Othello extras

Question 1

Deception and idealisation

Answer 1

• Deception – self-deception and self-dramaticising
• The handkerchief is the main motif of deception, Iago and Cassio’s talk
• Othello’s idealization of himself is how Desdemona sees him – his self-deception is hers – they idealise their love and set it up for tragedy - Shakespeare’s wife

Question 2

4

Women

Answer 2

• Shakespeare’s wife successfully managed a home and a property as well as a family for 20 years while Shakespeare was in London. Shakespeare wrote a large number of parts of a strong minded female character. He was interested in females perspectives. Men wished to marry virgins and to have chaste wives for social reasons, but whores available for their pleasure.
• Arthurian legend - Romance now concerned exotic tales of magic, superstition, and travel as well as love affairs. The masculine ideals of the soldier. The courtly lover had to be a member of high society and concerned with honour and reputation
  This created a dichotomy of two types of women: reputable and non reputable.
• Unfortunate. (Nominative determinism)
• The image of a cuckold would be a horned beast and this was a prevalent male fear at the time as it would mean you were an object of ridicule as a man who couldn’t control his wife and it was also related to the wider issue of succession. Illegitimate children could not be assimilated into the family structure. Desirable wives were considered dangerous.
• The Great Chain of Being - The Elizabethans had a mediaeval theology of a hierarchical chain of being on which every creature appeared in its ordained position - Chaos was the undoing of gods creation and a return to nothingness indicating the breakdown of the chain of being. Shakespeare’s contemporaries had a terror of the return of the anarchy of the Civil War period prior to the Tudor settlement. Chaos could initiate tragedy. Chaos was also a return to the state prior to the creation of the universe. For chaos to come again, the world must be de-created through a gross revolt against nature. This is what Desdemona is accused of in her choice of husband

Question 2

Iago

Answer 2

• Iago is deceptive in the play by using role playing as he pretends he’s benefitting all characters when he’s deceiving them, pretending to be something they’re not - Iago is given subversive views to discredit them because the voice of Iago was highly criticised by the audience. Shakespeare as a revolutionary
• Irrational jealousy was viewed as an incurable infection which eroded trust. It guarantees tragedy

Question 3

7

Appearance vs Reality

Answer 3

• Appearance vs Reality is revealed – I am not who I am - Appearance versus reality is a central issue and the imagery of seeming permeates the language of the play. The conundrum that torments this play is that Iago looks honest so he is perceived to be incapable of villainy -Telling lies was much more serious back then. Satan told lies to Eve in the garden of Eden. Telling the truth as a way to shame the devil. Iago as devil
• Both Iago and Othello insist that they are able to control their emotions, that they can use their reasons to counteract the force of their passions - Both characters use soliloquies to give reasons to justify their actions, however they can appear to be motive hunting- trying to rationalise actions which are driven by their passions
• The failure of reason was considered to be the cause of the fall of man, for example Adam followed his love for Eve to overrule his better judgement. Elizabeth and therefore believed it was dangerous to let reason be dominated by passion. In Othello he becomes uncontrollably emotional and is therefore heading for a fall. His heightened state means impulses are activated and a lack of reason leads to tragic consequences
• On at least 2 occasions, characters demand to have proof before they are willing to act. In the case of Othello, he acts without convincing evidence, driven by his emotions - Othello wants to present the murder of Desdemona a just punishment or a sacrifice rather than an act of passion
• The story is framed by a historical contest over the possession of Cyprus near the start of the play in which Brabantio demonstrates that reason cannot console those who have lose possessions - Because of censorship, any criticism Shakespeare makes of those in authority or questions he asks about race and nobility had to be muted. He couldn’t directly criticise the Monarch or the English court.
• The imagery of the play frequently suggests that we are irrational. We are driven by appetite, not reason. Jealousy is a monster which takes control of us. It reveals out animal natures
• Isolation - As a self-preservation leads to downfall. People fall into their own obsessions and prey upon one another. Othello prejudiced.

