Act 5, Scene 1
AO1: What happens in this
scene?
Look at your notes and quickly
summarise.
Act 5 Scene 1
• Roderigo tries to kill Cassio but instead he is wounded by Cassio
• Iago, forced to step in, stabs Cassio in the leg; Othello hears the
cries and believes Cassio has been killed
• Othello is inspired by the noise and goes to kill Desdemona
• Lodovico and Gratiano hear the noise and attend to the
wounded Cassio, preventing any further attack on him
• Iago kills Roderigo and implicates Bianca in the attack on Cassio
• Roderigo’s body is discovered and Iago sends Emilia to tell
Othello what has happened
Cyprus. A street. Enter IAGO and RODERIGO.
IAGO
Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home:
Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow:
It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,
5
And fix most firm thy resolution.
RODERIGO
Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
IAGO
Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Retires
RODERIGO
I have no great devotion to the deed;
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons:
10
'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.
IAGO
I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,
Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
15
He calls me to a restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,
As gifts to Desdemona;
It must not be: if Cassio do remain,
He hath a daily beauty in his life
20
That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril:
No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.
AO2: Mirroring
We start this final act
with Roderigo and Iago
at night, in a street, midplot. Which other scene
does this remind you of?
Cyprus. A street. Enter IAGO and RODERIGO.
IAGO
Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home:
Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow:
It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,
5
And fix most firm thy resolution.
RODERIGO
Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
IAGO
Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Retires
RODERIGO
I have no great devotion to the deed;
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons:
10
'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.
IAGO
I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,
Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
15
He calls me to a restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,
As gifts to Desdemona;
It must not be: if Cassio do remain,
He hath a daily beauty in his life
20
That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril:
No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.
AO2: Mirroring
As in Act 1, Scene 1, Iago
seems fully in control of
Roderigo.
The later action and
confusion of the scene
might remind us of the
storm, or the previous
brawl involving Cassio
and Roderigo. Iago came
out on top in all of these
scenes, creating a
narrative expectation
that he will again.
What motives and
attitudes does Iago
display here?
Cyprus. A street. Enter IAGO and RODERIGO.
IAGO
Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home:
Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow:
It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,
5
And fix most firm thy resolution.
RODERIGO
Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
IAGO
Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Retires
RODERIGO
I have no great devotion to the deed;
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons:
10
'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.
IAGO
I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,
Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
15
He calls me to a restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,
As gifts to Desdemona;
It must not be: if Cassio do remain,
He hath a daily beauty in his life
20
That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril:
No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.
AO2: Motives and
Attitudes
Iago recognises
that this is the
crucial night for
his plan.
‘young quat’ = a
pimple or boil.
Iago has a brutal
arrogance
towards
Roderigo. He is
utterly
disposable.
Iago has already
decided to kill
Roderigo along
with Cassio. He
is a threat to his
security.
Cyprus. A street. Enter IAGO and RODERIGO.
IAGO
Here, stand behind this bulk; straight will he come:
Wear thy good rapier bare, and put it home:
Quick, quick; fear nothing; I'll be at thy elbow:
It makes us, or it mars us; think on that,
5
And fix most firm thy resolution.
RODERIGO
Be near at hand; I may miscarry in't.
IAGO
Here, at thy hand: be bold, and take thy stand.
Retires
RODERIGO
I have no great devotion to the deed;
And yet he hath given me satisfying reasons:
10
'Tis but a man gone. Forth, my sword: he dies.
IAGO
I have rubb'd this young quat almost to the sense,
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio,
Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,
Every way makes my gain: live Roderigo,
15
He calls me to a restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobb'd from him,
As gifts to Desdemona;
It must not be: if Cassio do remain,
He hath a daily beauty in his life
20
That makes me ugly; and, besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril:
No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming.
AO2: Motives and
Attitudes
Here, Iago gives us two
motives for killing
Cassio:
1. He is too virtuous –
Iago cannot bear this
and must destroy it;
2. He is a threat to
Iago’s security.
AO2: Iago’s Control
The pace of the action here – more action than words – contrasts with the previous
scene and shows Iago improvising quickly: he intervenes when Roderigo fails to
fatally wound Cassio. Just as quickly, he disappears.
Lines 23-7:
RODERIGO
I know his gait, 'tis he.--Villain, thou diest!
Makes a pass at CASSIO.
CASSIO
That thrust had been mine enemy indeed,
But that my coat is better than thou know'st
I will make proof of thine.
