Sea Imagery in Othello Act II, Scene i

At the beginning of Act II, Othello is affectionate towards Desdemona, and it is evident
that he is ecstatic to see her at the shore. He shows his affection with a kiss and comments
that he is indeed happy and content to see her. Othello’s reference to a boat in a stormy sea
describes his love for Desdemona and how seeing her represents a calm is representative of
his perception of love. In this context, Othello expresses that it is priceless to have a wife who
offers calm, which makes a boat’s struggle during a stormy sea worth it. “If after every
tempest come such calms/May the winds blow till they have weakened death/And let the
laboring bark climb hills of seas” (Act II, Scene i, Lines 201-203). In these lines, Othello is
convinced that love makes his physical and emotional battles worth it.
Furthermore, the subsequent calm after a storm has hit is calming, reassuring, and
blissful, which is similar to Othello’s victory in the sea battle with the Turkish Fleet.
Therefore, the complexity of his military engagement and their hidden passion for each other
have felt like a storm for Othello, both emotionally and literally. However, the fleeting
wonder and ecstasy of being reunited with Desdemona when he docks at Cyprus indicated
that he would endure it all over again just for the calm afterwards. “My soul hath her content
so absolute/That not another comfort like this/Succeeds in unknown fate” (Act II, Scene I,
Lines 207-209). Unaware of Iago’s plan, Othello is convinced that concurrent triumph in
battle and love are unmatched. Shakespeare’s use of sea imagery is thus indicative of
Othello’s boundless love for his wife, which he fiercely acknowledges upon seeing her.