Sight and Blindness

• there are different kinds of sight in the play
• in Act I, Scene 3, a senator claims that the Turkish fleet heading to Rhodes is a ruse to keep the Venetians‘ gaze distracted
• in Act II, Scene 1, people stare at the sea awaiting ships
• Othello demands visible proof of Desdemona‘s affair with Cassio in Act III, Scene 3
• also, Othello believes in things that he does not see - mainly, he accuses his wife of infidelity although he never sees her having an affair
  
  • he strips Cassio of his position based on a story that Iago tells him
  • based on Iago seeing Cassio wiping his beard with Desdemona‘s handkerchief, he assumes that his wife has an affair with Cassio
  • because Cassio screams, Othello believes he is dead

Plants

"Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills
are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce,
set hyssop and weed up thyme...
the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our
wills." - Iago, Scene I, Act 3 (p. 54, ll.320)

• Iago uses a lot of metaphors referring to plants throughout the play
• the plant metaphor refers to the characters in the play who seem to be the product of natural forces which will grow wild if they are left unchecked
• according to the metaphor, Iago is a gardener of himself and of others as he manipulates both parts
• some of his metaphors refer to poison
  
  • his visions become lethal poisons that he implements in others
  • his visions and plots consume other characters and affect their behavior
  • the organic growth of those plots suggests that the minds of other figures in the play are fertile ground for Iago‘s intentions

Animals

• references to animals suggest that the laws of nature and not of society are the primary forces ruling over the government in Othello
  
  • Iago calls Othello an "old black ram" and a "Barbary horse" (Act I, Scene 1 - p.14, l.88 / p.16, l.111)
  • Iago claims that he would drown himself for the love of a guinea-hen and would change his humanity with a baboon (Act 1, Scene 3 - p.54, ll.315)
  • Cassio complains that he is a beast when he is drunk (Act II, Scene 3 - p.110, l.297)
  • Emilia says that she will play the swan and die in music in the final scene (Act V, Scene 2 - p.266, l.247)
• animal references regarding Othello mirror the racism within the play as well as within Shakespearean contemporary audience

Hell, Demons and Monsters

• imagery of hell and damnation occur throughout Othello
• towards the end of the play, Othello becomes preoccupied with the religious and moral judgment of himself and Desdemona
• Desdemona betraying Othello is considered by him as monstrous
• after having learned the truth about Iago‘s schemes, Othello calls him a devil and a demon
• before committing suicide, Othello demands spiritual and physical torture in hell
• when the imagery of animals and nature can go no further, the imagery of the diabolical takes over