1
Q
ACT 1 SCENE 1
A
- Starts mid conversation between Iago and Rodrigo.
- Rodrigo is upset with Iago
- Rodrigo wants to be with Desdemona and has been paying money to Iago (unclear why)
- Iago is racist towards Othello and reveals true intentions “I follow him to serve my turn upon him”
- Iago wakes up Brabantio and tells him about Desdemona and Othello.
- Iago states that he is faking his loyalty and leaves to warn Othello of Brabantio being after him because he convinced Brabantio that Othello stole Desdemona
2
Q
ACT 1 SCENE 2
A
- I comes to tell O that B knows about D and is after him.
- I wants to show his loyalty by going to great lengths to warn O although the whole situation is only happening because of I.
- O isn’t worried (pride) “my services…shall out- tongue his complaints”
- as O is leaving for military duties B and R arrive.
- I goes to the extent to draw his sword and point at R to show loyalty.
- O tells B and his men not to draw swords “for the dew will rust them”
3
Q
ACT 1 SCENE 2 CONTEXT
A
same event happened in Bible. Judas who betrayed Jesus protects him in-front of the crowd. Iago as Judas and Othello as Jesus. But Jesus accepts his fate whereas Othello controls situation with authority.
4
Q
ACT 1 SCENE 3
A
- Duke and Senator talking about Turkish fleet approaching Cyprus.
- Sailor tells them that they’re turning towards Rhodes but Rhodes isn’t as well protected or worthy as Cyprus and predicting it’s just a tactic.
- prediction turns out to be correct.
- Discussion interrupted as B tells Duke his daughter has been stolen and Duke claims he’ll punch the man that did it.
- B turns to O and accuses him.
- Duke asks O “what, in your part, can you say to this?”
- given opportunity O defends himself and tells story abt him and Des.
- B accuses him of witchcraft and O asks I to go fetch Des so she can speak for herself.
- Des speaks about how O would always tell war stories to B and she was interested and they progressed to falling in love.
- Duke takes O’s side “I think this tale would win my daughter too”
- B asks Des to speak for herself.
- B asks where Des’ obedience lies and she says she has to stick with her husband as ab’s wife did.
- Des stays with ‘trusted’ people (Iago) whilst O goes to Cyprus.
- B says to O “She has deceived her father and may thee”
- Iago’s first soliloquy as he keeps repeating to Rodrigo “put money in thy purse” to get him with Des.
- He then claims (breaking the 4th wall) that he’s heard rumours of O sleeping with Emilia. Plans to lie to Othello saying Cassio is sleeping with Des.
5
Q
ACT 2 SCENE 1
A
- Montano predicts that the storm drowned the Turkish fleet (hostility of nature, fate)
- Othello becomes governor of Cyprus chosen by Duke.
- Iago is offensive to his wife and women in general “players in your housewifery, and housewives in…your beds!”
- Cassio tells the women that Iago can be rough with his words then takes Des by the hand to speak privately, I notices this and schemes.
- Othello and Des see each other.
- “O, you are well tuned now”
- I starts convincing R that Des is in love with C and tells him to go start a fight later that day “Desdemona is directly in love with him”.This would create a bad rep for C.
- Iago then reveals that he wants revenge on O and C for sleeping with his wife. “I do suspect the lusty Moor hath lept into my seat” “wife for wife”
6
Q
ACT 2 SCENE 2
A
-O sends a message to everyone that there will be a celebration to mark Turkish fleet being destroyed and their marriage.
7
Q
ACT 2 SCENE 3
A
- I encourages C to drink even though C knows his limits. C is the centre of I’s plan.
- I tells R to fight C and C wins.
- Montano gets injured trying to break it up.
- the fight interrupts O’s time with Des and he comes angrily to demote C.
- C complains to I about the situation and I tells him to ask Des to intervene, this makes I’s plan work as it makes them look like Des and C are having an affair.
- Another soliloquy from I.
- scene ends with R being beaten and disappointed with no money, determined to return to Venice but I tells him that the plan has just begun.
- Another soliloquy from I saying that Des is gullible as she listens to anything (eg : O’s stories)
- C is desperate to get back into O’s good books so he’ll do anything.
- End of soliloquy with imagery of a net for all of I’s victims.
8
Q
ACT 3 SCENE 1
A
- C has hired musicians to play outside O and Des’ room.
- This makes O angry and he pays them to leave.
- C pays servant to take msg to Emilia (Des’ waiting woman) to give to Des.
- C arranges music for the newly wed couple to get back into O’s good books but it doesn’t work.
- This is making C get closer to Des and I’s plan working out. Everyone sees him as honest and trustworthy but he’s working behind everyone’s backs.
9
Q
ACT 3 SCENE 2
A
- O gives I letters to deliver to a ship bound for Venice.
- the interaction shows I is trusted and uses that trust to turn back on O in next scene.
- This scene suggests I controls info, this is important as he abuses his role and manipulates everyone.
