Othello
Use this space for answering questions 1 - 12 (each student has two questions). Be sure to provide ample textual evidence (quotes, paraphrases, line references, etc.) for your assertions. Closing date for this forum is Monday, April 20th, at 8:30 am.
posted by msmith at 11:36 AM
32 Comments:
3. In the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare, the main character Othello fell prey to the deceptions of a villain named Iago. Iago sets Othello up so that he believes that his wife is betraying him and having an affair with another man. Othello is a lieutenant and a man of a hardened world. He has been a soldier for most of his life and only responds to logic. Othello is not ruled by his emotions, yet in this case emotions play a part. Iago sets it up so that it seems that there is an affair between Othello’s wife, Desdemona, and Othello’s right hand man, Cassio. He sets it up so that it seems to be all fact. An example of how Iago does this is when Iago supplies Othello with the “facts” of Desdemona’s handkerchief that Cassio now has. “…But such a handkerchief I am sure it was your wife’s—did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with.” Othello does not believe Iago until he goes to Desdemona and she says “I have it not about me.” Othello fell prey to Iago’s scheming. I think that Othello could have protected himself better by not believing Iago. Othello was a soldier and should have considered all facts before jumping to conclusions. Although Iago is mostly to blame in that he provided false evidence and destroyed Othello, Othello also plays a role in his destruction. Othello shoulders some of the blame in that he was too hasty and did not stop to think things through. If he had done this and gotten other people’s opinions there might have been another ending to the play.
7. The women, Bianca, Desdemona, and Emilia, are similar in many ways. Each woman in the play “Othello” is associated with a male character. Bianca is the whore of Cassio, Emilia is the wife of Iago, and Desdemona is the wife of Othello. Each woman has the similar trait of being in love with their man and they would do almost anything for them. An example of this would be when Emilia steals the handkerchief from Desdemona and gives it to Iago. “She let it drop by negligence and to th’advantage I, being there, took’t up. Look, here ‘tis” Emilia is loyal to her husband and only at the very end of the play do we see that she regrets helping him. Bianca is also similar in her loyalty. She is in love with Cassio but Cassio only sees her as a promiscuous lady, not fit to marry. However she is loyal to him and does whatever he tells her to. Desdemona is also loyal to Othello. This is ironic because this is exactly what Othello believes her to be not. Othello thinks that she is not loyal to him and sleeping with another man. Throughout the play the women place their trust in those specific men although their trust is misguided. Bianca is the only one that survives and that is because she is such a low character. The women in the play “Othello” are very similar and gave their trust to the men in the play which ultimately led to their downfall.
4/17/09, 9:52 AM
Question 8:
In Othello, humor is used numerous times in order to shock the audience at the tragic end. The play is set up to be a common Elizabethan romantic comedy, which Shakespeare wrote many of before he mastered Tragedies. In the beginning of the play, Roderigo is taken to look very foolish, as he is incapable of getting Desdemona to fall for him and pays Iago to tell her good things about him. Iago does nothing, and takes Roderigo’s money anyway. Iago and Roderigo seem to be mere troublemakers. They wake Brabantio in the middle of the night to tell him his daughter has eloped with an older black man, and Brabantio, enraged, storms about Venice in his night clothes to demand this be stopped. This scene, in particular, is comical. Brabantio accuses Othello of using witchcraft and magic to get his daughter, and appeals in front of the counsel to ask them to do something about it. This is a rather typical reaction of a father who’s daughter has married a dubious husband. Othello has all the makings to be a romantic comedy, until Iago’s evil side is truly exposed. This humor adds to the shock and surprise at the bleak ending of the play, a technique used by Shakespeare to create a lasting effect on his audience.
Question 12:
The soliloquy on page 145, act 5, scene 1, line 12, Iago says:
I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,
And he grows angry. Now, whether he kill Cassio
Or Cassio him, or each do the other,
Every way makes my gain. Live Roderigo,
He calls me to restitution large
Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him
As gifts to Desdemona.
