English Literature A Level – Othello Quotes – Character

Describe the Character of Othello A proud man, well-respected in society, ends up a murderer but still has some remnants of pride. He doesn’t apologise for his actions, he believes himself to be deceived but a good man really. He has insecurities but this is rarely shown in public. He is very good with words and won over the Duke and Desdemona in his skill at storytelling. His love for Desdemona is strong, perhaps too strong, or too weak as he succumbs to jealousy in the end and violently smothers Desdemona to death.
Othello’s Pride and Strength Quotes? Othello: “My services which I have done the signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints”Othello: “My parts, my title and my perfect soul”Duke: “Valiant Othello”Othello to Brabantio: “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them / Good signior, you shall more command with years / Than with your weapons”Othello: “From year to year: the battle, siege, fortune / That I have passed”Othello: “She’s come again, and with a greedy ear”Duke: “I think this tale would win my daughter too”Othello: “She’s like a liar gone to burning hell / ‘Twas I that killed her” – admits to the murder himself, too proud to let a ‘w.h.o.r.e’ lie for him.Othello reassuring himself: “I’ll see before I doubt”Othello before killing Desdemona: “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men / Put out the light, and then put out the light”Othello: “Here is my journey’s end” – still speaking as if he is a hero.Othello: “An honourable murderer” “For nought I did in hate, but all in honour” – still a proud man despite his terrible actions.Othello: “Of one that loved not wisely but too well”Othello: “Killing myself, to die upon a kiss”
Othello’s Insecurities Quotes? Othello: “Rude am I in my speech / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace”Othello’s Soliloquy: “Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers (fashionable men) have” – Othello’s doubt seeping in (or were they already there?)”I am declined / Into the vale of years” – Othello also doubts him being too old compared to Cassio. Othello: “O curse of marriage!” – straight after these doubts emerge in himself.Othello: “Had it pleased heaven / To try me with affliction” – links to tragic fate.
Othello’s Romantic Side Quotes? Othello: “I love the gentle Desdemona”Othello: “How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love / And she in mine”Othello: “My story being done / She gave me for my pains a world of kisses” – the love between Othello and Desdemona occurred after his cruel start to life being “sold to slavery”. Just as Othello’s start to life was Fate, so was their love which happened because of this. Perhaps Othello being sold to slavery is where his insecurities began – fated just like their love.Othello: “My life upon her faith!” – Othello would bet his life she remains faithful – ironic.Othello to Desdemona: “O my fair warrior”Othello to Desdemona: “I will deny thee nothing” – he will give Cassio his job back but with time. Ironic, he denies her from living in the end.Othello: “Of one that loved not wisely but too well”Othello: “Killing myself, to die upon a kiss”
Othello’s Angry Side Quotes? Othello threatens Iago: “If thou dost slander her (falsely accuse Desdemona) and torture me / Never pray more” – threatening damnation on Iago.Othello: “I’ll tear her all to pieces!” “O blood, blood, blood!” “D.a.m.n her, lewd minx!” – Othello hasn’t even seen the ‘proof’ yet – the handkerchief.Othello has even more murderous thoughts after seeing the handkerchief: “How shall I murder him, Iago?” “Hang her!”Iago encourages Othello’s murderous thoughts, no need to tread carefully anymore now that Othello is certain: “strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” – Othello pretty much does this.Othello: “Devil!” – and strikes Desdemona in public.Othello to Desdemona: “Come, swear it, damn thyself” – he sees her false either way now.Othello: “She’s like a liar gone to burning hell / ‘Twas I that killed her” – admits to the murder himself, too proud to let a ‘w.h.o.r.e’ lie for him.
Othello’s Been Tricked Quotes? Othello: “Honest Iago” – in the same line as “My life upon her faith!”Othello: “Cassio, I love thee / But never more be officer of mine” – Iago’s plan succeeds, Othello falls into this trap but doesn’t have much choice either after Cassio’s actions.Othello to Iago, trying to find out his thoughts about Desdemona and Cassio: “What dost thou think?” Bianca giving Cassio back the handkerchief: “This is some minx’s token” – after Othello gets up after his seizure and Iago gets him to hide and watch the events.Iago encourages Othello’s murderous thoughts, no need to tread carefully anymore now that Othello is certain: “strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” – Othello pretty much does this.Othello finally spells it out: “Was this fair paper, this most goodly book / Made to write ‘w.h.o.r.e’ upon?”Othello before killing Desdemona: “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men / Put out the light, and then put out the light”Othello: “O fool, fool, fool” – Now Othello sees he’s been tricked by Iago.