Question 4

Renaissance

Answer 4

• Renaissance - Rebirth’
• Began in Italy in the 14th century. It saw a revival of artistic and intellectual endeavor which gradually spread across Europe.
  Classic texts and culture of Greece and Rome were rediscovered and the ‘golden age’ of English Literature began. It is innovative and it challenges and questions the beliefs and assumptions upon which Elizabeth in society was founded.
  Shakespeare subverts traditional values in his plays, for example, in Othello the tragic hero is a black man and the heroine is assertive.
• Evil spirits were believed to be on the watch for an opportunity to corrupt. In Shakespeare, foolish or hubristic characters are sealing their own damnation. Othello fears that this is what he has done in marrying Desdemona which heightens his insecurity. Othello’s invitation to evil takes the form of him giving in to Iago’s temptations - The fear of damnation stems from the contemporary conviction that there was a literal hell. Hell was portrayed the way Othello describes it, engulfed in dark flames. Elizabethans also believed in the incarnation of the devil which is how Othello finally sees Iago
• Henry VIII had broken with Rome in the 1530s and at this time there was now an independent Protestant state church. Protestantism reinforced nationalism – the preoccupation of good and evil, introspective tendencies are encouraged

Question 5

6

Iago extra critics

Answer 5

• Coleridge - Iago’s excuses are ‘the motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity’ and Othello is ‘a being next to the devil’
• Raatzch - the phonetic affinity between ‘ego’ and ‘Iago’
• Duthie - the tragedy is caused by ‘two forces working in conjunction: it is caused by an external force of evil deliberately bringing itself to bear on a noble figure which has within it a seed of evil’
• Wain - ‘less than a complete human being because love had been left out of his composition’
• Praz - Iago ‘incensed by the public report that Othello has cuckolded him’ seeing ‘parallels in may cases of retaliation instanced by the Italian novelle’
• William Empson’s ‘Honest in Othello’ - Argues that as regards the epithet “honest” Iago, the word has a cluster of possible meanings and a ‘head sense’ (in this case, telling the truth, not stealing, keeping promises)
• medievally, it meant ‘deserving the receiving social honour’
• 16th c, it meant ‘one of us, the type we like’
• Restoration, anti-Puritan feeling that a man might be selfish and unreliable but honest in that he tells the truth about it so honesty not valued
• Victorian times, used to patronise the lower classes or suggest that they had common sense

Question 6

3

Othello extra critics

Answer 6

• TS Elliot - He argues Othello does not obtain redemption although Othello believes he is honourable as he acted accordingly to the circumstances of female infidelity
• Robert B Heilman - ‘the least heroic of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes’
• John E. Seaman - It is a Christian tragedy ~ Othello’s fall is a version of Adam’s, while Desdemona’s is an inversion of Eve’s

Question 7

5

Ideology extra critics

Answer 7

• Rymer and Voltaire – neo classist - sees it as having a compendium of faults
• N-Cs derived critical theory from Aristotle’s ‘Poetics’ so he expected (i) the doctrine of generality, which says that the difference between the poet and the historian is that describe what was and what could be (ii) the quadrivium of ‘Plot, Character, Thought, and Expression’ so should produce a nugget of wisdom/moral - not a proper tragedy

1. The Doctrine of Generality
   The difference between the poet and the historian is that the poet describes what could be, not just what was.

Aristotle’s View (as adopted by N-Cs):

Poetry (drama) is philosophical and universal—it should express general truths about human nature, not merely recount specific historical events.

In Othello:

Shakespeare does not strictly follow this ideal. He bases Othello on a known Italian novella (Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio), a relatively specific and plausible story.

However, Othello does generalize in its themes: jealousy, manipulation, the fragility of trust, the outsider’s alienation, and the tragic flaws of great men.

Othello, though a Moor and a military general in Venice, becomes a universal figure—a noble man destroyed by internal flaws and external deception.

