Othello Act II, Scene I

Lines 375-376 are spoken by Iago in Act II, Scene I, regarding his plot to manipulate Othello into thinking Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio: “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse; For I mine own gained knowledge should profane…”. These two lines are written in perfect iambic pentameter. It is interesting to note that only five lines earlier Iago is conversing with Roderigo in prose and is able to seemingly switch in and out and utilize both metered poetic speech and unregulated prose. This highlights Iago’s two-faced nature and his ability to mask his feelings and create an outward appearance and composure that is completely at odds with his thoughts and emotions.

In addition, lines 375-376 also subtly reveal Iago’s egocentricity and hubris
that eventually lead to his downfall. Iago uses the possessive article and pronoun “I” six times in the two lines. In two lines containing only seventeen words total, over a third of them refer to Iago himself or to a possession of his (“I”, “my”, “mine”, “own”). Such repetition of possessive articles and pronouns alludes to Iago’s narcissism and preoccupation with his own desires. It directly correlates with his actions and motives bring about the downfall of Othello. It is unsettling to note as well that Iago’s true feelings are delivered in metered poetry. Thus, Iago’s manipulative and dangerous nature is exposed as he is able to manipulate and mold without any hesitation his true feelings and self-musings into perfectly metered iambs.

Iago’s use of the word “purse” in line 374 with “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse” also alludes to his multifaceted and cunning nature. While the modern definition of a purse would be “a money bag or receptacle for money and its contents”, alternate definitions include “a person's conscience, heart, etc., regarded as a place of safe storage or supply; a person's thoughts or store of ideas” and “an act of pursing the lips” (Oxford English Dictionary). Thus, Iago’s linguistic ambiguity and manipulation of the word “purse” correlate with his future actions and intent to manipulate not only his physical appearance but in addition his actions and the emotions of others to both deceive and fulfill his own desires.