Othello by William Shakespeare (Act 3 Scene 1-4, pg. 111-167)

Othello by William Shakespeare (Act 3 Scene 1-4, pg. 111-167)

Summary: In Act 3, essentially, Iago’s plan seems to be flawlessly executed as different characters react to events just as Iago had hoped. After arrangements are made, Cassio speaks to Desdemona about his potential for reinstatement, but when Othello approaches, Cassio slinks away to avoid confronting Othello. When Iago and Othello are left alone, Iago discreetly suggests to Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. However, without proof, Othello refuses to believe it. Later, Desdemona binds Othello’s head with a handkerchief to relieve his headache, which later falls to the floor unnoticed. Iago’s wife, Emilia, later finds it and gives it to Iago, not knowing what he may plan with it. Iago then confronts Othello again and tells him that he saw Cassio wiping his beard with that handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona as a gift, suggesting that Desdemona gave it to Cassio. Othello approaches Desdemona asking for the handkerchief, and when she cannot produce it, he is enraged. At this point, Cassio has found the handkerchief in his room placed there by Iago, and asks Bianca to copy it.

Unfamiliar Vocabulary:
Leets: a yearly or half-yearly court of record that the lords of certain manors held
Clime: Region
Importunity: persistence, esp to the point of annoyance or intrusion
Wench: a young girl or woman (or prostitute)
Aspics: a savory jelly, often made with meat stock, used as a garnish, or to contain pieces of food such as meat, seafood, or eggs, set in a mold.
Sequester: isolate or hide away (someone or something)
Castigation: reprimand
Catechize: instruct someone in the principles of Christian religion by means of question and answer, typically by using a catechism.

Quote Analysis

“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. But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed” (129). –Iago

In this quote, Iago says that reputation is the most precious part of their souls. He says that money is fleeting, but that he who robs one of his/her reputation makes the thief not richer but the victim much poorer. This was his response to Othello when Othello pressed him to tell his suspicions about Desdemona and Cassio. In other words, he claimed to not want to speak for fear of speaking falsely and losing his “good name.”

"Villain, be sure to prove my love a whore! Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof, or, by the worth of mine eternal soul, thou hadst better have been born a dog than answer my waked wrath. Make me to see 'it, or at the least so prove that the probation bear no hinge nor loop to hang a doubt on, or woe upon thy life! If thou dost slander her and torture me, never pray more. Abandon all remorse; on horror's head horrors accumulate; do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed; for nothing canst thou to damnation add greater than that" (143). -Othello

After Iago finally tells Othello of his suspicions and provides "proof" (an implicatively fabricated dream and a "gifted handkerchief), Othello cannot bear the thought and lashes out at Iago, despite his previous assurances not to. Already, the reader can see Othello losing his sanity as he cracks and cannot cope with the allegation.

“Tis not a year or two shows us a man. They are all but stomachs, and we but food; they eat us hungerly, and when they are full, they belch us” (159). -Emilia

In this quote, Emilia, Iago’s wife, speaks to Desdemona in realization, as she says that men but use and then dispose of women for their own purposes. This is after Desdemona is rebuked by an angry Othello.