Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me: but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat.
That can thy light relume.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 5, Scene 2. In the play’s final startling and tragic scene, dark eclipses light as Othello goes over completely to the dark side with his decision to murder the innocent Desdemona. Using pun and metaphor, he speaks of putting out the room light, then extinguishing the life of his wife, who is asleep in her bedroom. Again using light as a metaphor, he compares her to a candle – "flaming minister" – which if he puts out he can light again if he changes his mind. But once he puts out Desdemona’s light he knows that there is no miraculous fire to restore her life. This quote shows a seeming reluctance on the part of Othello to kill Desdemona.