Othello quotes act 5

' Quick, quick! Fear nothing. I'll be at thy elbow. It makes us, or it mars us

Think on that, And fix firm thy resolution.'

'Be bold and take thy stand'

- Iago 5.1

- This scene happens in darkness in a street near Bianca's apartment. It reminds us of 1.1 where Iago talked and conspired with Roderigo in darkness and manipulated him. The darkness highlights how Iago's deceitful plotting, manipulation and moral darkness is dominating the world of this play.

- In this quote Iago is speaking both to Roderigo and himself. He is telling Roderigo to be brave and kill Cassio , that his chance to win Desdemona depends on killing Cassio. He is reminding himself that the success of his schemes and his safety depends on Cassio and Roderigo dying and he must be prepared to kill them if necessary.

- He pushes R to be ready to kill Cassio and tells him he is behind him to help.

- They are waiting for Cassio to come along.

'I have no great devotion to the deed and yet he hath given me satisfying reasons. Tis but a man gone. Forth my sword - he dies' ( aside - to himself)

- Roderigo

- I don't really want to do this but he has given me good reasons to do so

- Roderigo doesn't want to kill Cassio but Iago tempted him by promising him the next night he can have Desdemona to himself

- He is not enthusiastic about killing Cassio, he is reluctant and has some misgivings but he has a weak moral centre and is easily influenced and manipulated because he is so weak minded.

- He is willing to kill to possible win Desdemona though he has been pushed to do it by Iago. He is immoral rather than amoral. He does feel a flicker of conscience here.

- Shakespeare may be making clear here that although Roderigo chooses to try to kill Cassio he would not have done so without Iago's manipulation and encouragement but his own lack of morals allowed opened up to Iago's influence so he is to blame in the end. In the same way Othello would not have committed his crimes without Iago's influence but his weakness opened him up to that influence so he is to blame.

' I have rubbed this young quart almost to the Point of sense. Now, whether he kill Cassio or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, every way makes my gain

- Iago 5.1

- Iago thinks to himself that he is losing control of Roderigo, it is getting harder to fool him. Roderigo almost went to Desdemona to ask for his jewels and began to suspect that Iago has been tricking him and taking his money and gifts for himself. He almost understands how Iago has been deceiving him 'almost to the point of sense'. Iago is contemptuous of him calling him a 'quart' which means a pimple.

- He thinks to himself that If Roderigo kills Cassio, Cassio kills Roderigo, or they kill each other he will benefit.

- He wants Roderigo dead because he now threatens to expose his treachery and lies and might demand his money and jewels from Iago when he discovers ago kept them for himself. Cassio needs to be killed because Othello might talk to him and Iago's lies and deceit will come out then.

- Iago says this to himself quietly and this shows Iago doesn't care for anyone and wants everything for himself. He is happy for any number of people to die so long as he profits or gets what he wants. The depth of Iago's darkness, depravity and deceit can be seen clearly.

- This reminds the audience of what he said about himself in act 1 scene 1 ' neither love or loyalty but seeming so for my own peculiar ends.'

'If Cassio do remain he hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly and besides the Moor May unfold me to him.'

- Iago 5.1

- he has explained that Roderigo must die so that he does not reclaim his jewels and money or expose Iago's villainy.

- He now says that he is is offended by the 'beauty' of Cassio's life. He seems to be jealous of his nobility, looks, eduction and sophisticated manner. It makes him feel inferior and he hates Cassio for this. He cannot bear the happiness, virtues or god qualities of others, they make him bitter and resentful and want to destroy them.

- This is also part of the reason why he hates Othello and Desdemona

- 'The Moor Howbe't that i endure him........( 2,1 soliloquy)

- So I will turn her virtue into pitch ........( 2.3 soliloquy )

- 'poison his delight . Plague him with flies..... ( 1.1)

- 'you are well tuned now, but I'll soon ...... ( 2.3)

- He wants Cassio dead because he resents his good qualities and good fortunes.

- He also cannot allow Cassio to live because Othello may speak with him and then his treacherous web of lies and deceit will be uncovered.

- jealousy of the achievements, qualities and perceived advantages of others - personal and professional jealousy

'O villain that I am'

- Roderigo 5.1

- Roderigo tries to kill Cassio but Cassi's armour deflects the blow and he is only wounded. Cassio then strikes R with a fatal blow.

- While lying slain on the ground R realises that he has wasted his life and get caught up in evil actions.

- He has a pang of conscience and regret ( contrast to Iago later)

- He is an immoral character , he is aware of right an wrong and sometimes chooses wrong. Iago is amoral he never cares for. Right and wrong and even enjoys doing evil things and never feels remorse.

'That thrust had been mine enemy indeed'

- Cassio 5.1

- That thrust might really have hurt me if I didn't have this armor on under my cloak

- Roderigo tried to stab Cassio but he was wearing armor so it did not hurt him

- Iago then sneaks up behind Cassio in the dark and stabs him in the leg and runs away.

