Othello: Key Theme Quotations (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

Othello: Key Theme Quotations

To access the highest marks for AO1, you need to use “pertinent, direct references from across the text, including quotations”. Remember, then, that there are a number of ways that you can show your understanding of the play: you can provide quotations, but it is equally valid to summarise, paraphrase and reference plot events as well. The highest-mark responses will do a combination of these things by carefully using key quotations and connecting them to ideas from the wider play. For your extract question, it is especially important to be able to locate the extract within the play as a whole and show awareness of the events that precede and follow your extract. 

Below are a selection of helpful quotations accompanied by analysis of language, form, and structure. The analysis uses precise subject terminology that reflects what is expected at the top end of AO2.

Quotes are arranged by three of the most significant themes in the play:

• Jealousy

• Love and relationships

• Race and appearance

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of key quotations from the play; it is simply a selection of some of the most useful examples. Once you know Othello well enough, you will acquire favourite lines and stage directions of your own that allow you to demonstrate your technical understanding.

Jealousy

“Jealous souls will not be answered … They are not jealous for the cause, / But jealous for they’re jealous” - Emilia to Desdemona, Act 3 Scene 4

Meaning and Context

• In Act 3 Scene 4, Emilia attempts to explain to Desdemona the irrational nature of jealousy as Othello begins to show signs of Iago’s influence over him

• Emilia’s cynical perspective is that some individuals are simply inherently jealous, regardless of reason or excuse

Analysis

• These lines are laced with dramatic irony because of what the audience already knows about Emilia’s husband, Iago:

  • Emilia’s words describe Iago’s characterisation:

    • He takes revenge on Cassio and Othello without any genuine “cause” of his own to speak of

  • It is also ironic that Emilia has such an expert understanding of jealousy, but is apparently ignorant of her jealous husband’s villainy

• These words suggest that Othello’s jealousy, once provoked, will fuel itself:

  • The repetition of “jealous” and “jealousy” throughout this exchange gives an aural sense of the never-ending cycle that Emilia describes

• Emilia’s claim that jealousy “will not be answered” foreshadows Iago’s refusal to explain his actions in Act 5 Scene 2:

  • By denying his captors (and the audience) closure in the form of a confession or explanation, he demonstrates his refusal to relinquish or repent for his jealousy:

    • He remains jealous despite achieving his primary aim of disgracing Othello, proving Emilia’s point that jealousy will not be satisfied

Paired Quotations

“The green-eyed monster, which doth mock / The meat it feeds on” - Iago to Othello, Act 3 Scene 3

“a monster / Begot upon itself, born on itself” - Emilia to Desdemona, Act 3 Scene 4

Meaning and Context

• The first of these quotations occurs in Act 3 Scene 3 as Iago begins to plant suspicions about Desdemona’s relationship with Cassio in Othello’s trusting mind

• The second quotation is taken from the conversation between Desdemona and Emilia in Act 3 Scene 4 in which they discuss the nature of jealousy

Analysis

• Iago’s description of jealousy is, ironically, one of the most honest things that Iago says to Othello, even if Othello is unaware of how truthful Iago is being:

  • Iago is, after all, a jealous monster who depends upon the “meat” of Othello’s employment, but mocks and undermines him from the very first scene of the play

• These lines are, on the surface, a warning about the dangers of jealousy:

  • However, Iago’s choice of language seems designed to fuel, not extinguish, the flames of Othello’s jealousy:

    • Iago subtly introduces the idea that Othello is being mocked, an idea that clearly upsets the Moor

    • Othello expresses fury at feeling as though he is the subject of mockery in Act 4 Scene 1, when he mistakes the reason for Cassio’s laughter: “So, so, so, so: they laugh that win”

• Emilia’s line also describes jealousy as something animalistic and all-consuming:

  • She imagines jealousy as a monster that gives birth to itself, reiterating her point that jealousy is self-perpetuating

  • The metaphor also foreshadows Othello’s fate as he succumbs to jealousy:

    • Othello is a victim of Iago’s jealousy, but as his own jealousy is provoked he is “born” into something monstrous himself

“O, it comes o’er my memory / As doth the raven o’er the infectious house” - Othello to Iago, Act 4 Scene 1

Meaning and Context

• In Act 4 Scene 1, Othello descends further into jealousy as Iago infects his mind with images of Desdemona’s imagined infidelity and references to the handkerchief

• Following these lines, Othello falls into a violent epileptic fit

Analysis

• Othello’s simile likens his mind to a plague-stricken house, and reminds the audience that Iago is infecting Othello’s mind:

  • The image recalls Iago’s earlier promise in a soliloquy to “pour this pestilence into his ear” (Act 2 Scene 3)

  • Othello returns to these ideas of sickness and contamination in Act 5 Scene 2:

    • Jealousy and suspicion corrupts Othello’s mind, which in turn results in him killing Desdemona, an act that “poisons sight”

• Othello’s passive language here demonstrates how far he has fallen under Iago’s influence:

  • The sentence structure (“it comes o’er my memory”) suggests that his mind is being acted upon by a deadly external force:

    • This creates an impression of Othello as a victim and emphasises the extent of his suffering

• The symbolism here is an apt piece of foreshadowing:

  • In early modern superstition, ravens were thought to be bad omens, and harbingers of death:

    • The image suggests a tragic outcome for Othello and his “house”

Love and Relationships

“the lusty Moor / Hath leaped into my seat” - Iago, Act 2 Scene 1

Meaning and Context

• Here, Iago explains to the audience his motivation for wanting to discredit Othello

• He claims that there are rumours of Othello having an affair with Emilia, although the audience are never given any reason to think that this might be true

Analysis

• Iago’s words here reveal a great deal about patriarchal attitudes towards women and infidelity:

  • Iago’s sexual jealousy seems to be prompted less by a sense of injustice, and more by competitiveness and possessiveness:

    • Othello displays a similarly possessive quality when he describes Desdemona’s “stolen hours of lust” with Cassio (Act 3 Scene 3)

    • Both men seem to feel as though the have been robbed: their motivation for revenge stems from losing possession of something that they hold dear

    • This covetousness reflects the view in Shakespeare’s England of women as objects; as the property of their fathers and husbands

    • In this patriarchal environment, sleeping with somebody’s wife was seen as akin to theft, and was an attack on the reputation of their husband

• Iago does not present any proof that Othello has slept with Emilia, nor does he seem to believe that he needs to:

  • Shakespeare highlights here how worryingly flimsy motives for revenge can be:

    • Iago’s words here also highlight the dangers of tying one’s reputation entirely to the sexual possession of another

“the ills we do, their ills instruct us so” - Emilia to Desdemona, Act 4 Scene 3

Meaning and Context

• In Act 4 Scene 3, Emilia and Desdemona discuss infidelity in the wake of Othello’s accusations and mistreatment of Desdemona

• While Desdemona cannot understand why women would cheat on their husbands, Emilia’s approach is more pragmatic

Analysis

• Emilia seems to recognise her recognition of the double standards of their patriarchal society:

  • Her argument is that by mistreating their wives, men prompt women to stray:

    • While Emilia’s logic is undeniable, Shakespeare also presents the opposite viewpoint through Desdemona, who is mistreated horribly and yet remains chaste until the very end

  • There is also a tragic aspect to Emilia’s complaint, as she seems to recognise:

    • Even if men are responsible for their wives straying, the inherent misogyny of their society means that the blame and judgement falls upon the women regardless

• This line may also suggest a degree of self-awareness on Emilia’s part as to her relationship with Iago:

  • Emilia does, after all, commit the “ill” of taking Desdemona’s handkerchief at the behest of Iago, who “hath a hundred times / Wooed me to steal it” (Act 3 Scene 3)

    • It is never revealed whether Emilia had any idea about her husband’s intentions with the handkerchief

    • It is implied in Act 5 Scene 2, though, that she suspected at least some of the “ills” that he intended: “I think I smell’t, O villainy!”