It must not be. If Cassio do remain.
He hath a daily beauty in his life
That makes me ugly; and besides, the Moor
May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril.
No, he must die. Be’t so. I hear him coming.
This soliloquy shows us that Iago is completely self-centered, only ever thinking of himself even when it means that others must die. He wants to kill Cassio because Cassio may aid Othello in discovering the truth behind Iago’s evil plot. He wants Roderigo to die as well so that he won’t find out that he stole jewels and gold from him, and never gave them to Desdemona. It is clear Iago is jealous of Cassio, as he says “He hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly.” This is the only motive we can really see for all that Iago is doing to harm Othello and kill Cassio in the process. This soliloquy gives us some insight into Iago’s twisted views and proves to us that he cares only about his own well-being.
4/18/09, 2:32 PM
7. The characters Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca all share similar characteristics. They are portrayed as accessories to their men—Othello, Iago, and Cassio, respectively. This comparison makes them come off more like extensions of their lovers instead of separate people. Emilia explained the concept when she said that men “are all but stomachs, and (women) are but food”, which explains that women were just a part of the man or disposable. For example, Desdemona demonstrates nothing but loyalty and devotion to Othello; everything she does is for him (despite his abhorrence). Throughout the whole play her character is whipped around by Othello’s crazy accusations and manipulated to fit his deranged thoughts. Her whole image is changed because of him; she goes from angel wife that could do no wrong, to filthy whore in Othello’s eyes, (illustrated by Othello’s outburst to Desdemona, “O, devil, devil! If that the Earth could teem with woman’s tears, each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. Out of my sight!”) Emilia, wife of Iago, follows her husband with blind loyalty as well. She steals her friend’s handkerchief for her husband without even knowing his motives. Bianca also is too distracted with pleasing Cassio to see that he really does not want to marry a (whore). In the end, the women showed nothing but belief in their lovers. This unwavering loyalty is what ultimately did Desdemona and Emilia in—they were wronged by their lovers and became victims of their own loyalty and trust.
4/18/09, 9:28 PM
Question 4
Racism and racial background are both very important elements in “Othello”. Though out the play, they directly affect the events that occur. From the beginning, when Roderigo is lamenting the fact that Desdemona has married Othello, and Iago is consoling him, the fact the Othello is black affects their course of action. They go to the home of Desdemona’s father Barbantio, and shout racist and inflammatory things to make inform him of his daughter’s absence, such as “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” (act one, scene one, line 90). When Barbantio knows, his first reaction is very opposed, even though Othello is one of the most celebrated war hero’s in Venice, all because he is black. He thinks Desdemona must have been seduced and enchanted by Othello to have married him, something he would never have thought if she had eloped with a white man, and brings his case before the Senate. When defeated, he says “Look to her Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.” (act one, scene three, line 295) which plants the first burgeoning seed of doubt in Othello’s mind.
Later in the play, race has more of a direct effect on the plot. Othello, even though he is a proud and successful warrior, stills feels isolated by the fact that he is a Moor among all of these white Venetians. He says himself, when Iago first proposes Cassio and Desdemona to him, “Haply, for I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation.” (act 3, scene 3, line 280) This self doubt makes it all the easier to Iago to take advantage of him. If Othello did not feel inferior to everyone else, he might not have been convinced that his wife would leave him for a white man, and brought destruction to his own life.
4/19/09, 10:43 AM
Question 12
Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 365 through 387
“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.
For I mine own gained knowledge should profane
If I would time expend with such a snipe
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor
And it is thought abroad, the ‘twixt my sheets,
He’s done my office. I know not if’t be true;
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for a surety. He holds me well;
The better shall my purpose work on him.
Cassio’s a proper man. Let me see now;
To get his place and to plume up to my will.
In double knavery-How, how?-Let’s see:
After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear
That he is too familiar with his wife.
