Extract - Act 3, Scene 3
Within the extract, in Act 3, Scene 3 of the play, the audience are unwilling bystanders
to a disturbingly intimate exchange between Othello and Iago, as the latter’s
Machiavellian and duplicitous villainy is clearly displayed through his manipulation of the
tragic hero. Here, Shakespeare establishes Othello’s tragic flaws, which include his
insecurities in his marriage to the ‘fair’ and ‘young’ Desdemona - whom he elevates to a
divine status - as well as his blindness to Iago’s true nature, which culminates in his
tragic fall and denigration of his ‘noble’ character when he accuses Desdemona of being
a ‘whore’ and strikes her in Act 4, Scene 1. Prior to this scene, Iago has subtly began to
‘pour pestilence’ into Othello’s ‘ear’ by commanding Othello to ‘beware…of jealousy’
and he skillfully uses the metaphor of the ‘green eyed monster which doth mock the
meat it feeds on’ in order to incite Cassio’s alleged illicit affair. As Iago has already
‘[ensnared]’ the ‘honest fool’ Cassio to ‘plie Desdemona to repair his fortune’, the tragic
villain’s demand of Othello to ‘look to your wife; observe her well with cassio arguably
cements Othello’s tragic fate, as Iago’s knavery and fabrication of ‘ocular proof’ of
Desdemona’s infidelity leads him to forsake his ‘love’ for Desdemona, instead
mistakenly avowing his trust and devotion to his ‘lieutenant’ Iago during the temptation
scene. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses this scene to elevate Desdemona as a tragic
victim through the way she is dehumanised and objectified by the male characters
onstage, which adds to the tragedy of the play, as Iago weaponises Desdemona’s
‘virtuous’ nature against her and the other tragic victims to create ‘the net that shall
enmesh them all’ later on in the play.
Shakespeare constructs Iago as the embodiment of fiendish and unbridled villainy,
whose terrifying ability to manipulate language and exploit Othello’s deepest insecurities
drives the play’s tragic trajectory as he orchestrates the tragic hero’s downfall with
chilling precision. During this mock wedding scene, where Iago and Othello are alone
onstage together, the audience witnesses Iago’s deceptive nature, as this scene with its
ritualistic vows and marital imagery with Othello declaring ‘I am bound to thee forever’
reflects a perversion of love, emphasising Iago’s isolation of Othello from his ‘fair
warrior’ Desdemona and highlights the lengths that ‘honest Iago’ will go to destroy
Othello. The mock marriage scene appears to be the pinnacle of Iago’s power, arguably
furthering the irony and tragedy of the play, as the audience does not witness the
clandestine wedding between Othello and Desdemona, only this mock wedding - a
blatant betrayal of the vows Othello has already undertaken, thereby inverting the
sanctity of marriage into a bond of destruction, marking Othello’s initiation into Iago’s
web of deception. Furthermore, in the extract, Shakespeare presents a facade of Iago
as a loyal confidant, feigning honesty as illustrated by his repetition of ‘love’ and ‘loving’
Othello ‘too much’, which serves to demonstrate Iago’s malevolence even further to the
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level English Literature 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is
prohibited.
Within the extract, in Act 3, Scene 3 of the play, the audience are unwilling bystanders
to a disturbingly intimate exchange between Othello and Iago, as the latter’s
Machiavellian and duplicitous villainy is clearly displayed through his manipulation of the
tragic hero. Here, Shakespeare establishes Othello’s tragic flaws, which include his
insecurities in his marriage to the ‘fair’ and ‘young’ Desdemona - whom he elevates to a
divine status - as well as his blindness to Iago’s true nature, which culminates in his
tragic fall and denigration of his ‘noble’ character when he accuses Desdemona of being
a ‘whore’ and strikes her in Act 4, Scene 1. Prior to this scene, Iago has subtly began to
‘pour pestilence’ into Othello’s ‘ear’ by commanding Othello to ‘beware…of jealousy’
and he skillfully uses the metaphor of the ‘green eyed monster which doth mock the
meat it feeds on’ in order to incite Cassio’s alleged illicit affair. As Iago has already
‘[ensnared]’ the ‘honest fool’ Cassio to ‘plie Desdemona to repair his fortune’, the tragic
villain’s demand of Othello to ‘look to your wife; observe her well with cassio arguably
cements Othello’s tragic fate, as Iago’s knavery and fabrication of ‘ocular proof’ of
Desdemona’s infidelity leads him to forsake his ‘love’ for Desdemona, instead
mistakenly avowing his trust and devotion to his ‘lieutenant’ Iago during the temptation
scene. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses this scene to elevate Desdemona as a tragic
victim through the way she is dehumanised and objectified by the male characters
onstage, which adds to the tragedy of the play, as Iago weaponises Desdemona’s
‘virtuous’ nature against her and the other tragic victims to create ‘the net that shall
enmesh them all’ later on in the play.
Shakespeare constructs Iago as the embodiment of fiendish and unbridled villainy,
whose terrifying ability to manipulate language and exploit Othello’s deepest insecurities
drives the play’s tragic trajectory as he orchestrates the tragic hero’s downfall with
chilling precision. During this mock wedding scene, where Iago and Othello are alone
onstage together, the audience witnesses Iago’s deceptive nature, as this scene with its
ritualistic vows and marital imagery with Othello declaring ‘I am bound to thee forever’
reflects a perversion of love, emphasising Iago’s isolation of Othello from his ‘fair
warrior’ Desdemona and highlights the lengths that ‘honest Iago’ will go to destroy
Othello. The mock marriage scene appears to be the pinnacle of Iago’s power, arguably
furthering the irony and tragedy of the play, as the audience does not witness the
clandestine wedding between Othello and Desdemona, only this mock wedding - a
blatant betrayal of the vows Othello has already undertaken, thereby inverting the
sanctity of marriage into a bond of destruction, marking Othello’s initiation into Iago’s
web of deception. Furthermore, in the extract, Shakespeare presents a facade of Iago
as a loyal confidant, feigning honesty as illustrated by his repetition of ‘love’ and ‘loving’
Othello ‘too much’, which serves to demonstrate Iago’s malevolence even further to the
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level English Literature 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is
prohibited.
