped to clog the guiltless keel, As having sense of beauty, do omit Their mortal natures, letting go safely by The divine Desdemona’ (Act 2, Sc 1). However, he has not witnessed the violence of Othello’s stormy jealousy. After he survives the sea storm, Othello believes he will now enjoy peace and contentment: ‘It gives me wonder great as my content To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy! If after every tempest come such calms, May the winds blow till they have wakened death! And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas Olympus-high and duck again as low As hell’s from heaven!’ (Act 2, Sc 1). This dramatically ironic statement is soon put paid to, as Othello’s happiness starts to unravel. Shakespeare also communicates disorder in Othello through the use of musical imagery. The image of musical discord characterises Iago’s plans to destroy the harmony of Othello’s life: ‘O, you are well tuned now! / But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music’. In Act 3, as Othello broods over his wife’s supposed infidelity, Desdemona recognises the disharmony within her husband. She tells Cassio that her pleas on his behalf are ‘not now in tune’ as ‘My lord is not my lord’. In the 192

Imagery

Othello

final scene, when Othello learns that Iago has not murdered Cassio, he uses a musical metaphor to express the disorder in his revenge plans: ‘Not Cassio killed! Then murder’s out of tune, / And sweet revenge grows harsh.’ Imagery of disorder allows Shakespeare to highlight the unravelling of Othello’s happiness and the growing disharmony of his marriage to Desdemona.

Animals

Othello is rich in animal imagery. Iago employs animal imagery to debase Othello and reveal a cynical view of human love. In Act 1 Scene 1, Iago makes use of vulgar, animal imagery to disgust Brabantio and incense him. He tells Brabantio that ‘an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe’. He warns Brabantio that: ‘you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.’ This gross type of imagery hatefully depicts Othello as subhuman and helps Iago to scandalise Desdemona’s father. Iago uses a similar strategy as he attempts to enrage Othello at the thought of Desdemona and Cassio having an affair. He tells Othello that: ‘It is impossible you should see this, / Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Although there is no substance to Iago’s claim, the powerful and repulsive image provokes Othello’s jealousy and helps to further infuriate him. As the play progresses, Othello becomes increasingly corrupted by Iago and this is reflected in his language. His use of animal imagery echoes Iago’s as he becomes further convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity and disillusioned with love. Othello declares that he would: ‘rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others’ uses.’ (Act 3, Sc 3) Othello goes so far as to directly parrot Iago when he dismisses Cyprus as a place for lecherous behaviour: ‘You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus. Goats and monkeys!’ (Act 4, Sc 1). Othello’s language continues in this vein as he portrays Desdemona as ruined by her supposed affair with Cassio: ‘The fountain from the which my current runs, / …keep it as a cistern for foul toads / To knot and gender in!’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Othello’s use of bestial imagery illustrates how his once noble mind has become poisoned by corrupt thoughts.

Entrapment

Iago makes frequent use of entrapment metaphors. This illustrates the devious manner in which Iago ruins Othello’s life. Iago exploits his victims’ innate goodness and uses it to set traps into which they are bound to fall. Iago seizes upon Cassio’s natural courtesy and amiable manner as a means of framing him and encouraging Othello’s suspicions: ‘With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do! I will gyve thee in thine own courtesies’ (Act 2, Sc 1). The image of a fly being caught in a web of deceit typifies Iago’s strategies throughout Othello. Similarly, Iago understands that Desdemona’s compassionate nature means that she will petition Othello to show mercy on Cassio for being drunk. He sees this as a way of trapping Desdemona in 193

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the snare of Othello’s suspicion and jealousy: ‘So will I turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Desdemona’s ‘virtue’ will be turned to ‘pitch’ in that her kindness will serve as a net to ensnare her. Othello is also trapped in a similar fashion. His open and trusting nature leaves him vulnerable to Iago’s suggestions and he becomes ensnared by his own jealous passions. Only when it is too late, does Othello see how Iago has trapped him. Othello struggles to understand Iago’s motivation but is resigned to the fact that he has inescapably tangled himself in Iago’s web of deceit: ‘Will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil / Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?’ (Act 5, Sc 2).

Heaven and Hell

Images of heaven and hell indicate the struggle between good and evil for Othello’s soul. Although Desdemona is not without human flaws, she embodies purity and goodness within the play and is associated with heaven. As her opposite, Iago represents evil: his language is rich in diabolic imagery. Othello is torn between these polar opposites of good and evil. However, the sinister whisperings of Iago win him over. As Othello becomes corrupted and turns to evil thoughts, the imagery he uses becomes diabolic and an echo of Iago’s language. Desdemona is often described in heavenly terms, and is portrayed by many of the characters as an angelic figure. Cassio describes her as ‘The divine Desdemona’ (Act 2, Sc 1) and when Roderigo is told that Desdemona is unfaithful to Othello, he responds ‘I cannot believe that in her; she’s full of most blessed condition’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Even Iago says that she has ‘so blessed a disposition’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Emilia too identifies Desdemona with heaven: after Othello admits Desdemona’s murder, Emilia says, ‘O, the more angel she, / And you the blacker devil!’ and cries ‘she was heavenly true!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello also connects Desdemona with heaven calling her a ‘rose-lipped cherubin’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Desdemona herself consistently makes appeals to heaven and also identifies herself as a Christian. The use of heavenly imagery stresses the idea of Desdemona’s goodness. This evokes the audience’s pity for her as a victim and compounds the tragedy of Othello’s actions. In contrast, Shakespeare identifies Iago with hell through the imagery of the play. Iago appeals directly to hell and labels himself a devil: ‘Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now’ (Act 2, Sc 3). He sees his scheming as a hellish act: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Although initially charmed by Iago’s false appearance as an honest individual, the other characters eventually learn of his treacherous scheming in the play’s closing scene. Iago is then summarily described in hellish terms: Othello calls him a ‘demi-devil’, Cassio describes him as ‘heathenish’ and Lodovico dubs him a ‘hellish villain’. Othello also expects to see Iago bearing cloven hooves. The imagery of the play clearly presents Iago as the personification of evil tempting Othello onto hell. In the beginning of the play, Othello is presented as morally pure, Brabantio’s charges of devilish witchcraft being without foundation. However, as Iago’s malevolent suggestions win him over, Othello’s language becomes increasingly infused with hellish imagery. This signals Iago’s influence. The imagery illustrates how Othello has succumbed to evil and has lost his earlier innocence. As he becomes convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity he refers to her as a ‘fair devil’ (Act 3, Sc 3). He labels Desdemona’s clammy hand a ‘young and sweating devil’ (Act 3, Sc 4) and sees the alleged affair with Cassio as a devilish act: ‘It is hypocrisy against the devil! / They that 194

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Othello

mean virtuously, and yet do so, / The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven’ (Act 4, Sc 1). Throughout the final two acts Othello repeatedly refers to his wife as ‘devil’. In a type of perverted prayer, Othello kneels with Iago and calls on hell to inspire his revenge: ‘All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. ’Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, For ’tis of aspics’ tongues! (Act 3, Sc 3). The fervour and hatred of Othello’s tone shows how tainted his soul has become. Othello’s language shows how confused his view of reality is. In the above example Othello seems to embrace hell but towards the end of the play Othello speaks as if he is an agent of heaven. As he prepares to murder Desdemona (Act 5, Sc 2), Othello believes he is administering divine justice. He asks ‘Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?’ and calls her to make confession: ‘If you bethink yourself of any crime / Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace, / Solicit for it straight… No! Heaven forfend! I would not kill thy soul.’ Othello’s imagery reveals the depth of his moral confusion as he inverts right and wrong, heaven and hell. At the end of the play, when Othello heartrendingly realises the truth and understands the ruination he has caused, he cries out to be punished in hell: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). The image of Othello crushed beneath the weight of his guilt is deeply moving and reveals a man damned by his own excessive passions and prideful nature.

