Key Quotations (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes

Key Quotations

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Act 1

I am not what I am.

👉 Iago, Act 1, Scene 1

• Iago reveals his duplicitous nature to Roderigo.
• This paradox highlights Iago’s deceitful character and foreshadows his manipulative behaviour throughout the play.
• Key themes: Deception, identity, manipulation.

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

👉 Iago, Act 1, Scene 1

• Iago provokes Brabantio by using racial and animal imagery to describe Othello and Desdemona’s relationship.
• The imagery dehumanises Othello and creates a sense of urgency and outrage.
• Key themes: Racism, manipulation, jealousy.

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

👉 Othello, Act 1, Scene 3

• Othello explains how Desdemona fell in love with him.
• The balanced structure emphasises mutual affection and the sincerity of their love.
• Key themes: Love, storytelling, honour.

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I hate the Moor: / And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office.

👉 Iago, Act 1, Scene 3

• Iago reveals his suspicion that Othello has slept with Emilia.
• Euphemistic language suggests jealousy and fuels Iago’s desire for revenge.
• Key themes: Jealousy, revenge, betrayal.

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Act 2

O, you are well tuned now! But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music, / As honest as I am.

👉 Iago, Act 2, Scene 1

• Iago plans to disrupt the harmony of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage.
• The musical metaphor and ironic reference to honesty highlight his deceit.
• Key themes: Manipulation, deception, irony.

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Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!
I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.

👉 Cassio, Act 2, Scene 3

• Cassio laments the loss of his reputation after the drunken brawl.
• Repetition and contrast between “immortal” and “bestial” stress the depth of his despair.
• Key themes: Reputation, honour, shame.

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

👉 Iago, Act 2, Scene 3

• Iago outlines his plan to exploit Desdemona’s kindness.
• Metaphors of corruption and entrapment emphasise his cruelty.
• Key themes: Deception, manipulation, innocence.

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Act 3

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

👉 Iago, Act 3, Scene 3

• Iago pretends to warn Othello while encouraging jealousy.
• Personification presents jealousy as self-destructive and predatory.
• Key themes: Jealousy, manipulation, destruction.

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She did deceive her father, marrying you.

👉 Iago, Act 3, Scene 3

• Iago implies Desdemona may also deceive Othello.
• The insinuation undermines Othello’s trust.
• Key themes: Deception, doubt, manipulation.

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This honest creature doubtless / Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.

👉 Othello, Act 3, Scene 3

• Othello expresses misplaced trust in Iago.
• Dramatic irony exposes Othello’s growing vulnerability.
• Key themes: Trust, manipulation, irony.

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Act 4

His unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love.

👉 Desdemona, Act 4, Scene 2

• Desdemona remains loyal despite Othello’s cruelty and accusations.
• The contrast between “defeat my life” and “never taint my love” highlights her innocence and moral strength.
• Key themes: Innocence, loyalty, injustice.

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But I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall.

👉 Emilia, Act 4, Scene 3

• Emilia challenges male dominance and double standards in marriage.
• The line presents a proto-feminist argument, questioning male responsibility and power.
• Key themes: Gender inequality, marriage, injustice.

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Act 5

It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,—
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!—
It is the cause.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello attempts to justify Desdemona’s murder.
• Repetition and apostrophe reveal his inner conflict and delusion.
• Key themes: Jealousy, justice, tragedy.

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Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello convinces himself that killing Desdemona is an act of justice.
• Dramatic irony highlights the tragedy of his error.
• Key themes: Tragedy, justice, innocence.

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

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello equates extinguishing a candle with ending Desdemona’s life.
• The metaphor emphasises finality and moral darkness.
• Key themes: Death, tragedy, finality.

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I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this; / Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello’s final words before suicide.
• The blending of love and death intensifies the tragic irony.
• Key themes: Love, death, remorse.

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O Spartan dog, / More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea! / Look on the tragic loading of this bed.

👉 Gratiano, Act 5, Scene 2

• Gratiano condemns Iago after the tragedy is revealed.
• Violent imagery reflects moral outrage and horror.
• Key themes: Betrayal, justice, tragedy.

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Demand me nothing: what you know, you know: / From this time forth I never will speak word.

👉 Iago, Act 5, Scene 2

• Iago refuses to explain his actions.
• His silence reinforces his evil and inscrutability.
• Key themes: Evil, silence, mystery.

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I have done the state some service, and they know’t.—
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello reflects on his service and requests an honest legacy.
• The tone is reflective and resigned.
• Key themes: Reputation, legacy, tragedy.

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Of one that loved not wisely but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought
Perplex’d in the extreme.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello attempts to define his tragic flaw.
• The irony lies in his continued misunderstanding of his jealousy.
• Key themes: Love, jealousy, self-awareness.

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An honourable murderer, if you will; / For nought I did in hate, but all in honour.

👉 Othello, Act 5, Scene 2

• Othello justifies his actions as honour-driven.
• The oxymoron exposes his tragic self-deception.
• Key themes: Honour, tragedy, conflict.

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