50 Othello Quotes

I know my price: I am worth no worse a place.

Iago is portrayed as a confident character, he believes himself to be worthy of the position of lieutenant and cannot understand why Othello promoted Cassio over him. This makes the audience suspicious of what Iago is truly like because it seems unwise to make a stranger lieutenant instead of someone that has been watched over and has plenty of experience. Iago feels as though he is devalued by Othello and hence wants vengeance.

I would not follow him

This shows one of Roderigo's characteristics - honesty he is true to himself. Similar to how he immediately told Iago he was disappointed in him for not stopping Desdemona and Othello from getting in a relationship, he would rather change jobs for doing something he believes in than remain in work for someone he hates.

I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at I am not what I am.

Iago claims that if he was honest and let his emotions be shown so the curious 'jackdaws' can inspect them (jackdaws have human-like eyes, so he's inferring that they are similarly inferior but have keen eyes), that would be foolish. Jackdaws also have a link to stealing the shiny. Instead, he hides his identity, thus keeping him safe from anyone suspicious of him. Aids the dramatic irony that he's far from honest. Further irony as Roderigo does not take his words to heart and this naivety is what leads to his death.

thick-lips

This racist language is not uncommon in the time era, but the modern audience would be far more shocked by it. Shakespeare's way of making the 'villains' racist and the good Desdemona kind and accepting shows that perhaps he wanted to end racism.

Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe!

Iago crudely states that Othello is in a relationship with Brabantio's daughter. The suggestion that they are having sexual intercourse is a way to disgust the father and make it appear as though they have sinned. The idea that Othello is a black ram suggests that he is the black sheep of the society in the sense that his skin colour makes him different. The white ewe reference implies that the innocence of his daughter is being revoked, black being symbolic of corruption even though it is Othello's skin - not heart - that is black.

Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

Iago makes it appear as though the suggested sex between Desdemona and Othello is monstrous, which portrays love (usually a positive thing) under a negative light.

O treason of the blood!

Brabantio believes that his bloodline has been corrupted by his daughter marrying without his permission. In these days, daughters belong to their father. He has been manipulated. Marriage should cause happiness, not distrust.

O thou foul thief [...] thou hast enchanted her.

Brabantio views his daughter as a possession that has been stolen by Othello. He also believes that he used black magic to get her to marry him. This suggests that Brabantio does not want to believe that his daughter would 'betray' him and would rather think she'd been manipulated, which suggests they have a close father-daughter bond.

Valiant Othello

The Duke remarks that Othello is brave, which shows his status in their society and contrasts with Brabantio's more negative view of him.

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

Othello's story shows how natural it was that Desdemona fell in love with his warrior characterisations but leads to the question on whether she held admiration - but not true love - for him. Furthermore, he loved her pity and sympathy, which suggests that his craving for attention made him decide it was love, not because of her personality. Othello dismisses the accusation of using witchcraft.

divided duty

Desdemona wants to respect both her husband and father, she feels like her duty should be spread between them and shared, showing her selflessness as she does not beg for independence but allows to be shared. However, this was normal in the time as women belonged to their husbands and before marriage, their fathers.

I saw Othello's visage in his mind

Desdemona looked past Othello's skin colour and saw his mind, highlighting the depth of her love for him.

to be free and bounteous to her mind

Othello pleads to allow Desdemona to do as she wishes and permits her freedom, this shows that he not the traditional married man since he does not take advantage of the control he now has over her.

She has deceived her father, and may thee

Brabantio acts spitefully here, referring to his daughter merely as a 'she' instead of using her full name to demonstrate disgust and warning Othello that she may turn. These foreshadow what Othello thinks has happened as he too is blinded by his love and turns jealous at the thought of her loving another.

Virtue? A fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus.

The comparison between virtue and a fig shows how Iago believes it to be insignificant, furthermore figs are symbolic of peace so by negatively comparing virtue to peace, it becomes evident that Iago thrives from the chaos caused. He also believes that people have control over themselves, regardless of circumstances, which makes Roderigo hope for Desdemona to love him despite her marriage to Othello. Roderigo's obsession for Desdemona suggests that he does not wish for her happiness, he just wants to own her as a wife - Othello shows a similar love later in the play as he decides to murder his wife at the prospect of her and Cassio being together.

as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida

Iago is saying that their love seems sweet and affectionate now but Othello will soon grow bitter and bored with it.

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

Iago's powerful simile suggests that he is a spider and Cassio merely a fly

spiders are symbolic of malice as they give their victims a venom that slowly kills, this can be compared to Iago planting the seed of doubt in Othello's head.

Iago is most honest.

Silly Othello! Yet another use of dramatic irony as the repetition throughout the play of Iago's honesty enforces how the others truly believe it to be the case, when in fact he is far from it. This shows how impressive his manipulative acting is.

I do love Cassio well

Iago mocks love by pretending to love Cassio here. He's using pretence love to manipulate.

Cassio, I love thee/ But never more be officer of mine.