Imagery

Function

Disorder (Storms and Music)

§ The storm imagery highlights the uncontrollable, destructive nature of Othello’s jealous rage § Images of musical discord reflect the destruction of harmony in Othello’s life

Animals

§ Animal imagery is a means for Iago to infuriate Brabantio and debase Othello § Reveals Iago’s cynical view of human love § Shows how Othello is corrupted by Iago and disillusioned with love

195

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Entrapment

Heaven and Hell

196

§ Illustrates Iago’s devious methods § Allows Iago to explain how he uses individuals’ virtues to ensnare them § Imagery of heaven and hell dramatises the struggle between good and evil § Desdemona is described in heavenly terms to identify her with goodness § As the embodiment of evil in the play, Iago is associated with the devil and hell § Othello’s language becomes increasingly loaded with diabolic imagery as his mind becomes corrupted § Images of heaven and hell employed by Othello reveal the depth of his moral confusion

Themes Jealousy Appearance and Reality Good v Evil

Jealousy

The theme of jealousy is at the core of Othello. Shakespeare focuses particularly on sexual jealousy, on its often irrational nature and destructive consequences. Othello’s jealousy over an imagined affair between Desdemona and Cassio is central to the play. This is complemented by the jealousies of other characters, including Iago, Roderigo and Bianca. Iago’s jealousy takes three forms within the play: sexual jealousy, career jealousy and personal jealousy of Cassio’s nobility. One of the reasons Iago offers for his hatred of Othello is a suspicion that Othello has had a relationship with Emilia: ‘I hate the Moor: / And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Similarly, Iago expresses concern that Cassio has also had an affair with Emilia: ‘I fear Cassio with my nightcap too’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Although Iago is not absolutely certain that these jealous suspicions are in fact true, he embraces these jealous thoughts, using them to fuel his malevolence: ‘I know not if’t be true, / Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Iago’s sexual jealousy becomes a justification for his evil schemes and hatred of Othello: ‘And nothing can or shall content my soul / Till I am evened with him, wife for wife’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Iago also expresses his jealousy of Cassio’s promotion to the position of lieutenant. Iago jealously grumbles that Cassio was promoted over him, complaining that he lacks military experience and relies solely on theory: ‘Mere prattle, without practice, / Is all his soldiership’ (Act 1, Sc 1). He resentfully attacks Cassio’s credentials, labelling him a ‘counter-caster’ and ‘arithmetician’ who is ‘Horribly stuffed with epithets of war’ (Act 1, Sc 1). It is not clear if Iago’s jealousy is genuine here or merely a convenient way to explain his hatred of Othello to Roderigo. However, later in the play, Iago expresses jealousy of Cassio’s finesse and refinement: ‘He has a daily beauty in his life / That makes me ugly’ (Act 5, Sc 1). This jealous sentiment appears quite genuine as it is said in an aside. The motif of jealousy is also evident through the more minor characters of Bianca and Roderigo. Bianca is made jealous when Cassio gives her Desdemona’s handkerchief. Bianca fears that it is a love token given to Cassio by another lover: ‘O Cassio, whence came this? / This is some token from a newer friend, / To the felt absence now I feel a cause’ (Act 3, Sc 4). As jilted suitor, Roderigo appears jealous of Othello. He uses racist slurs to express his resentment calling Othello ‘the thicklips’ and a ‘lascivious Moor’ (Act 1, Sc 1). Brabantio refers to Roderigo’s unrequited feelings for Desdemona: ‘I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: / In honest plainness thou hast heard me say / My daughter is not for thee’ (Act 1, Sc 1). It appears that Roderigo’s resentment of Othello grows out of his romantic jealousy and is expressed through his racist remarks. Shakespeare explores the theme of jealousy primarily through the character of Othello. Othello’s jealous conviction that Desdemona has been unfaithful becomes all consuming, inevitably leading to his ruination. Shakespeare highlights how jealousy is often built on irrational suspicion and grows out of unfounded doubts. This is certainly the case with Othello who, despite his desire for ‘ocular proof’ (Act 3, Sc 3), is provoked into a jealous rage by the flimsiest of evidence. With 197

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little more than Iago’s word and Cassio’s possession of Desdemona’s handkerchief, Othello becomes Desdemona’s judge, jury and executioner. Emilia recognises how jealousy evolves out of groundless suspicion rather than meaningful proof. She explains how jealous men are often irrational and have little reason for their imagined fears: ‘But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself’ (Act 3, Sc 4). However, despite the irrationality of jealousy, Emilia still acknowledges its destructive nature by comparing it to a ‘monster’. Like his wife, Iago too sees that jealousy is often the product of unfounded fears: ‘Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Despite jealousy’s baseless foundation, Iago understands that it has the power to ‘Burn like the mines of sulphur’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Shakespeare is keen to show that groundless origins do nothing to detract from the destructive potency of jealousy. Othello’s personal insecurities help feed his jealous state. Iago plays upon Othello’s selfdoubt to bolster the notion of Desdemona as an unfaithful wife. We first are given the suggestion that Othello lacks confidence in the first act. He expresses fears about his ability to speak with eloquence: ‘Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Othello sees this supposed lack of refinement as symptomatic of his African blood: ‘Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello has internalised the racial prejudices of Venetian society and as a result questions whether he is good enough for Desdemona. Iago capitalises on this, suggesting that Desdemona’s supposed infidelity is the result of her marrying below her station. Iago argues that Desdemona should naturally choose someone ‘Of her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’ (Act 3, Sc 3). These doubts and personal anxieties help to feed Othello’s jealousy and make the possibility of an affair between Cassio and Desdemona more plausible in Othello’s mind. Othello illustrates how destructive jealousy can prove. Ironically, it is Iago who pithily articulates this idea: ‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger. But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago points to the disastrous results of unchecked jealousy, picturing it as a ‘green-eyed monster’. He highlights how a lover can be consumed by his own jealousy as it ‘doth mock / The meat it feeds on.’ Othello’s violent outbursts and diabolic language illustrate the destructive consequences of jealousy. He exclaims: ‘Death and damnation!’, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’, ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello employs hellish imagery as he embraces dark vengeance: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello’s violent language serves as a precursor to his final tragic act: the murder of Desdemona. Jealousy, the ‘green-eyed monster’ that Iago prophetically refers to, reaches its fullest expression in the final scene. The audience watches with horror as Othello’s jealousy drives him to kill his wife. In the process, he destroys himself spiritually and emotionally. So corrupted has Othello become by his jealous thoughts that he fails to recognise that he is acting out of a sense of 198

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vengeance and instead sees himself as an agent of justice. This is reflected in his legalistic language: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O perjured woman’. Blinded by his jealousy, Othello smothers Desdemona. Othello, the loving husband who was once a figure of such esteem, is now unrecognisable so pitiful and tormented has he become by the play’s close. The tragedy is compounded by Othello’s guilt and torturous regret: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Iago’s observation that jealous thoughts can ‘Burn like the mines of sulphur’ (Act 3, Sc 3) seems most fitting here. The tragic consequences of jealousy are brought home by Othello’s resulting suicide. The audience watch in pity and fear as human frailty is exposed and the destructive potential of jealousy is revealed.

