Othello #7

Before killing himself, Othello reflects on what he has done and how he wants the story to be told. He says, "must you speak / Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; / Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, / Like the base of Judean, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued / eyes, / Albeit unused to the melting mood, / Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees / their medicinable gun" (V. ii. 403-412). He realizes that he has made a grave mistake in killing Desdemona but he takes responsibility for that action by blaming himself. He wants the people of Venice to hear this tale with his presented as a man who's immense love for Desdemona made him vulnerable to exploitation that caused him to commit the most unforgivable of acts. Othello has realized his wrongs and the cause of his downfall, but he also realizes that there is no longer a place for him on this planet, especially not in Venice. Othello's death shows how he upholds his dignity when put in a tough situation; he punishes himself the same way he would punish any other criminal and gives himself no special treatment.