techniques

Question 1

foreshadowing

Answer 1

• the uncontested dominance of othello and desdemona’s mindless obedience sets up the next tragedy
• the use of the song “willow” which foretells desdemonas death is from othello
• shakespeare exploits the fact that his audience is familiar with the conclusion in his tragedies by employing the literary technique of foreshadowing. we already know the characters are heading to perish soon which adds to their tension when they appear to have foreknowledge of their ow death. othello and desdemona prewarn their demise in love themed speeches

Question 2

climax

Answer 2

• othello kills desdemona and discovers the horrible mistake he has made

Question 3

imagery

Answer 3

• aids characterisation.
• iago is defined through many different images, some being the use of poison to show his true evil and sadistic nature (“ poison [brabantio’s] delight” “pour this pestilence into his ear” “doth like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards”)
• othello’s character is shaped much by imagery as well, such as the animalistic, horse images which indicates his lustful, sexual nature “making the beast with two backs”

Question 4

theme of guillibility

Answer 4

iago undermines othello’s relationship with his wife. he correctly recognizes othello as an easy mark, observing “free and open nature quote”. iago drops hints and suggestions that cassio has been seeing desdemona romantically and plants evidence to support his story. othello, too willing to believe his nefarious underling, falls victim to his lies and ends up killing his innocent wife

Question 5

theme of jealousy

Answer 5

destroys both iago (jealous that cassio had received an appointment over him) and othello (jealous that his wife may have slept with cassio)

Question 6

theme of deceptive appearances / could also link with the use of dramatic irony

Answer 6

all things are not what they seem. at the beginning othello appears strong and self-disciplined; the venetians respect him for his good judgement. iago, meanwhile, describes himself to others - including othello - as impeccably loyal and trustworthy. later, othello’s emotions overpower him and blind his reason.

Question 7

dramatic irony

Answer 7

• iago in a pretense to make himself seem a friend to othello speaks of the danger of jealousy - “green-eyed monster quote”
• unaware of what the audience knows (that iago is a villainous liar who hates othello) the moor tells iago “i know thou art full of love and honesty”

Question 8

characterisation

Answer 8

• othello is an outsider who is intelligent and confident in military matters but socially insecure. he is fatally guillable and has more trust in iago than it would appear to be in his wife
• iago is a multifaceted villain who is jealous and vengeful
• desdemona is innocent and naive and assumes everyone sees her with the same purity, and does not consider how her actions may appear to someone who is jealous, ie othello

Question 9

character relationships in othello

Answer 9

• othello and desdemona
• othello and iago
• othello and cassio
• desdemona and emilia
• iago and roderigo

Question 10

suspense

Answer 10

• makes use of suspense through the implementation of dramatic irony
• iago is a proponent of the dramatics because his soliloquys and asides always tell the reader what he is plotting to do next. however he does not tell the entire plan of what he is going to do, so it is difficult to visualize the manner in which it will conclude as there are only vague details that are revealsed, such as his intentions to “remove cassio”.

Question 11

turning point

Answer 11

• act 3 scene 3
• crucial to the play as it conveys the changes in the moor, othello’s personality as a result of iago’s manipulation.
• in this scene, iago slopes guiltily away from desdemona due to embarrassment over his brawl, but iago sees this as a way of creating false evidence that he and desdemona have been having an affair.
• as desdemona persists in defending cassio she concerns othello even further.
• iago also reminds othello that desdemona “deceived her father, marrying [him].” this hints that she is capable of lying, ramping up othellos doubts even further.

Question 12

conflict

Answer 12

internal conflict: jealousy, hate and identity.
external conflict: racism
interpersonal conflict: iago and othello. iago manipulates and exploits othello, but othello has trust in iago and doesnt actually realize the conflict he is in until the end of the play.