Jealousy Iago’s jealousy

§ Is expressed in three forms: sexual jealousy, career jealousy, personal jealousy § May or may not explain Iago’s malevolence in the play

Bianca and Roderigo are also jealous characters

§ Bianca becomes jealous after she sees Cassio with the spotted handkerchief § Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and is therefore jealous of Othello. His jealousy is expressed through his racism

The theme of jealousy is explored principally though the character of Othello

§ Othello’s transformation from loving husband to jealous avenger illustrates the horrendous consequences of jealousy

Jealousy is presented as evolving out of groundless suspicion

§ This idea is suggested by both Emilia and Iago § Othello’s story dramatically illustrates this concept

Othello’s self-doubt is shown to enable his jealous passions

Jealousy is revealed as a highly destructive human emotion

§ Othello doubts his own refinement and has internalised the racial prejudices of Venetian society § This is exploited by Iago § Othello’s inability to cope with doubt helps him to accept Iago’s suggestions and bolsters his jealous passions § Othello’s violent outbursts, diabolic language and eventual murderous action dramatically illustrate the destructive nature of jealousy 199

Themes

Appearance and Reality

Othello

Shakespeare’s exploration of the theme of appearance and reality is a fascinating aspect of Othello. In the world of the play, huge value is placed on appearances as characters recognise the importance of reputation and their outward show. Iago exploits this. His deliberate misinterpretations, slanderous remarks and orchestration of events allow him to misrepresent reality in the most malevolent way. Deception is a key ingredient of Othello. Throughout the play, Iago uses deception to change how reality appears. This is most evident in his treatment of Othello. Iago scurrilously deceives Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio. Through insinuation, bold lies and by orchestrating events, Iago distorts the truth, replacing it with a twisted version of reality. Iago first insinuates that Desdemona is having an affair. Othello gullibly takes Iago’s suggestions seriously: ‘This honest creature doubtless / Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Emboldened by this, Iago continues to deceive by resorting to outright lying. He tells Othello that Cassio cried out for Desdemona in his sleep: ‘In sleep I heard him say, “Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves.” And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand, Cry, “O sweet creature!” ’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago also lies to Roderigo, filling him with hope that Desdemona returns his love. Iago lies about Cassio to paint him as a frequent drunkard: ‘’Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep: / He’ll watch the horologe a double set, / If drink rock not his cradle’ (Act 2, Sc 3). However, lies and insinuation are merely two of the ways Iago deceives everybody around him. Iago continues to deceive by employing gross sexual imagery to shock Othello. In need of unquestionable proof of Desdemona’s guilt, Othello tells Iago: ‘be sure thou prove my love a whore! / Be sure of it! – Give me the ocular proof’ (Act 3, Sc 3). However, Iago manages to sidestep this by using sexual imagery to provoke Othello’s disgust and wound his pride: ‘Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on? / Behold her topped?’ Iago then employs bestial imagery to further fan Othello’s fury: ‘Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride’ (Act 3, Sc 3). The audience appreciates the impact this has had on Othello as he starts to adopt Iago’s language: Othello welcomes Lodovico to Cyprus by saying: ‘You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus. Goats and monkeys!’ (Act 4, Sc 1). Iago manages to deceive others by orchestrating events. The audience sees this from the first scene of Othello, where Iago encourages Roderigo to incite Brabantio’s rage. Iago tells Brabantio about Desdemona’s elopement with Othello using crude sexual imagery: ‘an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe’ (Act 1, Sc 1). This encourages a confrontation between Brabantio and Othello. However, Iago never reveals his presence to Brabantio and instead speaks from the shadows. Iago is keen to remain unnoticed and instead conducts the situation from the background. He says as much to Roderigo: ‘I must leave you. / It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place, / To be produced’ (Act 1, Sc 1). Throughout Othello Iago uses a similar strategy, for example: he plans the drunken melee that results in Cassio losing his position; he also oversees Roderigo’s attack on Cassio. Most tellingly, Iago orchestrates his meeting with Cassio, so that Othello the onlooker is left with a radically altered version of events. By instructing Othello to watch at a distance and by encouraging Cassio to laugh, Iago convinces Othello that Cassio is indeed having an affair with Desdemona. This idea is further strengthened by the appearance of Desdemona’s handkerchief which Iago had previously planted in Cassio’s room. Iago’s clever strategy has made it appear that Desdemona is unfaithful when 200

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in reality she is a loyal and loving wife. Deception is a central element of Othello, but the play also examines the idea of self-deception. Othello’s murder of Desdemona is born purely of his need for revenge. Othello signals this during his furious outbursts: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). However, in the final scene, as Othello prepares to murder Desdemona, he deceives himself into thinking that he is a minister of justice rather than a jealous husband. This is reflected through Othello’s use of legalistic language: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O perjured woman’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello fools himself into thinking that he has a moral obligation to kill Desdemona: ‘she must die, else she’ll betray more men’ and identifies himself with justice: ‘O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade / Justice to break her sword’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello clearly needs to restore his pride in himself as a dutiful, righteous figure. So convinced is Othello of Desdemona’s guilt, that he deceives himself by disguising his murderous thirst for revenge beneath a mask of justice. Othello explores the significance of social appearances by pointing to the importance of reputation. The importance of social appearance is pithily expressed by Cassio after he is dismissed for drunken brawling. His immediate reaction is to lament his loss of face and public humiliation: ‘Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Cassio sees reputation as a defining element of a civilised man, without which ‘what remains is bestial’. Iago also sees the value of reputation: ‘Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls. Who steals my purse steals trash: ’tis something, nothing; ’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed’ (Act 3, Sc 3). His slanderous misrepresentation of Desdemona and Cassio is therefore a serious act. The character of Othello also signals the power of social appearance. Othello’s reputation ensures him the respect of many in Venetian society. When faced with Brabantio’s accusation of witchcraft, Othello relies on his reputation: ‘My services which I have done the Signiory / Shall outtongue his complaints’ (Act 1, Sc 2). And throughout the play his reputation precedes him: Montano welcomes him as a ‘worthy governor’ (Act 2, Sc 1) and it is his reputation that secures Othello the role of leading the defence against the invading Turks. Similarly, it is Othello’s appearance as a romantic, heroic figure that originally won Desdemona’s heart. He explains, ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Othello shows how vital reputation is in society. However, Othello places too much value on his reputation as a soldier and heroic figure. As he comes to believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful, Othello laments the damage that this will do to his reputation as a military leader: ‘O now, for ever Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content! Farewell the plumed troops, and the big wars, That make ambition virtue! – O, farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). 201

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His wounded pride means he no longer feels that he is a true man and sees his military career as ruined (‘Othello’s occupation’s gone!’). Iago goes to great lengths to maintain his outward show and to appear virtuous; it is this that earns him the nickname ‘honest Iago’. In an effort to disguise the reality of his malevolent scheming, Iago actively presents himself falsely: ‘Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign’ (Act 1, Sc 1). By trading on his reputation as an honest individual, Iago manages to avoid suspicion, but more importantly it allows him to earn Othello’s trust. Othello does not doubt Iago’s motives so convinced is he of Iago’s honesty. It is Iago’s reputation and honest appearance that allow him to connive so brilliantly throughout the play. Race is an important element of the drama as skin colour and racial appearance are treated by some characters as signals of an individual’s personality. Many racist remarks are directed at Othello. Iago incites Brabantio’s fury by using racist remarks: ‘you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans’ (Act 1, Sc 1). Roderigo also refers disparagingly to Othello’s racial appearance calling him ‘the thicklips’ and a ‘lascivious Moor’ (Act 1, Sc 1). Brabantio sees Othello’s dark skin as something to fear. He finds it incredible that his daughter would fall in love with a black man: ‘To fall in love with what she feared to look on!’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Despite his honourable reputation and the respect he enjoys for his military experience, Othello comes to internalise this racist view of his appearance. He starts to see his black skin as signalling a lack of refinement: ‘Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago exploits Othello’s insecurities about his appearance, citing it as reason for Desdemona to be unfaithful: Iago argues that Desdemona should naturally choose someone ‘Of her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Iago who is so conscious of the importance of appearance recognises this as a means of sowing seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind and disfiguring the true nature of Desdemona’s love for Othello.

