On his way with Othello to the Senate, Brabantio is convinced that his fellow Venetians will agree that Othello's marriage to Desdemona is outrageous, "For if such actions may have passage free, / Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be" (1.2.98-99). Othello is neither a slave nor a pagan, but Brabantio is sure that if the marriage is allowed, Venice is on the slippery slope to a world turned upside down. As it turns out, Brabantio is wrong about his fellow Venetians; one Senator says that Othello's stories would probably win his daughter, too, and the Duke urges Brabantio to accept the marriage in good grace. [Scene Summary]

While explaining his marriage to the Senate, Othello tells how Brabantio invited him home to hear stories of Othello's adventures. In Brabantio's house, with Desdemona sometimes present, Othello told tales of many things, including "Of being taken by the insolent foe / And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence" (1.3.137-138). Presumably, he would have been redeemed out of slavery by a large payment of money from those who wanted his services as a warrior. [Scene Summary]

To lure Othello into jealousy, Iago intimates he has certain thoughts about Desdemona and Cassio, but doesn't say what those thoughts are. Othello demands to know what Iago is thinking, and Iago responds, "Good my lord, pardon me: / Though I am bound to every act of duty, / I am not bound to that all slaves are free to" (3.3.133-135). Iago's point is that even slaves don't have to give an account of what they are thinking. He goes on to say that he could be mistaken in his thoughts, and that if he spoke them, he might ruin someone's reputation, because,

Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands:
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed   (3.3.157-161)

Near the end of the same scene, when Othello has fallen into a rage of jealousy, he exclaims about Cassio, O, that the slave had forty thousand lives! / One is too poor, too weak for my revenge" (3.3.442-443). [Scene Summary]

After Othello repeatedly calls Desdemona "whore," Emilia has a very definite theory about what has happened. She declares, "I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain, / Some busy and insinuating rogue, / Some cogging [cheating], cozening [deceiving] slave, to get some office, / Have not devised this slander; I will be hang'd else" (4.2.130-133). Unknown to Emilia, she has described her own husband, Iago, and he tells her that she must be wrong. [Scene Summary]

When Roderigo, at Iago's urging, tries to kill Cassio, he fails. Cassio gives Roderigo a serious wound, and Iago answers Roderigo's appeal for help by rushing over to him, shouting "O murderous slave! O villain!" (5.1.61), and killing him. [Scene Summary]

In the last scene of the play, Iago is referred to as a "slave" four times. The first occurs just after Iago's treachery has been revealed by his wife, Emilia. Iago stabs Emilia, then runs away. Montano leaves Gratiano to guard Othello and pursues Iago, saying, "I'll after that same villain, / For 'tis a damned slave" (5.2.242-243). Moments later, grieving over the dead Desdemona, Othello cries out, "O cursed, cursed slave!" (5.2.276). (In this case, it may be possible that Othello is calling himself a slave, for killing her.) When Montano and Lodovico return with the captured Iago, Lodovico says to Othello, "O thou Othello, thou wert once so good, / Fall'n in the practise [evil plot] of a damned slave, / What shall be said to thee?" (5.2.291-293). After hearing from Othello, Lodovico gives various orders and says of Iago, "For this slave, / If there be any cunning cruelty / That can torment him much and hold him long, / It shall be his" (5.2.332-335). [Scene Summary]