THE END

Act V of Othello, the Moor of Venice surprised me a lot.  After reading it, I realized that I had wrongly analyzed Shakespeare's foreshadowing in earlier parts of the play.  I had expected Iago to die and Emilia to live.  I also suspected that Roderigo would kill Iago.  Of course, none of these things happened.  I also did not expect Othello to commit suicide, but once I read it, I realized that an earlier speech had predicted it.  Othello had previously talked about his grief and inability to cope with what he had done.  He said "Here is my journey's end, here is my butt / And very sea mark of my utmost sail (IV.ii.266-267)."  In this speech, he is admitting that he could live no longer.  He even talks about death being his last chance to see Desdemona before being snatched into hell.  The implication of his death in this passage combined with the fact that he is holding a sword should have made it clear that he would kill himself.  In the end, Shakespeare masterfully ends the story.  There is enough action to keep all of the audience on their toes, and Iago's arrest at the end makes it more satisfying.  As sad as it is, I liked the ending.