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Appearance and Reality Deception

Self-deception Reputation

Racial appearance

§ Iago uses insinuation and lies to deceive § He uses false images to stir Othello’s disgust § Iago orchestrates events to misrepresent reality § Othello deceives himself about his motives for killing Desdemona § Venetian society places great value on reputation and social appearance § Cassio points to this fact § Iago’s slanderous remarks seek to obscure reality by eroding the reputations of Desdemona and Cassio § Othello places too much value on his reputation and how he appears to those around him § Racial appearance is an important element of the drama § Othello’s skin colour and appearance create mistrust. Othello starts to internalise these prejudices creating selfdoubt. This contributes to his misplaced trust in Iago and helps to obscure the reality of Desdemona’s devotion to her husband

Good v Evil

Shakespeare explores humanity’s capacity for both good and evil through the character of Othello. The audience see how Othello has the potential to be a noble and decent character but is also capable of committing deplorable evil deeds. Desdemona represents goodness in the play. Although she is not without flaws, her generous and forgiving nature displays the best of humanity. Iago functions as her opposite: his devilish scheming illustrates the worst of human malice. As the drama unfolds, the audience watches with horror as Othello becomes gradually corrupted by evil, aligning himself with Iago rather than Desdemona. Humanity’s capacity for good is revealed through the angelic figure of Desdemona. Her innate goodness is stressed by the other characters who speak of her in divine terms. Cassio refers to her as ‘The divine Desdemona’ (Act 2, Sc 1) and Roderigo also points to the same fact: ‘She’s full of a most blessed condition’ (Act 2, Sc 1). Even Iago testifies to her purity and goodness: ‘She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested’ (Act 2, Sc 3). Emilia highlights Desdemona’s virtue and purity upon discovering her dying figure, crying ‘she was heavenly true!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Even as he plots her murder, Othello recognises Desdemona’s innate goodness, describing her in heavenly terms: ‘Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin!’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Desdemona herself consistently makes appeals to heaven and identifies herself as a Christian. The regular use of heavenly imagery points to Desdemona as an emblem of goodness within the play. This is echoed by her innocence and her virtuous actions. Desdemona’s innocence is

203

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shown in conversation with Emilia. As Emilia casually talks of infidelity, she reveals a worldly, knowing nature. In contrast, Desdemona finds it difficult to believe that any woman could be disloyal to her husband. When Emilia asks her if she would ever have an extra-marital affair, Desdemona’s shocked response underscores her innocence and she makes an immediate appeal to heaven: ‘No, by this heavenly light!’ (Act 4, Sc 3). So pure of thought is Desdemona that it never even occurs to her that Othello may be jealous until Emilia suggests it. As a symbol of goodness and virtue, Desdemona encapsulates the Christian ideal of forgiveness. Throughout the play she overlooks Othello’s mistreatment of her, forgiving his abusive and erratic behaviour. Desdemona tells Iago that nothing Othello does could ever erode her love: ‘Unkindness may do much, / And his unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love’ (Act 4, Sc 2). Similarly she tells Emilia: ‘My love doth so approve him, / That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns – / Prithee, unpin me – have grace and favour in them’ (Act 4, Sc 3). In her final words Desdemona is most keenly presented as the Christian ideal of forgiveness. After Othello has smothered her and she lies dying on their bed, she tries to exonerate her husband by falsely claiming that she committed suicide. This act of forgiveness is in contrast to the thirst for revenge that blights Othello (and arguably Iago) throughout the play. However, it should be noted that some critics see Desdemona as a deluded figure. Her failure to recognise Othello’s abusive behaviour stems from her idealised vision of her husband as a morally pure figure, like a hero from an adventure story. These critics see Desdemona as romanticising her husband to such a degree that she blames herself for her own death. As Desdemona’s polar opposite, Iago is identified with evil. Just as Desdemona embodies Christian goodness, Iago personifies evil. This is apparent from the opening scene where Iago’s comment ‘I am not what I am’ inverts God’s statement to Moses in the Bible: ‘I am that I am’ (Exodus 3:14). Iago also makes direct appeals to hell and labels himself a devil: ‘Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now’ (Act 2, Sc 3). He sees his scheming as a hellish act: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light’ (Act 1, Sc 3). This diabolic imagery casts Iago in the role of devil, tempting Othello onto evil. As the other characters come to see Iago’s true nature they describe him in hellish terms: Othello calls him a ‘demi-devil’, Cassio describes him as ‘heathenish’ and Lodovico dubs him a ‘hellish villain’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello also expects to see Iago bearing cloven hooves. The imagery of the play clearly presents Iago as the personification of evil. Iago’s evil nature is acutely revealed through his malevolence. His dark talent for exploiting human weakness allows him to take advantage of others. For example, Iago uses Desdemona’s innate goodness to his advantage, seeing it as a means of ensnaring Othello: ‘She’s framed as fruitful As the free elements… So will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all’ (Act 2, Scene 3). This plan is realised as Desdemona generously solicits Othello to have Cassio reinstated to his position as lieutenant. This further convinces Othello of Desdemona’s guilt. Iago malevolently misrepresents Desdemona’s goodness in order to corrupt Othello. Iago’s evil is most significantly revealed through his corruption of Othello. Iago sets out to ruin Othello by encouraging his jealous rage and directing it towards Desdemona. The audience 204

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watch with horror as Othello becomes drawn towards evil. This is physically represented in Act 3, Scene 3 as Othello and Iago kneel together and engage in a kind of hellish prayer. Othello’s language takes on the diabolic imagery of Iago’s soliloquies: ‘All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. ’Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne To tyrannous hate! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught, For ’tis of aspics’ tongues! (Act 3, Sc 3). The fervour and hatred of Othello’s tone here shows how tainted his soul has become. The evil that has consumed Othello reaches its fullest expression in the final scene when he smothers Desdemona. Othello’s language illustrates how evil has inverted his moral compass. In the above quotation, Othello seems to embrace evil but in the final scene Othello speaks as if he is an agent of heaven. As he prepares to murder Desdemona (Act 5, Sc 2), Othello believes he is administering divine justice. He asks ‘Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?’ and calls her to make confession: ‘If you bethink yourself of any crime / Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace, / Solicit for it straight…No! Heaven forfend! I would not kill thy soul.’ Othello’s language reveals the depth of his moral confusion as he inverts right and wrong, heaven and hell. Having become corrupted by evil, Othello murders his wife and finally brings about his own tragic undoing. Although Othello commits a deplorable evil deed, the audience pity rather than revile him. We recognise the influence Iago has brought to bear on Othello. Although we cannot forgive Othello for his lack of foresight and jealous pride, we pity him for his flawed humanity. Once the truth is revealed to him, Othello recognises the evil of what he has done and cries out for eternal punishment: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ (Act 5, Sc 2). Othello’s remorse signals his conscience and capacity for good. As Othello concludes, the audience is left with a vision of a man who had the potential for goodness but whose flawed humanity led him to succumb to evil.