10
Q
ACT 3 SCENE 3
A
- I convinces O that C is having an affair with Des. O vows revenge and promoted I to lieutenant. (Act plot)
- Des promises C that she’ll get him his lieutenant position back. C leaves in a hurry when he sees O and I approaching.
- I claims “I like not that” and when O asks what he means I says it’s nothing leading O to think I knows something O doesn’t.
- all this makes Des and C look guilty and plants a seed of mistrust in O’s mind.
- Des asks O to give C his position back and O dismisses her “not now”
- I mentions how Des “deceived her father”
- When Des informs O that they’re having guests for dinner he says he has a headache, she offers him a handkerchief but he rejects it and O falls to the ground. Emilia picks it up and I says it’s the perfect thing to plant in C quarters to make him look guilty.
- O is further provoked when I tells him he saw C w Des and tells him he saw C with Des’ handkerchief.
- in this scene I wants to make Des look like a villain.
- “men should be what they seem”- Iago.
- O calls I a villain for not telling him what’s going on (blindness)
11
Q
ACT 3 SCENE 4
A
- Des wants to speak about getting C’s position back only to be confronted about the handkerchief.
- When she says she doesn’t have it O emphasises it’s importance “It was a gift from an Egyptian charmer to my mother” losing it meant breaking the spell of love.
- When C returns Des says something is wrong with O.
- C finds the handkerchief in his chambers and wants Bianca to copy the stitching of it.
- The motif of the handkerchief is ironic as before O claimed he didn’t believe in no witchcraft whereas now he claims it has a special spell on it.
12
Q
ACT 4 SCENE 1
A
- Crucial exchange between O and I “to kiss in private?” “to be naked with a friend an hour or more not meaning any harm?”
- O falls into a trance from being overwhelmed by this info.
- I tells O to observe. O sees C talk to Bianca and he assumes it’s about Des- becomes enraged.
- Bianca enters with the copied handkerchief and to O that’s proof of unfaithfulness.
- Lodovico says O needs to go back to Venice leaving C in charge of Cyprus.
- Des is happy abt C return but O interprets it wrong and stiles her, Lodovico is shocked at the uncharacteristic behaviour and I pretends to be.
- I’s final card- showing O that C is giving Bianca the handkerchief and happened after planting imagery of adultery in O’s mind.
- “With her,on her, what you will”
- when O is most vulnerable I suggests killing Des “Do it not with poison strangle her in her bed…even the bed she hath contaminated”
13
Q
ACT 4 SCENE 2
A
- O questions Emilia about C and Des.
- Emilia denies O doesn’t believe calls Emilia a “strumpet”.
- women leave and R accuses I that he’s been paying money and still doesn’t have Des. I suggests to R to kill C.
- R is angry and I is still using him.
14
Q
ACT 4 SCENE 3
A
- O tells Des to go to bed and to send her servants away for the night.
- As Emilia and Des get ready for bed Des remembers a song about that her mothers servant would sing about a woman whose lover left her.
- Emilia comforts Des and says that men are often violent towards their wives out of jealousy.
- In Emilias speech she blames husbands for wives infidelity as well as giving an argument of equality and women’s sexual needs.
- “because men are supposed to be leaders it’s no surprise women will learn to have affairs from them”
15
Q
ACT 5 SCENE 1
A
-I waits for R with a weapon to kill C, R attempts but fails and instead just wounds C.
-I shows up and stabs C and runs away.
-O hears C’s cry and goes to do his part of the deal- kill Des.
-Gratiano and Lodovico arrive and I pretends to arrive for the first time too.
-I stabs R.
Bianca arrives and I tries to blame her for the murder.
-All happens at night which makes it convenient for I to orchestrate it and get rid of R as he’s an unnecessary complication.
-This is a turn to I’s plans so he had to think quick to get rid of R to make sure he doesn’t get exposed and still keep his reputation as “Honest Iago”
16
Q
ACT 5 SCENE 2
A
- O enters Des’ bed chambers and she’s asleep “I won’t shed her blood…but I must kill her”
- Kisses her she wakes and he encourages her to confess her sins. Brings up the handkerchief and tells her he’s killing her “ I never did offend you in my life”
- He refuses to believe and smothers her. Emilia finds Des almost dead.
- Des expresses her love to O and takes blame.
- O tells Emilia he killed Des because of an affair. E realises this is the job of I and knows that never happened.
- She screams “murder” and Montano, Lodovico and Iago come running in for E to accuse I for all this.
- O realises and tries to attack O but is disarmed by Montano.
- out of confusion I stabs E.
- O attacks him again and I claims he is not confessing.
- O confesses and asks to be remembered as “one that loved not wisely but too well” then stabs himself and falls on bed kissing Des.
- Lodovico blamed I and tells Montano to make sure he’s tortured.
- Des also accepts her fate, ambiguous as to why.
- she also put the wedding sheets out on her bed almost like fate too.
- O realises too late that he was manipulated.
- Instead of returning to Venice he takes the soldiers way out and kills himself to remind everyone of his service. (tragic hero, hubris)
A level English - tragedy
flashcards
Decks in class (2)
# Cards
