1
Q
introductory information about Othello
A
- a successful mercenary general who works for the state of Venice
- posted to Cyprus as govenor during the Turkish conflict
2
Q
first impressions of Othello
A
- Othello’s appearance in Act 1 scene 2 contradicts Iago’s assessment of Othello as bombastic, conceited and lascivious in the first scene.
- unlike Shakespeare’s other tragic protagonists, Othello is not a monarch, an aspiring monarch nor a displaced prince. He is, however, the descendant of a royal line of kings (Othello refers to his birthright when defending his right to marry Desdemona) and has been an impressive military commander.
3
Q
are we meant to view Othello as a hero?
A
- ‘Valiant Othello’ commands the respect of figures of authority (Duke of Venice, Governor Montano and even Brabantio to some extent).
- Othello is undoubtedly a conscientious soldier; we can see this when he attempts to ensure that the carousing at his wedding festivities does not get out of hand and inspects the fortifications in the town in Act3sc2.
- Othello’s customary mode of speech (blank verse), as well as he fact that his words often inspire confidence in his character, seem to indicate that we should view him as a hero.
4
Q
Othello and opposition
A
- the many contradictions and oppositions in the play are embodied in the tragic hero, perhaps immediately evident with the play’s contradictory (to an Elizabethan audience) subtitle, ‘The Moor of Venice’.
- all of the characters hold highly specific, individual and often opposing views of Othello and these views may obscure our judgment of him too.
- the hero’s two contradictory roles - military man and lover-husband - arguably oppose eachother throughout the duration of the play and only become reconciled when he kills himself at the end: when these separate selves cease to exist.
5
Q
is Othello’s tragedy a domestic tragedy?
A
- the focus in this play is, as often has been suggested, domestic. Othello’s previous history, the Turkish invasion and machinations of the Venetian state provide the backdrop to an essentially private tragedy.
- However, while the play focuses on the tragic consequences of sexual jealousy in relationships, we must not ignore the wider worldly or political dimension of Othello’s tragedy.
- Othello is proud of his profession and his reputation as a soldier is an essential part of the hero’s conception of himself. Othello’s desire for revenge is arguably prompted by his need to recover his [professional] reputation.
- A Jacobean audience would have understood the weight Othello attaches to his reputation: a man’s honour was significant and a wife’s chastity was an integral part of it.
- when Othello fears that he has been cuckolded, the hero doubts himself and is forced to accomodate a new role - that of a ‘duped husband’ - which his pride will not allow him to accept.
- it is perhaps possible to argue that Othello’s marriage is a political act; a black soldier marrying a white aristocrat, according to views of the time, does not seem to make sense for any other reason. The initially loving and equal relationship between the pair, though (“O, my fair warrior!” , “My dear Othello!”) seems to disprove this idea.
6
Q
Othello’s race
A
- Othello is not the stereotypical immoral, lustful Moor of much Renaissance drama. He is portrayed as such by other characters - notably Iago - but we eventually come to realise that we cannot trust the judgement of those who make negative comments about Othello’s race.
- Shakespeare crafts the tragedy in a way that suggests that Othello’s jealousy and the subsequent murder of Desdemona is not because of his blackness. his negative emotions are, rather, the result of being ‘Perplexed in the extreme’ by Iago, whose discrimination is a part of his evil, just as Othello’s blackness is portrayed by Shakespeare as part of his nobility.
7
Q
Othello as a lover and husband
A
- it’s difficult from the beginning of the play to accept Othello as a perfect wooer, lover and husband, partly because he marries Desdemona in secret - a covert action that sits uncomfortably with Othello’s protestation that he has nothing to hide after the marriage.
- we are, however, encouraged not to dwell on this fact too much as it becomes clear that Desdemona was ‘half the wooer’ and the couple communicate clearly with the council and eachother.
- the Duke of Venice recognises Othello’s suitability as a wooer when he says “I think this tale would win my daughter too”, reassuring Brabantio that “Your son-in-law is far more fair than black”.
