othello 5 Flashcards
“O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!”
Act 5 Scene 1 Roderigo: Very important quote to remember. Of course, it seems that Shakespeare never wishes us to fully understand Iago’s motives. When Othello demands an explanation, Iago is silent. Iago can often be likened to the devil which this quote portrays him as lacking humanity. If Iago is the devil incarnate, pure evil, then he needs no motives other than evil itself. That is his motive. Only human compassion forces us to try to humanize him by projecting the various motives upon him but his silence evidently his true evil has no explanation to offer. Quote shows Roderigo to be a comic figure even though a pitiful one. Only now in death does he realize that Iago has taken everything from Roderigo, his money, his time, his effort, and eventually his life for his own gain.
“This is the night that either makes or fordoes me quite”
Act 5 Scene 1 Iago: Shakespeare is reflecting some of Iago’s weaknesses in this quote. Although throughout the play Iago is constantly portrayed as a somewhat director of a play within a play, ultimately no one is really invincible in the tragic genre.
Act 5 Scene 2 beginning:
Othello’s soliloquy
“My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife”
Shakespeare is trying to show Othello’s confusion; his speech at line 90 is a little disjointed,Admittedly Othello does not confess his own guilt or express remorse here, but he clearly understands what he has lost. That he sees Desdemona’s death as a monumental loss can be confirmed by the fact that he thinks there should now be “‘a huge eclipse / Of sun and moon, and that th’affrighted globe / Should Yawn at alteration’” (lines 97-9). He feels that nature should reflect the chaos he finds himself mired in.
“She’s like a liar gone to burning hell: Twas I that killed her!”
Act 5 Scene 2 Othello: Othello proudly declares that he has killed his wife moments after denying having any knowledge of her death. This is further evidence of the tumultuous state of his mind but also that in denying having done any wrong, his strong conviction and belief that he is in fact merely and agent of justice.
“angel” and “devil”
“water” and “fire”
“blacker devil” and “heavenly true”
Act 5 Scene 2 Othello and Emilia: Through their interaction after Emilia’s discovery of Desdemona’s death, Shakespeare uses antithesis to emphasize the falsehood of Othello’s lies. However, it could also show the incompatibility of Desdemona and Othello, they were too different. This again links to the racist ideas that were common practice at the time.
“O, thou Othello, that wert once so good”
Act 5 Scene 2 Lodovico: The fact that his comes from a the superior and upper class Lodovico heightens the tragedy of the situation. The years that Othello has spent trying to obtain reputation has ultimately been destroyed in the space of a few days.
“I look down towards his feet - but that’s a fable. If that thou be’st a devil, I cannot kill thee”
Act 5 Scene 2 Othello: Iago is finally being seen for what he truly is, a diabolical villain who was able to convince everyone of his honesty, become a trusted confidant and advisor to all whilst at the same time scheming to bring the downfall of Desdemona, Othello and Cassio. Nevertheless Shakespeare keeps this character ambiguous, the fact that Othello is unable to stab him leaves the audience wondering the nature of Iago’s villainy and evil linking him closer to the devil.
summary of act 5
In Act 5 of Othello, the truth about Iago’s manipulation is revealed, leading to Othello’s realization of Desdemona’s innocence; consumed by guilt and grief, Othello murders Desdemona, then, upon discovering Iago’s treachery, takes his own life, leaving the play with a tragic conclusion where the destructive power of jealousy is laid bare