- Iago has no honour and hides his attack. He has hidden all his attacks on characters in the play through his deceptions.

- Cassio is badly injured and collapses to the ground.

'O brave Iago, honest and just,

That hast such a noble sense of thy friends wrong -

Thou teaches me.'

'Strumpet I come,

Forth of my heart those charms, those eyes are blotted'

Othello 5.1

- Othello passes nearby

- he hears the shouting and groans and thinks that Cassio has been killed by Iago.

- He calls Iago his brave, honest and just friend. He believes that Iago has killed Cassio on his behalf to avenge the imagined crimes committed against him. He thinks of Iago as an agent of justice and admires his decisive action. He believes Iago has kept his word and set an example for him to follow so he is encouraged to fulfil his side of their pact ( 4.2) He believes Iago has set an example of decisive action in the name of justice. He feels inspired by Iago to murder Desdemona as they agreed he should in act 4 scene 1. He is completely ruled and guided by Iago now and jealousy clouds his judgement and makes him blind to reality. He has been totally corrupted by Iago and degraded by jealous madness. It is depressing to consider that Othello believes Iago is setting an honourable example for him to follow by ambushing and killing a man in the dark. His jealous desire for revenge is clouded his mind and corrupting his moral nature.

- He tells himself to harden his heart against all remaining feelings of love or affection. He wants to avoid looking her in the eyes in case that would weaken his determination and resolve. Othello is steeling himself to carry out what he sees as a grim but necessary action in the name of justice. An inner conflict between his jealous rage and his buried love for her still exits in his mind but he is working hard to ignore and repress any loving feelings so that as he can kill her.

- Othello is a general and the governor of Cyprus responsible for law and order. He likes to think of himself as a defender of virtue and an instrument of justice. He needs to convince himself that he is acting honourable and justly.

- We can see how far he has fallen when we contrast his reaction here to his reaction too the brawl in 2.3. There he was furious at the men who caused disorder and committed violent acts that disturbed the peace, it offended his sense of justice , here he welcomes and celebrates such actions and is skulking in the shadows planning a murder. His jealous rage has corrupted and clouded his judgement just as Iago predicted in act 2 scene 1 ' so I put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure'

'Thy bed, lust-stained, shall with lusts blood be spotted.'

- Othello 5.1

- Our bed is stained with your lust, but now the sheets will be stained with your blood.

- Othello plans to kill Desdemona in the same bed that he thinks Desdemona cheated with Cassio in.

'O I am spoiled, undone by villains.'

Give me some help' Cassio 5.1

'O me Lieutenant, what villains have done this?'Iago 5.1

Lodovico and Gratiano ( Desdemona's Uncle and a noble from Venice ) enter in the dark. They hear the cries of Cassio and fear it is a trap set by thieves. The fact tat they are there means Iago cannot finish Cassio off.

- Iago returns with a torch and pretends not to know what has happened and to be a confused bystander.

- Cassio calls out to him for help to Iago , this is the second time he has turned for support and comfort to the man who has deliberately made him suffer.

- Iago takes control of the situation and starts to create a narrative about what has happened that takes any suspicion away from himself. He pretends to be a concerned friend once again.

'O damned Iago! O inhuman dog'

- Roderigo 5.1

- Iago stabs Roderigo and kills him when Cassio tells him that he was one of the men that attacked him. He pretends he does this to avenge Cassio. This gives him a reason he can use to give to explain why he ills Roderigo. In reality he does it to silence Roderigo because he cannot trust him not to tell people what has really happened and what he knows about Iago's treacherous actions, he also kills him so that Roderigo can never demand his jewels and money from Iago.

- Roderigo realises as Iago stabs him that he has been deceived by someone who claimed to be his friend and ally. He shouts out that Iago is 'damned' which associates him with the sins and evil of hell and he sees that he is a heartless creature with no human compassion or sympathy. . We see the depths of Iago's depravity and evil here as he murders Roderigo as soon as he becomes a threat and is no use for him. He kills the character he has plotted with since the beginning of the play and who believed he was a friend without a moments hesitation or remorse. He is ruthless and a cold blooded killer.

'Kill men i' th' dark! Where be these bloody thieves?'

- Iago 5.1

- Killing people in the night time? Where are these murderers?

- Iago is just covering up the fact that he stabbed Cassio so the others think it was someone else.

- improvisation and deceptive appearance

'Light, gentlemen, I'll bind it with my shirt'

- Iago 5.1

- This is also Iago just trying to cover up what he has done. He stabbed Cassio in the leg, so he is acting like a caring and concerned friend by using his own shirt to wrap up Cassio's wound on his leg

- improvisation and deceptive appearance

'O my dear Cassio! My sweet Cassio! O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio!'

Bianca 5.1

- Bianca enters and expresses deep concern for Cassio even though he has treated her poorly

- She is devoted to him and constant in he love for him

- She is another female character who is loyal to a man who lets her down and mistreats her just like Desdemona and Emilia.