He hath a person and a smooth dispose,
To be suspected, framed, and make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by the nose
As asses are.
I have’t It is engender’d. Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.
Through this direct communication with the audience, we gain insight into Iago’s true character. Immediately before this speech, Iago has been comforting Roderigo, treating him as a friend. However, as soon as he leaves, Iago says the Roderigo is nothing more than a fool to take advantage of, and if he wasn’t getting money out of the deal, he would never spend time with him. “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse. For I mine own gained knowledge should profane, If I would time expend with such a snipe.” (line 367-369). This shows clearly how Iago not only uses people for his own benefit, but that he is two-faced; convincing someone he is their friend while conniving behind their back. He also mentions that there is a rumor that Othello had an affair with Iago’s wife Emilia. Iago shows not only how callous he is, but how he is willing to use anything to his own advantage when he says that while he dosent know if it is even true, he will use it to fuel his hatred against Othello. “But I, for mere suspicion in that kind will use it as a surety.” (line 373) However, Iago also shows us that he is very smart, and adept at reading people. He uses this knowledge of Othello and Cassio’s characters to plot out a complicated plan, one that showcases his shrewdness, self concern and deviousness.
4/19/09, 1:19 PM
3. Throughout the play Othello, the main character, Othello, is constantly being misled, deceived, and fed lies from Iago. Eventually Iago’s schemes, and Othello’s belief of the schemes, ends in uttermost suffering for Othello, and his suicide. I think it would have been possible for Othello to avoid the schemes and suffering if he had done more investigating himself, and had been less trusting. The reader knows that Othello is the general of the armies of Venice and has proven himself strong and brave physically, as we learn though his various accounts of battle, etc (i.e. Act 1, Scene 3: Lines 130-172). One would assume that a man of such prestige would be mentally strong as well, but this is Othello’s flaw. He allows Iago to trick him into a literally deadly jealously eventually leading to his death, and Desdemona’s. While most of the blame for the horrific ending of the play, and Othello’s misfortune should be placed on Iago, there is no doubt that Othello should shoulder some of the blame. He ignorantly was too trusting of Iago throughout the play, such as when Iago is talking to Cassio about his love life with Bianca (Act 4, Scene 1: lines 104-159), and Othello foolishly believes that Cassio is in fact speaking of Desdemona. Although Iago is a very deceptive and hard to “read” person, Othello could have avoided much of Iago’s trickery, and more importantly his suffering at the end of the play if he had just done more investigation into his wife’s “affair” himself, and had been less trusting of other characters (especially Iago). Othello relied too much on others for his information about Desdemona, when if he had taken matters into his own hands, he could have found the truth rather than being misled by his over trusting of Iago.
11. There are many different aspects to take into consideration when analyzing Shakespeare’s use of poetry and prose in characters’ speeches. The reason for Shakespeare’s choice of poetry or prose for the speech may be decided based on the speaker’s class (member of nobility or commoner), the subject matter of the speech, or who is being spoken to. An example of Shakespeare using prose in a characters speech is at the very end of Act 1, in lines 366-387. Here Iago has deceived Roderigo into thinking that he has a master plan to put Desdemona in his hands, and now he is explaining to the audience his true intentions. Shakespeare uses prose for most of Iago’s speeches, perhaps because his speeches are dark and portray his evil intentioned and less attractive side. Shakespeare uses prose in Iago’s speeches to take away from any beauty in Iago’s plans through poetry, and be strictly matter of fact. An example of the opposite, the use of poetry in a characters’ speech, is in Act 1, Scene 3, lines 202-212. This is a short speech by the Duke (a character of nobility). He is addressing Barbantio and Othello, and it is immediately evident that he is using poetry in his speech and it sounds elegant and filled with meaning. Shakespeare uses poetry in the speeches of the Duke, Othello, and other noble characters to give the content of their speeches more meaning and “flow”. The effect of changing speech patterns from poetry to prose, or vise-versa, is that when a character is speaking in poetry, what they say sounds important, upright, and meaningful, but if a character is speaking in prose, what they are saying is much more eerie, dull, and straight to the point.
