"Ay, let her rot and perish and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone. I strike it and it hurts my hand. Oh, the world hath not a sweeter creature, she might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks" (4.1.184-88).
Shakespeare uses Othello's internal conflict to foreshadow future events in the play. The tone is very powerful when he says "rot," "perish," "damned," "stone," "sweeter creature," and "emperor's." Between the third and fourth sentence there is a shift in Othello's tone in which he changes from anger to thinking about how sweet of a person he thought Desdemona was. In this scene he mentions how she won't live much longer. This is completely contrasted from earlier in the play when he spoke with Iago about needing proof after suspicion, and then he would still keep his emotions in check. Othello has become vengeful and frightening which shows how jealousy can make a person become violent and volatile. He uses a metaphor when Othello says "my heart is turned to stone," which represents the transformation, and the image is expanded upon when Othellos says he can "strike it and it hurts [his] hand." The contrast in this passage serves as a short reminder of how calm and collected Othello used to be, and how much he loved his wife. He goes to say how sweet Desdemona is and that alone is powerful enough to allow her to control another person.
Comment:
winden said... I agree! A person's actions speak louder than words. This also shows how well Iago's plan is working, because the lies Iago has told Othello are not only changing Othello's thoughts but his actions as well. He is a completely different person. December 13, 2010 7:14 PM 
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