‘Gentlemen all, I do suspect this trash to be a party in this injury’

- Iago 5.1

- Sir, I think that Bianca has something to do with what has happened to your leg.

- Bianca enters the scene very concerned for Cassio and his injury. Iago implicates Bianca in the attack to divert attention from himself and make sure that no one suspect him of involvement.

- Iago improvises once again and turns events to serve his purpose.

- He has taken control of the situation and is controlling what people might think or believe.

- Hs use of the word trash is a demeaning/disparaging/insulting/derogatory /belittling term ( Cassio spoke of her using similar terms and language in 4.1)

- mistreatment of women

'He that lies slain here , Cassio,

Was my dear friend what malice was between you ?'

Iago 5.1

- Iago has just killed Roderigo in the dark because he attacked Cassio and he is pretending he did it to avenge Cassio.

- Now he says that Roderigo was his dear friend so that no one will think he had a reason to kill him.

- He asks Cassio if he can think of any reason why Roderigo would have attacked him.

'Behold her well

Do you see gentlemen? Nay guiltiness

Will speak though tongues were out of use.'

' This is the fruit of who'reing. Prithee Emilia

Go know of Cassio where he supped tonight.

What do you shake at that?'

- Iago 5.1

-suggests that Bianca is acting in a guilty way and tells everyone to watch her closely. Emilia enters and he tells her that the fighting and attacks were provoked by rows over Bianca. He asks her where to find out from Cassio where he was tonight knowing that he was with Bianca. He is planning to suggest she organised the attack with Roderigo. He suggests that she is trembling with fear of being found. Out.

'O fie upon thee strumpet!'

' I am no strumpet but of life as honest

As you that thus. abuse me.'

- Emilia 5.1

- calls Bianca a prostitute and says she should be ashamed

- she agrees with her husband and backs him up straight away

- she is used to supporting him always, it is what he demands from her and she does it almost automatically.

- Bianca defends herself and says that she is an honest woman just like Emilia who feels she can insult her

- In the last scene Emilia spoke up for women who are mistreated by men but here she attacks Bianca who is being and is often mistreated by men. This shows us how powerless women often attack one another rather than joining together because they have to fight to survive , often against one another in a male dominated world.

'This is the night that either makes me or fordoes me quite.'

- Iago 5.1

- This night will either make or break me.

- What happens this night will determine the fate of Iago. So far his plan has gone flawlessly, and he hopes that it continues that way so his treachery, deceit, duplicity and plots against people are not discovered. Roderigo is dead but Cassio is still alive. Othello he hopes is about to kill Desdemona which will destroy his enemy. With Cassio alive he does not know if his treachery will be uncovered. Othello speaking by himself after killing Desdemona will not be believed but if Cassio is alive the truth might come out.

Enter Othello with a light.He draws back a curtain, revealing Desdemona asleep in her bed

Stage directions 5.2

- Othello enters the bedchamber carrying a candle, he is grimly determined to kill Desdemona and has convinced himself that he must do it as a just punishment for her supposed infidelity and betrayal of him.

‘It is the cause, it is the cause , my soul

Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars’

Othello 5.2 soliloquy

- Othello is talking to himself about how he is driven to kill Desdemona out of a just need to punish an atrocious and appalling crime on the part of Desdemona.

- He is trying to justify his action as honourable and necessary.

- He wants to see himself as a righteous man and an agent of justice on a moral mission , this is. The mindset he needs. To have. To bring himself to kill the woman he loves.

- The mention of the 'chaste stars' suggest he sees himself as an instrument of moral judgement and divine punishment.

- Othello is deluded and is deceiving himself , he is acting out of a jealous rage and injured pride but he cannot admit that to himself.

‘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.’

- Othello

- I will not make her shed blood or scar her beautiful skin that reminds me of snow and smooth marble. But I must kill her, before she cheats on more men.

- Othello is struck by he beauty and does not want to shed her blood and kill her in an ugly fashion but he says he must kill her to prevent other men from being deceived and betrayed by her.

- We can see his inner struggle between his affection and love for Desdemona and the hate and jealous rage that is demanding he avenge his bis supposed betrayal. Hatred. And love are mingled and mixed in his heart. We see how fears and doubts about the loyalty of the person that is loved can bring a man to hurt or even kill them.

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

If I quench thee, thou flaming minister. I can again thy former light restore’

‘When I have plucked thy Rose

I cannot give it vital growth again’

Othello 5.2 soliloquy

- Othello compares his killing of Desdemona with putting out the candle. He realises if he is kills Desdemona it is a final and irreversible act , she cannot be brought back to life like a candle can be relit.

- Shakespeare is also expressing two tings about Othello's determination to kill D with the symbol of the candle light.....

- The candle is also a symbol of her purity and goodness , by killing her Othello will make the world a darker place.

- The light of the candle also represents reason , killing Desdemona is an irrational act , for Othello to do that he must have lost his mind through the destructive passion of jealousy.

"O balmy breath, that dost almost persuade justice to break her sword!"

