Tone in Othello

In this humorous exchange, Cassio drunkenly attempts to convince the party of his sobriety. He stumbles into a hilarious but poetic moment. These lines are often staged so that Cassio reaches for Iago—his “right-hand man”—with his right hand as he utters “this is my ancient, this is my right hand”; he then flourishes his left hand.

In this dialogue, Iago and Cassio share slightly different opinions on Desdemona’s character. Cassio views Desdemona with admiration and respect, referring to her as “exquisite,” “fresh and delicate.” Without disagreeing, Iago adds a sexual tone, calling Desdemona provocative and “full of game.” Iago’s goal is to compel Cassio to make advances on Desdemona.

The clown, continuing his ribbing, subtly calls the sound of the wind instruments flatulent. Even in a play as serious as Othello, Shakespeare is sure to include a fart joke. Shakespeare understood the value of comedic relief, incorporating a clown or jester in each of his plays.

As the play’s action escalates, the clown appears again to provide comic relief. In this exchange, he builds puns on the dual definitions of “to lie.” The central idea is that the clown would be lying if he claimed to know Cassio’s location—where Cassio lies. Even in tragedies such as Othello, Shakespeare always includes touches of light humor.

Othello has undergone a significant shift since the play’s beginning. In the opening act, the general is calm, collected, and eloquent. After hearing and believing the lies about Desdemona, Othello can no longer express himself coherently. His communication here is defined by his snarling tone since his words do not explain his anger.