"His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift," Desdemona says of Othello these paradoxes highlight Desdemona's determination to set things right. Othello then swears to have Cassio dead, and to be revenged upon Desdemona for the non-existent affair. Othello is incensed to hear that Desdemona would give away something so valuable, and is persuaded by Iago's insinuations and claims to believe that Desdemona is guilty. Iago knows how important this handkerchief is to Othello it was his first gift to Desdemona, and was given to him by his mother. Othello re-enters, and tells Iago that he now doubts his wife Othello demands "ocular proof" of Desdemona's dishonesty, so Iago makes up stories about Cassio talking in his sleep, and says that Cassio has the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona. Desdemona enters, and they have a brief conversation Othello admits that he is troubled, though he will not state the cause.ĭesdemona drops the handkerchief that Othello gave her on their honeymoon Emilia takes it and gives it to Iago, who decides to use the handkerchief as the key prop in his bitter play. Othello begins to voice his insecurities when it comes to Desdemona, and himself as well.
Soon, Othello begins to doubt his wife, as Iago lets his insinuations gain the force of an accusation against her. Othello seizes on this, and Iago works at building up his suspicions. Iago then plays on Othello's insecurities about Desdemona, and gets Othello to believe, through insinuation, that there is something going on between Desdemona and Cassio. Othello says he will humor her, and the subject is dropped for a while. Othello then speaks to Desdemona, and Desdemona expresses her concern for Cassio she is persistent in his suit, which Othello is not too pleased about. Iago seizes on this opportunity to play on Othello's insecurities, and make Cassio's exit seem guilty and incriminating. Cassio speaks with her briefly, but leaves just as Othello enters because he does not wish for a confrontation.
She tells Emilia so, and that she believes Cassio is a good person, and has been wronged in this case she pledges to do everything she can to persuade her husband to reinstate Cassio. Act III, scene iii: The garden of the castle.ĭesdemona decides that she wants to advocate for Cassio. Othello gives Iago some letters that need to be delivered back to Venice, which Iago is in turn supposed to give to a ship's pilot who is sailing back to Venice. By this point,"honest" has become tainted by its over-association with Iago it has no simple meaning and is a watchword for shady dealings. It is therefore ironic that he refers to Iago as "honest", since Iago is the complete opposite of everything Cassio is. However, the clown in Othello does not reappear he has less personality than Feste, if only because he gets just a brief appearance.Ĭassio seems to be one of the only "honest" people in the play he discloses his plans, his thoughts, and his concerns to Iago, omitting little or nothing. The fool-figure receives money, then goes to do his bidding this is a common set-up for comic relief. As in Twelfth Night, a man entreats a servant to fetch someone hither but since the servant is a clown, there is a bit of frustration and word-play before anything is done. The minor comic relief that is present is reminiscent of Feste's wit in Twelfth Night. Both of these differences make Othello one of Shakespeare's most focused, intense tragedies. Also, there are no subplots running through Othello, as in most Shakespearean plays. Even Hamlet had Polonius and the gravedigger to lighten up certain scenes, but in Othello, there is no relief from the tragedy that unfolds. Othello is unlike other Shakespearean dramas in that there is a scarcity of comic relief, which only appears briefly at the beginning of this short scene. Emilia comes out, and bids Cassio to come in and speak with Desdemona about his tarnished reputation. Iago enters, and Cassio tells him that he means to speak to Desdemona, so that she may clear things up with Othello. The third act begins with a bit of comic relief a clown is mincing words with a few musicians, then has a little wordplay with Cassio, who bids the clown to go and see if Desdemona will speak with him. Buy Study Guide Act III, scene i: Before the castle.
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