Thou art sure of me: – go, make money: – I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him: if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time which will be delivered.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. Iago responds to Roderigo’s question as to whether he can trust him. Assuring him that he can, he reiterates his hatred for Othello. Like a puppet master Iago pulls Roderigo’s strings to entice him to be his partner in crime in his revenge plot against Othello and Cassio. He grooms the weak and simple-minded Roderigo, luring him with promises of a future and sexual fulfillment with his heart’s desire Desdemona. In a metaphor, Iago compares time to a womb which will deliver these promises.