Chapter Commentary of The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice - Study Guide by William Shakespeare

do much / And his unkindness may defeat my life / But never taint my love". What is more tragic is that Emilia can see the sense – or rather the cause underlying the senselessness:

I will be hanged if some eternal villain

Some busy and insinuating rogue,

Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,

Have not devised this slander...(4.2.132-5)

She even sees that one of Iago’s (the "cogging, cozening slave"’s) motives is his suspicion that she has slept with Othello:

O fie upon them! some such squire he was

That turned your wit seamy side without

And made you to suspect me with the Moor(4.2.147-9)

This is the real tragedy. Emilia suspects all too accurately her husband’s part but says and does nothing. Does she, too, suspect yet strongly love? Or does she not realise that Othello is so poisoned that he plans to kill Desdemona that very night? The plot does proceed at a phenomenal pace. Whatever the case may be, she follows Desdemona’s instructions to lay her wedding sheets upon the bed.

Meanwhile, Iago contents Roderigo who, despite his stupidity, can see that Iago’s "words and performances are no kin together". He threatens to come clean with Desdemona, ask for the return of the jewels that he gave to Iago to give to her and "repent [his] unlawful solicitation". Iago’s plan, so close to fruition, would be undone and Iago exposed. Iago, as always, turns the situation to his advantage. He tells Roderigo to assassinate Cassio because, that way, Othello will have to remain in Cyprus as governor and with him, Desdemona. Thus he convinces Roderigo to do his dirty work again, just as he did outside Brabantio’s house in act I, scene 1 and in the altercation with Cassio in act II, scene 3.

The last scene of the fourth act shows Desdemona at her most loving, at her most innocent, at her most obedient. It is also a scene in which the dramatist puts words into her mouth that are significant to the audience, words that directly relate to her imminent death, but of whose reference Desdemona is innocently unaware. Othello bids her go to bed and dismiss Emilia. She obeys, urging Emilia to leave saying, "We must not now displease him". She speaks of her love, "...even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns...have grace and favour" (4.3.18-19). She speaks of the wedding sheets that Emilia has put on the bed, "If I do die, prithee shroud me / In one of these same sheets" (4.3.22-23). "Come, come, you talk", Emilia replies. She may be suspicious of Iago and the net he has woven but she finds the idea of Desdemona’s death ridiculous. Desdemona sings as she dresses for bed, a song of "willow" that her mother’s maid, called Barbary, who was in love with a mad man, sang on her death-bed. "That song", she says fatefully, "tonight / Will not go from my mind" (4.3.28-29). She questions Emilia naively about infidelity, "Dost thou in conscience think...That there be women do abuse their husbands / In such gross kind?" (4.3.60-62). She is shocked to hear that there are and her conversation with Emilia reflects her young innocence against her maid’s wiser knowledge of the way of the world. "Beshrew me, if I would do such a wrong / For the whole world!" (4.3.77-78), she concludes.

Act V

As Iago says at the end of scene 1, "This is the night / That either makes me or fordoes me quite" (5.1.128- 9). This final act is the consummation of Iago’s plotting, the ultimate expression of his malice.

Roderigo tries to kill Cassio. He fails, only wounding him, and is wounded himself in the process. Hearing Cassio’s cries, Othello is satisfied, "Iago keeps his word" (5.1.28) and mistaking Roderigo’s cry of "O