👉 So Shakespeare aligns with the doctrine of generality to the extent that Othello transcends its historical basis to explore timeless human emotions and dilemmas.

2. The Quadrivium (Plot, Character, Thought, and Expression)
   A good tragedy should include these four elements and deliver a nugget of moral wisdom.

Aristotle’s Breakdown:

Plot: The arrangement of incidents; central to tragedy.

Character: Moral or ethical quality revealed through action.

Thought: The themes or reasoning in the play.

Expression: The style and diction.

In Othello:

Plot: Shakespeare constructs a tight, escalating structure built around Iago’s manipulation. There’s a clear peripeteia (reversal) and anagnorisis (recognition) for Othello.

Character: Each major character is morally and psychologically complex. Othello is noble but insecure; Iago is evil yet intelligent and charismatic.

Thought: Central themes include jealousy, race, honor, and the power of language and persuasion.

Expression: Shakespeare’s language is rich, poetic, and tailored to each character—far from the plainness preferred by N-Cs.

However, the ending does not offer a “neat moral nugget.”

The audience learns something (e.g., don’t trust appearances; jealousy is destructive), but the moral is not stated didactically—it’s implicit, ambiguous, and emotionally devastating.

👉 So Shakespeare partially follows the quadrivium: all four elements are present, but the expression is more elaborate than N-Cs liked, and the moral is not cleanly delivered.

• John Wain, general - “we respond deeply or shallowly according to [the play] whether we have deep or shallow natures”
• John Middleton Murray - ‘the idea of magic is central to it’ and David Kuala opposes Thomas
• Babington Macaulay - ‘Perhaps the greatest work in the world’, Thomas Rymer - ‘a bloody farce without salt or saviour’

Question 7

2

Desdemona extra critics

Answer 7

• John Quincy Adams - believed Desdemona deserved her fate as ‘black and white blood cannot be intermingled’
• Heraud - ‘there exists fiction in whatever is romantic. She suffers from illusion and loves to be deluded’
  ‘she frequently evades the truth, when attention to its strict letter would raise difficulties’

Question 8

2

Tragedy extra critics

Answer 8

• Rymer (1600s) - ‘Tragedy of the Handkerchief’
• John Wain - ‘a tragedy of misunderstanding’

Question 9

7

Is Othello a play preoccupied with race?

Answer 9

• In a liberal progressive society, race bigotry is incredibly established and subsequently incredibly criticized – equality was not recognized but subverted by the Great Chain of being – that went futher than race, with gender, class, rank and religion Instead, of the risk of being anachronistic, Othello is seen as an outsider
• Foreign military men were seen as political commodities as trading links opened between the Mediterranean and England, North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, leading to the emergence of contracting Arabian or African Moors as military mercenaries. Contracted in Venice to fight against the Turks in Cyprus
• How were Moors perceived in Renaissance England – most Elizabethan playgoers were unlikely to have seen Moors, especially with the Edict of Expulsion in 1290
• Black = sin in cultural consciousness. ‘a damned soul may and doth take the shape of a black moor’ - ‘The Discovery of Witchcraft’ by Reginald Scot
• Othello begins the play in a position of advantage precisely because he is a political and social outsider, but he is ultimately undone by his own crimpling self-consciousness of being a racial outsider.
• His foreigness presents a perfect solider for Venice - ‘more fair than black’, Othello and Desdemona win the favor of the Senate – with their territorial state in case, they don’t care – he’s being a sensible politican. First time it is brought up – Scene 1, Act 1 – sharpens the distinctions, both have been degraded within marriage – not used completely – only used in relation to sexual relations – is it really used – Brabantio’s daughter, Roderigo’s jealousy
• Alluded to as a Moor continuously – not a mark of shame. He is a racial outsider to himself - ‘Haply for I am black’ - he equated being black with social graces, however this is more stereotype than reality – for Shakespeare has shown us that Othello is able to gain admiration, none built on solid reason – Scene 3, Act 3. Confusion and insecurity impair Othello’s ability to think rationally and see for what it is, arbritrarily associating begrimed with black

