1834TLN 1834: I am bound to thee forever.

This bold statement is primarily an acknowledgement of the debt Othello believes he owes Iago for his ostensible loyalty and honesty, and as such it represents an inversion of the traditional bond of obligation between commander and subordinate, or feudal master and servant, the model against which Iago consistently measures relations of service throughout the play. The phrase's hyperbolic dimensions also imply, as Neill notes, the existence of a stronger and more nefarious bond akin to the demonic pact dramatized in versions of the Faust story, in which a man sells his soul to the devil for knowledge and power. See, for instance, Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus. The phrase's formulaic formality also evokes the exchange of vows at the heart of the marriage ceremony. See also Iago's vow at the end of 3.3.: "I am your own forever" (TLN 2135).