Act 3, Scene 2

Cyprus. A Room in the Castle.

Word definitions on hover

Notes

TLN 1474archaic vocab
“do my duties to the senate”
'Duties' here means formal respects or official dispatches — Othello is telling Iago to deliver both the letters and his personal acknowledgement of the senate's authority. It is a courtly idiom for fulfilling one's obligation to a superior body.
TLN 1475archaic vocab
“walking on the works”
'The works' is a military term for the fortifications of a garrison — the earthworks, ramparts, and defensive structures of the castle at Cyprus. Othello is saying he will be inspecting the defensive perimeter while Iago runs the errand.
historical Cyprus and the Ottoman threat
TLN 1476archaic vocab
“Repair there to me”
'Repair' here means 'come' or 'return' — Othello is telling Iago to go deliver the letters and then come to him at the fortifications. The word has nothing to do with fixing something; it derives from French 'repairer', meaning to go back to one's place.