Question 10

2

‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and the I love her that she did pity them’ - Act 1, Scene 3

Answer 10

• Othello’s equinimity is on full display, as he delivers with a measured tone - ‘our love is mutual not forced’
• Two language features here are clear to the audience – alliterative parallelism -’d’ and ‘p’ plosive sounds suggests the assertiveness of their marriage and the chaismus – to begin the phrase with ‘she loved me’ and ‘I loved her’ Shakespeare emphasizes the reciprocity of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship – the visual placement of ‘she’ and ‘I’ reinforces their tightness as a bond as a fortuitous crossing of two parts, but also subliminally suggests Othello crossing his heart about how their love came to be

Question 11

2

‘Virtue! A fig! Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to which the will are gardeners’ - Act 1 Scene 3

Answer 11

• In a disdainful retort to Roderigo’s confession, Iago expresses his contempt for morality – there’s no such thing – because man fashions his own morality in his reality outside of social rules
• Repetition of ‘we are thus or thus’ - shows Iago’s belief in man’s maleability and control – he carries this on through an analogy – we are the sole controller of our fate and polyptoton - gardens – our actions are always a direct mimic of our values

Question 12

4

‘Reputation, reputation, reputation! O I have lost my reputation! I have lost the the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial’ - Act 2, Scene 3

Answer 12

• In the midst of a drunken brawl set up by Iago and Roderigo in which Cassion stabs Montano, the governor, and is subsequently demoted.
• Repeated tricolon – reflects the importance of honour in Renaissance Venice and it foreshadows the more tragic loss of reputation and the smearing of Desdemona
• Hyperbolic contrast between ‘immortal’ and ‘bestial’ underscores the extent to which Cassio and and his society cares about honour – no more than an animal with little value, ironic considering Iago’s indifference to reputation and the disreputable way in which he orchestrates amongst the characters of the play
• Dramatic irony in the play – whilst Cassio laments his bestality, he is completely unaware of the true bestial man – Iago

Question 13

3

‘But jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous; tis a monster begot upon itself, born upon itself’ - Act 3 Scene 4

Answer 13

• In an intimate conversation with Desdemona about men and their vagaries, Emilia makes a sharp observation about the nature of jealousy – mainly that it is an entirely irrational emotion – whereas Desdemona is baffled by Othello’s jealous rage, Emilia is unfazed because she understands that envy does not require reason
• This is reinforced by the tautology of ‘jealous for they are jealous’ which is perhaps makes this emotion so terrifying because one can neither prevent nor mitigate jealousy in a partner.
• This makes her metaphor of a monster, acting with the epistrophe of ‘itself’ to emphasize the self-endangering nature of envy – we see her practical wisdom, as well as her experienced pessimism

Question 14

5

Why Desdemona is more than just a victim – does she deserve our sympathy?