4/19/09, 4:43 PM
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4/19/09, 5:27 PM
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4/19/09, 6:45 PM
2.
In Act 3, Scene 3, Lines 427-430, Othello is pressing Iago for information about Cassio and Desdemona's “affair.” Iago has obviously lit this fire of jealously in Othello, but he acts as though he doesn't want to incriminate Cassio. He says:
“I do not like the office.
But, sith I am entered in this cause so far,
Pricked to't by foolish honesty and love,
I will go on.”
Later, in the same Act and Scene, on lines 445-445, Iago tries to “convince” Othello that it was simply a dream. He says:
“But this denoted a foregone conclusion.
'Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream.”
Iago presents himself to the other characters as a very honest and trustworthy person. He gives them “advice” on how to deal with the problems in their lives. As he is manipulating those around him, he gives the impression that he actually has their best interests in mind. Beneath his false front of kindness and generosity, he is a very controlling, jealous and hateful person. Iago seems to hate Othello simply because he was passed over for the position of lieutenant in favor of Michael Cassio. Iago also has suspicions that Othello slept with his wife. The other characters appear to have full trust in Iago. “Honest” often appears before Iago's name, which is very ironic, since almost everything that he says in the play is untrue.
4/19/09, 7:53 PM
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4/19/09, 8:00 PM
5.) When the play “Othello” is set in Venice during Act One the city socially reflects a specific hierarchy of the people. Due to this hierarchy the city of Venice is where plots are begun that mean to elevate certain characters standings in the city. It is here that Iago and Rodrigo first begin to set the conspiracy against Othello into motion. The first attempt to get Othello killed is by simply “letting the cat out of the bag” and telling Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, that the pair have gotten married behind Brabantio’s back. The scenes that take place in Venice are set in the streets, dark places, that offer conceal the schemes taking place within them. Act one scene two is set in the council chambers, an intimidating atmosphere to Othello, a man of lower rank to the Venetian council members. However this does not phase him as he delivers and eloquent speech to calm the angers of Desdemona’s father and the other council members.
In Act Two the setting is moved to Cyprus, a city on the sea. This location creates a feeling of isolation. This is where the people who used to be calm and collected, Othello, have become irrational and furious. The majority of the scenes take place with or in front of the citadel, the fortress on the island. When Iago is trying to trick Othello into thinking that Desdemona and Cassio are secret lovers, page 104 Act 3, scene 3, line 212-216, “Look to your wife; observer her well with Cassio. Weak your eyes are thus, not jealous nor secure. I would not have your free and noble nature, out of self bounty, be abused…” The fact that Othello has to observe them in his “backyard” allows him to jump to more conclusions about their supposed relationship.
While the scenes within Venice take place in darkness and intimidating buildings, this is where the happiness is found for Othello as he can stay married to Desdemona. When in the light airy Cyprus the darkness is found within Othello and other characters and changes them. I find it ironic that light of Cyprus illuminates the darkness within Othello.
4/19/09, 8:01 PM
4. Othello’s racial background definitely affects the events in the play. Racism is a theme in this story. Iago uses Othello’s race against him throughout the entire play. From the first scene, his comments regarding race degrade Othello and set him apart. Iago‘s references to Othello‘s color are never good. Racial background begins the controversy and helps it continue through out the play.
In the very first scene, as Iago persuades Desdemona‘s father out of bed he says derogatory comments toward Othello. These comments foreshadow Iago’s actions later on. For example, he says-
“ Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you’ you’ll have courses for cousins and jennets for Germans.” (1.1.110)
It is obvious from the beginning that he is on some sort of mission to destroy the “moor.” Iago always refers to Othello by this instead of using his real name. Because of this, we can assume that racial background must be important in Iago’s quest against the protagonist.
