ACT 2 QUOTES

• "The divine Desdemona"

  "Our great captain's captain"

  "Our general's wife is now the general"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 ( Cassio )

  Alliteration emphasises the extent that Cassio is willing to complement and act in a friendly manner towards Desdemona with the hope of becoming closer to Othello and acquiring his respect. Although these remarks among friends are merely innocent , Iago is able to manipulate and twist the meanings for his own advantage.

  It is these convictions that ultimately lead to the downfall of Cassio.
• "Valiant Cassio"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 Desdemona

  Extremely ironic epithet when viewing it in hindsight. Up to this point only Othello has had the respect and admiration to be called "Valiant", thus adding greater fuel to engineer Iago's malevolent plan.
• "Sir would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue that she oft bestows upon me You would have enough"

   "you rise to play and go to sleep to work"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 IAGO

  These are very sexist and derogatory remarks about women, but they not only highlight the tragic unequal society that labelled men as more superior to women, it also highlights the vulnerability that Desdemona is in. Cyprus if infinitely more barbarous than Venice, it is a bastion of male power where Desdemona alone and isolated from her Venetian support system, is vulnerable to the machinations of a highly skilled manipulator like Iago.
• "With as little web as this I will ensnare a great fly as Cassio"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 IAGO

   The audience are gaining first hand insight into how Iago is conducting his manipulative strategy. The fact that Cassio is unwillingly adding fuel to the fire that Iago is going to light increases tension in the audience, provoking feelings of distress as the victims allows contribute more to their downfall. Iago uses a dramatic devise called an "aside" Speaking in such a way that the audience can hear him but the other characters on stage cannot. Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights used asides to share a characters thoughts of intentions without revealing the secrets to the other characters. This in turn, further develops the audiences profile of Iago as the villain of the play, continuing to enact deceitful behaviour.
• CONTINUED

  As spiders weave an inescapable web for flies, Iago plans to construct a web of lies to similarly trap Cassio, and frame him for adultery. Linguistically, this destructive language creates a claustrophobic effect for the victims from the perspective of the audience, as their inevitable tragic downfall slowly begins to appear inevitable.
• "Begin to heave the gorge, disrelish and abhor the Moor" "What delight will she have to look upon the devil?"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 IAGO

  Vivid imagery is used to create this idea that Desdemona need to repel herself from Othello, In this image, Iago suggests gagging and retching, which in turn creates negative imagery for the audience themselves. The prose used here allows Iago to produce a persuasive outpouring and release repetitious piles of images designed to bury Roderigo's weak objections.
• "Now I do love her too... But partly led to diet my revenge" "Till I am evened with him, wife for wife"

  ACT 2 SCENE 1 IAGO

  Iago's second soliloquy of the play, highlighting the roots of his jealousy. The prose presented in the rest of the scene regarding his speech contrasts greatly to this precise and concise speech, perhaps revealing his precise if delusional reasoning. This would be performed erratically as Iago is portrayed to be caught up in his emotions.
• "And what's he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give and honest"

  ACT 2 SCENE 3 IAGO

  Iago's fourth soliloquy: Iago's soliloquy is a perfect example of how Iago manipulates every situation. He begins with a rhetorical question which almost allows the exploitation of the virtues and weaknesses of his so-called friends. Iago justifies himself and ironically, having given Cassio 'good' advice as to how to win his position and favour back with Othello, knows he can poison Othello's mind sufficiently to misinterpret Cassio's and Desdemona's pleas.
• "She's frames as fruitful, free as the elements"

  ACT 2 SCENE 3 IAGO

   In this direct comparison, he equates Desdemona's generous spirit to the abundance existent in nature. What exists in nature is freely available to those who want it. In essence, it means that Desdemona has so much goodness in her that she will generously and freely assist anyone who seeks her help. The alliteration (the use of the same sound, usually a consonant, in successive words), also accentuates Desdemona's good qualities. The repetition of the f-sound is used for emphasis in this regard. These words illustrate one of Iago's most typical ploys. He sees goodness as a weakness and goes out to exploit a character's good nature to further his evil purpose.
• "I'll poor this pestilence in his ear"

  ACT 2 SCENE 3 IAGO

   Iago explains how he will turn the pureness and virtuousness into disgust, undoing all the characteristics that Othello loves about her. By using the word "pestilence" which has connotations to disease and viruses, it reveals the effect that Iago intends his lies to have on Othello. Presenting evil as something tangible that can be poured into someone's ear heightens Iago's role as the villain.
• "the net that shall enmesh them all"

  ACT 2 SCENE 3 IAGO

  The powerful soliloquy ends on an even more powerful note, as this destructive language reveals the extent of his villainy. Iago's malice is remorseless and unbridled. He will stop at nothing to get his revenge. He wishes to use Desdemona's good intentions to draw them all into his trap and thus destroy them.