Othello's final speech is made soon after he has discovered the truth about Iago's lies and deceit. He has received direct evidence from Emilia that the handkerchief which convinced him of Desdemona's illicit affair with Cassio, had been stolen by her and given to her husband. Cassio also confirms that he found it in his lodgings where Iago had planted it. He has also been informed of two letters found on Roderigo's body, directly implicating Iago in the plot to kill Cassio and destroy the general.
Othello is completely overwhelmed on learning about his folly and the huge mistake that he has made. In our judgement, we must, therefore, consider the situation in which he makes his final speech as well as his actions before then. In his speech, Othello states:
Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know't.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinal gum. Set you down this;
And say besides, that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by the throat the circumcised dog,
And smote him, thus.
He states that he has been loyal to the state of Venice and that they are aware of that, but that has now come to its conclusion. He asks that in the report about this grievous situation, they should refer to him as he is and neither exaggerate nor be malicious. He asks that they should speak of a person who did not love wisely, but loved too much. The report should speak about him not being easily jealous but who was driven to confusion and aggravation who, as a result, threw away a most precious gift, richer than his entire tribe.
Othello then refers to his grief, stating that he was not used to weeping but who now dropped tears as fast as Arabian trees shed their gum. He entreats his audience to set these details down in their report adding that, at one point, in Aleppo, he had executed a Turk who dared to betray the Venetian state with his dagger in the manner that he will now execute himself. He then stabs himself.
Before he dies, Othello says:
I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee: no way but this;
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
This is a final expression of his love for Desdemona, that he would rather have kissed her than kill her. He falls on the bed next to Desdemona and dies.
By mentioning that his service to the state has now come to an end, Othello is suggesting that he has concluded performing heroic deeds. He wants the truth to be told. His story should not be embellished or told with malice, for he, intrinsically, did not bear any malice. The horrendous deed he had committed was brought on by the machinations he had been exposed to for he had been foolish. He had lost the most precious thing he could ever own and was overwhelmed by grief.
One can only admire the general for taking responsibility for his actions. He does not deny that he had been stupid in allowing himself to be manipulated. He is overcome with remorse and expresses his sadness. His suicide is, to him, the only option to atone for his deed, for he now realises that it was not heroic after all, it was murder. It was imperative for him then, to take his own life if he were to retain at least some dignity, albeit in death.
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