Deception
Deception is portrayed as weaponising another’s virtues as vices to expose the dangers of the
Jacobean notion that external appearances are indicators of internal morality
Iago weaponises Cassio’s Florentine culture as flirtatious
‘The divine Desdemona’
Alliterative epithet emphasises Cassio’s view of Desdemona as a paragonic Venetian woman
‘Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, that I extend my manners. ’Tis my breeding that gives me this bold
show of courtesy’
Cassio greeting Emilia w/ kiss in Act 2 Scene 1 communicates urbane Florentine culture; Iago romanticises
these innocent gestures to implicate Cassio, evidencing his ability to weaponize others’ virtues as vices
’With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio’
Symbolism conveys Cassio ignorance to Iago's traducement, making play a tragedy
Pauses in aside, characteristic of his speeches, present Iago as opportunistic improviser instead of executing
preconceived plan therefore showing his innately deceitful nature; this is further illustrated in Act 5 Scene 1 as
Iago stabs Roderigo after he fails to murder Cassio in order to prevent his schemes being exposed
E.A.J Honigmann - ‘Dramatic perspective can even make us the villain's accomplice’
Directorial choice for Iago to break 4th wall in his soliloquies shows he is able to manipulate audience even
when set alone
E.A.J Honigmann - ‘Dramatic perspective can even make us the villain's accomplice’
Iago weaponises Desdemona’s liberality as infidelity
‘She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more
than she is requested.’
Tetracolon and juxtaposition b/w vice and goodness presents Desdemona’s innate virtue which will be
exploited by Iago to ‘undo her credit with the Moor’
‘My lord shall never rest. I’ll watch him tame and talk him out of patience; his bed shall seem a school, his
board a shrift; I’ll intermingle everything he does.’
Parataxis and subsequent stichomythic exchange in Act 3 Scene 3 b/w Othello/Desdemona regarding
‘Cassio’s suit’ creates dramatic irony: audience are aware that Desdemona’s appeals irritate Othello instead of
distracting him from the lost handkerchief
As such Iago is able to ‘turn her virtue into pitch, and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh
them all’
As Desdemona’s name means ill-starred (unlike Cinthio’s tale which names her Disdemona meaning unlucky),
Shakespeare positions her downfall as inevitable; perhaps to reveal flaws of Venetian society where fears of
cuckolding were prevalent and so liberality could easily be misconstrued as infidelity
Iago exploits decadent sexual stereotypes surrounding Venetian women like Bianca
‘O, my dear Cassio, my sweet Cassio, my sweet Cassio, O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio’
Epizeuxis and epithets evidence Bianca’s genuine affection towards Cassio after he had been ‘wounded in the
leg’ by Iago who is able to dismiss her given that she is a courtesan
‘Look you pale, mistress? Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?’
Direct address shows Iago utilises knowledge of decadent sexual stereotypes in Venice by encouraging
Lodovico and Gratiano (men likely influenced by their relative Brabantio’s patriarchal outlook) to view Bianca
as culpable for Cassio’s wounds after he ‘supped at her house’
Bianca’s name means white connoting her virtue, which is illustrated by her genuine affection yet she is
reduced to simplistic perceptions of Venetian courtesans
Communicates suspicions of Jacobean audience towards women in Venice, a hub of prostitution, infamous for
the cortigiana onesta (intellectual courtesan) and cortigiana di lume (lower-class prostitute)
,Deception is portrayed as a product of naivety to encourage audience to become more perceptive
Role of naivety in enabling deception shown by Iago’s exploitation of Roderigo
‘I am changed…I’ll sell all my land’
Monosyllabes accentuate Roderigo’s abrupt shift from contemplating suicide and wallowing in self-pity (due to
his unrequited love for Desdemona) to putting money in his purse within a few lines of Act 1 Scene 3, thereby
underscoring Iago’s manipulation of stoic ideals within male hegemony
‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’
Iago’s shift from prose, associated w/ lower status characters, when addressing Roderigo in Act 1 Scene 3 to
blank verse in his soliloquy demonstrates ability to manipulate rhetoric and reinforces dramatic irony of
Roderigo being a gullible and foolish lover
Roy Kinnear, who played Iago in the 2013 National Theatre production of Othello, stated the tragedy is ‘all the
more overwhelming' because the audience knows about Iago’s evil scheming and are 'powerless to stop it’
‘I have wasted myself out of my means’
Roderigo’s long sentences when confronting Iago in Act 4 Scene 2 contrast short sentences in Act 1 Scene 3
indicating his despair, further conveyed through nasal consonants
Yet Roderigo remains subject to Iago’s will and follows Iago’s advice to kill Cassio in a futile attempt for a
relationship with Desdemona, therefore reinforcing his initial portrayal of cowardice and Iago’s ability to
manipulate stoic ideals
Shakespeare’s creation of Roderigo, absent from Cinthio’s 'Gli Hecatommithi' becomes tool to expose Iago's
deception: Iago’s manipulation becomes disturbingly ordinary as it is manifest through plain dialogue
Deception illustrated through Iago’s early arrival in Cyprus in Act 2 Scene 1
‘Left in the conduct of the bold Iago, whose footing here anticipates our thoughts a se’nnight’s speed’
Iago’s disembarkment in Cyprus w/ Desdemona, a week earlier than expected, symbolises his increasing
control in the new setting
Cyprus’ geographical isolation as an island creates claustrophobic atmosphere mirroring emotional isolation
experienced by Othello and Desdemona in their marriage
Psychoanalytic critics suggest setting of play mirrors Othello’s state of mind: shift from Venetian order to
‘warlike island’ of Cyprus mirrors Othello’s shift from military control to emotional torment
Shakespeare creates irony through setting, likely informed by his education w/ classics, b/c
Othello/Desdemona’s marriage is destroyed in reputed birthplace of goddess of love (Aphrodite)
‘Tis heavy night. These may be counterfeits.’
Pathetic fallacy of dark street in Cyprus in Act 5 Scene 1 reinforces motif of deception and moral darkness
Scene parallels violence from brawl b/w Cassio and Roderigo in Act 2 Scene 3 and confusion from storm in
Act 2 Scene 1 showing Iago’s continuous manipulation of settings to create chaos
Iago ‘entering with a light’ ironically portrays him as source of guidance amidst chaos he engenders
Iago’s sycophancy established in Act 1 Scene 1
‘Others there are who trimmed in forms and visages of duty, keep yet their hearts attending on themselves;
and throwing but shows of service on their loads’
Semantic field of concealment conveys Iago’s obsequity and introduces paradox wherein servitude is requisite to
masterhood, allowing Iago to build credible reputation as Othello’s dutiful subordinate and tragically betray him
‘But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at: I am not what I am’
Declarative statement subverts biblical allusion to Exodus 3:14 highlighting Iago’s twisted morality
Daws symbolise death foreshadowing Iago’s destructive machinations from the beginning
First Folio (published in 1623) expands on Iago’s soliloquies in the play from the Quarto (published in 1622),
showing the importance of his speeches to revealing his deceitful nature
Iago degrades Othello before Brabantio but respects him in his presence in Act 1 Scene 3
‘Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight.'
Asyndetic imperatives in short clauses create exigency and emphasise Iago’s desire to oust Othello
,Opening scene utilises two levels of staging w/ Iago and Roderigo concealed in dark street below Brabantio's
window thereby illustrating mystery surrounding Desdemoma’s elopement and theme of deception
Iago exits stage in Act 1 Scene 1 just as Brabantio confirms his daughter’s absence, remaining anonymous,
unlike Roderigo who reveals his name to Brabantio, showing demonstrating his ability to gradually foster doubt
and confusion
‘Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.’
