Silfen 1
Ilyssa Silfen
ENH 217
Professor Goodland
29 April, 2009
Translation: Othello
Act V, Scene ii, lines 1-22
In my humble opinion, Othello is one of the most tragic of Shakespeare’s plays:
Othello, a man who is desperately in love for the first time, is tricked by his kinsman
Iago, a cruel, self-serving man who is supposed to be his best friend, into believing that
his wife, Desdemona, the only woman he has ever loved, is being unfaithful to him,
ultimately killing her as a result of her “betrayal.” At this point in the play, all of
Othello’s defenses are shattered; he is a broken man with a broken heart and a broken
psyche. He fully believes that Desdemona has been unfaithful with him with another of
his kinsmen, Cassio, and has set his sights on taking her life. He slinks into their
bedchamber, carrying a light and speaking aloud to himself, and perhaps the audience,
about what he is about to do. He states that he will not cause any harm to her physical
body in order to preserve her beauty, and explains aloud his reasons for this sacrifice: so
that she will not betray any more men. He seems to express some remnants of love for
her, but he quashes them so that he might continue on with his plan. At this point, nothing
and no one can stop him from committing this senseless act; has Othello gone insane?
Perhaps, but it’s more likely that he’s let jealousy take over his mind and his emotions.
Silfen 2
Even though he is further along in age, he is as senseless as a sixteen year old boy when it
comes to love, and overreacts to Iago’s prodding accordingly.
This particular scene is very powerful and important to the story for a variety of
reasons, one of which is that this scene brutally displays the effects of Iago’s treachery on
Othello. At the beginning of the play, Othello was captivated by Desdemona, and
proclaimed that he would “deny thee nothing (3.3:76);” he loved her more than life itself,
and was more than willing to lay down his own life in defense of her love for him, as
displayed in the scene with Brabantio and the council. It seemed as if nothing could shake
Othello’s confidence. However, as the play goes on, we can only watch helplessly as
Iago’s tricks and deceptions whittle away at Othello’s calm and confident demeanor, and
his trust in Desdemona, until all we are left with is what Othello has become in this
scene: a hopelessly heartbroken man who feels that the only way out is to murder his
wife, whom at this point he even refuses to address by name, at least during his soliloquy.
This scene is also important because it gives us further insight into Othello’s mindset just
before the murder. We learn through his soliloquy that he considers what he plans to do
to Desdemona a sacrifice for the greater good; if she is not alive, she cannot betray
anyone else. Another important aspect of this scene is that it facilitates the discovery of
Iago’s treachery; if Desdemona had not been murdered, Othello would not have been able
to tell Emilia what her husband, Iago, had done, since there would be no reason for him
to admit to such, and Emilia would not have had cause to reveal the sad truth: that
Desdemona had been faithful until the very end, that Iago had lied to him, and that
Othello had had no just cause to murder her.
Silfen 3
Othello: Here is the cause, here is the cause, “my soul (1).” I will not tell you the name of
it, you pure stars. Here is the cause. However, I will not draw her blood, and neither will I
mar her skin, which is as white and smooth as “alabaster (5).” She has to die, otherwise
she will betray other men. I will put out this light, and then I will put her out in the same
fashion. If I destroy you, you servant (N8), I will be able to give you back your former
purity, and then repent; but once I put out your light, your most intricate and skillfully
wrought (N11) nature, I would not know where to find divine fire (N12) that can relight
(N13) you. If I pluck a rose, I will not be able to bring it back to life; it has to die. “I’ll
smell thee on the tree (15).” Oh beautiful breath, you almost convince me to forgo your
judgment and punishment. “One more, one more (17)!” Remain like this when you are
dead, and after I have killed you, I will love you afterwards. One more kiss, and that will
be the last one. A kiss as sweet at this was never so deadly. I must cry, “but they are cruel
tears (21).” This is a heavenly sorrow; it strikes where love thrives. She is waking up.
Silfen 4
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Edited by Alvin Kernan. New York: New American
Library, 1998.
Alvin Kernan. Notes, Othello. Edited by Alvin Kernan. New York: New American
Library, 1998.