| “I warrant it grieves my husband / As if the case were his” | Iago has even deceived his wife about Cassio and Othello. This is a startling comment filled with dramatic irony and a sense of foreboding |
| “I’ll intermingle everything he does / With Cassio’s suit” | Little does Desdemona know, she is playing into Iago’s plan by nagging about Cassio. Is she meddling in affair she shouldn’t be? Othello made it clear earlier that military and domestic life weren’t to be confused |
| “Ha! I like not that!” | Cassio leaves Desdemona and Iago sneakily exclaims “…” (short and simple opening line) so Othello hears and asks him so Iago can plant seeds of Cassio who “would steal away so guilty-like” |
| “when I love thee not,/ Chaos is come again” | chaos will soon replace order in Othello’s life, foreshadows and shows how much he loves her “I will deny thee nothing” is also repeated. negative abstract noun laced with dramatic irony (is Othello already in the grip of emotions he can’t handle? naturally jealous?) |
| “Men should be what they seem” | antithesis of what Iago believes ‘I am not what I am’. He says this to Othello: “…;/ Or those that be not, would they might seem none” |
| “jewel of their souls” | Iago antithetically claims that reputation is extremely important |
| “O beware, my lord, of jealousy:/ It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on.” | Iago’s description of jealousy, kind of a parallel to Iago? |
| “No Iago,/ I’ll see before I doubt” | Othello at first responds rationally to the seeds of doubt from Iago, he wants the ‘ocular proof’ before he accuses Desdemona. He does try to give her the benefit of the doubt “For she had eyes and chose me. …” |
| “observe her well with Cassio” | Iago plants seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind by suggesting “Look to your wife, …” |
| “nature erring from itself” | Othello recognises his inferior status in society. Iago then suggests she shd have married someone of “her own clime, complexion and degree” and wd regret marrying Othello, it’d be like “…” |
| “she’s gone, I am abused, and my relief/ Must be to loathe her” | Iago has completely transformed Othello’s view of Desdemona, he seems to have completely accepted she’s cheating on him, though when she enters he says ‘I’ll not believe it’ |
| “I nothing but to please his fantasy” | Emilia lives to please Iago, and like women in the period, she is forced to serve him. This comes when she finds Desdemona’s handkerchief. Emilia doesn’t wish to cause her trouble but her love for Iago triumphs over her morals. |
| “Trifles light as air/ Are to the jealous confirmations strong/ As proofs of holy writ” | Iago, just after Emilia leaves, biblical simile juxtaposes Iago’s intent for the handkerchief. He also acknowledges that “The Moor already changes with my poison” |
| “as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys” | Iago uses animal imagery to talk of Desdemona and Cassio “were they…” . Typical Iago views of love being purely phsyical, this is repeated by Othello later and shows how powerful Iago is |
| “I’ll tear her all to pieces” | Othello has completely changed his opinion after Iago makes up Cassio’s dream when not long ago he was insisting on ocular proof before he makes accusations. Iagoisation of language |
| “Arise black vengeance, from thy hollow cell” | Othello uses negative racial imagery to talk about getting revenge on Cassio |
| “O, blood, blood, blood!” | exclamation that shows how badly he wants his revenge on the two, no longer linguistically eloquent |
| “Witness that here Iago doth give up/ The execution of his wit, hands, heart,/ To wronged Othello’s service” | the mock marriage scene when Iago pledges allegiance to Othello, further emphasised by Iago saying ‘I am your own forever’ |
| Othello’s occupation’s gone | When he fears he’s been betrayed by his wife, he says “…” as if Desdemona was the prize earned for his military victories, has she replaced his career in terms of pride and honour? he also says “Farewell tranquil mind! Farewell content!” anaphora |
| shall rather die/ Than give thy cause away | Desdemona agrees to help Cassio, intense dramatic irony just before Iago and Othello enter “Thy solicitor…” tragic because it happens |
| some monster in his thought/ Too hideous to be shown | Iago hints that Cassio is after Desdemona but he’s very indirect and Othello gets frustrated “he echoes me,/ As if there were…” dramatic irony as it’s true and echoes the jealous ‘monster’ |
| live upon the vapour of a dungeon/ Than keep a corner of the thing I love/ For others’ uses | Othello’s language has deteriorated, animal imagery, and his pride emerges, tragic flaw? “I had rather be a toad/ And…” |
| All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven | “Look here, Iago,/…” meaning he wants to kill Desdemona and Cassio? very quick in coming to conclusions |
Othello Act 3 scene 3
August 10, 2019