But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
I would not my unhoused free condition
Put into circumscription and confine
For the sea’s worth.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 1, Scene 2. After Iago tells Othello that Brabantio may try to divorce him and Desdemona, Othello declares his deep love for Brabantio’s daughter. In a metaphor Othello compares the value of his freedom as a single man and love for Desdemona to all the treasures of the sea. He would not have given up this freedom for the sea’s riches, except that he loves Desdemona, he says.