Race and Appearance

“Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” - Duke of Venice to Brabantio, Act 1 Scene 3

Meaning and Context

• The Duke of Venice speaks this line in Act 1 Scene 3 after Brabantio voices his objections to Othello’s marriage to his Desdemona

• Brabantio accuses Othello of enchanting his daughter with witchcraft, but the Senate is convinced by the testimony from Othello and Desdemona 

Analysis

• In this line, the Duke defends Othello against Brabantio's accusations that Othello used "magic" on Desdemona: 

  • His use of “black” is therefore ambiguous:

    • The Duke may be suggesting that Othello’s behaviour is not linked to witchcraft: in the early modern imagination, the devil was commonly depicted as a black figure

    • On the other hand, the Duke may be arguing that Othello’s behaviour and nobility give him more in common with the “fair” (i.e. white) Venetians than with the commonly-held stereotypes of black men 

• Deeming Othello “fair” is clearly intended as a compliment, but the Duke's words are also marred by prejudice:

  • The compliment hinges on the idea that blackness has negative connotations:

    • The implication, therefore, is that Othello is "fair" despite the fact that he is black

• The term “black” in Shakespeare’s England referred to a myriad of different skin colours rather than connoting a single race or nationality:

  • Instead, “black” here connotes Othello’s otherness and his status as an outsider:

    • In this sense, the Duke’s compliment, regardless of intent, singles Othello out as a foreign ‘other’

    • The suggestion that he almost fits in implies that, on a fundamental level, he cannot

“I think the sun where he was born / Drew all such humours from him” - Desdemona to Emilia, Act 3 Scene 3

Meaning and Context

• In Act 3 Scene 3 Desdemona praises Othello’s personality to Emilia

• She suggests that his virtuous qualities are a result of his race rather than something to be praised in spite of it

Analysis

• Desdemona’s positive view of Othello’s race and background contrasts with the unforgiving racial stereotypes in early modern England:

  • Shakespeare’s audience would have recognised, and likely believed in, stereotypes of savage black barbarians

• The picture of Othello that Desdemona presents here matches the tone of Othello’s descriptions of himself in Act 1 Scene 3:

  • In defending his marriage to Desdemona, Othello emphasises his nobility and honour while articulating himself with poetic grace:

    • The two lovers are evidently well-matched despite their racial difference

• Ironically, Othello eventually proves himself fully capable of jealousy and savage behaviour:

  • Shakespeare does not suggest at any point, however, that Othello’s failings are linked to his blackness

“Of her own clime, complexion, and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends” - Iago to Othello, Act 3 Scene 3

Meaning and Context

• In these lines, Iago begins to give Othello reason to doubt Desdemona’s chastity by highlighting their differences

• Iago lists, perhaps in order of importance, their different nationalities, skin colours, and social status

Analysis

• Here, Iago’s insinuations about Desdemona’s romantic preferences actually exposes his own prejudicial attitudes towards race and “nature”:

  • These lines suggest that Iago’s hatred for Othello may spring from the fact that Othello courted and married a beautiful Venetian woman:

    • By doing so, Othello behaved as though he was Desdemona’s equal in “degree” (class) and race

    • Othello states as much when he describes Desdemona as “half the wooer” in Act 1 Scene 3

    • This attitude defies the hierarchies of race and social standing in Iago’s Venice and also in Shakespeare’s England

    • To Iago, the union is clearly something unnatural

  • Importantly, however, Othello does not voice any disagreement with Iago’s views on the natural order of things, even if he does not wish to believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful:

    • His silence on this matter (and eventual descent into a jealous madness) suggests that Othello harbours a degree of internalised racism

    • The audience may even infer that Iago voices Othello’s own fears in these lines

• Iago makes his point by using a tripartite list that emphasises the differences between Othello and Desdemona

Sources: 

Shakespeare, William (1975). Othello. Oxford: Clarendon Press