This portrays how Othello's duty as a soldier will always overrule his love for others. It highlights his strong love for his job as he is prepared to make sacrifices that may make him unpopular with his peers. Though perhaps Iago has already made Othello suspicious enough sway on the side against Cassio, the word 'never' seems very strong so this supports that.

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

In this monologue, Iago tells the audience how he will turn Desdemona's goodness into a net designed to trap the others. The manipulation of her virtue shows how twisted Iago is and makes him an impressive villain as he realises that Desdemona is good but still tries to upset those around her. It could be suggested that his lack of motive is what makes him so evil, or that he is jealous of the virtue Desdemona possesses so wants to destroy those around her.

I warrant it grieves my husband / As if the case were his.

Emilia has been fooled by her own husband! She thinks that Iago is upset and feels guilty about Cassio's incident (which he should be considering it was his fault Cassio got drunk). She clearly doesn't know him very well. This makes the handkerchief bit more excusable.

But I do love thee/ and when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again.

This foreshadows the chaotic events that occur when Othello stops loving Desdemona.

That errs in ignorance and not in cunning, / I have no judgement in an honest face.

Desdemona is doing as she says and stating that she trusts Cassio and believes that his actions were not done in a cruel way. This is one of the few times that anyone but Iago is called honest. It makes Desdemona appear wise because unlike the others, her use of the word is correct.

My lord, you know I love you.

Love is a strong feeling that suggests that Iago cares about Othello, which means that he respects him, wants the best, is loyal and honest. As the audience knows that Iago earlier said that he hated Othello, they know that he is lying. To lie about love is not only a sinful act, but also a hurtful action and makes the audience question whether or not Iago is capable of love.

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

Iago basically warns Othello not to act in jealousy, because jealousy causes unhappiness. This suggests that he thinks Othello has reason to be jealous of Cassio. It also destabilises Othello's rational judgement because this is the point where he may fall out of love with Desdemona, creating chaos as was foreshadowed. As someone with green eyes, I take offence.

O curse of marriage, / That we can call these delicate creatures ours.

Othello is now convinced that she has cheated on him and should hate her to get over his hurt. This shows how men in the Shakespearean time were not allowed to feel sad, but must act with a passion as strong as love when betrayed - hate. The curse of marriage suggests that Othello no longer sees his marriage to Desdemona as a blessing, but as something deceitful. 'She' infers sexism.

If she be false, O then heaven mocks itself!

Othello states here that if Desdemona is fake, then so is heaven. This is rather depressing and displays his distraught at the prospect of his wife being unfaithful. Desdemona clearly means a lot of goodness to him and without her, he feels there is nothing to believe in - not even God, this is peculiar and strong when considering how religious Shakespearean societies were.

Your napkin is too little [He pushes the handkerchief away, and it falls.]

As Desdemona's handkerchief is a symbol for their love, he is saying that her love is no longer enough - the seed of mistrust has been planted and taints their relationship so that Othello now rejects her. The dropping of the handkerchief is not only symbolic for their love being dropped, but also an opportunity for Iago's plan to succeed. Stage direction shows an effort to push it, much like Othello has to make an effort to believe Iago.

Trifles light as air / Are, to the jealous, confirmations strong,

Iago is quite intelligent to be fair to him. He realises that small things, like a love token, mean a lot to a suspicious man and can be used as proof - despite how little they are.

I'll tear her all to pieces!

This is very violent and intimate in a not sexual sense. Iago has tricked him.

For here's a young and sweating devil, here, / That commonly rebels.

Othello is telling Desdemona that her hand requires praying to stay clear of temptations because it is hot like the devil and may wish to rebel. This is his way of accusing her of doing sinful acts - which insinuates that he suspects her affair. He views her clammy hand as a sign that she is rebelling against her marriage commitment. It is ironic that he suspects her and acts jealousy straight after Desdemona's vouch for him never acting in envy.

They are all but stomachs, and we all but food/ They eat us hungerly, and when they are full / They belch us.

Emilia really shows the audience how her view on men and marriage is here. Though it was perfectly normal for women to be treated poorly by their husbands as they were often seen as the superiors, Emilia has a negative opinion on her status, her metaphor showing that she thinks women exist purely to feed the men. Without the food, however, men would cease to exist - just like if women did not exist, men would struggle to reproduce so the human race would fail. Emilia's comparison shows how women are just as important as men. The food comparison suggests that men are greedy alternatively. The negative view on men is being passed on to Desdemona, who still thinks her husband is gentle and kind.

Men's natures wrangle with inferior things, / Though great ones are their object.

Desdemona is now viewing Othello as a man - nothing special or romantic, just another man like Emilia said. She thinks that he is angry about little things though bigger matters are his true concern and that he is still a kind man. This means that war is most likely his main concern, by convincing herself of this she is protected from having upset him too much by losing the handkerchief, which she views as a little thing in comparison to war.

Sweet Bianca, [He gives her Desdemona's handkerchief.]