Semantic field of animals in graphic description degrades Othello’s African ancestry and suggests his
relationship w/ Desdemona will debase Brabantio
Chain of being (hierarchical Christian structure ranking God at top followed by humans, animals and plants)
likely informed Iago’s derogatory animalistic descriptions of Othello therefore dehumanising Moors and
suggesting they are inferior in God’s eyes
Juxtaposes vulnerability and youth of Desdemona w/ perverse exploitation of Othello thereby appealing to
Brabantio's paternal love and audience’s sense of proprietary to calumniate Othello who is ignorant
'For Stephen Greenblatt the explanation for Iago's ability to possess others lies in his empathetic manipulation
of their lives without their understanding that they are being so manipulated'
, Deception is portrayed as fatal to provide cautionary tale to audience
Iago’s use of language causes downfall of Othello’s relationship w/ Desdemona
‘Laid his leg over my thigh, and sighed and kissed, and then cried cursed fate that have thee to the Moor!’
Iago’s unsubstantiated, polysyndetic description, depicting sexual acts performed by Cassio in his sleep,
persuade Othello of Desdemona’s affair w/ Cassio
Act 3 Scene 3 parallels structure of Act 2 Scene 3 as Iago dominates conversation w/ Cassio, though
Roderigo is victimised instead of Desdemona, highlighting his ability to exploit characters’ naivety and
ultimately kindle jealousy from Othello
‘Witness you ever-burning lights above.’
Hyperbolic apostrophe in Act 3 Scene 3 (often called temptation scene) as Iago kneels communicates his
obsequious behaviour, presenting his loyalty to Othello and credibility to audience
Iago’s kneeling w/ and swearing allegiance to Othello is a parody to Desdemona kneeling alone in Act 4 Scene
2 and swearing allegiance to Othello, highlighting his irrational conflation of private relationships w/ public
affairs and creating tragic irony
Othello’s change in language, from Act 4, reveals fatal effects of Iago’s manipulation
‘Why, sweet Othello - Devil!’
Aposiopesis in Act 4 Scene 1 as Othello strikes Desdemona in public demonstrates his irrevocable loss of
trust in Desdemona’s marital devotion, caused by his jealousy
Communicates importance of fidelity to men’s reputation in Jacobean era: as Desdemona is portrayed
unfaithful, Othello becomes bitter on a personal and public level
‘Imprudent strumpet!’
Derogatory language in exclamatory statement provides lexical mirror to Iago’s maltreatment of Emilia
showing Othello’s shift from loving to paternalistic relationship created by jealousy
Madonna-whore complex states men hold reductive, binary interpretations of women to be chaste and
desirable or promiscuous and undesirable; thus, Othello’s fatal jealousy induced by Desdemona’s perceived
infidelity is indicative of the fragility of marriages in Jacobean era
Abraham Bronson Feldman - 'The speed with which the Moor's contempt for Desdemona manifests itself
under the whip of jealousy indicates that his love for her was not very deep’
Supported by theory of double time scheme (Act 1-2 progress in short time whereas Act 3-5 progress in long
time) highlighting irrationality of Othello's descent into jealousy and creating domestic tragedy
‘O curse of marriage!’
Lexical mirroring of Iago’s religious and animalistic imagery illustrates tragic effect of his machinations
Othello’s use of blank verse in opening speeches shares Desdemona’s mode of expression illustrating
harmony in their marriage
Aesthetic critics suggest Othello’s shift from stately style to disjointed prose full of oaths and exclamatory
statements conveys his agitation and corrupting influence of Iago
‘Put out the light, and then put out the light!’
