Othello

A Moorish general in service to Venice, well-praised for his honesty, integrity and outstanding military skills. He secretly weds the fair Desdemona. When his jealousy is piqued by Iago's deception, it overtakes him and his entire world collapses.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

I Was Wrong. Goodbye

"Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service and they know't:
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that lov'd not wisely, but too well;
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this;
And say besides that in Aleppo once
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th'throat  the circumcised dog
And smote him thus"
Othello
Act 5 ii. 334-52
Literary Devices
Simile: Othello compares his feelings of throwing away his love with Desdemona which was so rich like a pearl. Othello also compares his depression, or tears falling as fast as Arabian trees. These have the effect of emphasizing how much he cared for Desdemona and it hurt to lose her.
Cause-and-effect Analysis:  Othello is talking about the consequences of his previous "unlucky deeds" such as setting up for Cassio to die, and Desdemona and the other unfortunate deaths. The effect this has is that it allows us to see he was blinded by Iago's meddling and he feels responsible for everything that happened.

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