O Spartan dog,
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!
Look on the tragic loading of this bed;
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 5, Scene 2. Lodovico addresses Iago and points to the tragic results of his jealous and poisonous manipulation and deception – the deaths of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia. In this pitiful scene, he vilifies Iago with a metaphor, comparing him to a bloodthirsty dog from the ancient Greek city state of Sparta. Spartan dogs were trained to hunt and kill, so Iago’s comparison to them highlights his inhumanity. Lodovico orders the bodies to be covered and hid from sight, as they are worse than pain, hunger and the stormy sea.