Othello's Transformation

Play - Othello

Act 3 Scene 3 lines 258-277

Excerpt: "She's gone. I am abused, and my relief / Must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage, / That we can call these delicate creatures ours, / And not their appetites!"

Context: Othello believes that Desdemona has turned into an adultress. He convinces himself that the only way to get over her is "to loathe her." This speech signals his conversion.

Significance of conversions/transformations: Conversions say a lot about a character's anxieties about a specific situation. Figures who undergo conversions are figures of suspicion. In this scene, Othello converts from the noble Christian character to a "turk"ish figure. Conversion usually carries on religious undertones -it is somewhat ironic that Othello converts away from good, light, and religious aspects. He starts out as a character who is not jealous to being completely motivated by jealousy. Othello's transformed image is a primordial image in which he makes a sudden transformation towards disorder. This speech also highlights Desdemona's conversion from virgin to whore. Ultimately, it seems like Shakespeare incorporates subversive elements in to the idea behind conversion (especially that of the religious).