Othello-Act 1

"Othello" 

By: William Shakespeare

"Our bodies are gardens to which our wills are gardens (I. iii. 314-325)." Shakespeare's language is intrinsically beautiful for its imagery and complexity. Just as in this phrase, the philosophical idea that the body is the garden and the will, the gardener. In other words, it is our own desires and thoughts which guide our body. Like a garden, who we are is constantly growing and changing according to our own will. Continued on, the analogy, through the language of the Shakespearean time, establishes  the thought that lust is simply an emotion of the will, but which can be directed away from the body as a gardener pulls out weeds. Additionally, the analogy suggests the deeper thought that the will is necessary to care for the body, but that the will is what determines the body's true success. 

This passage between Roderigo and Iago continues characterization as Iago's speech establishes distinguishing qualities.  In speaking with Roderigo, the reader may be inclined to notice that Iago uses prose while when speaking to Othello  Brabantio, or the Duke, Iago uses Iambic Pentameter. Through further analysis, one could infer that the use of prose is to represent speech with the less educated while iambic pentameter is used among the educated.