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Good v Evil Desdemona represents goodness and purity

Iago personifies evil

Othello has both the capacity for good and evil but is consumed by evil

206

§ Desdemona is spoken about in angelic terms. This points to her innate goodness § Desdemona’s actions and words establish her as an innately good character § Desdemona is representative of the Christian ideal of forgiveness. However, some critics debate this § Iago actively embraces evil in his language § Iago’s malevolent behaviour sets him apart as innately evil § Iago exploits human weakness for his own evil purposes § Othello has the capacity for good but his flawed humanity leads him to succumb to evil § Othello’s remorse at the end of the play illustrates his potential for goodness. This leaves the audience with the frightening vision of a potentially good man consumed and corrupted by evil

Interesting Fact During Shakespeare’s time it was illegal for women to act. The female characters in his plays were therefore played by men.

The Life of William Shakespeare

The exact details of William Shakespeare’s life are unclear. However some facts are known from court and clerical Interesting Fact There are 6 surviving copies of Shakespeare’s records. signature. His name is spelt differently in each, Shakespeare’s exact date of birth is unknown but using abbreviated forms. Interestingly, his records reveal that he was baptised on 26 April 1564. Due surname is never spelt as ‘Shakespeare’. The signatures appear as: to a scholar’s mistake, his birthday is commemorated on • Willm Shakp • William Shakspēr 23 April. This date has appealed to commentators as it is • Wm Shakspē the same date on which he died (23 April 1616). • William Shakspere Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon to John • Willm Shakspere • William Shakspeare Shakespeare and Mary Arden. He was the third child of eight, although three of his siblings died before reaching adulthood. None of his school records survive, but Shakespeare probably attended the local grammar school: the King’s New School. It is thought that he left school at the age of 15. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. He was 18; she was 26. Six months later, Anne gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Susanna. She was followed two years later by twins: Hamnet and Judith. Sadly, Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died at the age of 11; the cause is unknown. Biographers refer to the years 1585-1592 as ‘The Lost Years’ as there are no records of Shakespeare’s life for this period. Shakespeare is mentioned in the London theatre records in 1592. Various legends suggest Shakespeare’s reasons for leaving Stratford-upon-Avon. The most persistent is that Shakespeare fled to avoid prosecution for deer poaching at the Charlecote estate. This is unlikely as Charlecote did not have a deer park for another 100 years! Other biographers believe that he worked as a school teacher, pointing to the record of a William Shakeshaft in Lancashire. However, Shakeshaft was a relatively popular name at the time. What is known for certain is that Shakespeare worked as an actor, and wrote plays and poetry. He joined a theatre group called The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. In 1603 King James I became the company’s royal patron and it changed its name to The King’s Men. Shakespeare also owned a share in the Globe Theatre in London which made him a wealthy man. Shakespeare wrote about 37 plays, including the tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Coriolanus. His celebrated comedies include The Tempest, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Much Ado about Nothing and The Merchant of Venice. His dramas are performed regularly throughout the world today. Shakespeare died in 1616. He left the bulk of his wealth to his daughter Susanna. Famously, Shakespeare left his wife his ‘second best bed’. Some commentators see this as an insult to his wife, others argue that this is a reference to the matrimonial bed and therefore a symbolic gesture. Shakespeare was buried at the Holy Trinity Church. His epitaph warns against his body being moved: Interesting Fact ‘Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear, The average person has an To dig the dust enclosed here. active vocabulary of 10,000 words. Shakespeare’s plays Blessed be the man that spares these stones, contain over 30,000 different And cursed be he that moves my bones.’ [modern spelling] words. 207

OL Past Exam Questions

Ordinary Level Exam Tips

Othello

§ Answer the question: This may seem obvious, but it is vital that you remain focused on what exactly the question is asking. § Structure your answer: Take a few minutes to plan the shape of your answer. Sequence your ideas in a logical order. § Make points. Don’t narrate the plot: Although there are times when you will need to explain what has occurred in a scene, it is important that you don’t simply retell the story. § Use paragraphs in your answer: Although you are not required to write a long essay, you should use paragraphs where it is appropriate. § Quote and refer: The examiner is keen to see that you have an in-depth knowledge of the play. Illustrate this by using quotations and by making appropriate references. § Watch your timing: Most students spend approximately an hour on the Single Text question.

Ordinary Level Exam Topics § Key scenes: Focus on scenes that are tense or exciting, act as turning points, illuminate the characters’ personalities and are of thematic importance. This is the most common question topic at Ordinary Level. § Characters: Think about how characters are portrayed, the relationship between central characters, the dramatic importance of key characters. § Staging/directing the play § Your personal response to the play § Themes

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OL Past Exam Questions

Ordinary Level – Past Exam Questions 2008

Othello

Sample Answer

Answer all of the questions. on P211 1. (a) Do you feel sorry for Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, when he learns that she has married Othello? Explain your answer. (10)

(b) From your reading of the play, why do you think Desdemona falls in love with Othello? Explain your answer. (10)

2. ‘Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.’ Describe the murder of Desdemona by Othello in Act 5, Scene 2.

(10)

3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) At the very end of the play, Lodovico describes Iago as a ‘hellish villain’. Do you think this is a fair description of Iago? Support your answer with reference to the play. OR (ii) You have been invited to play the part of a character in a production of the play Othello. Describe the qualities of your chosen character which you would wish to make clear to your audience. Support your answer with reference to the text. OR (iii) Write a report putting forward the view that Othello is, or is not, a suitable text for Leaving Certificate candidates.

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OL Past Exam Questions

Ordinary Level – Sample Questions

Othello

Sample Questions A

Answer all of the questions. 1. (a) How does Othello convince the Duke that he is innocent of Brabantio’s charge of witchcraft? (10)

(b) Would you agree that Iago treats Roderigo badly in the play? Explain your answer. (10)



(c) In your opinion, does Iago offer any convincing reasons to explain his hatred of Othello? Explain your answer by referring to the text. (10)

2. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) In the final scene of the play, Othello describes himself as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well’. Do you think this is an accurate description of his behaviour throughout the play? Give reasons for your answer based on your knowledge of the play. OR (ii) Imagine you were asked to direct a new film based on Shakespeare’s play Othello. Which two actors would you cast in the main roles of Othello and Iago? Explain your choices with reference to the play. OR (iii) Othello continues to be one of the most performed and popular of Shakespeare’s plays. Do you think it deserves to remain so popular? Give reasons for your answer by referring to the text and/or your experience of watching the play performed.

Sample Questions B

Answer all of the questions. 1. (a) Explain how Othello becomes convinced that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio. (10) (b) Would you agree that Othello is a victim of racism in the play? Explain your viewpoint by making reference to the play. (10) 2. ‘Desdemona is a loyal and loving wife.’ Do you agree with this statement? Refer to the text in your answer. (10) 3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) Based on your reading of the play, write a piece beginning with one of the following statements: – Othello is a fascinating play for a modern audience . . . – Othello is irrelevant to a modern audience . . . OR (ii) Imagine you are a director. Choose one important moment from Othello and describe how you would show it on stage or on film. Explain your reasons for showing it this way, pointing out the effect you would like it to have on the audience. OR (iii) At the end of the play Lodovico says of Othello: ‘O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, / Fallen in the practice of a damned slave.’ Do you think this is an accurate description of Othello’s behaviour in the play? Give reasons for your viewpoint. Support your answer with reference to the play.

