Othello Act 3 scene 3

Central scene to the play …
“Assure thee if I do vow a friendship, I’ll perform it to the last article”- Desdemona Desdemona is not going to break the promise as she is true to her word. She will find every opportunity to praise Cassio to Othello. She is playing into the trap.
Cassio leaves when Othello and Iago enter as he is embarrassed of his antics the previous night. …
“Good love, call him back”- Desdemona Her fate plays a major role in the tragedy, not even Iago wholly arranged this swift, coincidental confrontation of Othello, Desdemona and Cassio, and certainly the pathos of Desdemona’s position here is largely due to no other factor than fate. She couldn’t have chosen a worse time to mention his name.
“Why, then, tomorrow night, or Tuesday morn, on Tuesday noon, or night;on Wednesday morning”.- Desdemona Annoying insistence seems unnecessary and it leads to Othello becoming mildly vexed because of his wife’s childish persistence.
“Excellent wretch!”- Othello In a metaphorical sense perdition will soon catch Othello’s soul and chaos will soon place order in his life. Humorous tone still in his language yet very different to how he described Desdemona earlier in the play.
“Chaos is come again”- Othello Tragic concept. When Othello stops loving Desdemona there will be a complete loss of order.
“But for a satisfaction of my thought; No further harm”-Iago Iago implies that he knows something that he refuses to divulge.
“Honest, my lord?”-Iago Iago speaks carefully and at length with Othello and plants the seed of suspicion and jealousy which eventually brings about the tragic events of the play. Ironically it is Desdemona’s innocent attempt to reconcile Othello with Cassio that gives Iago the opportunity to wreak vengeance upon Othello, thereby causing the murder and suicide that brings this tragedy to its violent conclusion.
“Men should be what they seem; or those that be not, would they might seem none!”- Iago Two faced/ talking about himself as well. Speaking in riddles. Double negative.
“O beware, my lord, of jealously: It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”- Iago Iago essentially tells Othello that he is jealous, implying that the general is not one to be trapped by his emotions. Personifies this jealousy will rot overtime, it will degenerate.
“Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy”- Othello Othello denies that he would give himself over to jealously. In his denial he shows himself most vulnerable. Iago’s manipulative nature takes hold as he is consumed with doubt and suspicion.
“For she had eyes and chose me”- Othello Trying not to except Iago’s villainous words of lies.
“Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio”- Iago Planting this seed of suspicion and doubt into Othello. He will now observe Desdemona. Jealously is embodying his persona with this becoming his fatal flaw.
“She did deceive her father, marrying you”- Iago Desdemona is an unconventional women of the time so can she fully be trusted?
“I do not think but Desdemona’s honest”- Othello Othello still believes Desdemona to be honest at this point.
“Why did I marry?”- Othello Othello contemplates his situation. He could be tricked married to a women who is already looking at other men so he fears he must wipe her out of his heart. Change in his character, feeling more miserable.
Othello’s soliloquy Represents the dramatic and psychological tipping point of the play. Very poetic, starting to show emotion. Controlled and measured.
“Haply for I am black” Othello voices his old fears that Brabantio was right, that it was unnatural for Desdemona to love him because he is black.
“I had rather be a toad” Immediate detraction in language, animalistic imagery. He would rather not be loved then to love someone that loves others as this is the worst thing that could have happened.
“”Tis destiny unshunnable, like death” Dramatic irony. Pre-meditated, links to death and tragedy. His destiny is fated.
“Even then this forked plague is fated to us” Destined to be betrayed when we are born.
End of soliloquy. “Why do you speak so faintly? Are you not well?”- Desdemona He starts to watch her intently, looking for signs and brushing away her handkerchief when she seeks to sooth him. The whole plot could hang on this handkerchief.
“You have a thing for me? It is a common thing-“- Iago He just uses Emilia for his pleasure, she says something quite innocently and he says something quite crude. Sexual reference.
“The moor already changes with my poison”- Iago Iago’s twisted truths are now embodied and can’t be removed from the protagonists mind. He has now fully encapsulated Othello into his plan.
” Burn like the mines of sulphur. I did say so.”- Iago Reference to hell. Something as small as a handkerchief is critical to the play.
“Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!”- Othello Othello’s speech becomes fevered, sweeping and frantic. He believes his wife has been unfaithful to him. He turns to Iago with savage intensity and demands to see the proof of Desdemona’s infidelity. He is saying farewell to Desdemona and uses the language of war to almost signify that he is going into battle.
“Villain, be sure thou prove my love a *****”- Othello Lost his composure here. Calls Iago the villain.
” ocular proof”- Othello He wants to see proof that he can actually see, which will be the handkerchief, not just Iago’s twisted words that Othello believes are truthful.
“Are you a man?”- Iago …
“I should be wise;for honesty’s a fool”- Iago Duplicity theme.
“I think my wife be honest, and think she is not”- Othello Othello feels like he has been betrayed, links to the theme of duplicity. Seed of doubt in mind.
“Begrim’d and black as mine own face”- Othello He starts to use his race against him. Degrading his language against himself.
“In sleep I heard him say, ‘Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our loves'”- Iago Iago produces this dream story about how Cassio spoke in his sleep, embraced him and called him Desdemona and cursed the Moor for loving her. This emphasises that there is a physical attraction between them.
“I know not that; but such a handkerchief-I am sure it was your wife’s- did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with”-Iago Iago tells Othello that he has seen Cassio wipe his brow with a handkerchief embroided with strawberries. This was Othello’s first gift to Desdemona. Structurally Iago then provided the physical evidence that Othello demands.
“O that the slave had forty thousand lives! One is too poor, too weak, for my revenge”- Othello Swearing revenge. Change in Othello’s language-reads like a prayer. Filling himself with more anger. His language is beginning to sound more like Iago’s.
“In the due reverence of a sacred vow”-Iago Prayer to the devil. The audience would be completely shocked as revenge goes against the 10 commandments.
“Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her, damn her!”-Othello Othello dismisses love and calls for vengeance. Certainly has freed his mind from doubt and confusion. Now swears action, and Iago swears to help him. Othello wants Cassio dead. Iago agrees to do it.
“Now art thou my lieutenant”- Othello Completely convinced in Iago.
“I am your own for ever”- Iago The pace of the play should pick up. The general will start loosing the plot, links to the three common elements. Othello doesn’t want to spare Desdemona’s life.
“Do not rise yet”- Iago Othello kneels before someone who works for him. Power shift. Iago commands Othello shows that he now has the power.
“Within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassio’s not alive”- Othello The tragedy takes place over a short amount of time.
August 5, 2019