do quicken.” Othello seems to be saying that the plague of great leaders (pridefully referring to himself) is to ultimately have privileges less than a base illegitimate child. This, to Othello, is a fate, which cannot be altered, like death and this ‘forked plague’, or cuckold’s curse is predestined when a man is bornThis soliloquy sets the emotional tone for the remaining portion of the play. Othello exhibits several emotions while speaking these lines. Intense sadness is portrayed in the “…jesses were my heartstrings…” line. He deeply loves Desdemona, and yet he must to hate her because of what he perceives she has done to him. His anger is reflected in the lines “…must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage…” and there is self-hatred when he says he would rather be a toad, or when he is recounting his faults. Pride is displayed as he speaks of himself as a ‘great one’, but it is extinguished when he thinks of what Iago has hinted Desdemona has done. Othello is woefully sarcastic as he says, “Prerogativ’d (privileged) are they less than the base,” because one would normally think the opposite. The relevance of this passage is to show the transition from Othello’s usual, calm, collected, and honest persona to a self-hating, jealous, sad, angry, and spiteful man. It is the point of no return for Othello, leaving no doubt in the reader’s mind the reason behind Othello’s subsequent decisions involving himself and the other characters in the play. This allows it to be smooth and flowing from one state of Othello’s mind to another. These lines show how deeply Iago has influenced Othello with his innuendoes regarding Desdemona’s infidelity.The syntax of the soliloquy seems to be more prose than rhyme, leaving the reader to follow the punctuation for the most help in reading the passage. The soliloqu...
