Then must you speakOf one that loved not wisely but too well,Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,Like the base Indian, threw a pearl awayRicher than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,Albeit unused to the melting mood,Drop tears as fast as the Arabian treesTheir medicinable gum. Set you down this,And say besides that in Aleppo once,Where a malignant and a turbaned TurkBeat a Venetian and traduced the state,I took by th' throat the circumcised dogAnd smote him thus.

Summary

This quote is an excerpt from Shakespeare's play Othello, spoken by the character of Othello. In this passage, Othello reflects upon his love for Desdemona, admitting that he loved her too intensely. He characterizes himself as someone who wasn't easily jealous but became consumed by insecurity when he falsely suspected his wife of infidelity. Othello sees himself as someone who made a great mistake by acting out of anger and jealousy. He also regrets having destroyed something beautiful and valuable, likening it to an Indian wastefully discarding a precious pearl, and mourns the consequences of his actions by shedding tears like the healing resin from Arabian trees. Othello also mentions a violent encounter with a Turkish man in Aleppo, suggesting that his rage and aggression have led him to commit terrible acts.

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