Othello and Cassio demand to know why he did it, but Iago refuses to explain and says he will never speak again. Othello, watching his world unravel, asks the men to remember him clearly, his good points and his bad, as "one that lov'd not wisely, but too well.
Lodovico takes charge, giving Othello's house and property to Gratiano, his next of kin by marriage. Cassio will be commander and have the power to sentence Iago, and Lodovico will return to Venice with the sad news.
Desdemona is asleep in her bed as Othello enters, carrying a candle. He is no longer the angry, vengeful husband. His soliloquy is quiet, and he seems to be more an agent of justice than the jealous cuckold. He speaks repeatedly of "the cause. At last, Othello assumes the posture of the tragic hero, grossly wrong in his determination, yet steeling himself to do what he must. Here is what has become of the Othello of earlier acts — a man admirably self-possessed, the master of the situation.
In this soliloquy, there are no references to strumpets or whores, nor to coupling goats or monkeys, nor to any other images which once racked him with jealousy. No longer is he possessed with revenge for his grievously injured pride. There remains, however, a passionate conviction of righteousness in his words — despite his monumental error. He is convinced that he is being merciful in performing a deed that must be done. Thus he will not shed Desdemona's blood instead, he will smother her ; nor will he scar her physical beauty; nor would he, as we learn later, kill her soul.
Yet he will kill her; Desdemona must die, "else she'll betray more men" 6. And there is devastating irony as he says, "Put out the light, and then put out the light" 7 ; Desdemona was once the "light" of his life and, also, light is often equated in Elizabethan dramas with reason, especially right reason, the aim of all men.
Here, however, Othello means to act righteously, but he fails to use his sense of logic or reason; he has condemned Desdemona without proof, without reason. He is torn between his love for her evidenced by his kiss and his resolve to accomplish justice. Desdemona is a "pattern of excelling nature" 11 , yet she is also "cunning" He compares her to a rose which, once plucked, can bloom no more and must wither.
For a moment, his love for her almost persuades "justice" meaning Othello "to break [his] sword" He weeps, but he regains his purpose; Desdemona's beauty is deceptive, he realizes, because it masks her corruption. When Othello's words awaken Desdemona, she begins an agonizing attempt to reason with her husband. The Moor then urges her to pray for forgiveness of any sin within her soul, and she becomes increasingly terrified. This he mistakenly concludes to be additional evidence of her guilt.
He is as convinced of this as she is convinced that Othello is absolutely serious about killing her. Logically, she knows that she should have no cause for fear — she has done no wrong — yet she fears her husband. Othello is not moved in the least by her insistence that she did not give the handkerchief to Cassio. And it is notable throughout this harrowing episode that Othello's language is controlled and elevated.
As Desdemona cries out, first for heaven to have mercy on her and later for God Himself to have mercy on her, Othello voices a solemn "amen" to her prayers and addresses her as a "sweet soul" At this moment, the motive of personal revenge surfaces again within him and replaces controlled justice.
His resolve of self-control breaks when Desdemona calls out for Cassio; he is convinced that he indeed heard Cassio laughing about a sexual liaison with Desdemona. When Desdemona hears that Iago has killed Cassio, her self-control likewise vanishes. She pleads for her life, asking for banishment, asking for at least a day's stay in her execution, at least half a day, but she is overpowered by the Moor.
He smothers her as she begs to say one last prayer. It is at this moment that Emilia arrives outside the door, crying loudly for Othello. The Moor does not answer immediately. From his words, we realize that he is convinced that he is being merciful, if cruel, and that he intends to be sure that his wife is dead.
The monstrosity of what he has done overwhelms him. William Taylor Thom, M. Boston: Ginn and Co. Shakespeare Online. All Rights Reserved. What did the Commedia delle'arte specialize in? What is satire? Evolution or Revolution? Recurring themes, ideas and conventions in the dramas of Ibsen, O'Neill and Shepard.
Throughout the history of drama, playwrights have appropriated the ideas of their predecessors for their own use, sometimes building on them and making the idea their own. American drama is no exception. American drama has its roots firmly entrenched in modern European drama, this is illustrated through the influence of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen on American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The Underworld—an ultimate challenge, facing the darkest parts of human nature or dealing with death e.
Metamorphoses by Ovid—transformation Kafka f. Oedipus: family triangles, being blinded, dysfunctional family g. Cassandra: refusing to hear the truth h.
A wronged woman gone violent in her grief and madness—Aeneas and Dido or Jason and Medea i. The theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth.
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