| “For naught did I in hate, but all in honor” (Vii347) | Othello-Lodovico; Othello says that everything he has done was a result of him trying to sustain his honor, and not that he truly hated Desdemona. |
| “Her honor is an essence that’s not seen;/ They have it very oft that have it not” (IVi19-20) | Iago-Othello; Things are not always what they seem to be. Iago is hinting that Desdemona is not being completely honest with Othello and is hiding something. |
| “Work on,/My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught,/ And many worthy and chaste dames are even thus,/ All guiltless, meet reproach” (IVi53-57) | Iago-Iago; The soliloquy shows Iago congratulating himself for “poisoning” Othello with his lies, tainting his view on life by making him extremely jealous and want to kill Desdemona. |
| “For I will make him tell the tale anew -/Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when/ He hath and is again to cope your wife” (IVi99-101) | Iago-Othello; Iago is explaining to Othello that when he captures Cassio, he will force Cassio to tell him what he has done with Othello’s wife during their affairs. This strengthens the trust between Othello and Iago. |
| “If that the earth could teem with woman’s tears,/Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile” (IVi274-275) | Othello-Desdemona; Othello is telling Desdemona that he does not believe her, no matter how much she cries and begs. |
| “If any wretch have put this in your head,/Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!” (IVii16-17) | Emilia-Othello; Emilia is stating that whoever is trying to trick Othello should be punished by God, for that person is a villain. Irony being that the villain is her husband Iago. |
| “Oh thou weed,/Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet/That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born!” (IVii77-80) | Othello-Desdemona; Othello is stating that Desdemona is not what she seems to be on the outside, that there is some evil within. Othello then wishes that she had never been born, being that he believes she is ruining his life. |
| “If any such there be, Heaven pardon him!/A halter pardon him! And Hell gnaw his bones!” (IVii158) | Desdemona&Emilia-Iago; Desdemona and Emilia are telling Iago that Othello needs all of the help he can get, that he can be changed back to his passive self, and that whoever is tricking Othello should be spited by God. Again Ironic due to the villain being the one they are talking to. |
| “Faith, I have heard too much, and your words and performances are no kin together” (IVii213-214) | Roderigo-Iago; Roderigo expresses his annoyance in still not having won Desdemona’s heart. Roderigo is beginning to see that Iago is not staying true to his word. |
| “The world’s a huge thing. It is a great price/for a small vice” (IViii78-79) | Emilia-Desdemona; On the topic of cheating on husband’s, Emilia says cheating is not that big of a deal if one looks at life as a whole. |
| “The ills we do, their ills instruct us so” (IViii115) | Emilia-Desdemona; Emilia suggests that the bad things women do are just a result of the bad things men do, it is an influenced action. |
| “Now, whether he kill Cassio,/Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,/Every way makes my gain” (Vi13-15) | Iago-Iago; Iago sees that no matter who wins in the fight between Cassio and Roderigo, he will benefit. If Roderigo dies, Iago will get Roderigo’s fortune. If Cassio dies, Iago will gain the position of Lieutenant and more of Othello’s trust. |
| “Oh damned Iago! Oh, inhuman dog!” (Vi74) | Roderigo-Iago; Roderigo realizes that he has been played by Iago, and that Iago is a selfish liar, and has always been one. |
| “This is the night/that either makes me or fordoes me quite” (Vi150-151) | Iago-Iago; Iago knows that Cassio fighting Roderigo will make Othello believe that Iago is holding his promise on attacking Cassio, and that Othello will then kill Desdemona. |
| “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men./Put out the light, and then put out the light./If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,/I can again they former light restore,/Should I repent me” (Vii6-10) | Othello-Othello; Othello believes he must kill Desdemona instead of letting her go, being that she may cheat on another man. Also, Othello believes that Desdemona is replaceable to him. |
| “I would not kill thy unprepared spirit” (Vii36) | Othello-Desdemona; The final sign of respect, Othello tells Desdemona that she must ready her soul before he kills her. |
| “Nobody, I myself. Farewell” (Vii152) | Desdemona-Emilia; Desdemona stays loyal to Othello all the way to death, telling Emilia that she committed suicide, and that it was not Othello. |
| “I told him what I thought, and told no more/Than what he found himself was apt and true” (Vii212-213) | Iago-Emilia; Iago twists the truth to say instead of lying he was just speaking his mind to Othello, which ended up making him jealous. |
| “O! O! O!” (Vii235) | Othello-All Present; Othello expresses his regret for killing Desdemona and believing Iago’s lies. |
| “Let heaven and men and devils, let them all,/All, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak” (Vii262-263) | Emilia-Iago; Emilia is about to snitch on Iago for what he has done being that it was morally inhumane. |
| “But why should honor outlive honesty? Let it go all” (Vii293) | Othello-Emilia; Othello states that he sees no reason to live on honor if he has lost his by killing Desdemona and believing Iago. |
| “Then you must speak/ Of one who loved not wisely but too well,/ Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,/ Perplexed in extreme, of one whose hand,/Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away/ Richer that all his tribe” (Vii403-408) | Othello-All; If you’re being fair, you’ll have to describe me as someone who loved too much, but who wasn’t wise about it. I was not easily made jealous, but once I was tricked and manipulated, I worked myself into a frenzy. Describe me as a fool who threw away a precious pearl with his own hands, like a silly Indian who didn’t know what it was worth. |
Othello Acts 4&5 Quote Packet
July 17, 2019