Othello Quotes Prelim

“My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife.” (V.ii) Aposiopesis, hypophora, epiphora

“My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife.” (V.ii) Aposiopesis, hypophora, epiphora

Demonstrates the chaos through the way he's speaking (signalling change in emotion) as he doesn’t know what's going on → due to Iago’s manipulation that has manifested

‘Nay, but he prated,/And spoke with such scurvy and provoking terms/Against your honour.’ (I.ii)Paradox, binary

Iago is seemingly nice and helpful, informing Othello of his conversation with Roderigo, however he twists what he actually said. The paradox of Iago’s silence about what was truly said, in conjunction with what he does mention to Othello reveals his duplicity.

‘Ay, well said; whisper. With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio.’ (II.i)Zoomorphism

Iago is like a spider who is manipulative and dangerous. Everyone in the play is like his prey, and he is the predator. He is also speaking in prose here with a scatterlogical register which represents his deconstruction of language.

‘So I will turn her virtue into pitch.’ (II.iii)Binary

Dezzy’s virtue is seen as pure, white, while pitch is the binary and opposite. Othello represents pitch and night which demonstrates Iago's motive to destroy reality. (See III.iii)

‘Though other things grow fair against the sun,/Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe.’ (II.iii)Idioms, nature imagery

Iago always takes in metaphors regarding fruit, but his manipulation is so deep that he doesn't realise he is deconstructing everything around him, and in turn destroying nature and growth.

‘Nothing, my lord; or if-I know not what.’ (III.iii)Binary of silence and language,

The power of silence to manipulate Othello and gestate ideas.

‘But I do love thee; and when I love thee not,/Chaos is come again.’ (III.iii)Antithesis, foreshadowing

Othello is convincing himself that Iago is not the villain in this situation. Iago’s manipulation of language is also seen here, forcing Othello to directly contradict his own words and therefore cause chaos in his mind and deconstruct reality.

‘I think thou dost;/And for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty.’ (III.iii)Dramatic irony, epithets

Othello sees manipulation, but doesn’t realise that it is Iago who is facilitating this.

‘A man he is of honesty and trust.’ (I.iii)Epithet

Referencing Iago. Epithets are ironic and are wrong. Iago has almost separated himself from his actions, this is also himself falling into the grey.

‘Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me’ (II.i)Binary, epistrophe

Slave and master binary. This is a soliloquy!!! The epistrophe of ‘me’ amplifies Iago’s sense of self and this false facade/idea that he is better than everyone else.

‘Honest Iago’ (I.iii)Epithet, irony

Othello calls Iago honest but later this is contradicted by how Iago views honesty, as foolery and therefore how he perceives himself.

‘Honest fool’ (II.iii)Oxymoron, ‘Honesty’s a fool’ (III.iii)Parallelism, personification

Iago reveals his perception of honesty as foolery. He uses the epithet of ‘honest’ to establish his own ethos. Iago personifies the idea of truth. This also reveals Iago’s perception of honesty and his true thoughts.

‘It were not for your quiet, nor your good,/Nor for my manhood, honesty and wisdom,/’ (III.iii)Irony

Iago is not honest and wise, he is in fact the opposite. He uses these facades to gain a reputation and therefore amplify his manipulation of Othello.

‘No, let me know;/And knowing what I am, I know what she shall be.’ (IV.i)Diacope

Iago is playing multiple roles in this play, and now his character is breaking down.

‘Wear my heart upon my sleeve/ For daws to peck at. I am not what I am.’ (I.i)Diacope, allusion, paradox

Allusion to Prometheus. Iago sees honesty as weakness and vulnerability, revealing his true thoughts. Iago denies comprehension in his language. The diacope reveals the deepness of Iago’s duplicity.

‘Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe.’ (I.i)Diacope, bestial imagery, repetition

Dehumanising Othello. Iago portrays the match as unnatural. Also notice his gross way of portraying and describing sex.

‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed,/And I loved her that she did pity them.’ (I.iii)Parallelism

There is a lack of sexuality in Othello and Dezzy’s relationship which leads to his vulnerability. Iago attacks this

‘I saw Othello’s visage in his mind/And to his honours and valiant parts/Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.’ (I.iii)Metabasis

Othello’s sense of self will fall apart if he loses his words, and his love will therefore fall apart because it's constructed from words.

‘Cassio my lord? No, sure I cannot think it/That he would steal away so guilty-like,/Seeing you coming.’ (III.iii)Rhetorical question

Iago creates ambiguity for Othello by deliberately omitting key parts of his conversation with Cassio. This shows the power of silence to manipulate Othello and gestate ideas. Desdemona’s conversation with Othello later confirms his false belief that she is having an affair with Cassio, and therefore Iago’s plan is put into action.

‘Did Michael Cassio,/When you wooed my lady, know of your love?’ (III.iii)Non-sequitur

Ambiguity and the power of silence. Iago asks the right questions of Othello to target his insecurities about his relationship. Iago also asks a lot of questions throughout this scene, causing Othello to change his perception and become more fragile in his thoughts.

‘Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio;’ (III.iii)Imperative

Iago target’s Othello’s insecurities with his relationship. The imperative removes any ambiguity in what Iago is saying. This is Iago’s solid attempt to draw Othello into the grey.

‘Lie with her! lie on her!—We say lie on her, when they belie/her.—Lie with her! ’Zounds, that’s fulsome!Handkerchief—/confessions—handkerchief!’ (IV.i)Diacope, anaphora, aposiopesis

The emotions Othello’s feels are overwhelming, and he is so distressed that he falls down immediately after delivering this semi-coherent, broken, hesitating speech.Iago has now infiltrated Othello’s language, he is also speaking in prose here