key quotes by themes Flashcards
“I am not what i am”
Iago utters these words in conversation with Roderigo, thereby signaling that he is not all that he appears to be. However, Iago’s words also contain a deeper, more subversive message. the phrase “i am not what i am” serves as a parodic allusion to a well-known biblical quote from Exoduc 3:14, in which Moses asks God his name and God offers an enigmatic response: “i am that i am”. By transforming God’s words into a negative formulation, Iago indicates his identity as a diabolical figure
“The Moor is of a free and open nature
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by th’nose As asses are”
Iago delivers these lines in his solilguy at the end of Act 1. He begins his speech by declaring his intention to manipulate Roderigo for his own gain. Iago then turns his attention to Othello and his hatred for the man. Much like Roderigo, who believes too readily in Iago’s friendship, he will use Roderigo, exploiting the man’s naïve belief in the reality of appearances to lead him, “Like a trusting donkey” to his own destruction
“Men should be what they seem,
Or those that be not, would they might seem none!”
Iago says these words to Othello during a discussion of Cassio’s trustworthiness. Given Iago’s previous claims about his own deviousness, these words have an ironic ring. Iago’s words are doubly ironic, in fact, since he espouses the truism not just to cover up his own treachery, but also to cause Othello to doubt Cassio’s honesty. The kind of duplicity Iago demonstrates here points to his deep-seated cynicism about the world. It also serves as a warning to the audience to remain wary of appearances.
“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse,
For I mine own gained knowledge should profane
If I would time expend with such a snipe
But for my sport and profit.”
Iago makes this confession to the audiences immediately after he sends Roderigo off to sell his land. Although he ostensibly convinces Roderigo to amass a small fortune for his own personal advancement, Iago makes it clear here that he intends to manipulate Roderigo in such a way that he will essentially function as Iago’s “purse.” Iago’s confession is the first moment in the play where he indicates the depth of his treachery. No one—even those apparently on his side—will be spared from his plot.
“And, good
lieutenant, I think you think I love you.”
Iago speaks to Cassio in these lines. As implied by his use of the phrase “good lieutenant,” the surface meaning of these words has a positive ring. Essentially, Iago tells him, “I think you know I am your friend.” However, Iago’s recursive use of “think” also conceals a deceptive second meaning. To say “I think you think I love you” implies love without actually expressing it. In a single move, then, Iago both comforts Cassio and undermines his trust.
“So will I turn her virtue into pitch
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.”
Iago utters these lines at the end of a soliloquy in which he further develops his treacherous plot against Othello. Here, he speaks specifically of Desdemona and how he plans to turn her goodness against her. Iago uses two ill-matched metaphors. He initially wants to “turn her virtue into pitch,” which is a sticky, black, tar-like substance. But in mid-sentence Iago shifts from sticky pitch to the image of a web in which he can ensnare all of his enemies. Iago’s treachery runs so deep that he cannot even commit to a single metaphor!
“How poor are they that have not patience!
What wound did ever heal but by degrees?
Thou know’st we work by wit and not by witchcraft,
And wit depends on dilatory time.”
In response to Roderigo’s frustration with how slowly Iago’s plot is unfolding, Iago stresses the importance of patience. Iago knows that in order for any plan to work, one must be willing to wait for the right opportunities. Being able to spot the right opportunity depends on one’s wit, and wit, Iago emphasizes, “depends on dilatory time”—that is, time that moves slowly. Much like Roderigo, the audience is also subject to Iago’s dilatory time. We, too, must patiently watch as his treacherous plot plays out, and the slowness of its unfolding only makes it that much more tense.
“In happy time, Iago.”
Cassio utters these words upon Iago’s entrance. Cassio has just asked the Clown to notify Emilia, Iago’s wife, that he would like to speak with her. When Iago appears immediately after the Clown exits, Cassio tells him that he’s come “in happy time”—that is, at just the right moment. Although apparently unimportant, the temporal expression Cassio uses in this line has an ironic significance, particularly given Iago’s previous discussion of the importance of waiting for the right moment to act. It would seem that Iago’s timing is, as always, impeccable, and his impeccable timing proves crucial to his success.