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Ordinary Level 2008 – Sample Answers

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1. (a) Do you feel sorry for Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, when he learns that she has married Othello? Explain your answer. (10) In some ways I do feel sorry for Brabantio when he learns that his daughter, Desdemona, has married Othello. Desdemona clearly deceived her father because Brabantio finds it difficult to believe that his daughter has left home. Brabantio confirms her deception when he says to Othello, ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee.’ Much later in the play the audience learns that Brabantio dies of a broken heart, so upset is he that his daughter left him. This encourages my pity. However, Brabantio’s aggressive behaviour and irrational suspicion of Othello undermines my sympathy. When Brabantio confronts Othello he looks to start a fight. It is only Othello’s calming words that prevent violence. Brabantio uses racist stereotyping to describe Othello and seems appalled that his daughter would marry a black man. He says to Othello that Desdemona would never ‘incur a general mock, / Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom / Of such a thing as thou – to fear, not to delight!’ Brabantio then hot-headedly accuses Othello of bewitching Desdemona. This is based on Brabantio’s racist suspicion of Othello. It seems clear that Desdemona would not have been able to marry the man she loved if she had asked her father’s permission. Although I can appreciate that Desdemona and Othello’s marriage may have come as a shock to Brabantio, his racist attitude takes away from any pity I may have for him.

(b) From your reading of the play, why do you think Desdemona falls in love with Othello? Explain your answer. (10)

We learn in the first act of the play how Desdemona fell in love with Othello. When Brabantio accuses Othello of witchcraft, Othello defends himself by providing an account of his relationship with Desdemona. Othello remembers that Desdemona was first drawn to him by his exciting tales of adventure. He recounts how Desdemona was often moved to tears by the suffering he experienced as a soldier. Othello explains, ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them.’ Desdemona herself tells the Duke that she fell in love with Othello for his bravery: ‘I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, And to his honour and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.’ It seems clear from both Othello’s and Desdemona’s accounts of their relationship that Desdemona fell in love with Othello because he portrayed himself as a brave adventurer who overcame many hardships. 2. ‘Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.’ Describe the murder of Desdemona by Othello in Act 5, Scene 2.

(10)

The murder of Desdemona by Othello in the play’s final scene is a heartbreaking moment. As Desdemona sleeps, Othello reflects on what he is preparing to do. Othello is deeply conflicted. On the one hand he recognises his love for his wife and appears reluctant to harm her: ‘I’ll not shed her blood, / Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, / And smooth as monumental alabaster.’ He understands that there is no way of undoing a murder, and that his actions will be final: ‘When I have plucked the rose, / I cannot give it vital growth again. / It must needs wither.’ 211

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However, Othello feels compelled to murder Desdemona. He argues that this is an act of justice and will prevent further betrayals: ‘Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.’ I believe that despite the righteousness of his language, Othello is acting out of a need for revenge. In the scenes leading up to this moment, Othello is filled with rage and anger. I think that he can only come to murder his love if he thinks of it as a just act rather than a violent need for revenge. When Desdemona wakens, Othello tells her to pray as he is going to kill her. She begs for him to stop and pleads her innocence. So blinded is Othello by his jealousy that he ignores her pleas and smothers her. When Emilia arrives, Desdemona is not quite dead. Desdemona looks to avert blame from Othello by claiming she committed suicide. As the scene continues, Othello comes to learn the truth of Iago’s treachery. He is consumed by grief, crying out for punishment: ‘Whip me, you devils, From the possession of this heavenly sight! Blow me about in winds! Roast me in sulphur! Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemona! Dead Desdemona! – Dead! O! O! O!’ His heartrending cries made me feel hugely sorry for him. Othello is unable to bear the guilt of his crime and commits suicide. He asks to be remembered as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well’. 3. Answer ONE of the following: [Each part carries 30 marks] (i) At the very end of the play, Lodovico describes Iago as a ‘hellish villain’. Do you think this is a fair description of Iago? Support your answer with reference to the play. I think that Lodovico’s description of Iago as a ‘hellish villain’ is very fitting. It is not merely Iago’s cruel manipulation of others and his disregard for human life that mark him as a villain, it is also the complete lack of convincing motivation for his crimes that points to his villainy. Iago’s frequent references to hell and the devil suggest that his behaviour is truly ‘hellish’. Iago is clearly a vindictive and manipulative individual. He encourages Othello’s jealousy by suggesting that Othello’s wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio. Iago maliciously looks to cause Othello huge suffering in the process: ‘Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, Which at the first are scarce found to distaste, But, with a little act upon the blood, Burn like the mines of sulphur’. Iago’s comparison between Othello’s suffering and burning sulphur illustrates his malice and also echoes the idea of hell. Iago’s villainy is not limited to ruining Othello. He also destroys Cassio’s reputation by encouraging him to drink alcohol and pushing him into a drunken brawl. This causes Cassio to lose his position as Othello’s lieutenant and allows for Iago’s promotion. Roderigo is also a victim of Iago’s villainy. Not only does Iago use his cunning to steal from him (‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’) but he also murders Roderigo by stabbing him from behind. A true villain, Iago has little regard for human life. Desdemona’s death is the result of Iago’s cruel manipulation of Othello, while Emilia, Iago’s wife, dies by Iago’s own hand. 212

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Iago offers some possible motivations for his crimes but these seem weak explanations for his villainous behaviour. He suggests to Roderigo that he is jealous of Cassio’s promotion to the rank of lieutenant and blames Othello as a result. Later, in soliloquy, Iago mentions a suspicion that Othello has had an affair with Emilia, Iago’s wife. However, neither of these motivations are convincing and in any case do not justify Iago’s actions. I believe that Iago’s motivation to ruin Othello is based purely on hatred and malice – this is in keeping with the idea of him as a ‘hellish villain’. In ‘Othello’ the play, Shakespeare associates Iago with hell. Iago’s language and the way others come to see him emphasise this idea. Iago himself describes his schemes as diabolical: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light’, and he seems to embrace the idea of hell and evil. Iago goes so far as to identify himself as a devil: ‘Divinity of hell! When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now.’ However, Iago keeps his evil carefully concealed by trading on his reputation as ‘honest Iago’. Only in the final scene is he revealed as a ‘hellish villain’ to the other characters. This prompts Othello to call Iago a ‘demi-devil’ and to check if Iago has cloven hooves. Because of his appalling behaviour, evil motives and association with the devil, Iago certainly earns the description of ‘hellish villain’.

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Higher Level Exam Tips

Othello

§ Answer the question: This may seem obvious but it is vital that you remain focused on what exactly the question is asking. § Structure your answer: Take a few minutes to plan the shape of your essay. Sequence your ideas in a logical order. § Include an introduction: Address the question directly and outline your general response. § Make points. Don’t narrate the plot: Although there are times when you will need to explain what has occurred in a scene, it is important that you don’t merely retell the story. § Use a topic sentence: It should be clear to the examiner what the overall point of each paragraph is. This is usually done in the opening sentence of each paragraph. § Make one point per paragraph. Each paragraph should deal with one main idea that is discussed by referring to the play. § Quote and refer: The examiner is keen to see that you have an in-depth knowledge of the play. Illustrate this by using quotations and making appropriate references. § Include a conclusion: This should ‘wrap up’ your essay by drawing all your main points together. § Watch your timing: Most students spend approximately one hour on the Single Text question.

Higher Level Exam Topics § Characters: Think about how characters are portrayed, the relationship between central characters and the dramatic importance of key characters. § Themes § Key scenes: Focus on scenes that are tense or exciting, act as turning points, illuminate the characters’ personalities and/or seem of thematic importance. § Soliloquies: These are intimate moments when a character reflects on their situation out loud to the audience. § Imagery, symbolism and language § Your personal response to the play

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Higher Level – Past Exam Questions Each question is worth 60 marks.