One more, one more .....one more and that's the last

Othello 5.2

- Othello love for Desdemona is still competing with his jealous rage

- He says the feel of her warm breath is pushing him to abandon his plan to kill her but that justice demands he follows through.

- He kisses her many times and is hesitating and reluctant to do the deed.

'So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep

But they are cruel tears'

Othello 5.2

-He cries and says that Desdemona is the sweetest person ever doomed to be executed.

- He regrets that he must kill her, pat of him does not. Want to kill her but he is resolved and has decided it must happen. His tears are cruel because they are caused by the fact that he must kill D.

- Othello likes to be firm and decisive and considers himself a moral man and a defender justice and order. That requires him to punish wrong doers.

"if you bethink yourself of any crime unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace, solicit for it straight."

I would not kill thy unprepared spirit ..I would not kill thy soul

- Othello 5.2

- D wakes up and Othello asks her if she has prayed and tells her to confess her sins immediately. He does not want to condemn her soul to hell , he believes if she confesses her sins her soul will go to heaven after he kills her.

'Then heaven have mercy on me ' D

'Amen with all my heart' O

Desdemona 5.2

- D realises that he plans to kill her and asks that heaven help her. ( association with heaven and use of religious imagery )

- Othello responds that he wants heaven to be kin to her as well , meaning that he wants her to be forgiven for her sins.

- He is trying to act like a reluctant, merciful and kind executioner.

- This self belief is allowing him to justify the act to himself.

'Why I should fear I know not since guiltiness I know not'

- Desdemona

- Desdemona is scared for her life but does not know. Why Othello wants to kill her, she protests her innocence.

- she is frightened, shocked and disoriented.

'Alas why gnaw you so your nether lip?

Some bloody passion shakes your frame'

Desdemona 5.2

- D notices that Othello is in the tip of a violent rage although he is hiding this from himself to justify his actions as rational and just.

- He is shaking violently and icing his lips. \

- He is in the grip of an extreme emotion that is overruling his to think clearly and make rational choices.

"Sweet soul, take heed, take heed of perjury. Thou art on thy deathbed."

Therefor confess thee freely of thy sin

For to deny each article with oath

Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception

That. Do groan withal. Thou art to die.

- Othello 5.2

- O has told her that he he knows she gave her handkerchief to Cassio

- D denies this and asks him to send for Cassio so that he will confirm it. ( This reminds us of how O was allowed to send for D in 1.3 to confirm his story when he was accused of witchcraft )

- O imagines himself as a judge in a courtroom. He uses the language of the courtroom and the law. This helps him to hide from the reality of what he is doing.

- he wants her to admit to her crimes. He tells her if she lies 'perjured' herself she wil send her soul to hell. He says if she denies his accusations it will not save her life.

- O is certain of her guilt, in his courtroom she is guilty and can do or say nothing to prove her innocence. He acts as judge, jury and executioner. He is not interested in properly investigating the accusations or listening to her defence. She does not get a fair hearing or opportunity to. Defend herself. This is in contrast to how the Duke treated him in 1.3 when he was allowed to speak and the Duke carefully listened ad weighed up the evidence fairly. Othello's mind twisted by jealous rage is certain and can only see confirmations of her guilt. It blinds him to reality and drives him to foolish action.

'O perjured woman, thou dost stone my heart,

And mak'st me call what I intend to do

A murder, which I thought a sacrifice.'

- Othello 5.2

- Desdemona denies that she has had an affair with Cassio, this angers Othello who believes she is lying and this makes her betrayal worse. He says he had hoped that she would confess so that when he kills her he would be justly sending her soul to God. But if she is innocent then that would make him a murderer.n

- The more she denies it the the more he thinks she is dishonest and that enrages him.

"He found it then. I never gave it him. Send for him hither. Let him confess the truth."

Desdemona 5.2

- Asks that Cassio be sent for so he can tell Othello she is honest.

- O replies that he confessed to the affair already and that 'honest Iago ' has killed him for his sins.

Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge had stomach for them all. O

( weeping) Alas he is betrayed and I undone D

Out, strumpet! Weepest thou for him to my face? O

Being done, there is no pause O

- Othello 5.2

- O mask of being righteous, reluctant and honourable man of justice slips when he says that he wished he could kill Cassio over and over again as is need for revenge is so strong and cannot be satisfied.

- D starts crying because she realises she has no way to prove she is innocent and that O is about to kill her.

- O mistakenly thinks she is crying out of her love for Cassio and he is driven into a frenzy of jealousy. He attacks her in a rage, his pose of honourable man of justice gives way to his angry desire for vengeance. He has been deceiving and deluding himself just as he has been deceived into believing that D has been unfaithful

- D weakly begs him to let her live half an hour or say a prayer hoping if he delays he might stop but smothers her with a pillow. Othello ignores her pleas for mercy and won't even let her say a prayer.