Answer 14

• Courageous in love and open-minded in values – her martyrdom to her husband’s reckless judgement inspired pathos with every theatrical production in the ages
• There is the argument that Shakespeare does not present Desdemona as the embodiment of virtue, but the ideal of a virtuos woman, however dramaticisms the failure of any woman becoming virtuos. The core of the tragedy is not rooted in her potential cuckoldry to Othello, but the expectation of saintliness that both Desdemona and other men impose on her
• This can be seen through her frequent and earnest allusions to the word ‘heaven’ - whilst Iago and Othello tend to evoke this similarly – they tend to do this in sarcastic or pessimistic ways - ‘By heaven, that should be by handkerchief’ - Act 4 Scene 1, ‘When devils with the blackest sins put on…’ - Act 2 Scene 3
  Act 2 Scene 1 – ‘the divine Desdemona’, Othello, whilst skeptic of her inchastity, refers her as ‘her name was as fresh/as Dian’s visage’ - Dian being an allusion to Diana, the Roman virgin goddess of the moon
• Even Iago recognizes this - ‘as framed as fruitful/as the free elements’ - Act 2, Scene 3 – the double entendre of ‘fruitful’ being generous in nature, or in sexuality. The association with the elements associates her with the heavens, as in Christian theology, ‘elements’ also refer to the bread and wine of the Eucharist – again associating Desdemona with the heavenly Christ
• Her flaws are not about being unchaste or dishonest, but her stubbornness, immaturity and occasionally unsympathetic behaviour – Desdemona’s insistence of Cassio - ‘good love, call him back’ - Act 3, Scene 3 – by badgering and cajoling Othello into granting her wish, Desdemona shows a fundamental immaturity and empathy – she is not registering the time Othello needs to reflect on this decision – this is VERY human – we should register for a more rewarding and less reductive interpretation of her role – this makes her interesting. Guilt trips - ‘I wonder in my soul…’ Act 3 Scene 3 – a certain level of instigation and power-play, manipulation – she isn’t really a paragon of divinity

Question 14

3

‘Good night, good night: heaven me such uses send, not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend!’ - Act 4, Scene 3

Answer 14

• Desdemona poses a strong contrast to her hard-headed, cynic, lady in waiting – she is more of a doe-eyed idealist who wants to believe the the best of people. In response to Emilia’s idea – women should behave the same as men – Desdemona refuses to compromise her standards of goodness even if it means forming herself to the archetype of a martyr.
• The striking antanaclasis – the first bad showcasing vindictive behaviour that Emilia espouses, with the second bad almost posing as a meta name for women who behave vindictively.
• The rhyming couplet of send/mend reinforces the firmness of her moral stance – by holding so firmly to this belief, she contributes to her own undoing at the hands of her own jealous irrational husband

Question 15

2

Is Othello a misogynistic play?

Answer 15

• Women not allowed on stage – perhaps interesting to think about the dramaturgical dynamics of scenes that present intimacy within male and female relationships. Homoerotic readings? Opportunities for introspection?
• Far from normalizing this type of behaviour, Shakespeare perhaps suggests through men’s crude, frequent and casual typecasting of women in this play that this reductive impulse to assume that all women fall into specific archetypes – is a key cause for misunderstanding and tragedy within the play – male characters very quick to impose own assumptions, the characterization of women is coloured and sometimes distorted

Question 16

5

Emilia study

Answer 16

• Desdemona study is done, Emilia – assumed to be dumb, punished for being defiant - ‘I will not charm my tongue, I am bound to speak’ - what do we assume about Emilia – Pushover, must swallow her husband’s disdain, the presumed nagginess and garroulness of Emilia that Iago complains about, she says little and sparse – Act 2, Scene 1. Mid-way – the audience can assume she is subservient and modern-day feminists will no doubt be critical over weakness. All the more surprising when she delivers an impassioned, indignant – sharp contrast to ‘Alas, she has no speech’
• Dramatically, the structural contrast between the taciturn, submissive Emilia at the start to a much more trenchant, assertive Emilia towards the end is significant for understanding how women are vulnerable, practically victim to cultural associations which can be more harmful than blunt misogyny
• Just as Iago comments on the difference between women in public v women in private, so does Shakespeare make a similar point about women having public dimensions to them – what they project to the world may not be who they truly are within
• At the end of the play, Emilia can be incredibly vocal about causes close to their heart we know her early reticence isn’t an indication of submissiveness, but simply a reflection of mature indifference over trivialities – on matters of principle, this is a woman who will speak up at the expense of her life
• Despite her grave revolt against her husband, she must still request permission from the ‘good gentlemen’ around her to speak – however this is only in theory – Emilia can no longer stay in the socially prescribed role as a ‘dutiful wife’ who accepts wholeheartedly her husband’s actions – the true heroine?

