Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews December 12, 2023 December 5, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
She loved me for the dangers I had passed,
And I loved her that she did pity them. (1.3.)
Othello speaks these lines while explaining how Desdemona came to fall in love with him. While the other Venetians are shocked that Desdemona could love a man from a different race and background, Othello’s explanation shows that he and Desdemona fell in love out of mutual admiration and respect. The quote also reveals that Othello is a charismatic and impressively articulate individual, who can charm someone with the power of his words.
I know, Iago
Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter. (2.3.)
Othello speaks this quote to Iago after Iago has explained to him about Cassio’s involvement in a drunken brawl. Ironically, Othello assumes that Iago is being tactful and trying not to blame Cassio for what happened, whereas Iago has actually engineered the entire situation in order to get Cassio in trouble. The quote reveals Othello’s blind spot where Iago is concerned, and sets the stage for how Othello’s belief in Iago’s integrity and honesty will lead to disaster.
I prithee speak to me as to thy thinkings. (3.3.)
Othello says this to Iago after starting to become suspicious about what might be happening between Desdemona and Cassio. A master manipulator, Iago plants a seed of suspicion, but then seemingly hesitates to make any distinct accusations. As a result, Othello actually has to beg Iago to reveal the very suspicions that Iago is eager to pass along. The quote also shows that once Othello has begun to think about the possibility of his wife being unfaithful, he is unable to leave the idea alone.
No, Iago, I’ll see before I doubt. (3.3.)
Here, Othello asserts his faith in Desdemona and his refusal to be suspicious of her without due cause. The quote shows that Othello does love his wife and does not want to think ill of her. However, Othello’s faith in Desdemona also opens the door for Iago to give Othello seeming “proof” of Desdemona’s infidelity. Because Othello is resistant to believing in Desdemona’s guilt, Iago has more fuel to persuade him.
I saw’t not, thought it not, it harmed not me. (3.3.)
Othello says this line as he rages about the torment he is experiencing now that he is suspicious of his wife’s fidelity. Othello recalls the time when he was blissfully unaware of Desdemona’s alleged betrayal, and as a result he lived in happy ignorance. Now that Iago has awakened jealousy and suspicion in him, he cannot think about anything else.
Even so my bloody thoughts with violent pace
Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love. (3.3.)
Finally convinced that Desdemona has betrayed him, Othello vows revenge against her and Cassio. The quote shows how fully Othello’s feelings towards Desdemona have changed: he now hates her as passionately as he previously loved her. The quote darkly foreshadows how Othello will be unmoved by Desdemona’s insistence on her innocence and pleas for her life to be spared.
Therefore be double damned: Swear thou art honest. (4.2.)
Here, Othello prepares to kill Desdemona. He believes that her soul is damned because of her adultery and the more she protests her innocence, the more enraged he becomes. The quote shows the terrible bind Desdemona is trapped in: her attempts to speak the truth and tell her husband she is chaste only make him more angry at her because he believes she is lying.
Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well. (5.2.)
Othello says this line at the very end of the play, once he realizes that he has been tricked and deceived. At this point, all he can do is try to explain how he would like his story to be told. He specifies that he sees his downfall as his passion for Desdemona, since it ultimately made him succumb to jealousy. Had he been less in love with his wife, he would not have become as jealous.
Please wait while we process your payment