The Sinister Soliloquy: an Indepth Look at "Othello" 2:1:308-314
An indepth look at “Othello”
Act 2. sc. 1. Lines 308-314
IAGO That Cassio Loves Her, I do well believe’t. That she loves hom, ‘tis apt and of great credit. The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, Is of constant, loving, noble nature, And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too, Not out of absolute lust (though preadventure I stand accountant for as great a sin) But partly led to diet my revenge For that i do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat - the thought whereof Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards, And nothing canvor shall content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife, Or, failing so, yet I put the Moor At least into jealousy so strong That judgement cannot cure. Which thing I do, If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace For his quick hunting, stand the putting on, I’ll have Michael Cassio on the hip, Abuse him to the Moor in the <rank> garb (For fear I fear Cassio with my <nightcap> too), Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me For making him egregiously an ass And for practicing upon his peace and quiet Even to madness. ‘Tis here, but yet confused. Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.
He exits.
John W. Dunphy
Dr. Basile
Shakespeare the Later Works
9/22/08
One of the reasons this excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Othello” stands above the rest is that within these lines, Shakespeare inadvertently, or perhaps not, draws the blueprint for the great archetypal schemers that can still be found in all forms of media and art today. The antagonists monologue declaring what they will do has even reached the point of cliche as evidenced in Disney’s The Incredibles, when Frozone jokes, “He starts monologuing! He starts like, this prepared speech about how *feeble* I am compared to him, how *inevitable* my defeat is, how *the world* *will soon* *be his*, yadda yadda yadda.” (imdb.com) In this passage, while Iago plots this course of
Act 2. sc. 1. Lines 308-314
IAGO That Cassio Loves Her, I do well believe’t. That she loves hom, ‘tis apt and of great credit. The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, Is of constant, loving, noble nature, And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too, Not out of absolute lust (though preadventure I stand accountant for as great a sin) But partly led to diet my revenge For that i do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat - the thought whereof Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards, And nothing canvor shall content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife, Or, failing so, yet I put the Moor At least into jealousy so strong That judgement cannot cure. Which thing I do, If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace For his quick hunting, stand the putting on, I’ll have Michael Cassio on the hip, Abuse him to the Moor in the <rank> garb (For fear I fear Cassio with my <nightcap> too), Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me For making him egregiously an ass And for practicing upon his peace and quiet Even to madness. ‘Tis here, but yet confused. Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used.
He exits.
John W. Dunphy
Dr. Basile
Shakespeare the Later Works
9/22/08
One of the reasons this excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Othello” stands above the rest is that within these lines, Shakespeare inadvertently, or perhaps not, draws the blueprint for the great archetypal schemers that can still be found in all forms of media and art today. The antagonists monologue declaring what they will do has even reached the point of cliche as evidenced in Disney’s The Incredibles, when Frozone jokes, “He starts monologuing! He starts like, this prepared speech about how *feeble* I am compared to him, how *inevitable* my defeat is, how *the world* *will soon* *be his*, yadda yadda yadda.” (imdb.com) In this passage, while Iago plots this course of
Cited: Shakespeare, William. “Othello.” edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Werstine, Paul. The Folger Shakespeare Library 1993. McDonald, Russ. “The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: Second Edition.” Bedford/St. Martins 2001. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/quotes. The Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Last viewed Oct. 3, 2008