Othello Act III

Act III of Othello is where we see Iago’s devious plan to hurt Othello finally taking place and we see that the major themes of this play are jealousy and deception. At first, Iago insinuates that there is a relationship between Desdemona and Cassio, but wont offer Othello any proof. Iago tells Othello, “It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on.” (Act 3, Sc. 3, 196-197) In this instance Iago is referring to Othello’s jealousy towards Cassio, and is comparing Othello to an animal that is playing with his victim. I found this line to have a double meaning as Iago could also be seen as the green-eyed monster that is toying with Othello’s emotions by slyly planting this idea of Desdemona’s infidelity in his head.

The handkerchief seems to be symbolic of Desdemona and Othello’s love as it was the first gift that he had given her. This handkerchief is then stolen and becomes the evidence that Iago needs to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. At this point I feel that this gift becomes representative of Othello’s feelings that Desdemona has lost her love for him. When it ends up in Cassio’s hands, he asks Bianca to replicate the pattern, to which she immediately feels jealousy towards the owner of the handkerchief and demands to know who gave it to Cassio. This symbol seems to be what brings all of the characters of the story together, but what will eventually end up tearing Othello and Desdemona apart.

  1. Why do you think Iago kept stringing Othello along before actually giving him the proof (the dream and the handkerchief) of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair?
  2. As we have seen already, Iago treats his wife Emilia poorly, so why would she be so willing to help her husband steal Desdemona’s handkerchief without knowing what it will be used for?
  3. Towards the end of this act we see that Iago finally gets the promotion he wants, so why doesn’t he put an end to his plan after that and try to convince Othello not to kill Desdemona?

2 thoughts on “Othello Act III

  1. I actually thought that maybe Iago kept trying to string things along so that their reaction will be worse. As in maybe that by keeping the evidence to himself longer, so that by the time that actually find out the conflict will be greater. Even though Emilia is treated so poorly, it is entirely possible that she did this because of their union together. She hasn’t went as far as to go against her husband yet so it makes sense that she would still be following what he says.

  2. 1) I believe that Iago chose to refrain from offering Othello evidence in order to play on his doubt. Iago allowed the idea of Desdemona cheating on Othello to set into his mind, and little by little weakened Othello’s trust in her. This made it easier to convince Othello when Iago presented finally displays the “proof”. 2) I think Emelia gives Iago the handkerchief becuase she sees him as an authoritative figure. Back around the time Othello was written, it was very common for the wife to be completely subordinate to their husband, and not question his authority. 3) Iago is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” — in other words, he is not someone to be trusted. He only seeks self-advancement at the expense of other people’s lives. He doesn’t stop Othello because it would be of no benefit to Iago if Desdemona remained alive. He already used her indirectly by fabricating a lie about her loyalty to Othello.

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