- however, there are tensions and contradictions that must be considered: Desdemona’s need to live with Othello conflicts with his intention to keep the marriage separate from his duties. We gradually come to question Othello’s self-awareness on this point; he may be a capable general, but the events of the play suggest that Othello is out of his depth in matters of the heart.
8
Q
Othello’s love
A
- in Act3sc3 Othello says that he fears chaos when he is away from Desdemona: ‘perdition catch my soul/ but I do love thee! and when I love thee not/ Chaos is come again’
- it seems Othello cannot master his feelings - is he in the grip of emotions he can’t control even before Iago begins working his ‘poison’?
- the qualities that served Othello well as a soldier contribute to his downfall; his decisiveness leads him to seek ‘ocular proof’, and so when he is presented with with such proof his decision to pursue a bloody course is made swiftly.
9
Q
Othello not giving in to jealousy
A
- Othello suffers accutely from Act3sc3 but does not seem to give into his feelings of jealousy as quickly as Hazlitt suggests when he says that Othello has ‘blood of the most inflammable kind’.
- he tries, on many occasions, to persuade himself that Desdemona is honest; he has second thoughts about murdering her as late as the final scene.
- Iago’s influence in facilitating the tragedy is evident as Othello begins to think and speak like the ensign when his imagination is polluted - animal imagery e.g. “Goats and monkeys!”
10
Q
Othello’s final scene
A
- possible to argue that his insistence on the importance of his honour both redeems and damns Othello.
- Shakespeare reminds us that the hero was a worthy man before he was ensnared by Iago in order to create pathos.
- When Othello commits suicide he takes his own life to pay for the crime of taking Desdemona’s.
- In his final lines/action he is perhaps able to reconcile his two contradictory roles: the soldier kills the faulty lover. so, while it is impossible to condone Othello’s actions (even Jacobean audiences would have seen the act as extreme), it is possible to sympathise with and pity the fallen hero, whose suffering has been extreme.
11
Q
Brabantio’s Desdemona
A
- early in the play, Brabantio defines Desdemona as his ‘jewel’ - ‘A maiden never bold,/ Of spirit’, modest and opposed to marriage, afraid to look on Othello.
- she emerges from her father’s descriptions as an innocent, girlish figure. this version of Desdemona proves innaccurate when she speaks in Act1 (“Let me go with him”), however, by the end of the play, Othello’s abusive treatment has turned Desdemona into the fearful girl Brabantio initially described. This is horribly ironic as Desdemona has been silenced and it seems her final role is to be a sacrifice to masculine pride.
11
Q
Desdemona the wife
A
- the heroine’s active sexuality is necessary to the play; Iago is able to make a great deal out of the fact that Desdemona deceived her father, and is therefore untrustworthy
- although Desdemona disobeyed her father, she expects to submit to Othello’s authority: “My heart’s subdued/ Even to the very quality of my lord”
- Desdemona isn’t without fault, though; she lies to Othello about the handkerchief (understandably so as he frightens her with serious talk about its magical properties), and she reproaches Othello briefly after being hit (‘I have not deserved this’ - by Jacobean social standards, this was perhaps not Desdemona being a ‘good wife’).
12
Q
Desdemona’s final words
A
- Desdemona refuses to blame Othello for her unhappiness, declaring it is her ‘wretched fortune’ (linking to the fact her name means ‘ill-starred’)
- marriage ultimately teaches Desdemona that ‘men are not gods’.
- her passivity in this scene contradicts her earlier assertiveness.
13
Q
Desdemona’s honour
A
- Desdemona defends her honour throughout the play: ‘By heaven, you do me wrong’
- she’s still brave and assertive, even when Othello attacks her verbally and physically
- reference to heaven reinforces Desdemona’s virtue and is ironic as she is about to be murdered
- she is loyal to her husband to the bitter end: ‘Commend me to my kind lord - O, farewell!’
14
Q
-
Iago as a villain
A
- part vice, part Machiavel, and seems to be inherently evil
- cynical, quick-witted and opportunistic - all qualities of stage villains in revenge tragedy
- where many Romantic critics (like Coleridge) viewed Iago as ‘being next to the devil’, changing social/cultural contexts have gradually caused many to instead view him as an emotionally-limited man driven by petty professional jealousy and class consciousness.