'I that am cruel am yet merciful

I would not have thee linger in thy pain'

Othello 5.2

- The deep buried but surviving love he feels for D keeps resurfacing and conflicts with his jealous hate and anger , he wants her to have a quick death and wants to minimise her suffering. Anger and hate is mixed with care and concern in his jealous mind.

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

O insupportable, O heavy hour!’

- Othello

- Immediately after he kills D Othello realises the enormity and finality of what he has done, He feels no satisfaction only a sense of horror. He feels immediate pangs of grief. This tells us his heart was not truly in the murder, that he is acting under the pressure of a mind corrupting and reason deranging fit of jealous rage that has been encouraged and fed by Iago. He feels a sense of grief and loss.

"Not Cassio killed? Then murder's out of tune, and sweet revenge grows harsh."

- Othello

- Cassio isn't dead? The wrong man was killed and i have been denied my perfect revenge. This again makes clear that Othello's true motive has been a low minded desire for revenge born from injured pride rather than a high minded commitment to justice.

"O falsely, falsely murdered!"

'A guiltless death I die'

Nobody myself. Farewell

Commend me to my kind lord. Farewell!

Desdemona 5.2

- O closes the curtains around the bed where D lies and lets E into the bedchamber. D revives and weakly call out that she was unjustly murdered.

- E pulls back the curtains and asks who has attacked her, D proves herself to be loyal , loving and selfless wife to the very end of her life and says that she has killed her self in order to protect and shield Othello from punishment and blame. She is forgiving and seeks to exonerate Othello and absolve him of guilt.

- D last words are an expression of love and loyalty. We are reminded of her statement in 4.2 'His unkindness may defeat my life but never taint my love'

- That O could believe her capable of disloyalty shows the perverse and warping effects of jealousy on a persons thinking and perception.

'She's like a liar gone to burning hell.

'Twas I that killed her. '

'She turned to folly, and she was a *****'

'She was as false as water'

Othello 5.2

- After first denying he murdered D O then admits to Emilia that he murdered D. He insists that he murder her because of her sin of infidelity and adultery.

'O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil'

'Thou dost belie her, and thou art a devil'

'O she was heavenly true'

Emilia 5.2

- Emilia angrily confronts Othello and defends the honour and innocence of Desdemona. She denies his claims and insists she was pure and true and that he is an vile and evil man to have killed her.

- She uses imagery of angels and heaven when describing D and calls O a devil to emphasise that she was virtuous while he has committed an appealing crime.

- She is passionate and courageous in this moment and she expresses her horror at Othello and what he has done and condemned him strongly for it.

- She is speaking to a clearly unbalanced man who has just committed murder but she stands up to him and demands justice for her beloved mistress.

- she links othello's evil action to his skin colour expressing again the racial prejudice that exist within Venice and its people.

O, I were damn'd beneath all depth in hell But that I did proceed upon just grounds To this extremity! Thy husband knew it all.

Othello 5.2

- he clings to the belief that Desdemona was guilty of adultery and deceit and that he acted as an agent of justice so that he can live with himself and what he has done.

- He then tells her that Desdemona had an affair with Cassio and that Iago can confirm hiss claims about Desdemona.

'I say "thy husband"—dost understand the word?

My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago.'

- Othello

-Emilia is stunned when she hears that Iago has been saying that Desdemona was cheating on Othello with Cassio. She repeats the word husband a few times in dumbfounded horror.

"If he say so, may his pernicious soul

Rot half a grain a day! He lies to th' heart!

She was too fond of her most filthy bargain."

Emilia 5.2

- Emilia calls Iago a destructive evil force for spreading such rumours and says that she wants him to suffer eternal damnation. She curses and denounces him.

- imagery of heaven and hell

'Do thy worst. This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven. Than thou wast worthy her.'

'Peace you were best'

- Emilia

- You should rot in hell! You were not worthy of someone as good as her.

- Othello draws his sword and threatens her because she says Iago lied and Desdemona did nothing wrong. She stands her ground fearlessly and says she didn't lie and Desdemona did no wrong.She puts up a spirited and selfless defence of Desdemona and shows loyalty and strength of character and defies her social superior who is armed and dangerous.

'Thou hast not half that power to do me harm as I have to be hurt. O gull! O dolt! As ignorant as dirt I care not for thy sword, I'll make thee known , Though I lost twenty lives.'

- Emilia

- Emilia is very fired up and will do anything to stand up for Desdemona and is not scared of a man because she is a very strong individual. She says that she cannot be hurt by him as what he did to Desdemona has pained her beyond anything he could do. She says she will expose him for what he has done so that she can get justice for Desdemona and she will not allow him to stop her. She calls him an ignorant fool for killing Desdemona.

"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."

- Emilia to Iago

- Iago enters with Montano and Gratiano

- She demands that he deny that he told Othello Desdemona was false to him because she is heartbroken and cannot believe he is capable of such an evil act.

- Emilia is shocked to here of Iago's actions, she really did not think he could be involved before now and had no knowledge of what he was plotting and doing.