Othello’s Weakness Quotes (succumbing to jealousy and doubt)? Othello: “Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless”Othello: “O curse of marriage!” – straight after these doubts emerge in himself.Othello: “That we can call these delicate creatures ours / And not their appetites!”Othello to Desdemona when he takes her moist hand: “For here’s a young and sweating devil here”Othello: “Lie with her? Lie on her?” – breaks down into prose instead of verse then has a seizure. Lodovico: “Is this the noble Moor” “Are his wits safe?” – Othello is losing his reputation and he is completely unaware of it.Othello: “She was false as water”Emilia to Othello: “Thou art rash as fire”
Describe the Character of Iago? IAGO is the engine of the play and masterfully thinks of many villainous plans, which are all successful, and he has skill in persuasion and trickery. All of the characters fall prey to his manipulation as many characters call him ‘honest’ on numerous occasions. He is good at switching masks, from the good friend to the nasty, plotting man. He is proud of his abilities and takes great glee when he sees all of his plans work, he is confident he can take down Othello, and he does. His motives for taking Othello down is firstly due to his jealousy of Cassio gaining the position of lieutenant, also as he believes Othello to have slept with Emilia and I think once these motives have set the wheel rolling, it became motiveless and just an enjoyment for his trickery. He doesn’t seem to have any real friends, as he clearly just uses everyone around him, we therefore don’t see any soft side to Iago, he is just 100% villain who remains this way throughout the play.Roderigo as Iago stabs him: “O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!”
Iago’s Pride Quotes? Iago: “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place”Iago: “From this time forth I never will speak word” – he doesn’t speak again for the rest of the play, won’t even explain the motive of his actions to the others. The others are so far beneath him they don’t deserve to know, probably won’t understand his complex mind.Iago: “The Moor already changes with my poison” – “But with a little act upon the blood / Burn like the mines of sulphur”Iago: “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse” – about Roderigo after he has him trapped in his persuasion.
Iago’s Nasty Nature Quotes? Iago: “I hate the Moor”Iago: “I follow him to serve my turn on him”Iago: “Call up her father / Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight”Iago: “an old black ram / is tupping your white ewe”Iago: “I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs”Iago to Emilia: “Villainous w.h.o.r.e!” – when she starts to tell of what happened with the handkerchief – key knowledge for finding out Desdemona’s innocence.Iago to Desdemona & Emilia: “You rise to play and go to bed to work” – sexist language – women’s only use is for sex. Iago: “It is a common thing – to have a foolish wife” Once he has the handkerchief: “Go, leave me” and she leaves – acts hatefully towards his own wife.
Iago’s Revenge Against Othello Quotes Iago: “The Moor is of a free and open nature / And will as tenderly be led by th’nose / As asses are” – plan created – make Othello believe in Desdemona having sex with Cassio.Iago aims to put Othello: “At least into a jealousy so strong / That judgement cannot cure”Iago: “Ha? I like not that” – 1 line and Othello leaps on it, having also seen Cassio just depart from his wife guiltily. Iago: “That he would steal away so guilty-like / Seeing your coming”Othello to Iago, trying to find out his thoughts about Desdemona and Cassio: “What dost thou think?” Iago: “Think, my lord?” – Iago perhaps stalling for time, trying to make sure it’s done right, not too quick to accuse Cassio OR trying to be a good friend to Cassio = no reason to doubt his words.Othello: “Thou dost conspire against thy friend, Iago” – Iago has to back-track quickly or risk becoming a suspect + fail his plan, so changes the subject but not completely – “I confess it is my nature’s plague” – “Oft my jealousy / Shapes faults that are not”Iago: “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy: / It is a green-eyed monster” – makes Othello doubt himself rather than Iago anymore.Iago: “Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio” – he purposely doesn’t explain why, still not wanting to incriminate his friend – further shows this with, “Cassio’s my worthy friend”Iago: “The Moor already changes with my poison” – “But with a little act upon the blood / Burn like the mines of sulphur”Iago: “To be direst and honest is not safe” – has to stop Othello’s threats or he might be in the line of fire so uses Othello’s doubts, who wants Iago to talk truthfully as he thinks to him. It works.Iago takes ‘honesty’ to the next level, claims Cassio in his sleep cried: “O sweet creature!” and goes into detail on Cassio kissing Iago in his sleep, to mimic his dream of kissing Desdemona. – It is a ridiculous claim, a dangerous one. Maybe Iago is testing the waters to see how much Othello will believe, he responds with “O monstrous! monstrous!” It works. OR Iago is using the detail and preposterousness of it to make it hard to think that it was made up – ALSO clever making Cassio do this in his sleep – he cannot deny these claims being asleep.Iago encourages Othello’s murderous thoughts, no need to tread carefully anymore now that Othello is certain: “strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” – Othello pretty much does this.