- like many stage villains, Iago is a source of irony and humour that makes him appealing to audiences (E.A.J. Honnigmann)
- perhaps Iago is allowed to live because evil will always exist in the world, and cannot be killed
- maybe used by Shakespeare to symbolise and comment on the issues with the patriarchally dominated Jacobean society in the sense that any (usually white) male is awarded privilege of unquestionable power
15
Q
Iago’s motives
A
- division over whether Iago’s motives are adequate or plausible
- perhaps he knows the things he says about others are false, but his desire for revenge demands an explanation for his actions.
- he claims that his initial motivation for disgracing Cassio is professional jealousy, but he also seems to focus on the ‘daily beauty’ in the lieutenant’s life.
- he also claims that both Cassio and Othello have committed adultery with his wife, though these accusations are baseless, with there being no evidence to suggest that such claims are true within the play.
- although he never explicitly states that he hates women or POC, his contempt for them is evident within his speeches.
16
Q
Iago’s success
A
- because he is self-contained, egotistical and confident in his ability to play different roles, Iago is able to successfully hoodwink others into believing he is honest, and he very much revels in this fact.
- with Cassio, he is coarse and genial when offering plausible/practical advice.
- with Montano and Lodovico, he stresses that he has Othello/ the state if Venice’s best interests at heart.
- there seems to be an absence of ego in these dealings with characters who are socially and professionally superior to him, but this is deliberately false.
- Iago can afford to be less cautious with those who are dependent on him, such as Rodorigo. Their discussions, for example, tend to be written in prose, indicative of their shared ‘low talk’.
17
Q
Iago and Othello
A
- Iago makes everyone around him believe he is loyal, conscientious and noble (perhaps, ironically, Othello’s best qualities).
- Iago’s feigned reluctance to tell on Cassio in Act3sc3 is devastatingly effective
- his role-playing enables him to become stage manager and dramatist, controlling his victims’ fates (Kott - ‘diabolical stage manager’)
18
Q
Susannah Clapp on Iago and Othello
A
the theatre critic reviewed a production of Othello in 2007 and said that Iago was portrayed as ‘the thinker’ and Othello the ‘feeler’. (links to Phillips’ view of Othello as a ‘man of action, not a thinker’)
not the case at the start of the play - Othello’s rationality and wit apparent: ‘Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them’ and ‘Hold your hands’. Iago not necessarily emotionless as he clearly states that he ‘hate[s] the Moor’
19
Q
Iago’s limitations
A
- does Iago’s crude world view indicate that he is a petty character whose cleverness is superficial?
- the end of the play proves that you cannot hoodwink everyone all of the time, and perhaps Iago is foolish to believe he can
- though the villain succeeds in destroying a marriage and two noble characters, as well as Emilia and Rodorigo, his plan ends in failure
- is his silence at the end of the play an admission of failure, or one last ‘win’ - one final attempt to reassert his power despite his inevitable fate?
20
Q
Cassio in Act1sc1
A
- we are offered a belittling portrait of Cassio by Iago, where he is presented as a mere ‘arithmetician’ and an unexperienced soldier (‘mere prattle without practice’) who has been promoted beyond his deserving
- this initial impression is, however, not entirely false: when Othello leaves him in charge, he ends up in a drunk brawl. instead of keeping order and discipline, he creates confusion and alarm.
- this seems inexcusable as he is aware that he has a weak head for drink.
- cassio’s military experience draws a parallel with othello as a potentially inexperienced lover - despite their inexperience, both men take their roles seriously
- because he is made the governor of Cyprus at the end of the play, we are encouraged to dwell on Cassio’s strengths as opposed to his weaknesses as a soldier.
21
Q
Cassio and Othello
A
- Cassio’s primary function seems to be to offer a point of comparison with Othello
- both soldiers are outsiders who have chosen to serve Venice
- both value their reputations highly
- Cassio, as an educated Florentine gentleman, is a cultural insider, while Othello, due to his race, is seen as a cultural outsider - this is continuously affirmed until the very end - even in Lodovico’s final lines (‘Moor’).