- Like everyone else she has been completely unaware of his true character up to now.

‘I told him what I thought, and told no more than what he found himself was apt and true. ‘ Iago

'With Cassio, mistress. Go to, charm your tongue.' Iago

' I will not charm my tongue. I am bound to speak

My mistress here lies murdered in her bed......

And your reports have set the murder on' Emilia

'I think apon't, I think. I smell't. O villainy!

I thought so then. I'll kill myself for grief.' Emilia

'What are you mad? I charge you get you home.' Iago

'Good Gentlemen , let me have leave to speak

Tis' proper I obey him, but not now

Perchance, Iago, I will never go home.'

- Iago and Emilia

- Iago says that he told Othello his thoughts but nothing that Othello did not himself prove true for himself. This is an interesting statement because it does suggest an important point about who is responsible for Desdemona's death. Iago played his part and planted ideas and suspicions in Othello's mind but Othello then allowed those ideas to grow and he confirmed them himself. This happened because of the way jealousy once it takes root feeds itself and grows stronger by feeding itself on insecurities and fears that mean everything is seen through eyes that look for signs of betrayal or interpret events as confirmation of those fears. Jealousy can also make you see what is not there and misjudge people and actions.

- Emilia starts to question Iago angrily and he orders her to be quiet and expects that she will do so as she normally does and he demands.

- He underestimates Emilia's love of Desdemona and how it inspires her to defy him and demand that he pay for his deceit and part in her murder. Here she chooses her attachment to Desdemona over her expected duties of silence and obedience to her husband.

- She says that she had a vague notion for a moment in the past that Iago may have been involved somehow in causing trouble between Desdemona and Othello and that she is overcome by sorrow and Somme guilt.

- Iago tries to silence her a second time and tells her to go home.

- Emilia refuses, asks the other men if she may talk ( she still needs permission from men) , she says it is expected that a wife should obey her husband but she can do that any longer and she tells Iago that she is leaving him. This is a huge risk since women depended entirely on their husbands but it shows her loyalty to Desdemona. Emilia is defiant and the outraged voice for all women who have been silenced and sidelined and treated badly by jealous and controlling men.

'O she was foul!

I scarce did know you, uncle.There

Lies your niece,

Whose breath indeed these hands have newly stopped

I know this act shows horrible and grim'

Othello

- Emilia has just condemned Othello for killing the 'sweet ' Desdemona

- repeats his belief that Desdemona slept with Cassio.

- Hr admits to Desdemona's. Uncle Gratiano that he killed Desdemona, he does not hide or deny his responsibility. He knows that it must look like he committed an atrocious act but he still believes he acted justly.

'And she did gratify his amorous works

With recognisance and pledge of love

Which I first gave her.'

O God! O heavenly God!

- Othello states that Desdemona gave Cassio her handkerchief as a token of her esteem and love for him.

- This causes Emilia to cry out horror as she realises that it was the handkerchief that Iago took off her that convinced Othello Desdemona was unfaithful and led to her murder. She did not understand before now that it was driving Othello's jealous suspicions.

‘ZOUNDS! Hold your peace.’

‘No, I will speak as liberal as the north.

Let heaven, and men, and devils, let em all,

All cry shame against me, yet I'll speak'

'Be wise and get you home'

- Iago

- iago realises that Emilia is about to share what she knows about his taking and possession of the handkerchief , he realises this will expose the fact that he framed Cassio and lied to Othello and deceived him and deliberately led him down the path to murdering Desdemona.

- When Emilia refuses for a third time to be silent, Iago draws his sword to kill her but is stopped by Gratiano who rebukes him for it.

'O thou dull Moor! That handkerchief thou speak'st of

I found by fortune and did give my husband.....

He begged me to steal it. '

'Villainous ***** '

'Filth thou liest ' , filth thou liest' Iago

- Emilia

- Emilia shows great bravery and courage and defies the threats of Iago to make sure that evil does not escape justice. She is selfless and spirited in defence of Desdemona and in her determination to win justice for her.

- The truth about the handkerchief has been revealed and Othello now knows Desdemona didn't give it to Cassio. Iago was behind this the whole time.

- Iago tries to label her a liar and insults her out of rage at her confession and her rebellion against his command to her to never tell anyone about it.

- Othello attempts to attack Iago when he finally understands how he was misled. He is topped and disarmed by Montano and in the commotion Iago stabs Emilia and runs off.

- Iago's web of lies and deceptions and his true vindictive, cruel and despicable nature is unmasked for all to see.

- His stabbing of Emilia shows his care for anyone or anything but that which serves his own self interest. He feels nothing for her or for anyone who is of no use for him.

"O, murderous coxcomb, what should such a fool do with so good a wife?"

Emilia

- calls Othello a foolish clown for ever doubting a loyal and true woman like Desdemona.

'Ay,ay.O lay me by my mistress' side'

Emilia asks to be put beside D so that she can die with her.

' I will sing the swan and die in music .....willow, willow, willow

Moor, she was chaste. She loved thee, cruel Moor.