Iago’s Manipulation and Lies Quotes? Iago: “We have reason to cool our raging motions” (impulses, emotions) – links to how Iago gets his revenge on Othello, rendering him unable to use reason.Iago to Roderigo: “Come, be a man” – “If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst” – Iago’s persuasive + exploitation of Roderigo’s weaknesses, links to him getting him to do something very dangerous in attacking Cassio. Iago: “Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him” – The result of Iago’s persuasion – first time we see Iago’s powers – even though Roderigo wouldn’t have taken much persuading, Iago goes all the way.Iago: “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse” – about Roderigo after he has him trapped in his persuasion.Iago: “I had rather have this tongue out from my mouth / Than it should do offence to Michael Cassio / Yet I persuade myself, to speak the truth” – acting like a good friend to Cassio. Iago: “But men are men: the best sometimes forget” – part of his plan to persuade the others to think him a kind man, and good friend to Cassio.Iago: “Reputation is a most idle and false imposition” (something imposed on by others) – to try to make Cassio feel betterIago: “confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again” – Iago putting stage 2 of his plan into action, to sow the seeds of doubt, but doing it under the ruse of him being a good friend and merely giving advice to help him. Also, he knows Desdemona’s weakness, her kindness and trust in others.Iago blames Bianca for Cassio getting stabbed: “I do suspect this trash”
Iago’s Doubts/Motives Quotes? Iago about Othello: “that ‘twixt my sheet / He has done my office: I know not if’t be true” – doubts about Othello having sex with his wife – trying to justify further his hatred? He makes the conclusion to act against Othello as if he had definitely done this.Iago: “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leapt into my seat” – repeating his thoughts that Othello has cuckolded him. Goes on to say: “Till I am evened with him, wife for wife”Iago: “Now, whether he kill Cassio / Or Cassio him… Every way makes my gain” – Iago finds himself in a win, win situation in getting Roderigo to attack Cassio.
Describe the Character of Desdemona? DESDEMONA is the innocent and kind wife of Othello’s. She is submissive to Othello’s will apart from when she decides to get Cassio his position back, there she is determined to succeed in her kind act for a friend. Her loyalty to Othello is unusually high, and even when he kills her, she doesn’t blame him, and she lies to Emilia for his sake (just like Emilia lied to Desdemona for Iago’s sake). She remains true to herself until the end and doesn’t fall to Othello constantly trying to make her admit to cheating on him.
Desdemona Quotes? Brabantio: “So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy curlèd dearling of our nation” Desdemona: “I do perceive here a divided duty”Desdemona lies to Othello about the handkerchief: “It is not lost” – Othello keeps asking Desdemona about the handkerchief, while Desdemona keeps mentioning Cassio and getting his position back, “You’ll never meet a more sufficient man”Desdemona: “I have not deserved this”Desdemona: “Your wife, my lord, your true and loyal wife”Desdemona: “What ignorant sin have I committed?” – she still hasn’t been told after all of this.Willow Song that Desdemona sings, sad, about a woman lamenting lost love, originally a song about a man whose wife betrayed him cruelly. – Desdemona’s aunt died singing it – foreshadowing her death.Desdemona pleading for time: “Kill me tomorrow, let me live tonight!” “But half an hour!” “But while I say one prayer!”Desdemona: “O falsely, falsely murdered!”Desdemona: “A guiltless death I die”Desdemona: “Nobody: I myself. Farewell” – Final words are lying for Othello’s sake to Emilia that she wasn’t killed by him.
Describe the Character of Emilia? EMILIA is the feminist voice of the play and wife to the most abominable man ever. She is mistreated by Iago throughout the play, who has dominance over her, as all the husbands in this play do, but she does notice the unfairness of it all, where Desdemona doesn’t really in her innocence. Her view on men in general is negative but she also believes male and females to be equal, despite it being a patriarchal society. At the end, she becomes the bringer of truth and sheds light onto the others of Iago’s falsehoods, which brings about her demise as she anger Iago in doing this and he kills her.
