Act 5, scene 2

Act 5, scene 2

1. Othello admires Desdemona's beauty before killing, noting that, like a flower, once plucked, she cannot be given "vital growth"

   • Othello seems dignified now
     • uses beautiful words but also underscore the traditional masculine values spurring him to kill the "loose" Desdemona.

2. Desdemona wakes up, and is told to pray for her death

   • Othello tells her that Cassio's been killed as punishment
     • When she cries, Othello thought it to be for Cassio
       • He then smother's her with a pillow
         • Twice, after mistaking Emilia's voice for hers
       • In not listening to Desdemona, Othello's now completely wrapped into Iago's web of illusions
         • he is so consumed by the "monster" of jealousy that he is certain that she is guilty

3. Othello goes to speak to Emilia who alerts him of Cassio's incident with Roderigo

   • Desdemona calls out that she has been murdered
     • The slow pace of Desdemona's death emphasises its brutality and the consequences of Othello's delusion.
   • Iago's plot's unraveling

4. The play's tragedy is heightened

5. When Emilia finds Desdemona, she claims that she has committed suicide

   • Showing her devotion to her love for Othello till the very end

6. Othello proudly admits to killing her for her sin

   • Emilia denies it
     • Othello argues that it was "honest, honest Iago" who showed him the truth.
       • Shows how brainwashed he is

7. Emilia confesses to her husbands lies

   • Othello threatens her to keep quiet
     • "Though hast not half that power to do me harm / As I have to be hurt"
       • She calls out that "The Moor hath killed my mistress"
         • She's loyal to Desdemona, and is risking her own safety
   • Only person who truly knows Iago

8. Emilia explodes out of anger

   • Confesses to having stolen handkerchief
     • Emilia is independent and loyal
   • Othello preserves his honour, insisting upon Iago's "truth"

9. Iago stabs Emilia, she dies

   • She sings Willow song and tells Othello Desdemona was faithful until the end
   • She is killed for betraying Iago
     • Desdemona is killed because Othello thought she betrayed him

10. Graziano, Othello Iago, Cassio, Montano and Lodovico present

    • Iago's schemes are discovered in letters that Roderigo had
      • Iago stabbed by Othello but not dead
        • By refusing to speak, Iago never reveals his true identity to the other characters

11. Othello: "speak of me as I am ... as one that loved not wisely but too well"

    • Then stabs himself, he dead
      • Kisses Desdemona last time
    • Othello, now comprehending everything, shows frank, deep remorse. His curious final anecdote asserts his rightful membership in Venetian society. In a gesture reminiscent of how other characters (Iago, Roderigo, Brabantio) have drawn on racial stereotypes to exclude Othello and cement their own relationships, he here defines himself as an "insider," a Christian, against the "outsider" or enemy, the Turk. Yet, at the same time, when he tells of stabbing the Turk, he also stabs himself. In effect, he is defining himself as both an insider and an outsider, someone who defended Venice but was nevertheless seen as both a possible enemy and an animal by other Venetians.
    • He speaks of how he killed a Muslim Turk and is true to the Venetians