Question 17

4

Bianca

Answer 17

• Functions as a magnifying glass to just how far marginalized women can be reduced to stereotypes and abstractions within patriachal society.
• As a courtesan, Bianca, whilst not having the most reputable job, shame does not represent her in an immoral or derogatory light. She is, however, referred to as ‘notable strumpet’ - she is seen as a purely transactional figure - ‘a housewife that by selling her desires buys herself bread and clothes’. The metonymy of ‘bread and clothes’ suggest that Bianca is only after Cassio for material and bodily gains
• Act 5 – turning point, she cares for him - ‘I am no strumpet/but of life as honest as you that thus abuse me’ - despite efforts to typecast her, Bianca presents emotional depth, her vocal protests defying the hypocrisy of society that seem righteous on the outside, immoral on the inside
• Whilst Cassio is distraught over his reputation, Bianca is indifferent – she loves him as a whole person – only female character that doesn’t die

Question 18

5

It is the cause speech – Act 5 Scene 2

Answer 18

• This speech portrays Othello in a different emotional state than originally - ‘Damn her lewd minx, damn her!’ - blazing fury – HOWEVER – far from being livid and vengeful, Othello is pensive and reluctant, as if he has already begun to regret his decision to kill his wife – a ‘greater force’ is compelling him to push forward
• Repetition and epizeuxis – a compensatory verbal reflex for their inability to complete concrete, accurate expressions – Othello begins thrice repeating - ‘it is the cause’ - but far from communicating resolute determination, the ambiguity of the statement (what cause?) - and the circularity of his repetitiveness seems to indicate Othello’s mental paralysis, lack of clarity, and general hesitation before this impending deadly act

He repeats the act ‘one more, one more, one more’ to delay the act and perhaps hypnotise himself into carrying out the act in a half subconscious state. The static nature of the repeated phrases imply his wish for time to almost stand still and remain in the status quo

• Analogy

‘Snow’, ‘alabaster’, ‘rose’ - inanimate objects – objectifying impulse – on first comparison, it may seem that he is idealizing her as this untainted, virginal figure, onto whom he has put on a high moral pedestal – however the coldness may suggest a lack of empathy. She is seen as his main singular source of joy, may be seen as counter-intuitive for these names – Othello is forcing himself to repudiate Desdemona’s humanity as a way of believing her already dead.

• Hyperbaton

Shakespeare wants to highlight the illogical state of Othello’s mind - ‘I quench thee…’

There is a difference between ‘quenching’ and ‘snuffing out’ the light – this confused minor reasoning then is partly borne out by the syntactical mix-up and switching seen as Othello allows his thoughts to become increasingly entangled and twisted in preparation for this twisted act.

• Paradox

‘This sorrow’s heavenly’ - come in a sudden sequence, which creates a saturated sense of contradictory tension as Othello’s mind veers between extreme polarities and struggles to hold them in coexistence. One of his tragic flaws is having this binary dichotomous mindset which struggles to reconcile opposite thoughts – he sees Desdemona as either Madonna or whore and should be haloised or else completely extinguished. Shakespeare has characterised Othello to struggle with this, which can be seen through this string of paradoxes.

Question 19

4

Iago as a projection of Shakespeare’s shadow? Specifically, his subconscious desires as a professional dramatist?