This really shows their relationship as he passes on items that he has found to her, demonstrating how he scarcely ever buys her things and their love is cheap. This is the first time the audience sees Cassio's version of love - he is far from selfless and does not spend time with his mistress, her being a prostitute suggests that their love is sexual and vain.

As doth the raven o'er the infected house, / Boding to all - he had my handkerchief.

It haunts Othello in a nightmarish way that Cassio has his handkerchief and hence his love. The word 'infected' suggests an illness has caused the situation, which implies that perhaps Othello believes Desdemona to not be feeling herself, thus having an affair and acting out of character.

This is the monkey's own giving out: she is persuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and flattery, not out of my promise.

The comparison between Bianca and a monkey shows how Cassio views her as an animal. The monkey is generally viewed as fairly intelligent, rebellious, curious and 'fun' - so by Cassio seeing himself above it suggests that he is using Bianca for a bit of fun. Othello thinks Cassio is referring to Desdemona, so is quite offended on Desdemona's part as he holds true respect for her. It shows how weak Cassio's relationship with Bianca is but also reflects the mistrust in Othello's own relationship.

Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.

It is an intimate idea to do it in bed, however not the sexual version of passion but the painful case of murder. The word 'contaminated' once again insinuates illness.

Devil! [He strikes her]

Stage direction with dialogue. This shows the revelation in Othello - from a gentle, kind and noble man to jealous and violent.

She is honest, / Lay down my soul at stake.

Emilia has faith in Desdemona's honesty, this shows her loyalty towards her friend - and perhaps guilt at having betrayed her. Though Emilia was probably not aware that Iago would use the handkerchief to destroy Desdemona, and it seemed like a "trifle" action.

O thou weed, / Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet,

Othello uses a negative metaphor to describe Desdemona. Shakespeare also uses weeds in Hamlet to present a marriage that has become disordered and polluted, it could be that he is trying to show the same thing here as the marriage between Othello and Desdemona has become corrupt. He also demonstrates confusion here as he still calls Desdemona 'lovely', 'fair' and 'sweet', which insinuates that he still admires her beauty and manipulation.

I called my love false love/ but what said he then? Sing willow, willow, willow,

Shakespeare twists the 1583 song that his audience would be familiar with so that it is effective in letting Desdemona tell the audience of her sorrows. The song breaks off before the tragic ending, but this means it is able to continue in actions as Desdemona dies shortly after singing it, just like Emilia. The 'false love' contrasts with Desdemona's true love shown towards Othello, but illustrates Othello's partial love towards her perfectly and hence portrays the love women and men had for each other - women loving and men only partially, Emilia later reiterates this point.

Their wives have sense like them: they see, and smell, / And have their palates both for sweet and sour,

Shakespeare shows some feminist views here and brings forward the topic of gender equality which was not challenged so much until the 20th century. Emilia's talk of sweet and sour palates could be symbolic of acting obediently towards the husband and straying. This supports the rumours that she and Othello had an affair, though this is the only evidence suggesting they ever had a relationship and her closeness to Desdemona makes it highly unlikely.

Yet I'll not shed her blood, / Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow

This is not terribly violent imagery

the simile shows admiration and implies that Othello is still in love with Desdemona in terms of appearance. Othello kills her shortly after: love and hate is confused.

Put out the light, and then put out the light.

It could be argued that the light referred to is not just symbolic of Desdemona's life, but also of his happiness especially since 'then' implies he is putting out more than one light. This suggests that Othello feels he should be punished for the supposed disloyalty of Desdemona, which indicates a dependence on his wife. Another interpretation could be that he realises that murdering someone will result in him being hung.

[He kisses her.] So sweet was ne'er so fatal.

Once again, mixed emotions are expressed as he wants to kill her but affectionately kisses her and labels her as 'sweet', which has connotations of innocence and kindness.

He smothers her.

SD. The verb 'smothers' usually has connotations of affection, which links to the intimacy of the bed. However, in this sense it refers to killing Desdemona demonstrating the close line between two different passions - love and hate. That being said, they contrast to each other and it is not normal for an individual to try kill their beloved, particularly as Othello was so fond of her earlier.

O, the more angel she, / And you the blacker devil!

The contemporary audience may think this to be a slightly racist stereotype as he was as savage and violent as the labels associated with black people at the time suggested. However, Emilia's words are forgivable since she is terribly upset and this is the first time she has been racist. Black could be more a symbol of sin than a racist remark, which makes sense when considering that Desdemona is described as an angel - not a white person.

Villainous w**re!

Iago uses foul language against his wife, he calls her a villain, when in fact he is the villain. The word '*****' almost insults himself as he married her so it suggests she is unsatisfied with just him, which links to the idea that his motive was her being with Othello.

I will play the swan, / And die in music. [She sings:] 'Willow, willow, willow.

The animal swan relates to virtue and pureness, which suggests that Emilia feels sinless in death. The verb 'play' contradicts this though as it implies that she is merely acting, perhaps as the Desdemona in the situation. This is supported as she dies in such a similar fashion to Desdemona, the willow song being the music of their death.