2008 1. (i) ‘Othello’s foolishness rather than Iago’s cleverness leads to the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Othello.’ Discuss this statement supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text. OR (ii) ‘Shakespeare’s play Othello demonstrates the weakness of human judgement.’ Discuss this statement supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text.

Sample Answer on P216 Sample Answer on P218

Higher Level – Sample Questions 1. ‘Othello’s flawed humanity is the primary reason for the play’s tragedy.’ Discuss this statement supporting your answer with suitable reference to Shakespeare’s play Othello. 2. ‘A combination of Othello’s flaws, chance and Iago’s cleverness bring about the tragedy of the play.’ To what extent would you agree with the above view? Support your answer by referring to the play, Othello. 3. ‘The audience condemn Othello for his actions, but pity him for his suffering.’ Discuss this statement making reference to Shakespeare’s play Othello. 4. ‘Although sinister and malicious, the character of Iago captivates the audience of Othello.’ Write a response to this statement. Support your answer with reference to the play. 5. I hate the Moor. ‘The reasons for Iago’s hatred of Othello are an intriguing aspect of Shakespeare’s play.’ Write a response to this statement. You should refer to the play in your answer. 6. ‘Whereas Desdemona is innocent and pure, Emilia is worldly and cynical.’ Discuss this view, making reference to Shakespeare’s play Othello. 7. ‘The struggle between good and evil is a central theme of Othello.’ Support your answer with reference to the play. 8. ‘The rich imagery of Othello brings the play’s themes into sharp focus.’ Discuss this statement by making reference to the text. 9. At the end of the play, Othello sees himself as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well.’ Do you agree with his self assessment? Explain your view, supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text. 10. ‘Othello is a fascinating exploration of the destructive consequences of unchecked jealousy.’ Discuss this view of Shakespeare’s Othello. Support your answer by making reference to the text.

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Higher Level – Sample Answers 2008 1. (i) ‘Othello’s foolishness rather than Iago’s cleverness leads to the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Othello.’ Discuss this statement supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text. I wholly agree with the statement that ‘Othello’s foolishness rather than Iago’s cleverness leads to the tragedy of Shakespeare’s “Othello”.’ At the heart of this great tragedy is Othello’s flawed humanity. Othello’s open and trusting nature, inability to tolerate doubt, overly passionate temperament and foolish pride conspire to bring about his downfall. Although Iago clearly displays evil ingenuity, he serves only as a catalyst for the tragedy. Ultimately, Othello is responsible for his own tragic downfall. Othello’s naïvety clearly contributes to the play’s tragic conclusion. Othello foolishly places undeserved trust in Iago and refuses to interrogate Iago’s apparent honesty and motivations. He frequently refers to Iago as ‘honest’; this misplaced faith in his ancient informs Othello’s behaviour throughout the play. Othello expects that ‘men should be what they seem’. He unquestioningly believes Iago’s account of the brawl and, in the Temptation Scene, concludes that Iago is ‘of exceeding honesty’. As a result, Othello comes to believe Iago’s suggestion that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. This contributes to Othello’s murderous jealousy and helps to bring about his own tragic destruction. Some may feel that Iago’s sinister cunning is to blame here, as it is Iago who deceives Othello. However, it is Othello’s foolishness that allows him to be tricked in the first place. Iago clearly identifies Othello’s foolishness as a weakness: ‘The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are.’ And Iago does certainly exploit Othello’s ‘free and open nature’. However, the blame must be placed on Othello’s shoulders for foolishly trusting Iago. Iago can only kindle Othello’s monstrous jealousy because Othello is so susceptible to Iago’s lies. It is this weakness that contributes to the eventual murder of Desdemona. Othello also helps to bring about his own tragic downfall by making foolish, rash decisions when confronted by doubt. This is evident after the brawl. Othello fails to properly investigate what occurred and places a disproportionate amount of faith in Iago’s account. This moment illustrates how Othello abandons his composure when faced with uncertainty. Othello asks three times who began the brawl; impatient for an answer and uncertain as to what occurred, Othello loses his temper. Othello himself recognises that he is being led by his passion rather than by cool, judicious reason: ‘My blood begins my safer guides to rule, / And passion, having my best judgement collied, / Assays to lead the way.’ Despite this insight, Othello summarily dismisses Cassio as his lieutenant. Again, Iago could be charged with contributing to the tragedy here as it is he who encourages Cassio’s drunkenness and employs Roderigo to incite the brawl. However, it is how Othello deals with this event that is of most importance. It is Othello’s foolish rashness rather than Iago’s malevolent ingenuity that results directly in Cassio’s dismissal. Iago certainly influences Othello’s behaviour, but the decisions Othello makes are his own, evolving out of his own weaknesses. In the Temptation Scene the audience again see Othello’s inability to tolerate doubt. As Iago 216

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suggests that Desdemona is unfaithful, Othello demands certainty and initially calls for ‘ocular proof’. He warns Iago, ‘be sure thou prove my love a whore!’ However, out of a desperate need for certainty and unbalanced by doubt, Othello foolishly misplaces his trust in Iago. Without properly questioning the flimsy evidence that Iago presents, Othello resolves to murder Desdemona. Merely at the sight of a handkerchief and the testimony of one man, Othello abandons the composure he displayed in the first act and becomes overwhelmed by a desire for revenge: ‘Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand.’ It is Othello rather than Iago who proposes that Desdemona must die. And although Iago’s evil scheming informs Othello’s decision-making, Othello should be solely charged with Desdemona’s murder as he is the one who both broaches the idea and carries it out. Iago certainly plays on Othello’s weaknesses, but Othello’s need for certainty overrides prudence leading him to make foolish decisions. Othello’s overly passionate nature also contributes to his tragic downfall. From the first moments he enters the stage, Othello testifies to the strength of his passion for Desdemona: ‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona, I would not my unhoused free condition Put into circumscription and confine For the sea’s worth.’ After Othello has survived the storm at sea he again displays the intensity of his passion for Desdemona. The joy and contentment he finds in his wife is evident to all: ‘It gives me wonder great as my content / To see you here before me. O my soul’s joy!’ However, Othello’s overly passionate nature means that his love is readily transformed into jealousy. Convinced that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, Othello becomes consumed by his own ‘green-eyed monster’. He succumbs to intense jealous passions and embraces the idea of violent retribution: ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’. So intense are his passions that he even invokes hell: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ Othello’s excessively passionate nature leads to foolishness. If he had applied reason and judged the ‘facts’ presented to him he could have dismissed Iago’s insidious suggestions. However, Othello is led by his tempestuous nature. Although Iago stokes the fires of Othello’s passion, the jealous rage is Othello’s and Othello’s alone. Arguably, Othello’s principal weakness is foolish pride. This clouds his judgement and affects his decision-making throughout the drama. It is evident early in the play as he boasts of his adventures before the Duke. The audience can truly appreciate Othello’s excessive pride as he comes to believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Rather than lamenting the loss of a loving wife, Othello cries out for his tarnished reputation. Because of his wounded pride and his belief that his wife is disloyal, Othello feels that he is not a real man and can no longer be considered a soldier: ‘Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war! And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats The immortal Jove’s dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello’s occupation’s gone!’ In an effort to restore his sense of himself as a man of principled action, Othello’s pride leads him to pursue ‘justice’ for Desdemona’s supposed crime. Othello casts himself in the role of an agent of justice. This is reflected in his language as he prepares to kill Desdemona: ‘crime’, ‘perjury’, ‘O 217