- Florence had a reputation as a city of culture, so unlike his general, Cassio is considered a social sophisticate.
- at the end of the play, Cassio is associated with the restoration of order in Cyprus when he replaces Othello. his generous tribute to Othello reminds us of his unphased loyalty, and it seems fitting that he offers the last comment on Othello being ‘great of heart’
22
Q
Cassio and Iago
A
- Cassio’s worst qualities are revealed under Iago’s influence
- Cassio’s weakness seems to lie in the fact that he is ‘handsome, young and hath all those requisites in him that all folly and green minds look after.’
- through taking advantage of him with drink, Iago is able to replace Cassio as Othello’s right-hand man. from this position of power, Iago is then able to make Cassio’s virtues look like vices. he uses Cassio’s courtesy against him, making his shame look like guilt.
23
Q
Cassio the lover (‘Casanova’)
A
- Cassio’s gallantry can be somewhat overworked at times, but his praise of Desdemona seems to be sincere
- later in the play, his gentlemanly exterior seems to conceal some unsavoury qualities that are revealed through his interactions with Bianca. His treatment of her is often callous; while he does show her some affection, he also refers to her contemptuously as ‘bauble’ and compares her to a ‘fitchew’ (lecherous).
- Cassio can be accused of using women in the same way Iago does; rather than facing up to Othello, he enlists the help of Emilia and Desdemona.
- Cassio may not ‘steal away so guilty-like’ as Iago claims, but his choice to resolve the conflict in this way does seem rather cowardly.
- Ultimately, however, we cannot blame him for depending on female intervention - Iago convinces him that this is the best way forward.
- For Jacobean audiences, his liason with a young courtesan would not outweigh his good qualities. Overall, we may conclude his worthiness outweighs his weakness.
24
Brabantio the senator
- Brabantio is an important man used to commanding others - ironically much like Othello. we are led to believe that he is a valuable member of the council, well-respected and liked by others.
- Brabantio's professional judgement appears questionable - **he, like Othello, allows his private domestic affairs to interfere with affairs of state, evident when he demands Othello be put on trial for witchcraft during the debate about the military fate of Cyprus.**
- he resolutely refuses to acknowledge Othello's worth, unlike the other senators.
25
Brabantio the patriarch
- plays the role of the 'wronged patriarch', and Shakespeare's audience may have felt his wrongs more deeply than we do today, recognising Desdemona's elopement as an assault on patriarchy. Brabantio views this as **'gross revolt'** against the natural order.
- he suggests that Desdemona's marriage to Othello undermines not only his authority, but the whole social order.
26
Brabantio's love for Desdemona
- Brabantio has not necessarily been an unsympathetic parent, and his deep paternal love for Desdemona is genuine
- he rejected the unworthy Rodorigo ('not for thee') and has allowed Desdemona to reject suitors herself because he recognises her virtues, even if his descriptions of her in the senate scene do not seem to align with the confident young woman we proceed to meet.
- not all of his speeches about losing his daughter to Othello are unsympathetic, and he dies of grief: **'my particular grief/ Is so of flood-gate and o'erbearing nature / That it engluts and swallows other sorrows.'** his sense of loss here is profound and foreshadows Othello's grief at his perceived loss of Desdemona.
27
Brabantio as an unsympathetic character
- refuses to have anything to do with Desdemona after her marriage. he cruelly says that he would rather 'adopt a child than get it'.
- his final words to Othello are a harsh warning: 'She has deceived her father, and may thee'
- the loving, generous father is replaced by a mean-spirited prophet of doom.
- proves to be selfishly materialistic: 'jewel' suggests he regards Desdemona as a possession that he can profit from.
- we come to question Brabantio's judgement when he says it would have been better if Rodorigo had 'had' Desdemona rather than Othello, though this may be because he, too, is a victim of Iago's manipulations.
28
Emilia's loyalty
- Emilia's loyalty is repeatedly tested by the incidents surrounding the handkerchief.
