Vocabulary in Othello

Brabantio repeatedly characterizes Desdemona’s elopement with Othello as an act of coercion or theft. The variety of ways in which he describes the event—as the result of theft, magic, and drugging—indicates that he uses his imagination to cope with the reality that his daughter may have fallen in love with Othello.

Brabantio’s language betrays his view of his own daughter as an object of monetary value. By calling Othello a “foul thief,” he denies Desdemona’s agency, as if she were a stolen object rather than a participant in her affairs. “Stow’d” reiterates the image of Desdemona as a piece of treasure.

Othello reasons with Brabantio using a clever diplomatic strategy. On the surface, Othello takes a reverential stance toward Brabantio, praising the statesman’s “years.” Yet Othello remains in control, for his statement is powerfully prescriptive—”you shall”—and paints Brabantio as childishly hostile.

Iago refers to Desdemona as a carack, a type of merchant vessel. From his perspective, Othello’s marriage to Desdemona has only to do with wealth. Iago focuses on the riches Desdemona offers as a bride.

In this case, “ancient” would have been pronounced “ensign,” Iago’s rank in the troops. The ensign would have been the lowest-ranking commissioned officer. The rank of ensign is particularly fitting for Iago because it was traditionally the ensign’s role to bear the general’s flag. This is an apt metaphor for Iago in that he is a character who holds up a thin image of loyalty to Othello.

When Brabantio accuses Othello of employing black magic to seduce Desdemona, Othello defends himself with "a round unvarnish'd tale." "Round" here means "frank" or "straightforward," and "unvarnish'd" means free of rhetorical tricks.

“‘Zounds” is a common exclamation in Shakespeare’s plays. It rhymes with “wounds,” as opposed to “sounds” because it is a shortening of the old English curse “God’s wounds!”

In this case, “strangeness” means “estrangement.” In other words, even though Othello has distanced himself Cassio, the distance is short because of the history the two men share.

In his rage, Othello fails to cogently explain to Lodovico why he has stricken Desdemona. He rants and babbles, repeating the words “turn,” “weep,” and “obedient.” The phrase “well-painted passion” expresses Othello’s belief that Desdemona’s displays of emotion, her weeping and her obedience, are fake.

A “bauble” refers to a cheap piece of jewelry, and thus it becomes both a metaphor and metonym for Bianca. Cassio refers to her as a bauble, but a bauble is also something she is likely to wear. This line is one of several instances throughout the play in which women are referred to as objects of monetary value.

“Caitiff” means “coward” and comes from “captivus,” the same Latin root as “captive.” In the previous line, Iago cleverly lowers his voice before making mention of Bianca but after bringing up Desdemona. Thus, Othello believes that Cassio is referring to Desdemona, and he becomes enraged.

Shakespeare may well have invented the adjective “unbookish” here to describe Othello’s emotionally charged jealousy. This phrase reiterates one of the play’s central themes: the dichotomy of reason versus emotion. “Unbookish” here most nearly means “without reason.” One of Iago’s core beliefs as a character is that one ought to apply reason rather than follow one’s emotions.

Iago brings Othello in on the next phase of his plan: to draw out Cassio’s stories of seduction in front of a hidden, “encaved” Othello. Iago asks Othello to search for the expressions of bravado in Cassio’s face. The word “fleer,” of Scandinavian origin, indicates a look of mockery. A “gibe” is an insult, and a word derived from the French “giber”—to shake.

Othello fails to understand the situation before him. He believes Iago has slain Cassio as a punishment for his adultery. The dramatic irony is sharp here, for the audience understands that Iago is not “honest and just” in his intentions nor acting on Othello’s behalf. The word “hie” means “hasten,” suggesting that Cassio is hastening towards his death.

“Quat” is an antiquated word that means both “pimple” and “young person.” Iago uses both definitions here, teasing Rodrigo for his sensitivity. As Iago tells us, he wants both Rodrigo and Cassio to die. Rodrigo is a problem because he wants his money back; Cassio is a problem because “the Moor may unfold [Iago] to him.” In other words, if Othello and Cassio were to meet and talk, they could unravel Iago’s schemes.

In these lines directed to Iago, Lodovico widens the scope of the tragedy. He compares Iago’s evil acts to “anguish, hunger, or the sea!” In this use, the word “fell” means cruel or malevolent, and it comes from the same Anglo-French root as “felon.” Shakespeare turns the play’s attention inward with the line “This is thy work.” On one level, the “work” refers to the bodies of Othello, Desdemona, and Emilia. On the another level, the “work” is the play itself. Iago is responsible for both.

Othello understands that he has reached the end of his life. The word “butt” takes on two meanings here. First, a “butt” refers to the end, or bottom, of an object. Second, a “butt” is a target, which in this context suggests the scorn and hatred Othello will receive for his actions. A “seamark” is a navigation mark to help guide sailors home on their journeys. Othello can sense his own end.

The word "chaste" is an intriguing adjective to apply to the stars. They seem cold and isolated, as well as desirable and yet infinitely unattainable. Since Othello is inside a room, he is presumably looking out a window. Perhaps he does not even look at the sleeping Desdemona until he says, "but once put out thy light..." At that point he would have to turn and look at her. If this is what Shakespeare intended, then the audience would perhaps assume that Othello was not only reluctant to kill his wife but was even afraid to look at her. He looks at the stars, he looks at the flaming torch, and finally he turns and looks at the woman he loves and intends to murder.