Othello: Act IV

At the end of Act IV of he play Othello by William Shakespeare Emilia and Desdemona have a peculiar conversation. Desdemona mentions multiple times different omens she observes. While discussing these omens, Desdemona foreshadows her death when she says, "If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me In one of those same sheets" (IV,iii,23-24). In this scene, Desdemona makes many other comments that imply she will meet her demise. Along with singing a song another lady sung when she died and saying she thought she would be crying soon, Shakespeare makes it obvious something tragic will happen soon. Until this scene there has been little indication of any deaths occurring, but this one finally screams attention. This foreshadowing allows the play to reach a turning point, and finally allow the tragic events to take place. The foreshadowing also allows the reader to make their own opinions of what will happen next, which adds a little bit of a suspense to the play. Desdemona also gives the reader an idea of where and when her death will take place. After reading this scene I was able to figure out exactly what was going to happen to Desdemona.