Two Options

Othello, the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare
Act V

"This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite," (V.i.128-129).

With this aside at the end of the first scene in Act V, Iago sets the stage for the action that will take place in the rest of the play. By speaking solely to the audience, Iago is able to communicate his thoughts to the audience without the other characters on stage knowing anything about what he is thinking. This particular aside, though, creates suspense for the rest of the scene; it leaves the audience with two possibilities for the outcome of the tragedy. Iago will either succeed is his revenge against Othello, or he will succumb to some tragic ending. These two equally exciting options keep the audience engaged in the action that is occurring on stage.

In addition to the suspense created on stage, the aside also offers a literary technique to be examined: foreshadowing. This short one-liner by Iago leaves the reader, like the audience, with two possibilities. Obviously, someone is to die because of the tragic nature of the play, but we are still unsure of who it may be. However, with the two possibilities presented, it must be either Desdemona or Iago. If option one occurs and Iago is successful, Othello will have followed Iago's advice and strangled his wife. If the second option occurs, Iago will have failed in his deception and will be killed for his deceit.