Emilia Quotes? Emilia: “I am glad I have found this napkin” … “I nothing but to please his fantasy” (Iago’s desires).Iago: “It is a common thing – to have a foolish wife” Once he has the handkerchief: “Go, leave me” and she leaves.Emilia lies to Desdemona about the handkerchief: “I know not, madam”Emilia: “They eat us hungerly, and when they are full / They belch us” – talking about how men treat women but could also link to her relationship with Iago.Emilia to Othello about Desdemona being, “honest, chaste, and true”Emilia: “If any wretch have put this in your head / Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!” – Ironic as her husband is this ‘wretch’.Emilia: “But I do think it is their husbands’ faults / If wives do fall”Emilia: “And have not we affections? Desires for sport? And frailty, as men have?” – Emilia’s feminist speak, men and women aren’t much different, not in accordance with the way they are treated.Emilia: “O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil!”Emilia: “My husband?” – she repeats this 3 times when she finds out what her Iago has done purposely.Emilia, after Iago tells her to shut up: “I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak”Emilia: “‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now” “I will not” – in her despair she cares not for the patriarchal rules in society, she becomes the speaker of truth.Emilia starts to sing the Willow Song on her deathbed but can’t remember the words. She instead says: “So speaking as I think, alas, I die”
Describe the Character of Cassio? CASSIO is the lieutenant of Othello’s, which starts off the chain of events with Iago wanting that position. He also succumbs to Iago’s persuasion and gets drunk, and then listens to Iago’s advice to enlist Desdemona for help. He is ignorant but as are the rest of the characters in the play. He ends up with all the power and the power to decide Iago’s fate.
Cassio Quotes? Cassio: “I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking” – Cassio’s weakness but I think Iago already knows this, or if not, he uses this very wisely into his plan.Othello: “Cassio, I love thee / But never more be officer of mine” – Iago’s plan succeeds, Othello falls into this trap but doesn’t have much choice either after Cassio’s actions.Cassio: “Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!” – perhaps Cassio’s weakness number 2, desperate for his position back + easy for Iago to manipulate.Cassio: “I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial” – further showing Cassio’s despair at losing his reputation.Cassio: “O, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!” – about wine/alcohol – Cassio blames the drink, no blame on Iago at all.
Describe the Character of Brabantio? BRABANTIO is Desdemona’s very racist father, who is distraught on hearing that she has married a Moor (an African), and he ends up dying later on in his uncontrollable grief. Othello is unable to win him over with his story of how Desdemona fell in love with him. He hates that Desdemona chose Othello over him and goes as far as to warn Othello that Desdemona might deceive him too, even though this is clearly not in her nature. I have doubts over how well he really knows his daughter, and he sees her how he wants her to be, not how she is.
Brabantio Quotes? Brabantio: “O thou foul thief”Brabantio: “Where hast thou stowed my daughter?”Brabantio: “A maiden never bold… To fall in love with what she feared to look on!”Brabantio: “She is abused, stol’n from me and corrupted / By spells and medicines”Brabantio: “So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy curlèd dearling of our nation” Brabantio: “my particular grief / Is of so flood-gate and o’erbearing nature / That it engluts and swallows other sorrows / And it is still itself”Brabantio: “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee”
Describe the Character of Roderigo? RODERIGO is a vulnerable ‘friend’ of Iago’s, who is in love with Desdemona and shares Iago’s hatred of Othello for this reason. He perhaps has suicidal thoughts, which is where Iago takes control of him in this weakness and Roderigo becomes Iago’s lackey who does everything he commands, although this sometimes takes a bit of persuading. He attacks Cassio on Iago’s orders and manages to wound him but is also wounded in return, which is where Iago takes advantage of the situation and finishes him off as Roderigo becomes dangerous as he knows the truth about Iago. Roderigo is the first to find out about Iago’s deception but dies pretty much straight after this.
Roderigo Quotes? Roderigo: “I will incontinently drown myself” (immediately) – vulnerability or just expression of his emotions and anger?Roderigo: “It is silliness to live when to live is torment”Iago to Roderigo: “Come, be a man” – “If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst” – Iago’s persuasive + exploitation of Roderigo’s weaknesses, links to him getting him to do something very dangerous in attacking Cassio. Roderigo as Iago stabs him: “O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!”
September 3, 2019