Answer 19

• Throughout the play, offers a confusing and often conflicting mix of reasons of why he hates the Moor and desires to ruin her marriage – we have sexual paranoia ‘twixt my sheets’ - Act 1 Scene 1, professional jealousy - ‘mere prattle, without practice’, racial discrimination - ‘an old black ram is tupping your white ewe’ However, Iago can also be seen past this Machiavellian villain who wishes to bring chaos, and therefore tragedy, but as a pseudo-dramatist who seeks to exert artistic control by imagining all as ‘actors’ in a play
• The first clue of this lies in his diction, with the recurrence of the word ‘play’ in Iago’s Act 2 soliloquys - ‘play the sir in’ - Act 2, Scene 1, ‘play the villain?’ - Act 2, Scene 3 – the conscious use of theatrical diction here suggests that Iago views the characters around him as agents of the stage – each playing their respective parts, him ‘the villain’, rather than real humans living in existence. There is a metatheatrical layer around the play – him making clear his puppeteering and the dynamic – open acknowledgement. Seen in this light, he is ironically the most honest in the play
• Act 4, Scene 1 – gets Othello to observe in befuddled understanding – in this moment, Iago is effectively triangulating the classic theatre setting, by casting Cassio and Bianca as the actors, and Othello as a commoner playgoer – he cannot hear nor see what is going on clearly. He speaks as if he were a stage director, doling out instructions on where to go - ‘Do you hear Cassio?’ ‘Do you intend it?’ ‘After her, after her..’ - judging by Iago replies and questions by Othello after the handkerchief scene, one could argue that Iago’s glee is not so much a result of seeing Othello’s misguided rage, but rather by of witnessing his own virtually successful staging, with the smugness of his artistic, dramaturgical triumph reflected in the tone of his self-answering questions to Othello - ‘Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice?’ ‘See the handkerchief?’ - his questioning focuses primarily on the positioning of items and characters.
• He could be seen not as a destructive presence, but a unifying force which looks to activate each agent character as actor within the same organic context and to have all of these elements create a majestic albeit monstrous production of human tragedy

Question 20

3

Roderigo study

Answer 20

• ‘sick fool’, initially lack of intelligence, however is fully aware of Iago’s manipulations and predatory nature - ‘Tush, never tell me….’, later shows more sharp awareness of this - ‘I do follow here in the chase…’ - Act 2 Scene 3
• Some scholars argue that Roderigo exists to highlight the diabolical nature of Iago and how scheming he truly is – he is a subplot for Iago and his complexity
• However, a stronger argument would suggest he is a reflection of Othello (he is made a fool by his own racial self-consciousness) - he becomes a victim of this manipulation because he allows himself to be manipulated and this willingness might stem from deep self-consciousness of his social standing and masculinity - which is why he hasn’t been able to court Desdemona and why Brabantio dislikes him

Question 21

2

Roderigo social standing

Answer 21

• Being a white Venetian and a wealthy man, the only thing preventing him from this courtship would be his lower social rank. Derogatory tone - ‘the gross claps of a lascivious Moor’ overshadows a more important insight into - ‘knave of common hire, a gondolier’ - common connotes ordinary, but we wouldn’t expect a gondolier to have rank, for him to include this seems comically redundant – this shows his hyper consciousness of social standing and class, and the way his mind is pathologically conditioned to see rank – highlights Cassio and his rank
• Act 2 Scene 1 – lie about Desdemona and Cassio - ‘base men being in love have then a nobility in their natures’ - whilst it may be seen initially as a throwaway parenthetical mark, it contrasts ‘base men’ and ‘nobility’ - taunts him constantly - ‘if thou b’est valiant…’ ‘o noble heart’ - Act 1 Scene 3

Question 22

# 5 Roderigo masculinity

Answer 22

- Recurrence of ‘hand’ - a reference to the male genitalia - enjoyed puns which would’ve appealed to a male commoner audience – Iago uses sexual innuendos to provoke Othello and Roderigo’s unstable masculinity – Act 2 Scene 1 - ‘paddle with the palm of [Cassio’s] hand – makes a cryptic insinuation – the onslaught of ‘hand’ references leads him to subconsciously associate Cassio with male virility and the masculine drive and his resolution shifts – from weak hesitation to resolute commitment - It is not reason that convinces Roderigo, but the unbearable thought of being less than masculine - ‘Give me thy hand, Roderigo’ - Act 4, Scene 2 – just as he is about to lose faith – do not waver in ‘purpose, courage and valour’ - he spells out this conventionally masculine traits as being what Iago wants - Act 5, Scene 1 – before he attacks Cassio - ‘be near at hand, I may miscarry in’t’ to Iago’s response being ‘here at thy hand: be bold and take thy stand’ - the rhyming couplet conjures up the phallic image of an erect penis, signifying the climax of the man’s prowess and reinforcing reminders of masculinity within Roderigo’s consciousness - Final act, he cries ‘he, he, tis he!’ - ironic as the epizeuxis of the masculine pronoun ‘he’ encapsulates one of the key sources of Iago’s demise. - Fulfills 2 functions – dramaturgically, allows Iago’s schemes to come to life and showcase what true Machiavellian behaviour looks like – but on a psychoanalytic level – he mirrors Othello’s social and sexual insecurities to show that all men are ultimately victims of their own fundamental anxieties on where they come across in society