Draws, and wounds RODERIGO.
RODERIGO
O, I am slain!
IAGO from behind wounds CASSIO in the leg, and exits.
CASSIO
I am maim'd for ever. Help, ho! murder! murder!
Falls
Lines 61-3:
RODERIGO
O, help me here!
CASSIO
That's one of them.
IAGO O murderous slave! O villain!
Stabs RODERIGO
We see him planning again
when he kills Roderigo before
he can talk to the nobles.
This brutality foreshadows
Desdemona’s impending
death.
AO2: Key Quote
After Iago stabs him, Roderigo’s dying words are:
“O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!”
Ironically, Roderigo sees
the truth too late – just
as Othello will in the
next scene.
Iago has used animal imagery to his own
advantage throughout the play. Here he is
recognised as a villain using similar language.
The imagery of dogs reminds us of how Iago’s
inhumanity has dehumanised Othello.
AO2: Othello’s Inspiration
The noise of the fight brings Othello out. He thinks Cassio has been killed. How
many things does Othello get wrong in this short speech?
Lines 28-37:
Enter OTHELLO.
OTHELLO
The voice of Cassio: Iago keeps his word.
RODERIGO
O, villain that I am!
OTHELLO
It is even so.
CASSIO
O, help, ho! light! a surgeon!
OTHELLO
'Tis he: -- O brave Iago, honest and just,
That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong!
Thou teachest me. Minion, your dear lies dead,
And your unblest fate hies: strumpet, I come.
Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted;
Thy bed, lust-stain'd, shall with lust's blood be spotted.
Exit
AO2: Othello’s Inspiration
The noise of the fight brings Othello out. He thinks Cassio has been killed. How
many things does Othello get wrong in this short speech?
Lines 28-37:
He thinks it is
Enter OTHELLO.
OTHELLO
The voice of Cassio: Iago keeps his word. Cassio who shouts
that he is a villain.
RODERIGO
O, villain that I am!
OTHELLO
It is even so.
He calls Iago
‘brave’,
CASSIO
O, help, ho! light! a surgeon!
‘honest’ and
OTHELLO
'Tis he: -- O brave Iago, honest and just,
‘just’ and
That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong!
Desdemona
Thou teachest me. Minion, your dear lies dead,
‘strumpet’.
And your unblest fate hies: strumpet, I come.
He thinks
Forth of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are blotted;
Cassio is
Thy bed, lust-stain'd, shall with lust's blood be spotted.
dead.
Exit
Note also Othello’s use of violent imagery: lust, stains, blood and blotches. His violent words
foreshadow his violent deeds. He talks like a villain, dramatically announcing, “Strumpet, I
come”, and does not take responsibility for his actions – it is Desdemona’s “fate” that is
being fulfilled. He is Iago’s puppet, completely corrupted, and inspired by a cowardly act.
AO2: Bianca the victim
Iago frames Bianca for the attack on Cassio:
Lines 104-9:
“Look you pale, mistress?
Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?
Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon.
Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her:
Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will speak,
Though tongues were out of use.”
Line 118:
Line 115:
“This is the fruit of whoring.”
“I charge you, go with me.”
Why does Shakespeare include Bianca in this scene?
AO2: Bianca the victim
Iago frames Bianca for the attack on Cassio:
Lines 104-9:
“Look you pale, mistress?
Do you perceive the gastness of her eye?
Nay, if you stare, we shall hear more anon.
Behold her well; I pray you, look upon her:
Do you see, gentlemen? nay, guiltiness will speak,
Though tongues were out of use.”
Line 115:
“This is the fruit of whoring.”
Line 118:
“I charge you, go with me.”
Shakespeare uses Bianca to keep Desdemona in our minds. There are parallels
between them: Bianca’s love for Cassio is pure, yet she suffers for it; she tries to
defend herself in this scene but is ignored; she is suspected of something she did
not do. Her fate reminds us of Desdemona’s fate.
Othello – William Shakespeare
Read the passage from Othello, provided below, and
respond to the following:
• How does Shakespeare present aspects of love in this passage?
• Examine the view that, in this passage and elsewhere in the
play, ‘In Othello, love makes women helpless victims’.
[25 marks]
Weightings for each question are as follows: AO1: 7 marks AO2: 6 marks AO3: 6 marks AO4:
3 marks AO5: 3 marks
Weightings for each question are as follows: AO1: 7 marks AO2: 6 marks AO3: 6 marks AO4:
3 marks AO5: 3 marks