So speaking as I think, alas, I die'

- Emilia sings the song willow as she prepares to die. This song was about the sadness, pain and suffering that women endure at the hands men who mistreat and cause unhappiness often due to jealousy.

Swans were said to sing before death but also are very loyal mates.

- Both Emilia and Desdemona were impeccably and. Perfectly loyal wives to their husbands and yet they both are killed mistreated and killed by them . Both Othello and Iago treated their wives badly because they suffered jealousy.

- Emilia a victim of male mistreatment of women and the powerful voice of protest against it at the end of the play.

- Both Desdemona and she were entirely innocent and did not deserve their fate at the hands of their husbands.

-Emilia discovers the power of her unrestrained voice at the end of the play. She finds her voice too late to stop the tragedy from happening or to save Desdemona or her herself but she serves as a powerful example to everyone. In the audience not to silently tolerate relationships where women are mistreated by men.

‘But O vain boast! / Who can control his fate? 'Tis not so now.’

‘Here is my journey's end ...where should Othello go ? ‘

‘This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,

And fiends will snatch at it. ‘

‘O cursed, cursed slave!

From the possession of this heavenly sight

Blow me about in winds and roast e in sulphur'

Othello gets himself another sword and calls Gratiano back in,

- He remembers his past achievements and power as a soldier and general but then dismisses those thoughts as unimportant now since he will be stripped of his position and his reputation will be ruined and his achievements forgotten. He has destroyed his life and his reputation.

- He can see that his career and life plans are now destroyed. He has ruined his life and has lost everything. He wonders what will become of him now. He looks at Desdemona and feels deep remorse and regret and he wishes to suffer torture and torment in hell for what he has done. He imagines demons attacking his soul in hell and believes that is what he deserves. He knows he will be barred from heaven for his terrible crime and imagines burning in the pit of hell where he must atone for his terrible time and errors of judgement.

‘Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?’

O thou Othello,that was once so good,

Fallen in the practice of a cursed slave

Lodovico returns with Iago ,and Officers and emphasises how Othello he has suffered a tragic downfall and been brought low. Cassio is brought in on a chair.

Othello's fall from grace and reversal of fortune - Tragic hero

- He has lost everything, love, happiness, self respect, honour, reputation, position, career and hope of salvation.

- He was an admired man of distinction and honour and self control who had survived and overcome the racist world that often made him a target of prejudice and abuse. We sympathise with him now and feel pity for him despite his tragic flaw of jealousy and rash action.

- He suffered mental agony and torment as a consequence of the jealousy that grew within him and now after the catastrophe of Desdemona's murder at his hand he suffer intensely from guilt, shame, loss and grief. The audience feels pity and sympathy for him.

- The formerly admired and respected military leader is now a prisoner and is stripped of all dignity and respect.

'I look down towards his feet, but that's a fable/

If thou be'est a devil I cannot kill thee. '

Othello stabs Iago but only wounds him.

- He looks at Iago's feet expecting to see the cloven hooves of the devil. He regards Iago as demonic and the embodiment of evil rather than a man.

' I bleed, sir, but not killed'

- Iago

- I'm bleeding Othello, but you didn't kill me.

- Ironic because Othello said if you were a devil I wouldn't be able to kill you He didn't kill Iago so Shakespeare may be suggesting to the audience that Iago is a devil and a force of evil and malice.

'I am not sorry neither. I'd have thee live, for in my sense 'tis happiness to die.'

- Othello

- I am not sorry for not killing you because to me, death is happiness

- Othello says this because now he wants to die so he can be with Desdemona.Life is empty and meaningless to him now. He is devastated and filled with remorse.

'An honorable murderer, if you will, for naught I did in hate, but all in honor '

- Othello

- Lodovico asks. What will be said about Othello

- He replies that he might be called the honourable murderer. What he means by this is that a large part of the reason why he was driven to kill Desdemona was because he believed her infidelity would undermine his reputation , authority and dishonour him. He felt he had to murder Desdemona to restore his sense of personal hour and authority and protect his reputation. He may not be judging himself. Accurately though because his fears about how Desdemona's adultery would damage his reputation and public. Image did lead to aggressively strong feeling that could be described as hate that polluted his underlying love for her. See 3.3 ' tyrannous hate ' eg)

‘I do believe it and I ask your pardon

Will you, I pray, demand that Demi devil

Why he hath thus ensnared my souls and body?’

Othello apologises to Cassio for plotting with Iago to have him murdered and then asks him to find out from Iago why he schemed to pollute his mind with lies and ruin his happiness, relationship and life.' I

‘Demand me nothing. What you know, you know.

From this time forth I never will speak word’

- Iago

- Iago refuses to answer or give any reasons for his actions.

- He is remorseless and unrepentant and ruthless. He expresses no regret for any of the deaths and destruction that his plans and actions set in motion.

- He may be trying to continue torturing Othello as he knows that he cannot stand uncertainty, and now he decides to keep him in a state of not knowing and not being sure.