Question 23

# 5 Facts about Shakespeare

Answer 23

- Would have been exposed to theatre at a young age - Expert in Latin, Greek and the classics - Despite having figures like James I enjoying theatre because it bolsted the court’s authority - ‘Master of the Revels’ - a government official known for stage censorship’ - Was ‘forced’ to be inventive with his craft – plays had a short lifespan – 10 performances per year – his contemporaries had to be consistently innovative and flexible with their craft – broke dramatical conventions, ‘tragicomedy’ - Aristotelian unities – which is the notion that the action of one play must take place were cast aside – for the emotional impact of these plays - His greatness as a playwright largely stems from his ability to assimilate, adapt and refine prosaic ideas and plots – and make them engaging with language and staging – infuse a philosophical depth – with stagecraft instead of gore characteristics

Question 24

# 5 Cassio study

Answer 24

- His identity is based on others’ perception of him – why is Iago so easily able to frame Cassio as Desdemona’s paramour – Othello takes the mere suggestion as truth – is the envy of Cassio a reflection of frustrated desires? - A more complicated dynamic is suggested that Othello doesn’t actually like Cassio – professional wariness v personal wariness – Othello and Cassio’s parting at sea foreshadows the splintering of the men’s relationship as the play progresses - ‘the great contention of the sea and skies parted our fellowship’ - contention – quarrel or dispute which is manifested and Othello accepts what Iago is pouring. Elemental imagery of sea and sky conveys a sense of cosmic inevitability about their relationship. Can people from different cultural backgrounds fully trust each other, even if there is respect? - ‘Let’s teach ourselves that honourable stop, not to outsport discretion’ - Act 2 Scene 3 – cautioning him to hold restraint, knows his drinking weakness – his tone may be cordial, however his words display discipline and self-control – in this brief but didactic decree, Othello communicates a marked anxiety about misbehavior and transgression – which he sees him vulnerable to - Before Iago communicates his malicious fabrications about Cassio to Othello, the Moor has already established Cassio as a man weak of will and lacking in restraint – Othello's acute self-consciousness about not being associated with chaos or disorder reinforces his suspicion about Cassio. Despite their professional comraderie, Othello innately distrusts Cassio from the risks of his weaknesses - Iago’s approach - ‘the lieutenant is to be saved before the ancient’ Act 2 Scene 3 - it is harder to hold prejudice on Cassio than Othello. Cassio’s naivete and lack of self-awareness about showing his goodness so openly is what sabotages him. Act 2 Scene 3 – the contrast in speech is astonishing! Iago’s sexual diction vs Cassio’s saintly register

Question 25

# 3 Freudian psychoanalyst

Answer 25

Personality theory: - Id – immediate gratification, ego keeps this in check, socially acceptable, superego – our sense of right and wrong - Othello believes he is administering moral justice by murdering his wife - 2 manifestations of Othello’s id – his decision to marry Desdemona, his need for quick, definitive answers for Desdemona’s infidelity – Act 3, Scene 3 – over the course of the play the bubbling concoction of ‘black vengeance’, violent love and tyrannous hate do indeed rise up to gradually cloud his conscious judgement, as his advis for dominance with his ability to moderate his actions – the function of his ego