
Shakespeare's Monologues
Othello is a Moorish (someone of North African decent) General in the Venetian Army. He is a highly respected man due to his physical power and charisma. He is often very carefree by nature. He does though, have many insecurities from his age and his own race. He can also be fairly manipulated due to his insecurities and care freeness.
In this monologue he contemplates killing Desdemona (his wife) for committing adultery. He speaks about how he has a hard time doing it, because of her beauty while she sleeps, but he must. He proceeds to speak about what he has to do to kill her before she commits this crime again. His love for her makes it extremely hard and he begins to kiss her until she wakes.
Character description, monologue synopsis, and monologue scoring, provided by Cassandra Slough as part of the Spring 2020 THT 352 class.
It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,—
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!—
It is the cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.
Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me: but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd the rose,
I cannot give it vital growth again.
It must needs wither: I'll smell it on the tree.
Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her sword! One more, one more.
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after. One more, and this the last:
So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep,
But they are cruel tears: this sorrow's heavenly;
It strikes where it doth love. She wakes.
| Number of Syllables | Scored Text | Beat Objective |
| 10 |
It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,— |
[Beat 1] to convince |
| 10 |
Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!— |
|
| 10 |
It is the cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood; |
[Beat 2] to dissuade |
| 10 | Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, | |
| 11 |
And smooth as monumental alabaster. |
|
| 10 | Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men. | [Beat 3] to evaluate |
| 10 |
Put out the light, and then put out the light: |
|
| 10 |
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, |
|
| 10 |
I can again thy former light restore, |
|
| 11 | Should I repent me: but once put out thy light, | [Beat 4] to scrutinize |
| 11 |
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, |
|
| 11 |
I know not where is that Promethean heat |
|
| 12 | That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd the rose, | |
| 10 |
I cannot give it vital growth again. |
|
| 11 | It must needs wither: I'll smell it on the tree. | |
| 10 |
Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade |
|
| 10 |
Justice to break her sword! One more, one more. |
[Beat 5] to avenge |
| 11 | Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee, | |
| 11 |
And love thee after. One more, and this the last: |
[Beat 6] to relinquish |
| 10 |
So sweet was ne'er so fatal. I must weep, |
|
| 12 |
But they are cruel tears: this sorrow's heavenly; |
|
| 8 |
It strikes where it doth love. She wakes. |
Definitions from David & Ben Crystal / Shakespeare's Words are under copyright, and may not be used without their express permission. All other definitions are from sources in the public domain.
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