- By having Iago remain silent at the end Shakespeare might be suggesting evil can never be explained and is always beyond comprehension. It is inexplicable and inscrutable.

- Gratiano says that Iago will be tortured until he decides to talk.

'There is besides in Roderigo's letter how he upbraids Iago'

- Cassio

- 2 letters were found on Roderigo's body.

- The first was from Iago and contained details about their plan to kill Cassio.

- the second was a letter that R never sent to Iago that complained about. He was used to provoke Cassio so that he would be dismissed.

- Cassio also explains how the handkerchief ended up in his room and that Iago has already confessed to putting it there.

"O, fool, fool, fool!"

Othello is deeply pained and angered by the extent of his own foolishness.

- Self recognition - awareness of his mistaken judgements and beliefs

'When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice'

- Othello

- Othello is told that he has lost his position and Cassio will replace him as commander. He is told that he is under arrest awaiting trial.

- Othello asks if he can speak before they leave.

- He asks them to give a fair account of what led to the tragic events and deaths they have witnessed. He tells them to leave nothing out and not to condemn him completely. He might be aware that racist prejudices could lead to him beg condemned as an inhuman and savage monster.

- Some critics think Othello is self absorbed and egotistical here but he would have been well aware of how society in Venice had ridiculed and mocked him and presented him as a dangerous subhuman at times. He wants to be remembered in all his complexity and not just as a racist caricature.

"Then must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely but too well..."

'. Of one not easily jealous, but, once being wrought

Perplexed in the extreme '

- Othello

- He has grown in self knowledge through his suffering and gained some insights into his character. He recognises two character flaws and weaknesses that contributed to the tragedy, He says that he loved Desdemona intensely but it was so extreme that he did not understand it very well and it led him to behave irrationally at times. She was so important to him that when he experienced the smallest amount of doubt about their love his world was plunged into chaos.

He then states that he was not someone who often or easily became jealous but that when he did become jealous it consumed and confused and corrupted his mind and transformed him for the worst. This may be linked to the intensity of his love and the importance of his relationship with Desdemona. It was so important to him that when he suspected he might lose her it provoked an extreme and dangerous reaction within him.

'Of one whose hand,

Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away

Richer than all his tribe'

Othello recognises that he foolishly killed and lost the recoils and rare love he had with the loyal and love it Desdemona. He imagines himself as an 'Indian' , an outsider to Venice society who became an insider through his military leadership and then marriage but he has condemned himself to be despised and excluded.

' Beat a Venetian who traduced the state,

I took by the throat the circumcised dog

And smote him - thus! '

Othello then remembers a time when as the defender of the state of Venice from its enemies he executed a Turk who attacked a citizen of Venice and insulted the state. He then becomes his own judge and executioner and kills himself in the same way. When he killed Desdemona he made himself an enemy of Venice and as defender of Venice he sees it as his duty to bring justice upon himself. He recovers some of his nobility and dignity with this speech and by the way he takes responsibility for his actions, acknowledges his failings and punishes himself for his folly. His language regains its former dignity and eloquence now that he is no longer under the influence of Iago and corrupted by jealousy.

Othello redeems himself after his crimes through his remorse, his suffering and the loses he experiences , his growth in self knowledge and his honourable death where he takes responsibility and bravely faces the consequences of his actions. He carries out his duty as an agent of justice for the state on himself.

His speech is eloquent and uses the heroic and high minded language that he used before he became corrupted by Iago's insinuations and scheming and the jealousy that then grew in his heart. When he was dominated by Iago his language became his jointed, coarse, rude and it featured lots of infernal imagery.

' I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this,

Killing myself, to die upon a kiss '

- Othello

- His last act is to kiss Desdemona the woman he loved absolutely but killed because he became blinded and misled by the destructive passion of jealousy.

"This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon, for he was great of heart."

Cassio praises Othello and says he was afraid that Othello might kill himself because he was courageous and honest.

"O Spartan dog,

More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea,

Look on the tragic loading of this bed.

This is thy work"

Lodovico 5.2

- Iago is described as a 'Spartan dog' . Roderigo called him an 'inhuman dog' in 5.1 to suggest how he was cruel and unfeeling and the same idea is expressed in this comparison. The Spartans were a violent and bloodthirsty race so this expresses the idea that Iago delights in bloodshed and death.

- The play ends with Lodovico asking Iago to look at the dead bodies on the bed, all caused by his evil scheming and actions. He states that Iago is more evil than ' anguish, hunger or the sea' which suggests that Iago is the personification of evil , more a destructive force that exist to cause havoc , mayhem and misery than a man,

'To you, lord governor, Remains the censure of this hellish villain: The time, the place, the torture, O, enforce it!'

Cassio is given the power to punish Iago as he sees fit.

- Lodovico

- Look at all of these dead people on your bed. This is all your fault

- Iago's plan was uncovered and he is now put in the blame for the death of all these innocent people. He is the one that is guilty.