4/19/09, 8:02 PM
Act 2, Scene 3, lines 296-322
Iago has just convinced that Cassio should talk to Desdemona to get his job as lieutenant back. As Cassio exits, Iago is left alone to soliloquize:
12. And what’s he then that says I play the villain,
When this advice is free I give, and honest,
Probal to thinking, and indeed the course
To win the Moor again? For ‘tis most easy
Th’inclining Desdemona to subdue
In any honest suit; she’s framed as fruitful
As the free elements. And then for her
To win the Moor—were’t to renounce his baptism,
All seals and symbols of redeemed sin—
His soul is so enfettered to her love
That she may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite shall play the god
With his weak function. How am I then a villain,
To counsel Cassio to this parallel course
Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When devils will the blackest sins put on,
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now For whiles this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortune,
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear,
That she repeals him for her body’s lust;
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.
This passage reveals that Iago is a deeply disturbed individual. Immediately after reassuring Cassio that the best plan of action is to spend time with Desdemona, he makes known that the advice given to the “honest fool” will ultimately “enmesh them all”, or begin the events leading to their destruction. It seems that Iago doesn’t care that his lies will tarnish the image of Desdemona, ignite a jealous frenzy in Othello, and ruin the life of Cassio. He is a lying, manipulative, and insincere man throughout the entire play. This soliloquy shows that he is indeed two-faced by revealing that he says one thing to a character and has something entirely different in mind. The words of “honest Iago” are spurious (thank you thesaurus! Sorry if I used it incorrectly, whatever) and empty. This soliloquy demonstrates his ugly characteristics and deceptive ways.
4/19/09, 9:09 PM
11. I believe that Shakespeare's use of Prose and Verse throughout the play of Othello serves an important role in enhancing the character's speeches for the audience (and in our case, the readers).
Prose is most used by Iago, who is the villain of the play. The most apparent use of prose in the play to me was at the end of Act 1 when Iago was convincing Rodrigo to give him all his money (1.2.330). Prose is the language used by normal people and the language that is spoken in life outside of Shakespeare. Iago's use of prose is designed to make him more relateable to the reader (or watcher) and help Shakespeare achieve the goal to give the reader a sense that something similar could actually happen to them. If the villain in Othello speaks the same language that the reader speaks, it makes it seem much more plausible that it could happen in real life and when it seems more realistic, the reader not only becomes more concerned for the protagonist being tricked (because the reader can imagine being in their shoes), but comes out of the play affected much deeper, because the antagonist was so relatable.
Verse on the other hand is used to enhance high-points or highlight low-points. For instance, the climax of the play, when Othello is about to murder Desdemona, Othello speaks almost exclusively in verse. For instance, line 5.2.16 is the ending of the speech that Othello gives before killing Desdemona, which is obviously a very dramatic moment of the play. The verse style to the speech enhances it by keeping the reader wanting to hear more of the speech because it sounds so musical and rhythmical as well as giving the speech a much deeper meaning (using metaphors and imagery) than if it was just common-speak (or prose).
4/19/09, 9:13 PM
Question 6
Othello changes during the course of the play in his personality. In the beginning of the play he is a trustworthy, honorable, and a loving man. He is a well respected soldier, as the Duke and senators prove by selecting him as a leader. It is also plain to see that he is loving towards Desdemona. But as he gets further and further manipulated by Iago, Othello changes. In the end he is a very jealous and angry man. Othello seemed to have let his emotions get the best of him, where as he didn't do so before.
Because of this change in personality, I do not feel the same about Othello from beginning to end. When Othello was still the trustworthy, loving man, he was a much more likable character. But as he falls under Iago's schemes, he becomes less appealing. Especially as I am female, and I see how Othello treats Desdemona once he is persuaded that she had been unfaithful to him, my reaction to him is that of fear. I am afraid of what he will do next to the innocent Desdemona and also Michael Cassio.
