Just before Othello strangles Desdemona, he says, “Put out the light, and then put out the light” (5.2.7). Othello, completely changed, has chosen the path of killing his lover, and nobody, not even Desdemona, can do anything to stop him. Unlike the light of the torch that he holds, Othello cannot reignite the light of Desdemona. Differently, when Othello learns that Iago lied to him, Othello states: “I look down towards his feet—but that’s a fable. / If that thou be’st a devil, I cannot kill thee” (5.2.287-288). Othello realizes the mistake he made and the man who caused it. Othello, filled with the same rage that he used to kill Desdemona, tries to kill Iago. As a result, when Othello reflects on what he has done, he says, “Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away” (5.2.348). In this biblical reference, Othello compares himself to Judas Iscariot. Like Judas, Othello betrayed the person who loved him. Furthermore, after Othello stabs himself and approaches the bed where he killed Desdemona, Othello utters “I kissed thee ere I killed thee. Now way but this, / Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” (5.2.359-360). Though Othello may be joining Desdemona in death, Othello will not join Desdemona in the afterlife. Instead, he will reunite with his best friend, the
Just before Othello strangles Desdemona, he says, “Put out the light, and then put out the light” (5.2.7). Othello, completely changed, has chosen the path of killing his lover, and nobody, not even Desdemona, can do anything to stop him. Unlike the light of the torch that he holds, Othello cannot reignite the light of Desdemona. Differently, when Othello learns that Iago lied to him, Othello states: “I look down towards his feet—but that’s a fable. / If that thou be’st a devil, I cannot kill thee” (5.2.287-288). Othello realizes the mistake he made and the man who caused it. Othello, filled with the same rage that he used to kill Desdemona, tries to kill Iago. As a result, when Othello reflects on what he has done, he says, “Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away” (5.2.348). In this biblical reference, Othello compares himself to Judas Iscariot. Like Judas, Othello betrayed the person who loved him. Furthermore, after Othello stabs himself and approaches the bed where he killed Desdemona, Othello utters “I kissed thee ere I killed thee. Now way but this, / Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” (5.2.359-360). Though Othello may be joining Desdemona in death, Othello will not join Desdemona in the afterlife. Instead, he will reunite with his best friend, the