Othello quotes

“My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly” + “circumcised dog”

act 1 scene 2

• placement at start of play emphasises how composed and skilful Othello is at presenting himself as a cohesive and powerful public figure.

• tiradic structure emphasises that his self-perception is positive as has mutiple positive assets to redeem poss wrongdoings in the eyes of the senate.

• “perfect soul” highlights how he’s a good Christian and moral person with “good” functioning as context though positioning as sympathetic.

• compares starkly to the later imagery as the latter quote connotes lost manhood and respciet- thus enabling the audience to see the detroiation of Othello's self image.

“She loved me for the dangers I had passed”

act 1 scene 3

• given as he’s discussing Desdemona, the positioning of him as a dangerous but still loveable figure spotlights their affection as his ‘downsides’ appealing to her.

• links to his peripeteia as the tragedy of their relationship’s detoriation is compounded by the initial presentation of a highly connected couple estbaliting how he’s a archetypical tragic hero.

• establishes that he has a history of struggle that he’s overcome making the irony of the danger Iago presents more nefarious as his close advisor brings him down with insidious danger.

“O, beware, my lord, of jeasoluy; It is the green eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”

act 3 scene 3

• reveals Othello’s hamartia of jealously, making him a easier target by Iago.

• also emphasise how jealousy rules Othello, making him monstrous by association.

• methapor suggests that jeasouly kills connection by corroding compassion as thats what happens when you let pure, unfiltered emotions dictate actions instead of actual thinking.

“Then you must speak of one that loved/ of one that loved not wisely but too well”

act 5 scene 2

• as final speech in the play shows how he views himself as inadequate though recoginiaton of folly in trusting iago as his love (iago) and idealisation (desdomnda) was dangerous.

• evidently trying to shift culpability to iago as clear desire to be seen as the hero/vicitm making it clear that all actions driven by love, not hate filled violence.

“A old black ram is tupping your white ewe”

act 1 scene 1

• as iago says it before we meet othello, it can be deduced that othello faces racism as animalistic imagery used.

• as “tupping” is a active verb, it conveys the idea that he’s active in his own downfall BUT as it’s iago who says this- and iago who manipulates Othello’s hamatia of jeasouly- foreshadows this.

“For since these arms off mine had seven years’ pith, Till now some nine moons wasted”

act 1 scene 3

• talented wartime leader as “wasted” implies so skilled that to NOT fight is detrimental to a cause. evidences Helen Gardner’s claim that Othello is a man “recognised as extraordinary”.

“A horned man’s a monster and a beast”

act 4 scene 1

• othello questioning his manhood and honour after iago prompts is highlighting his sway over othello.

• emphasis why othello acts the way he does as to lose honour means lost masculity- something essential for a man’s idendity (why her suffocates her in their marriage bed).

• cuckloded imagery has horned men, something thats socially embracing as well reinforcing how animalistic imagery is used for othello with him self-descrbing as a beast spotlighting his personal views around how animilasitc inadequacy makes him a monster.

“Stolen hours of lust”

act 3 scene 3

• “stolen” suggests othello has ownership over Desdemona’s sexuality, potentially justifying the murder to contemporary audiences as he felt robbed and betrayed.

• emphases the control that iago has over othello as desiring control over your wife’s sexuality is a trait only previously shown by iago; Othello’s replication of this conveys the extent to which iago has control over him.

“eaten with passion”

act 3 scene 3

• iago descprbtion of when he’s being convinced that Desdemona is cheating on him.

• suggests that jeasouly disintegrates and weakens who othello fundamentally is.

“valiant Othello”

act 1 scene 3

• the respect othello garners in the beginning by figures of authority (a senator says this) highlights how he is resected and in high position of power.

• thus, othello is a tragic hero as it means that he will have a fall from grace (Peripeteia).

“honest Iago”

act 1 scene 3

• emphasis the trust othello has towards iago; highlights how easy of a target Othello is- espically with his obvious hamatia of jeasouly.

“perdition catch my soul/ but when I love thee! and when I love thee not/ Chaos is come again”

act 3 scene 3

• foreshadows how his love for desdomnda consumes him; suggests that he lacks control over his emotions.

• also foreshadows how the lack of love for her spells disaster for him, and by extension, her.

“Your son-in-law is more fair than black”

act 1 scene 3

• Duke of Venice recognises Othello's skills; reinforces how othello puts on a ‘white’ performance to maintain power and his reputation.

“honourable murderer”

act 5 scene 2

• in last speech of his; enables Shakespeare to remind us of where othello started and who influenced him. creates pathos for othello despite the fact that he’s just smothered his wife to death to save other men’s honour by redeeming his.

“By which the property of youth and maidenhood been abused”

act 1 scene 1

• refeclets the renaissance stereotype that othello is a cunning sexual predator- therefore expands upon the issues which othello faces compounding them.

“I love the gentle Desdemona”

act 1 scene 2

• first sincere reference to love with his positive view of the relationship being in conflict with how its perceived by others.

• “gentle” is a pun which means both kind-hearted and of noble birth- so by stressing Desdemona’s “gentle” nature he’s reinforcing it as a love match.

• the gentle and compassionate description creates a contrast for after iago corrupts his mind.

“Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” + “free condition/put into circumscription and cofine”

act 1 scene 2

• Othello’s conflicted in that he is both a solider and a newly married man- creating doubt in audience that he’ll be able to combine the roles.

• BUT uses poetic language when describing military images; language that suggests entrapment for desdrbign his marriage suggesting that he no longer has total control over his life again.

“I must be found”

act 1 scene 2

• othello ready to face the consequences of his actions; demonstrates how he can be calm and collected without resorting to violence in times of crisis. thus makes a comparison point for Iago’s manipulation later on.