Othello | Act 5, Scene 2

‘Put out the light, and then put out the light’

Othello

• reflects Othello's internal conflict as he contemplates the act of killing Desdemona

• the repeated metaphor of extinguishing a candle symbolises both Desdemona's life and his love for her

• without Desdemona, Othello will be in total darkness and despair, illustrating the depth and consequences of his jealousy

‘[He smothers her]’

• intimate & personal

• Othello witnesses Desdemona's dying face

‘My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife.’

Othello

• severing their bond

• repetition

‘Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse of sun and moon’

Othello

• placing Desdemona's death and his grief on a cosmic scale

• total darkness, symbolically representing evil and Iago's victory

‘Nobody; I myself. Farewell.’

Desdemona

• blames herself for her death to protect Othello and his reputation

• demonstrating her unwavering devotion to Othello, even in death

• a powerful testament to her absolute love for Othello

‘I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak’

Emilia

• directly confronting and defying her husband

• a powerful declaration of loyalty to her mistress, Desdemona

• highlights Emilia's bravery and the theme of female empowerment in the play

• demonstrating her moral courage and commitment to justice, solidifying Emilia as a character who ultimately chooses what is right over obedience

‘Demand me nothing; what you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word.’

Iago

• directed at the other characters or the audience

• a lack of care for his reputation, contrasting Cassio

• denying an explanation to his victims, highlighting his “motiveless malignity”

• continuing his strategic silence

‘The time, the place, the torture, O, enforce it! […] and to the state this heavy act with heavy heart relate.’

Lodovico

• the final words of the entire play

• poetic justice

• Iago's fate is left to the audience's imaginations

• restoring order & peace