ABSTRACT
Any student of William Shakespeare's mature tragedy Othello would find quite uncontroversial the assertions that its crucial images include those of light, darkness and clothing; that its crucial events centre on the eponymous hero's understandings and misunderstandings. The rich set of associations, contradictions and paradoxes is most fully elaborated in the play's language as Othello finally acts on the 'ocular proof that Iago has falsely contrived for him: Put out the light, and then put out the light. For Othello, the story of Prometheus consists entirely of the series of events by which Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. Othello turns to darkness the light that is Desdemona's life, ironically unable to see through the dark conceit that has been contrived for him. The terms of this family of metaphorical projections structure Shakespeare's poetic representation of Othello over against Iago. Othello's behaviour when Iago subverts Cassio gives Iago the key to destroying Othello.