Although Othello changes in the course of the play, he does come back to his old self slightly in the end, in his final speech, as he says, "Then must you speak/ Of one that loved not wisely but too well;/ Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,/ Perplexed in the extreme;" (pg. 164, lines 353-356.) This speech does bring back some better feelings towards Othello in me.
4/19/09, 9:17 PM
9.) I think that the character of Iago has been given such a sharp intelligence that the inferences he is able to make in his dialogue could have been aided by a chance situation or simply left alone and not had anything more said about it. I think that there had to have been a level of manipulation by Shakespeare because he was the creator of the situations taking place within Othello and he was able to see where he wanted all the plotting, misconceptions and out of context questions to lead. I think that Shakespeare succeeded in keeping the play unpredictable and at such a level of chance and wonderment of where the plot would twist next, that a reader would not be able to notice how many coincidences were taking place. I have to say that the one place I feel represents a situation where chance flowed seamlessly with Iago’s lies was when Iago was speaking with Cassio about Bianca. This is also when Othello has been led to believe, by Iago, that he will be asking Cassio about Desdemona and their supposed relationship.
“But yet keep time in all. Will you withdraw? (Othello stands apart.)
Now will I question Cassio of Bianca, a huswife that by selling her desires buys herself bread and clothes. It is a creature that dotes on Cassio as ‘tis the strumpet’s plague to beguile many and be beguiled by one. He, when he hears of her, cannot restrain from the excess of laughter. Here he comes. As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad; and his unbookish jealousy must be conster poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behaviors quite in the wrong…” act 4, scene 1, lines 93-103
Othello takes every gesture, smile, and laugh out of the context he can not hear. He assumes that Iago is honest and does not suspect he is being duped by the same person he thinks is on his side. I think that the chance happenings in the play enhance the drama that is unfolding within the play. The little bits of bad timing on the parts of Othello and Desdemona serve to enhance Iago’s game of lies, and maintain interest. The reader is left guessing what will happen next and who will be blamed or framed in the next scene until the very end of the play.
4/19/09, 9:31 PM
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4/19/09, 9:33 PM
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4/19/09, 9:45 PM
Question 10
Othello insists that he must kill Desdemona immediately because he must be sure that she will cannot "betray more men." (page 151, line 6.) I think that this action was an impulse, because although he planned to kill Desdemona, he planned so based on hot emotions. I think Othello still wanted to believe that Desdemona hadn't been unfaithful to him, but finding no such evidence, and by receiving more and more persuasion from Iago, Othello fell into his emotions and murdered Desdemona.
My view of Othello is actually confirmed by his impulsive murder. I already felt like he let his emotions get the best of him, and his killing of Desdemona backs of that belief. I do not think that Othello always lived like this though, he didn't always let his emotions rule his actions. Especially being a soldier, he cannot let himself be overcome by emotion, so it was probably one of the first times that he experienced this feeling. Othello's lack of much emotion is also probably more reason behind his impulsive killing.
Othello's inexperience with strong emotion does make my view towards him not as negative. It actually makes me feel more sympathetic towards him.
4/19/09, 9:47 PM
1. Othello is kind of a hard character to characterize because he is so complex. His real character is the person at the beginning of the play, before he is lied to and turned into a jealous man. He is honest, humble, and smart until he turns gullible and believes all of Iago’s lies. Othello seems to have a noble disposition at the beginning of the play because so many people respect him for his service to war, yet peaceful heart. He has gained the trust and respect of many people, and that gives off the disposition that he is a noble man. (Act1, scene) The Duke asks Othello at one point to serve in Venice and even calls him “valiant Othello” (line 50) which obviously means Othello is trusted, and seems trustworthy. Othello’s speech to the Duke and Brabantio in general (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 78) is so honest and true seeming, and very well presented, that it’s hard not to believe him.
