Act 3 Scene 3 Questions

For what two reasons does Desdemona agree to plead Cassio's case?

Desdemona agrees to plead Cassio's case because him and Othello are good friends which is shown when Desdemona says: 'you do love my lord' and the other reason is that Cassio helped Desdemona and Othello get together because Desdemona mentions that he helped Othello with 'wooing' her.

What is Iago referring to when he says, "Ha! I like not that."

He is referring to Desdemona and Cassio speaking closely and quietly with each other, this is to try to make Othello suspicious so that Iago's plan will later work out

After Othello repeatedly urges Iago to tell him what's on his mind, Iago says "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;/It is the green eyed monster, which doth mock / The meat it feeds on." What is Othello's response? What does he want from Iago?

Othello's response is 'O misery' because he wants Iago to tell him what he means by the comments that he is making about Cassio and Desdemona,  he wants to know if Desdemona is cheating on him or not.

What does Iago say about the women of Venice?

He says that 'In Venice they do let God see the pranks They dare not show their husbands; their best conscience Is not to leave't undone, but keep it unknown.' He is telling Othello that in Venice, if women cheat on their wives they just don't tell their husbands which means that it doesn't really count as cheating because they don't know about it. He is still refraining from telling Othello because he wants his suspicions to grow and his trust for Desdemona to decrease. This will enable his plan to work.

What contextual evidence do we have to support Iago's views of Venetian women?

The contextual evidence from Robert Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy (1616) he says that 'Wives are slippery, often unfaithful to their husbands but to old men most treacherous'

Why might this cause Othello to believe this or, at least, not dismiss it immediately?

Because it will make Othello come to his own conclusions by only being told hints from Iago, this means Iago will only have to do a small amount of lying because Othello will already be having the thoughts that Desdemona is being unfaithful as a result of Iago's language choice. Also, Iago already knows that Othello is insecure because of his appearance and that Desdemona will leave him when he is older and no longer finds him physically attractive

Who echoes Brabantio's earlier warning to Othello?

Iago does when he says ' she did deceive her father, marrying you' which will make Othello sensitive to the fact that she is capable of deceit and will therefore even further back up what Iago has been saying to him and this will make Othello question his trust for Desdemona.

In his duplicitous fashion, what bold statement does Iago make about Desdemona and Othello?

Desdemona's handkerchief becomes an important piece of stage business. Why did Desdemona produce it? What happens to it? What might this symbolise? What happens to it? What does Emilia plan to do with it?


Desdemona gives her handkerchief to Othello to use of a bandage because he is complaining of a headache. Othello rejects the handkerchief, saying 'your napkin is too little', and it falls to the floor. This might symbolise the way that Desdemona's love is not enough for Othello. Othello and Desdemona leave the handkerchief on the floor. Then Emilia picks it up and plans to give it to Iago, because she knows that he wants it but she doesn't know why.

What do you think motivates Emilia to take the handkerchief to Iago?


Emilia thinks that Iago will be pleased that she got him the handkerchief and that will in turn mean that their relationship will become better and more romantic.

What does Iago plan to do with the handkerchief?


Iago wants to make it look like Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio, therefore he plans to leave the handkerchief in Cassio's room t make it look like Desdemona was there.

When Othello returns to the scene upset, what warning does he give Iago?


He warns him that if he finds out he if lying about Desdemona cheating or if he can't find sufficient proof to show to Othello, then he will kill him.

What 'proof' of Desdemona's disloyalty does Iago give Othello?


His proof that finally convinces Othello is when Iago describes that one night when he was sleeping by Cassio he spoke of his affair with  Desdemona 'sweet Desdemona...let us hide our loves', and also tells Othello how Cassio 'laid his leg over my thigh, and sighed and kissed'.

What is Iago's final 'proof'?


Iago's final proof is that he saw 'Cassio wipe his beard' on the handkerchief Othello gave to Desdemona. This really annoys Othello because that handkerchief has a lot of sentimental meaning to him and Iago describes Cassio just using it as a normal handkerchief.

What is noticeable about Othello's language in this scene?  


Othello's speech becomes monosyllabic throughout the scene. He also becomes increasingly distressed and Shakespeare shows how he is failing out of love with Desdemona as shown when he says: 'loathe her. O curse of marriage'.