Othello

how would you describe Othello's state of mind in this scene? Account for his agitation

Act 5 scene 2-Cyprus. A bedchamber in the Castle: Desdemona in bed asleep; a light burning

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Othello sounds like a paranoid crazy person. All his suppressed insecurities come crashing down on him. Othello still swears, after speaking with Emilia, that Desdemona is "a subtle whore"; the irony is that Othello takes Desdemona's piety and goodness as proof of the corruption lying beneath the surface, when these traits are as straightforward as possible. Othello then launches into a scathing condemnation of Desdemona; his tone is bitter and angry, although Desdemona cannot figure what he is talking about. "I took you for that cunning whore of Venice that married Othello," Othello tells Desdemona. This statement shows Othello at his most unfair and vindictive, but it also shows his distrust of Venice, and its very subtle, highly mannered people.