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perjured woman’. He remarks ‘she must die, else she’ll betray more men’. It is his foolish pride in himself as a man of honour that drives him here. Othello needs to feel that he is doing the right thing to restore his view of himself as a man worthy of respect. He tragically murders his loving wife and in the process destroys himself spiritually and morally. I feel that some may feel compelled to overlook Othello’s foolishness when presented with a villain as malevolent and ingenious as Iago. The audience certainly feels sympathy for Othello so heartbreaking is his loss and eventual sense of guilt. However, Iago’s schemes would have come to nothing had Othello tempered his pride, shown greater composure, displayed a less gullible nature and coped better with doubt. Othello’s final assessment of himself as ‘one that loved not wisely, but too well’ seems to ring true. Blinded by his passion he acted proudly, rashly and foolishly. It is these traits that bring about the tragedy of Othello. 2008 1. (ii) ‘Shakespeare’s play Othello demonstrates the weakness of human judgement.’ Discuss this statement supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text. It is the flaws in human nature, and particularly characters’ flawed judgement, that bring about the tragedy of ‘Othello’. Shakespeare shows how an individual’s inability to see others for who they are can have disastrous consequences. This idea is realised through the character of Othello. His misplaced trust in Iago and failure to see Desdemona for the loving wife she is, informs his jealous rage and murderous actions. This notion is echoed in the minor characters of the play: Roderigo, Cassio and Emilia, who also display poor judgement. The only character in ‘Othello’ who has insight into human nature is Iago. However, although he cleverly judges others with ease, his lack of moral judgement contributes in no small measure to the tragedy of ‘Othello’. Othello’s poor judgement leaves him vulnerable. Being sincere and noble, he expects others to be as honest as he is. Iago recognises this trait and successfully exploits it: ‘The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are.’ The image of Othello being led like an ass illustrates Othello’s foolishness. His ‘free and open nature’ means that he is easily duped by Iago. Othello comes to believe Iago’s lie that Cassio and Desdemona are lovers. This is only possible because Othello misplaces his trust in Iago, calling him ‘honest Iago’ throughout the drama. Othello’s poor judgement means that he fails to question Iago’s motives. On the night of Othello and Desdemona’s wedding celebration, Othello relies heavily on Iago’s account of the brawl. He foolishly considers Iago as filled with ‘honesty and love’. Othello never recognises that Iago has the most to gain from Cassio’s demotion as he becomes Othello’s new lieutenant. Most significantly, Othello fails to recognise Iago’s malevolence in the Temptation Scene. Although Othello initially demands ‘ocular proof’ of Desdemona’s infidelity, he overlooks this and comes to believe Iago’s lies based on the flimsiest of evidence. Iago convinces Othello of Desdemona’s supposed guilt by using emotive sexual imagery: ‘Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on? Behold her topped… Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, As salt as wolves in pride’ This wounds Othello’s pride and drives him into a violent rage: ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’ 218

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Here we see how Othello allows his passion to override judgement. Othello himself pointed to this flaw earlier in the play: ‘My blood begins my safer guides to rule, / And passion, having my best judgement collied, / Assays to lead the way.’ It is readily apparent that Othello’s inability to see Iago for who he really is, coupled with his own tempestuous nature, contributes to the tragedy of the play. Othello’s failure to recognise Desdemona as a loving wife evolves out of his misplaced trust in Iago but also arises from his own insecurities. In the first act, Othello doubts his ability to speak eloquently: ‘Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’. Othello identifies this supposed lack of refinement as symptomatic of his African blood: ‘Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have’. Othello has internalised the racial prejudices of Venetian society. Although Othello is confident in himself as a soldier, he questions whether he is good enough for Desdemona. Iago plays upon this by suggesting that Desdemona’s supposed infidelity is the result of her marrying below her station. He says that Desdemona should naturally choose someone, ‘Of her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’. These doubts and personal anxieties help to feed Othello’s jealousy. His weak judgement grows partly out of his personal insecurities and sense of being an outsider in Venetian society. In the end, Othello’s weak judgement utterly blinds him. Driven by his pride in himself as a man of honour, he convinces himself that he has a moral obligation to murder Desdemona: ‘she must die, else she’ll betray more men.’ He ignores Desdemona’s heartrending pleas and kills her by smothering. The tragic consequences of weak human judgement are made horrifyingly clear to the audience. The character of Othello dramatically shows the weakness of human judgement. This idea is echoed in the minor characters of ‘Othello’. Roderigo fails to see that Iago is exploiting him until it is too late. Iago uses Roderigo to goad Brabantio’s fury at Othello in the first scene. He then encourages Roderigo to incite a brawl at Cassio’s expense. As a classic gull, Roderigo enriches Iago in the naïve belief that Iago is giving gifts to Desdemona on his behalf. Iago slyly celebrates Roderigo’s lack of judgement: ‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.’ Cassio too demonstrates the weakness of human judgement. Knowing that he is sensitive to the effects of alcohol, he drinks with Iago to please those around him. After he makes a fool of himself and loses his position as Othello’s lieutenant he unwisely seeks advice from Iago, the very man who is plotting against him. Although Emilia is a worldly, knowing character who readily points to the shortcomings of men, she too is a poor judge of character when it comes to Iago. She fails to adequately question why Iago wants her to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief. She is the first to understand that Othello is under the influence of ‘some most villainous knave, / Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.’ However, her weak judgement prevents her from recognising that ‘knave’ as her own husband. Indeed, the only character who displays genuine insight into human nature is Iago. He uses this to great effect, albeit with devastating consequences. Iago recognises the vulnerabilities in others. He plays upon Othello’s ‘free and open nature’ and wounds his pride in order to provoke jealousy. Similarly he uses Roderigo’s affection for Desdemona to recruit him to his evil scheme. Iago cleverly recognises Cassio’s susceptibility to alcohol as a means of destroying Cassio’s reputation. Iago’s judgement of Desdemona allows him to expose her vulnerabilities. He sees her goodness as a weakness: ‘So will I turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all.’ Desdemona’s innate goodness causes her to plead to Othello on Cassio’s behalf. As Iago predicted, this feeds Othello’s jealousy and as a result contributes to Desdemona’s tragic death. It is Iago’s insightful judgement of others that allows him to act so deviously and with 219

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such success. However, despite his cleverness, Iago utterly lacks any moral judgement. He murders Roderigo and Emilia without hesitation. So focused is he on Othello’s ruin that he never once pauses to consider the damage he is causing to Desdemona. So although Iago’s villainy illustrates his ingenuity, it also reveals his poor moral judgement. Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ is a fascinating study of the weakness of human judgement. The inability of characters to understand others and their misplaced trust leads to their undoing. Equally destructive is the lack of moral judgement displayed by Iago. At the play’s close what resonates with the audience is pity for the characters’ flawed humanity and fear for their own potentially weak judgement.

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ENGLISH KEY NOTES 2015 Leaving Certifi cate 2015 – Higher Level • •

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• Detailed study of the Prose and Poetry as well as Exam-type questions and Sample Answers. • Summaries of the prose pieces. • Recommendations/guidelines on the Oral exam (Béaltriail) as well as the Department’s series of pictures. • Sample answers and vocabulary for the picture series. • Repeat use of phrases in the picture series. • Useful recommendations for exam technique and exam-type questions similar to those given by the Department up to now. • Recommendations/guidelines for the Composition. • Comprehension pieces. ARDLEIBHÉAL: Also includes analysis of the Filíocht Breise i.e. the extra poems on the HL syllabus. GNÁTHLEIBHÉAL: Includes English translations of the prose summaries.

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