| Preferment goes by letter and affection,And not by old graduation, where each secondStood heir to th’ first | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: RoderigoImportance: Iago speaks of Cassio’s promotion. A job promotion is made by favoritism, not by who SHOULD be next in line to get the job |
| O sir content you…We cannot all be masters, nor all mastersCannot be truly followed…Do well thrive by them, and when they have lined their coats,do themselves homeage…I am not what I am | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: RoderigoImportance: Iago says that not everyone can be masters, and not all masters are to be followed. There are some followers, such as himseld, that will stay by their masters side until they get what they want and then leave.Iago then states he isn’t who he appears to be with an allusion to the bib;e (I am: God // Not what I am: Devil) |
| Even now, now, very now, an old black ramIs tupping your white ewe. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: BrabantioImportance: compares Othello to an animal to show |
| From hence trust not your daughter’s mindsBut what you see them act | Speaker: Brabantio Spoken to: RoderigoImportance: “don’t trust what a woman says, only what she does” shows how sexist Brabantio is |
| Not I; I must be foundMy parts my title, and my perfect soulShall manifest me rightly. It is they? | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: IagoImportance: Othello’s pride and honesty is an illusion to Jesus in the garden, He has nothing to hide |
| By Janus, I think no | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: (Janus= two faced God) Illusion to Janus |
| Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy,So opposite to marriage that she shunnedThe wealthy curled darlings of our nation,Would ever have t’ incur a general mock,Run from her guárdate to the sooty bosomOf such thing as thou-to fear, not to delight | Speaker: BrabantioSpoken to: OthelloImportance: Brabantio says that it is unnatural for Des to go to a black and by doing so, she is degrading the Family name. He has no intention of giving marriage rights to anyone |
| She loved me for the dangers I have passedAnd I loved her that she did pity thenThis only is the witchcraft I have usedHere comes the lady, Let her witness it | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: Duke, BrabantioImportance: This “love” between Othello and Des is really Des pitying Othello and Othello loving her for pitying him |
| I never found a man that knew how to love himself | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: RoderigoImportance: In order to use someone, you find their vulnerability, this shows how manipulative he is |
| Virtue? A fig! ‘Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners. So that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many—either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with industry—why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most prepost’rous conclusions. But we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts. Whereof I take this that you call love to be a sect or scion. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: RoderickImportance: Iago uses a half truth; although we control parts of our gardens, there are “weeds” that grow and we cannot control everything that grows in the garden. He goes in by saying to love is to show a weakness, and he uses inquivocation to manipulate Roderigo |
| I hate the moor;And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheetsWas done my office. I know not if’t be true;Yet I, for ere suspicion in that kind,Will do as if for surety | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: Audience (breaks fourth wall)Importance: He believes that Othello slept with Emilia, so he hates him |
| Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: Audience (breaks fourth wall)Importance: allusion to bible- Jesus Christ is the light of the world and Devil is the darkness of the worldMonstrous birth: birth of the planIago knows his plan is evil, but does not care showing how morally wrong he is |
| Come one, come on! You are pictures out of doorsBella in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchenSaints in your injuries, devils being offended,Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: DesdemonaImportance: Shows Iago’s sexism. Believes women are obedient to the world but wild in their own homes and are only good for bed |
| Nay, It is true, or else I am a Turk: You rise to play, and to go to bed to work | Iago to |
| How if fair and foolish | Emilia to Iago |
| But sir, be you ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice. Watch you to-night; for the command, I’ll lay’t upon you. Cassio knows you not. | Iago to Roderigo |
| Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul but I do love thee! and when I love thee not, chaos is come again. | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: IagoImportance: |
| My lord, you know I love you. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: “kissass” game Iago plays that makes Othello favor him because he seems to praise Othello |
| Men should be what they seem; or those that be not, would they might seem none! | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: dramatic/situational irony (bc that’s Iago’s situation)—if they’re not who they seem to be, they better do it well |
| Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls. Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: Iago repeats what Cassio said to him to Othello. He while he told Cassio not to worry about reputation and that a man makes his own reputation, he tells Othello what Cassio said (that reputation is important and other people see reputation)—reputation is most valuable |
| Poor and content is rich, and rich enough; but riches fineless is as poor as winter to him that ever fears he shall be poor. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: person who’s poor and contented is rich enough. But infinite riches are nothing to someone who’s always afraid he’ll be poor |