Othello’s jealous disposition doesn’t come into the play until Act 3, Scene 4 when he confronts Desdemona about her handkerchief. This scene is ironic because Desdemona had just been talking to Emilia about how Othello never gets jealous when he walks in furious. It is such a shock to the reader to see him so mad and to treat Desdemona the way he does in this scene. His jealous disposition is so powerful from this point on that most of Othello’s noble disposition gets wiped away.
Othello is vulnerable to Iago’s villainy because Othello trusts Iago so much. He has known Iago for so long, and Iago’s brilliant scheming seems so truthful, and backed up with details, that Othello can’t help but believe it. Iago admits that Othello is “of constant, loving, noble nature (Act 2, Scene 1) but still hates him and wants to deceive him. When Iago tells Othello the lies about Desdemona, he knows that Othello will never be able to stop thinking about them. Especially when he remembers what Brabantio, who has known Desdemona forever, said (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 294) “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”
9. I think that chance and coincidence do have a little bit to do in Iago’s evil scheming but I also believe that most of his plans and ideas work out because of his intelligence and delicate planning. His plans have so much brainwork behind them that, one, they are easy to believe, and two, they always work out just the way he wants them to. Many times Iago can plan things and know they will work, like stealing Dsdemona’s handkerchief. But other times thinks do happen because of chance. For example, (Act 4, Scene 1) Iago just thinks that Cassio’s reactions about Bianca will strike Othello and make him jealous but it is by chance that his emotions are exactly what is predicted and do just what Iago intended. To make all of Iago’s plans work out perfectly, Shakespeare had to add a little bit of chance and coincidence but he makes it seem like these events work out because of Iago’s brilliant mind and incredible planning.
4/19/09, 9:51 PM
3. Because of the Iago, a ruthless villain in the play Othello, the main protagonist, Othello ends up not only killing his innocent loving wife, but himself as well. Othello could have avoided this fate primarily by not blindly listening to and believing what someone told him. Sure, Iago was one of Othello's best friends, but if you're going to take a measure such as killing your wife, perhaps you should investigate yourself instead of blindly believing what your best friend told you. It's a good thing to trust what someone says in most occasions, but when it comes to something as serious as life/death Othello should have had the intelligence to check it out for himself. A good example of this is the scene where Iago tells Othello that Cassio had the handkerchief he gifted to Desdemona , the scene that really put him over the edge in believing that his wife was cheating on him (3.3.348). Iago tells Othello that he spotted Cassio wiping his beard with the handkerchief and Othello believes him without even doing any investigating by himself.
It seems that Othello's life of soldiering, which taught to follow orders without disagreement or question, has carried over to his personal life.
I believe that Othello should shoulder some of the blame for what happens at the end of the play and the whole predicament in general because he allowed his emotional and personal life to be run by the same rules that he was seemingly taught as a soldier. He is much too trusting and in a way, seems to depend on other people to figure things out and tell him information, much like how the military is run. Although Othello shouldn't shoulder all the blame, Iago has no real reason to trick Othello into murdering his wife and eventually himself, so he is obviously the main instigator. Also, Othello was somewhat new to the game of love and perhaps hadn't quite realized there was a difference between romance and the military.
4/19/09, 9:53 PM
Question 4
Othello’s racial background affects the events of the play significantly. In the first scene, Roderigo complains to Iago how Desdemona has married Othello. They use the fact that Othello is black to upset Desdemona’s father by saying things such as, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise.” (Act1Scene1Line 90) and “Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll have you daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you’ you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans.” (Act1Scene1Line111) Because of these derogatory comments, Brabantio, Desdemona's father, thinks that the only way his daughter would fall in love with a hideous moor such as Othello is by witchcraft. If Othello hadn't been of African decent, Brabantio wouldn't have made such a fuss.
Also, when Othello is being tricked by Iago, Iago uses the race issue to make Othello doubt his relationship with Desdemona. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona will one day grow sick of Othello and return to loving men of her own race. Othello see’s how this could be true, because he is very different from the other men he socializes with. He feels that since he is of a different race, he might not be good enough for Desdemona, which makes it easier for Iago to deceive Othello.