Repeated polysemic imperative shows Othello’s desire to extinguish physical light of candle and metaphorical
light of Desdemona’s life, providing lexical mirror to Iago ordering Roderigo to ‘put money in thy purse'
Extinguishment of light symbolises Othello’s lack of moral guidance and inability to reconcile w/ his own deeds
due to irrationality created by jealousy
Shakespeare uses this image in his later tragedy, Macbeth, perhaps reinforcing fragility of females within
patriarchal society and Desdemona’s vulnerability to Othello’s misguided rage
‘Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse of sun and moon’
Visual imagery of violent natural phenomena mirrors Othello’s transgression against natural order through
relationship w/ Desdemona
Hypophora and aposiopesis in Othello’s melodramatic speech having smothered Desdemona evidences his
turmoil and consequences of jealousy
Deception is portrayed as weaponising another’s virtues as vices to expose the dangers of the
Jacobean notion that external appearances are indicators of internal morality
Iago weaponises Cassio’s Florentine culture as flirtatious
‘The divine Desdemona’
Alliterative epithet emphasises Cassio’s view of Desdemona as a paragonic Venetian woman
‘Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, that I extend my manners. ’Tis my breeding that gives me this bold
show of courtesy’
Cassio greeting Emilia w/ kiss in Act 2 Scene 1 communicates urbane Florentine culture; Iago romanticises
these innocent gestures to implicate Cassio, evidencing his ability to weaponize others’ virtues as vices
’With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio’
Symbolism conveys Cassio ignorance to Iago's traducement, making play a tragedy
Pauses in aside, characteristic of his speeches, present Iago as opportunistic improviser instead of executing
preconceived plan therefore showing his innately deceitful nature; this is further illustrated in Act 5 Scene 1 as
Iago stabs Roderigo after he fails to murder Cassio in order to prevent his schemes being exposed
E.A.J Honigmann - ‘Dramatic perspective can even make us the villain's accomplice’
Directorial choice for Iago to break 4th wall in his soliloquies shows he is able to manipulate audience even
when set alone
E.A.J Honigmann - ‘Dramatic perspective can even make us the villain's accomplice’
Iago weaponises Desdemona’s liberality as infidelity
‘She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more
than she is requested.’
Tetracolon and juxtaposition b/w vice and goodness presents Desdemona’s innate virtue which will be
exploited by Iago to ‘undo her credit with the Moor’
‘My lord shall never rest. I’ll watch him tame and talk him out of patience; his bed shall seem a school, his
board a shrift; I’ll intermingle everything he does.’
Parataxis and subsequent stichomythic exchange in Act 3 Scene 3 b/w Othello/Desdemona regarding
‘Cassio’s suit’ creates dramatic irony: audience are aware that Desdemona’s appeals irritate Othello instead of
distracting him from the lost handkerchief
As such Iago is able to ‘turn her virtue into pitch, and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh
them all’
As Desdemona’s name means ill-starred (unlike Cinthio’s tale which names her Disdemona meaning unlucky),
Shakespeare positions her downfall as inevitable; perhaps to reveal flaws of Venetian society where fears of
cuckolding were prevalent and so liberality could easily be misconstrued as infidelity
Iago exploits decadent sexual stereotypes surrounding Venetian women like Bianca
‘O, my dear Cassio, my sweet Cassio, my sweet Cassio, O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio’
Epizeuxis and epithets evidence Bianca’s genuine affection towards Cassio after he had been ‘wounded in the
leg’ by Iago who is able to dismiss her given that she is a courtesan
‘Look you pale, mistress? Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?’
Direct address shows Iago utilises knowledge of decadent sexual stereotypes in Venice by encouraging
Lodovico and Gratiano (men likely influenced by their relative Brabantio’s patriarchal outlook) to view Bianca
as culpable for Cassio’s wounds after he ‘supped at her house’
Bianca’s name means white connoting her virtue, which is illustrated by her genuine affection yet she is
reduced to simplistic perceptions of Venetian courtesans
Communicates suspicions of Jacobean audience towards women in Venice, a hub of prostitution, infamous for
the cortigiana onesta (intellectual courtesan) and cortigiana di lume (lower-class prostitute)