| That we can call these delicate creatures ours, and not their appetites! I had rather be a toad and live upon the vapor of a dungeonthan keep a corner in the thing I love for others’ uses. | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: IagoImportance: Othello reflects his jealousy and his gullible trait—he says they can call women their wives but their wives still may have other desires, and that he would rather be a toad in a moldy basement than have only part of his wife that’s being shared with others |
| But men are men; the best sometimes forgetThough Cassio did some little wrong to himAs men in rage strike those that wish them bestYet surely Cassio I believe recievedFrom him that fled some strange Indignitywhich patience could not pass | speaker: Iagospoken to: Othelloimportance: explains the events to Othello in a way that makes him seem like he is downplaying the event to save Cassio (when he is actually doing the opposite) |
| Reputation is an idle and most false imposition | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: CassioImportance: Says that a reputation does not reflect who you are as a person, just how people perceive you to be(Iago) has his false reputation of being loyal |
| It hath pleased the devil drunkenness to give place to the devil wrath | speaker: Cassiospoken to: Iagoimportance: shows that Cassio is a man who does not know how to love himself |
| O strange! every inordinate cup is unblest, and the ingredient is a devil | Speaker: CassioSpoken to: Iagoimportance: he is too ashamed to show himself to Othello, proving just how much Cassio hates himself |
| Trifles light as air are to thr jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: EmiliaImportance: Iago talks about his plan to get Othello jealous over Desdemonda about the missing handkerchief. He says that, in the eyes of a jealous man, a trivial thing such as losing a handkerchief means a lot. |
| He that is robbed, not wanting what is stol’n, let him not know’t, and he’s not robbed at all. | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: IagoImportance: Othello worries over Desdemona and Cassio. He says that if he was robbed of Desdemona and didn’t kow about it, it would seem that he wouldn’t have been robbed at all (bc he has no idea). |
| O, that the slave had forty thousand lives! One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. Now do I see ’tis true. Look here, Iago: all my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. ‘Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! | Speaker: OthelloSpoken to: IagoImportance: Othello’s transformation into a devil—”40000 lives for 40000 revenges” (he wants to kill Cassio). He swears that all the care and love he held is gone and he is now empty and evil. |
| Witness, you ever-burning lights above, you elements that clip us round about, witness that here Iago doth give up the execution of his wit, hands, heart to wronged Othello’s service! Let him command, and to obey shall be in me remorse, what bloody business ever. | Speaker: IagoSpoken to: OthelloImportance: basically a summary of Iago’s marriage vows to Othello, swearing his codependent relationship with Othello (he and Othello depend on each other and have each others backs) |
| My lord is not my lord; nor should I know him, | Speaker: DesdemonaSpoken to: CassioImportance: Desdemona is in distress over Othello’s sudden agitation. She expresses that she doesn’t know “this side” of Othello, and says that it’s not like him. |
| But jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. ‘Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself. | Speaker: EmiliaSpoken to: DesdemonaImportance: Emilia speaks directly about Othello’s jealousy. She says that men aren’t jealous because of something, they are jealous because they overthink and their own minds cause themselves to become jealous. She describes the sudden, very negative jealousy as a “monster born on itself” |
| If she be fair and wise, fairness and witthat one’s for use, the other useth it | speaker: Iagospoken to: Desdemonaimportance: neither beauty nor brains can get along without the other |
| How if she be black and witty? | speaker: Desdemonaspoken to: Iagoimportance: Tests Iago with his previous statement of “fair and wise,” by asking what if a woman is smart and black |
| How if Fair and Foolish? | speaker: Emiliaspoken to: Iagoimportance: what if a woman is white and foolish?Emilia partially talks about herself |
| there’s none so foul and foolish thereuntobut does foul pranks which fair and wise ones do | speaker: Iagospoken to: Emilia/ Desdemonaimportance: all women act/are the same |
| With as little a web as this will Iensnare as great a fly as Cassio | speaker: Iagospoken to: himself/ audienceimportance: Iago will weave a web for Cassio by telling othello that cassio and desdemona had an affair |
| Now do I love her tooNot out of absolute lust, though peradventureI stand accountant for as great a sinBut partly led to diet my revenge | speaker: Iagospoken to: audience (4th wall)importance: He “loves” Desdemona, but mainly only for revenge on Othello (he thinks that Othello and Emilia had an affair) |
| I have very poorand unhappy brains for drinking | speaker: Cassiospoken to: Iagoimportance: Clearly tells Iago that he cannot hold his liquor (weakness- perfect plan for Iago) |
| Touch me not so nearI had rather have this tongue cut from my mouthThat it should do offense to Michael CassioYet I persuade myself, to speak the truthShall nothing wrong him. Thus it is, general | speaker: Iagospoken to: Othelloimportance: shows his fake friendship towards Cassio by pretending to be against saying anything bad towards Cassio, and then admitting everything |
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Othello Quotes up to Act 3
September 1, 2019