Quotes

• Othello: 'She loved me for the dangers I had passed and I loved her that she did pity them'
• Parallelism

  • Placing the phrases "she loved me" and "I loved her" at the start of successive lines emphasizes the reciprocity of Othello and Desdemona's relationship
• Chiasmus


  • The chiasmic placement of "she" and "I" visually reinforces the tightness of their bond
• Iago: 'Virtue a fig! 'Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners'
• Polyptoton


  The repetition of a word in different grammatical forms, e.g. "gardens" and "gardeners", emphasizes that our actions are a direct result of our values
• Cassio: 'Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.'
• Tricolon


  • The repeated use of "reputation" reflects that honor was the most important trait in Renaissance Venice
• Cassio laments his loss of reputation


  This is ironic as Iago is the true "bestial" character orchestrating the characters' downfalls
• Emilia: 'Jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not over-jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. 'Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself.'
• Tautology

  "Jealous for they are jealous" emphasizes the irrational nature of jealousy
• Epistrophe


  • "Begot upon itself, born on itself" emphasizes the self-engendering nature of envy
• Desdemona: 'Good night, good night. Heaven me such usage send, Not to pick bad from bad, but by bad men!'
• Antanaclasis


  • The repetition of "bad" with different meanings - "bad behavior" and "bad people"
• Desdemona refuses to compromise her standards of goodness, even if it means making herself a martyr
• Iago: 'I am NOT what I am'
• Dramatic irony


  Iago's true intentions are revealed to the audience, but not to the other characters
• Revelations about Iago's intentions


  Shapes how we perceive events (primacy effect)
• Iago: 'Even now, now very now, an old black Ram is tupping your white Ewe'
• Racist statement


  Juxtaposition of black and white
• Black sheep


  Outcast who's done something wrong
• Iago's use of language


  Repetition and present tense to make ideas seem more real and immediate
• Othello: 'So please your grace, my ancient, a man he is of honesty and trust'
• Othello's deception by Iago


  Iago is portrayed as honest, when he is actually deceitful
• The word 'honest' or 'honesty' is used 49 times in Othello, compared to an average of 10 times in Shakespeare's other plays</b>
• Brabantio: 'Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see; she has deceived her father, and may thee'
• Brabantio's warning


  May have planted the idea of Desdemona's unfaithfulness in Iago's mind
• Iago: 'Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on'
• Jealousy


  An uncontrollable monster that will consume Othello
• Iago's own jealousy


  He thinks his wife Emilia has slept with Othello
• Iago: 'Not poppy, nor mandragora, nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep which thou owedst yesterday'
• Iago's power


  There are no remedies that can restore Othello to his previous happy state
• Othello: 'I think my wife be honest, and I think she is not; I think that thou art just, and I think thou art not'
• Othello's decision


  Believing Iago or Desdemona will be crucial to the tragic ending
• Othello: 'Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light.'
• Othello's reasoning


  Killing Desdemona because she might betray other men in the future is a very weak rationale
• Iago: 'From this time forth I never will speak word'
• Iago's refusal to speak


  Ensures his motivations remain a constant source of mystery
• Othello: 'He loved not wisely, but too well'
• Othello's confusion


  His actions were directed at protecting his reputation as the husband of an unfaithful wife, rather than loving Desdemona too well
• our Wars are done: '(Montano)'