,Deception is portrayed as a product of naivety to encourage audience to become more perceptive
Role of naivety in enabling deception shown by Iago’s exploitation of Roderigo
‘I am changed…I’ll sell all my land’
Monosyllabes accentuate Roderigo’s abrupt shift from contemplating suicide and wallowing in self-pity (due to
his unrequited love for Desdemona) to putting money in his purse within a few lines of Act 1 Scene 3, thereby
underscoring Iago’s manipulation of stoic ideals within male hegemony
‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’
Iago’s shift from prose, associated w/ lower status characters, when addressing Roderigo in Act 1 Scene 3 to
blank verse in his soliloquy demonstrates ability to manipulate rhetoric and reinforces dramatic irony of
Roderigo being a gullible and foolish lover
Roy Kinnear, who played Iago in the 2013 National Theatre production of Othello, stated the tragedy is ‘all the
more overwhelming' because the audience knows about Iago’s evil scheming and are 'powerless to stop it’
‘I have wasted myself out of my means’
Roderigo’s long sentences when confronting Iago in Act 4 Scene 2 contrast short sentences in Act 1 Scene 3
indicating his despair, further conveyed through nasal consonants
Yet Roderigo remains subject to Iago’s will and follows Iago’s advice to kill Cassio in a futile attempt for a
relationship with Desdemona, therefore reinforcing his initial portrayal of cowardice and Iago’s ability to
manipulate stoic ideals
Shakespeare’s creation of Roderigo, absent from Cinthio’s 'Gli Hecatommithi' becomes tool to expose Iago's
deception: Iago’s manipulation becomes disturbingly ordinary as it is manifest through plain dialogue
Deception illustrated through Iago’s early arrival in Cyprus in Act 2 Scene 1
‘Left in the conduct of the bold Iago, whose footing here anticipates our thoughts a se’nnight’s speed’
Iago’s disembarkment in Cyprus w/ Desdemona, a week earlier than expected, symbolises his increasing
control in the new setting
Cyprus’ geographical isolation as an island creates claustrophobic atmosphere mirroring emotional isolation
experienced by Othello and Desdemona in their marriage
Psychoanalytic critics suggest setting of play mirrors Othello’s state of mind: shift from Venetian order to
‘warlike island’ of Cyprus mirrors Othello’s shift from military control to emotional torment
Shakespeare creates irony through setting, likely informed by his education w/ classics, b/c
Othello/Desdemona’s marriage is destroyed in reputed birthplace of goddess of love (Aphrodite)
‘Tis heavy night. These may be counterfeits.’
Pathetic fallacy of dark street in Cyprus in Act 5 Scene 1 reinforces motif of deception and moral darkness
Scene parallels violence from brawl b/w Cassio and Roderigo in Act 2 Scene 3 and confusion from storm in
Act 2 Scene 1 showing Iago’s continuous manipulation of settings to create chaos
Iago ‘entering with a light’ ironically portrays him as source of guidance amidst chaos he engenders
Iago’s sycophancy established in Act 1 Scene 1
‘Others there are who trimmed in forms and visages of duty, keep yet their hearts attending on themselves;
and throwing but shows of service on their loads’
Semantic field of concealment conveys Iago’s obsequity and introduces paradox wherein servitude is requisite to
masterhood, allowing Iago to build credible reputation as Othello’s dutiful subordinate and tragically betray him
‘But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at: I am not what I am’
Declarative statement subverts biblical allusion to Exodus 3:14 highlighting Iago’s twisted morality
Daws symbolise death foreshadowing Iago’s destructive machinations from the beginning
First Folio (published in 1623) expands on Iago’s soliloquies in the play from the Quarto (published in 1622),
showing the importance of his speeches to revealing his deceitful nature
Iago degrades Othello before Brabantio but respects him in his presence in Act 1 Scene 3
‘Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight.'
Asyndetic imperatives in short clauses create exigency and emphasise Iago’s desire to oust Othello
,Opening scene utilises two levels of staging w/ Iago and Roderigo concealed in dark street below Brabantio's
window thereby illustrating mystery surrounding Desdemoma’s elopement and theme of deception
Iago exits stage in Act 1 Scene 1 just as Brabantio confirms his daughter’s absence, remaining anonymous,
unlike Roderigo who reveals his name to Brabantio, showing demonstrating his ability to gradually foster doubt
and confusion
‘Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.’
