Language and Othello's Decline Maria Jose Bahamonde

It is commonly believed that one can perceive the soul through a person’s eyes. However, Shakespeare allows the audience and readers to perceive the inner spirit of a character through his words, thereby giving words magnificent power. Throughout the play Othello, the progressive deterioration of Othello’s nobility of mind is reflected by his decline in control of his language. In the beginning of the play, Othello clearly uses a calm, poetic language and as the novel progresses Othello’s dialogue becomes quite aggressive in tone.

As the play commences, Othello’s tone is very poetic; the readers may notice that he is calm in nature and loves his dear wife Desdemona intensely. The following quotation depicts how he is very proud of his life and how fortunate he is of having found Desdemona.

Let him do his spite.

My services which I have done the signiory

Shall out- tongue his complaints. ‘Tis yet to know

(Which, when I know that boasting is an honor,I shall promulgate) I fetch my life and being

From men of royal siege, and my demerits

May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune

As this that I have reached. For know, Iago,

But that I love the gentle Desdemona,

I would not my unhoused free condition

Put into circumscription and confine

For...