“My lord, I would I might entreat your honor
To scan this thing no farther. Leave it to time.”
With Othello fretting over the idea of Desdemona’s betrayal and deception, Iago tells him that he should try to take his mind off the subject. As always, Iago speaks with a concealed sense of irony. He knows that telling Othello to stop thinking about Desdemona will only make him think about the matter even more anxiously. Furthermore, Iago’s suggestion that Othello leave the matter “to time” has a deeply sinister ring to it. Since Iago has a specific vision of how events will play out if they go according to plan, he knows precisely what crisis “time” will bring.
“Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.”
As Iago makes insinuations about Desdemona’s adultery and Othello pressures him to reveal what he knows, Iago warns Othello against succumbing to jealousy. Of course, Iago issues this warning with a false earnestness. That is, he knows that saying the word “jealousy” and conjuring an offensive visual image will intensify Othello’s concern. Iago’s anthropomorphizing of jealousy as a “green-eyed monster” is famous, and his use of the color green stems from a Renaissance belief that green was a “bilious hue,” linked to an imbalance of the humors that caused fear and jealousy.
“But jealous souls will not be answered so.
They are not ever jealous for the cause,
But jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster
Begot upon itself, born on itself.”
Emilia says these words to Desdemona in an attempt to explain the irrational nature of jealousy. Even though jealous individuals may state specific reasons for their jealousy, jealousy has no cause but itself. In other words, jealous people are inherently jealous. Emilia signals the circularity of this logic with the confounding image of jealousy as a monster that gives birth to itself. Emilia’s image recalls Iago’s “green-eyed monster.” It also recalls the ancient symbol of the ouroboros, which depicts a snake swallowing its own tail and therefore stuck in a self-perpetuating loop.
“Trifles light as air
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ.”
Iago delivers these lines in a short soliloquy where he informs the audience of his plan to plant Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room. Here, the handkerchief is the “trifle light as air.” In itself the handkerchief signifies nothing. However, knowing that Othello’s jealousy has already ramped up, Iago predicts that he will overestimate the handkerchief’s significance, taking it as a “proof of holy writ”—that is, as evidence direct from the Bible.
“Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore;
Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof,
Or, by the worth of mine eternal soul
Thou hadst been better have been born a dog
Than answer my waked wrath!”
In response to Iago’s insinuations about Desdemona’s adultery, Othello demands “ocular proof”—that is, evidence that will visually verify the allegation against his wife. Othello’s emphasis on the need for Iago to “prove [his] love a whore” demonstrates his commitment to justice. However, Othello’s commitment to law and reason also comes into direct conflict with his emotional and irrational response to Iago’s rumormongering. This conflict disrupts Othello’s otherwise black-and-white understanding of the world and leads to disastrous consequences.
“It is the cause; it is the cause, my soul.
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars;
It is the cause.”
Othello utters these words as he enters Desdemona’s chambers with the intent to kill. His refrain of “the cause, the cause” indicates his need to convince himself of the justness of his planned actions. However, this refrain also recalls Emilia’s words earlier in the play, where she claimed that jealous individuals “are not ever jealous for the [stated] cause.” In this light, Othello’s insistence on “the cause” may serve to conceal his innate jealousy and thereby subvert his commitment to legal procedure.
“O perjured woman, thou dost stone my heart,
And mak’st me call what I intend to do
A murder, which I thought a sacrifice.”
Othello addresses these lines to Desdemona. His word choice here once again signals his commitment to the law. Calling Desdemona a “perjured woman,” he implies that by denying the allegations against her she has lied under oath. Desdemona’s supposed false testimony has dire consequences for Othello’s interpretation of her death. Whereas he sees her execution as lawfully necessary and therefore “a sacrifice,” if she is actually speaking the truth it would make him a murderer. The uncertainty she causes in him turns his heart to stone.