Semantic field of animals in graphic description degrades Othello’s African ancestry and suggests his
relationship w/ Desdemona will debase Brabantio
Chain of being (hierarchical Christian structure ranking God at top followed by humans, animals and plants)
likely informed Iago’s derogatory animalistic descriptions of Othello therefore dehumanising Moors and
suggesting they are inferior in God’s eyes
Juxtaposes vulnerability and youth of Desdemona w/ perverse exploitation of Othello thereby appealing to
Brabantio's paternal love and audience’s sense of proprietary to calumniate Othello who is ignorant
'For Stephen Greenblatt the explanation for Iago's ability to possess others lies in his empathetic manipulation
of their lives without their understanding that they are being so manipulated'
, Deception is portrayed as fatal to provide cautionary tale to audience
Iago’s use of language causes downfall of Othello’s relationship w/ Desdemona
‘Laid his leg over my thigh, and sighed and kissed, and then cried cursed fate that have thee to the Moor!’
Iago’s unsubstantiated, polysyndetic description, depicting sexual acts performed by Cassio in his sleep,
persuade Othello of Desdemona’s affair w/ Cassio
Act 3 Scene 3 parallels structure of Act 2 Scene 3 as Iago dominates conversation w/ Cassio, though
Roderigo is victimised instead of Desdemona, highlighting his ability to exploit characters’ naivety and
ultimately kindle jealousy from Othello
‘Witness you ever-burning lights above.’
Hyperbolic apostrophe in Act 3 Scene 3 (often called temptation scene) as Iago kneels communicates his
obsequious behaviour, presenting his loyalty to Othello and credibility to audience
Iago’s kneeling w/ and swearing allegiance to Othello is a parody to Desdemona kneeling alone in Act 4 Scene
2 and swearing allegiance to Othello, highlighting his irrational conflation of private relationships w/ public
affairs and creating tragic irony
Othello’s change in language, from Act 4, reveals fatal effects of Iago’s manipulation
‘Why, sweet Othello - Devil!’
Aposiopesis in Act 4 Scene 1 as Othello strikes Desdemona in public demonstrates his irrevocable loss of
trust in Desdemona’s marital devotion, caused by his jealousy
Communicates importance of fidelity to men’s reputation in Jacobean era: as Desdemona is portrayed
unfaithful, Othello becomes bitter on a personal and public level
‘Imprudent strumpet!’
Derogatory language in exclamatory statement provides lexical mirror to Iago’s maltreatment of Emilia
showing Othello’s shift from loving to paternalistic relationship created by jealousy
Madonna-whore complex states men hold reductive, binary interpretations of women to be chaste and
desirable or promiscuous and undesirable; thus, Othello’s fatal jealousy induced by Desdemona’s perceived
infidelity is indicative of the fragility of marriages in Jacobean era
Abraham Bronson Feldman - 'The speed with which the Moor's contempt for Desdemona manifests itself
under the whip of jealousy indicates that his love for her was not very deep’
Supported by theory of double time scheme (Act 1-2 progress in short time whereas Act 3-5 progress in long
time) highlighting irrationality of Othello's descent into jealousy and creating domestic tragedy
‘O curse of marriage!’
Lexical mirroring of Iago’s religious and animalistic imagery illustrates tragic effect of his machinations
Othello’s use of blank verse in opening speeches shares Desdemona’s mode of expression illustrating
harmony in their marriage
Aesthetic critics suggest Othello’s shift from stately style to disjointed prose full of oaths and exclamatory
statements conveys his agitation and corrupting influence of Iago
‘Put out the light, and then put out the light!’
Repeated polysemic imperative shows Othello’s desire to extinguish physical light of candle and metaphorical
light of Desdemona’s life, providing lexical mirror to Iago ordering Roderigo to ‘put money in thy purse'
Extinguishment of light symbolises Othello’s lack of moral guidance and inability to reconcile w/ his own deeds
due to irrationality created by jealousy
Shakespeare uses this image in his later tragedy, Macbeth, perhaps reinforcing fragility of females within
patriarchal society and Desdemona’s vulnerability to Othello’s misguided rage
‘Methinks it should be now a huge eclipse of sun and moon’
Visual imagery of violent natural phenomena mirrors Othello’s transgression against natural order through
relationship w/ Desdemona
Hypophora and aposiopesis in Othello’s melodramatic speech having smothered Desdemona evidences his
turmoil and consequences of jealousy