- is her decision to give Iago the handkercheif a morally incorrect one? it is stealing, but she is also carrying out her husbands wishes
- she makes the wrong moral choice when she gives the handkerchief to Iago, as she does so in spite of knowing Desdemona 'so loves the token... That she reserves it evermore about her'
- her loyalty is tested once more as she lies to Desdemona about the handkerchief's whereabouts: 'I know not, madam'
- in Act5 her loyalty is tested a final time and here she chooses to prioritise her loyalty to Desdemona first, betraying Iago.
29
Emilia and Iago
- Emilia's relationship with Iago is a paradigm of marital disharmony
- the only love left is felt by Emilia, who tries to please Iago by obtaining the handkerchief. his attitude towards her is proprietorial and controlling.
- Iago is jealous of the courtesy Cassio shows Emilia when she first arrives in Cyprus not because he loves her, but because he feels his own position being threatened.
- we only see the couple alone tigether once (Act3sc3). Iago treats Emilia contemptuously, demanding to know why she is alone and implying that her movements should be directed by him.
- he insults Emilia as a 'foolish wife' until he receives the handkerchief. even so, he refers to her as a 'good wench'.
30
Emilia and sexual politics
- it is unsurprising that Emilia is cynical about men considering her own match has afforded her little pleasure.
- her view, although bitter, is far more worldly and realistic than the innocent Desdemona's. she has learnt before Desdemona that "men are not gods".
- "So speaking as I think, alas, I die"
31
Emilia's judgement
- is Emilia's pragmatism about men and women very far removed from Iago's cynicism?
- her casual acceptance of sin/adultery in Act3sc4 may indicate that she is too crude a moraliser to be relied on entirely as a judge of Othello's character in the final scene.
- her female voice is, rather, trustworthy but not infallible.
32
Emilia and Desdemona
- Desdemona's comforter and protector of honour, **playing the role Othello should have played for his wife.**
- as Desdemona's voice becomes less assertive in the second half of the play, Emilia's role becomes more important. she bcomes her mistress' energetic defender, voicing the audience's outrage at the treatment Desdemona recieves. in this role, she is selfless and sharp-witted.
- wise without knowing it: 'The Moor's abused by some most villainous knave'
33
is Rodorigo a victim or a villain?
- as a disappointed suitor, Rodorigo represents the 'curled darlings' that Desdemona rejected, prividing a point of comparison with noble Othello
- very poor judgement and his actions are generally despicable. often he seems villainous: he has no concern for Desdemona's feelings, making him a potentional abuser of women.
- participates in the attempt on Cassio's life without feeling convinced that his intended victim deserves to die.
- perhaps, though, Rodorigo is not wholly bad, bur is rather weak and foolish and has been corrupted by Iago. he lacks resolution and volition and has to be guided off stage many times.
- there is some rehabilitation for Rodorgio's character when his letters are discovered at the end, revealing the truth about Iago's plots.
34
Rodorigo as an outsider
- it is possible to see Rodorigo as another outsider in *Othello*; Iago keeps him on the fringes of action, ensuring he remains powerless
35
Rodorigo and the subplot
- the subplot involving Rodorigo is very closely linked to the main plot - so much so that they become interwoven.
- Rodorigo's primary role is to enable the audience to gain insight into Iago's methods.
- In Cyprus, Iago propels Rodorigo beyond the subplot and into the main plot, using him as a pawn in the drinking scene and the attempt on Cassio's life.
36
Bianca the victim
- seen only in relation to the male characters and is always in a vulnerable position
- Cassio is prepared to dally with her but not marry her
- vulnerability is a result of her social position as well as her treatment by he male characters. as a prostitute, her only power lies in being able to attract customers; if they choose to abuse her, Bianca's voice counts for nothing because her profession is morally dubious.
- "'tis the strumpet's plague / To beguile many and be beguiled by one" (Iago)
- irony in the fact that Bianca is more honest and true than the outwardly honourable men who abuse her.
37
Bianca the lover
- Cassio and Bianca make amends, unlike the tragic central couple: Cassio dines with Bianca before he is injured in the final scene.
- In Act5, Bianca's genuine love for Cassio is seen upon discovering he has been stabbed: "O Cassio, Cassio, Cassio!"
Othello
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