Key Quotations

Act 1

"I am not what I am."

• Iago reveals his duplicitous nature to Roderigo.
• This quote uses paradox and serves as a foreshadowing device, highlighting Iago's deceitful character. The phrase "I am not what I am" contradicts itself, illustrating Iago's complex and deceptive nature.
• Key themes: Deception, identity, manipulation.

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

• Iago stirs Brabantio's anger by using racial and animal imagery to describe Othello and Desdemona's relationship.
• The use of racial slurs and animalistic imagery underscores the racial tensions and Iago's manipulative tactics. It dehumanizes Othello and evokes a sense of urgency and violation.
• Key themes: Racism, manipulation, jealousy.

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

• Othello explains to the Duke and Senators how Desdemona fell in love with him.
• This quote uses a parallel structure to emphasize the mutual admiration and connection between Othello and Desdemona. It also highlights Othello's courage and the sincerity of their love.
• Key themes: Love, storytelling, courage.

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

• Iago reveals his unfounded suspicion that Othello has been unfaithful to his wife, Emilia.
• The quote showcases Iago's jealousy and unfounded paranoia, serving as a motive for his subsequent actions. It employs euphemisms ("done my office") to suggest infidelity.
• Key themes: Jealousy, revenge, infidelity.

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 cynically comments on Othello and Desdemona's happiness, planning to disrupt their harmony.
• The quote uses a musical metaphor to illustrate Iago's intention to create discord. The irony in "Honest as I Am" highlights his deceitful nature.
• Key themes: Deception, manipulation, irony.

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

• Cassio laments the loss of his reputation after getting drunk and brawling.
• This quote emphasizes the importance of reputation and honour in Venetian society. It uses repetition and juxtaposition ("immortal" vs. "bestial") to highlight the severity of Cassio's despair.
• Key themes: Reputation, honour, regret.

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

• Iago outlines his plan to use Desdemona's goodness to entrap her and Othello.
• The quote uses metaphor ("pitch" and "net") to describe Iago's scheme. It underscores his cunning and the corrupting influence of his manipulation.
• Key themes: Deception, manipulation, innocence.

Act 3

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

• Iago warns Othello about the dangers of jealousy while planting seeds of doubt.
• The quote personifies jealousy as a "green-eyed monster," emphasizing its destructive and self-consuming nature. It foreshadows Othello's tragic downfall due to jealousy.
• Key themes: Jealousy, manipulation, foreshadowing.

"She did deceive her father, marrying you."

• Iago reminds Othello that Desdemona deceived her father, implying she could deceive Othello as well.
• This quote uses historical reference and insinuation to manipulate Othello's trust. It plants doubt in Othello's mind about Desdemona's fidelity.
• Key themes: Deception, trust, manipulation.

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

• Othello begins to trust Iago's insinuations about Desdemona's fidelity.
• The quote uses dramatic irony, as the audience knows Iago is not honest. It highlights Othello's increasing paranoia and misplaced trust.
• Key themes: Trust, manipulation, irony.

"I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at: I am not what I am."

• Iago confesses to Roderigo his deceitful nature.
• The quote uses a vivid metaphor ("wear my heart upon my sleeve") to express vulnerability, contrasting with Iago's true deceitful nature. The phrase "I am not what I am" highlights his duplicity.
• Key themes: Deception, vulnerability, identity.

Act 4

"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 justifies to himself the murder of Desdemona, believing her unfaithful.
• The quote uses apostrophes (addressing the stars) and repetition to emphasize Othello's inner turmoil and conviction. It highlights his tragic misjudgment.
• Key themes: Jealousy, justice, tragedy.

"Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men."

• Othello resolves to kill Desdemona to prevent her from betraying others.
• This quote reveals Othello's tragic flaw—his belief in Desdemona's guilt and his misguided sense of justice. It uses dramatic irony as the audience knows Desdemona is innocent.
• Key themes: Tragedy, justice, innocence.

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

• Iago manipulates Othello by warning him against jealousy while inciting it.
• The personification of jealousy as a "green-eyed monster" and the metaphor of it mocking "the meat it feeds on" highlight its destructive power and foreshadow Othello's downfall.
• Key themes: Jealousy, manipulation, irony.

Act 5

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

• Othello speaks before killing Desdemona, extinguishing a candle and her life.
• The repetition and metaphor of "put out the light" signify both the literal extinguishing of the candle and the figurative end of Desdemona's life. It underscores the finality and tragedy of his actions.
• Key themes: Death, finality, tragedy.

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

• Othello's final words before committing suicide.
• The juxtaposition of love and death in this quote highlights the tragic irony of Othello's actions. The act of kissing Desdemona before and after her death underscores the depth of his misguided love and remorse.
• Key themes: Love, death, remorse.

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

• Lodovico condemns Iago upon discovering the bodies of Othello and Desdemona.
• The quote uses vivid imagery and metaphor to express the horror and tragedy of the scene. The term "Spartan dog" emphasizes Iago's ruthless nature.
• Key themes: Betrayal, tragedy, justice.

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

• Iago's final defiant words as he refuses to explain his actions.

• The quote uses repetition and irony, as Iago remains inscrutable and unrepentant. It underscores his enigmatic and malevolent character.

• Key themes: Evil, silence, mystery.

"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 reflects on his service to Venice and asks to be remembered truthfully.
• The quote uses a reflective and resigned tone, highlighting Othello's tragic awareness of his fall. It underscores the themes of reputation and legacy.
• Then must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely but too well
• Key themes: Reputation, legacy, tragedy.

"Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought / Perplexed in the extreme."

• Othello requests that his story be told accurately, acknowledging his flaws.
• The quote uses parallelism and irony, as Othello misjudges his jealousy. It highlights his tragic self-awareness and the complexity of his character.
• Key themes: Love, jealousy, self-awareness.

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

• Othello defends his actions as motivated by misguided honour rather than hatred.
• The quote juxtaposes "honourable" and "murderer," illustrating Othello's internal conflict and tragic flaw. It underscores the theme of misguided honour.
• Key themes: Honour, tragedy, conflict.