Analysis of Othello's Soliloquy During Othello's soliloquy in scene 3, ll. 299-318, Shakespeare uses the literary devices of image, symbolism, and antithesis to develop Othello's state of mind during this taxing period of his life. Othello, who seems to intrinsically believe that as a public figure he is destined to fail in marriage, is torn between his love for Desdemona and the possibility of her having an affair with Michael Cassio. This particular passage comes at a time when he denies that this could be true, and before he is finally convinced of his wife's infidelity. The fact that Othello vacillates between believing in Iago and trusting his wife is reflected in the imagery that Shakespeare uses in the soliloquy. . The first image used is that of a hawk. Lines 301-304 read, “If I prove her haggard, / Though her jes were my dear heartstrings, / I would whistle her and let her go to the wind to prey on fortune.” This shows that Othello is still unsure about Desdemona and states that although he is in love with Desdemona, he would drop her if he found out that she is cheating. This is a rather strong-willed statement, but it is undermined by lines 319-320, which follow Desdemona and Emilia's entry into the chamber. Othello says: “If it is false, heaven mocks itself! / I will not believe it." This is an example of how turbulent Othello's state of mind is. The firm determination expressed using the image of the falcon "melts" when he sees Desdemona, and he immediately professes to deny that she could be unfaithful to him. Yet, just ten lines earlier (l. 308), Othello says: “She's gone! and proceeds to lament the very institution of marriage: “O care of marriage, ? That we can call these delicate beings ours / And not their appetites!” The fact that Shakespeare places these three different conclusions that Othello has drawn in such close proximity is an example of antithesis and a testimony to Othello's changing and chaotic state of mind. Additional symbols are used that also exemplify this , says: “I would rather be a toad / And live off the steam of a prison / Than keep the thing I love in a corner / For the uses of others.