In the final scene of Othello, the antagonist Iago only speaks for a few critical lines. While blame is starting to form around him, he merely reverts to his original plan of trying to play it off as if he is not the villain by stating: "I told him what I thought, and told no more / Than what he found himself was apt and true" (V.ii.212-213). The one factor that Iago did not account for was Emilia's betrayal, or, even if he suspected she knew, he did not believe she would disobey his orders: "Go to! Charm your tongue" (V.ii.219). Many of Iago's last amount of lines are repetitive way of him telling his wife to be quiet, to go home, or that she is a whore. Iago's facade of bystander crumbles completely when, in his heated temper, he stabs Emilia, killing his own wife in front of everyone in the room.
Iago's last lines in the play are: "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I will never speak a word" (V.ii.355-356). This greatly juxtaposes Iago's plan to bring down Othello, which consisted of luring Othello to ask questions that made it seem as if Iago was trying to hold his tongue as to not hurt anyone. Now Iago no longer wishes to be asked anything at all, for he sees how everything has turned against him. "What you know, you know" adds on the idea that Othello can now decide to see things the way he sees fit to, not to always as Iago what he thinks. The way that the play ends with a silent Iago is an odd end, for Iago speaks to the audience so often in the play, and just speaks a lot in the play in general, that it is strange for him to no longer have lines. Iago also used words to his advantage, such as how he enraged Othello with sexual innuendos and baited the hook that pulled Othello to ask questions. This speechlessness is the last straw of Iago's defeat, leaving himself without his last weapon, his words.
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