4/19/09, 10:01 PM
1) Othello's high rank in the military (general) seems to be the main source of his jealousy. When someone of lower rank has something that he wants he gets jealous. This best applies to Desdemona's "affair" with Michael Cassio. When Iago tricks Othello into believing that his beloved wife is sleeping with Cassio, who is of lower rank (lieutenant) than he, Othello becomes super jealous and ultimately ends up killing Desdemona because of this false information. A couple noble aspects of Othello are his name and service to his country. His name seems to embody strength and integrity. I believe that Othello is vulnerable to Iago's villainy because he trusts people that he has known for a long time, especially military folk, above anyone else. Iago fits both of these descriptions which means that Othello is doubly apt to believe Iago. I think that Iago's manipulative nature is best showcased in his Act 2, Scene 3, Lines 296-322, soliloquy:
And what’s he then that says I play the villain,
When this advice is free I give, and honest,
Probal to thinking, and indeed the course
To win the Moor again? For ‘tis most easy
Th’inclining Desdemona to subdue
In any honest suit; she’s framed as fruitful
As the free elements. And then for her
To win the Moor—were’t to renounce his baptism,
All seals and symbols of redeemed sin—
His soul is so enfettered to her love
That she may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite shall play the god
With his weak function. How am I then a villain,
To counsel Cassio to this parallel course
Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When devils will the blackest sins put on,
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now For whiles this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortune,
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear,
That she repeals him for her body’s lust;
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.
This soliloquy also shows how quickly Iago can turn people into his puppets without their knowledge, i.e. Desdemona.
6) During the course of the play Othello goes from an in-demand soldier to a hapless lover. Throughout his character changes my views of him also changed. At first I thought of him as a strong, devoted man who would put his new marriage first but he ended up doing the exact opposite which led me to view him as insecure and single-minded.
In his final speech, which can be found in Scene 5, Act II, Lines 352-365, Othello states:
Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus.
These last words affirm that although Othello had a high military and social standing in Venice, he was still an outsider because of his ethnic background. This speech also made me appreciate Othello again. It showed that he truly did have feelings and had cared for Desdemona immensely. "It is the tension between Othello’s victimization at the hands of a foreign culture and his own willingness to torment himself that makes him a tragic figure rather than simply Iago’s ridiculous puppet." (Sparknotes)
4/19/09, 10:07 PM
5.
The beginning of “Othello” is set in Venice. It is here that Iago's plot begins. Under a cover of darkness, Iago and Roderigo tell Brabantio about Desdemona's elopement. He is angry at first, believing that the marriage was caused by charms and tricks, rather than actual love. When he learns that Desdemona married Othello of her own free will, he relaxes a little bit, and becomes disappointed rather than angry. Othello's marriage survives this trial in Venice, but fails to endure in Cyprus. The setting of the dark streets and alleys of Venice are foreboding, and give the reader the feeling that something dark may happen. Ironically, the death and destruction do not take place in Venice, but rather on the island of Cyprus. It an isolated island, and is very open. It would seem as though all secrets would be found out on this small patch of land, but instead more and more secrets are kept from Othello. The buildings and streets of Venice seem to be a kind of safe haven for Othello and his wife, whereas Cyprus is a land of unknowns.
4/19/09, 10:12 PM
1. It is very difficult to characterize Othello because he changes so much throughout the play. In the beginning, he is very noble, honest, and peaceful. One of Othello’s first lines is: “Keep up your bight swords, for the dew will rust them.” (1.2.60) This quote shows that he prefers peace to violence, even though fighting is his strongpoint. His honesty shows when he comes before the Duke and is asked to explain his marriage to Desdemona. He says: “That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter, / It is most true; true, I have married her” (1.3.78-79), admitting to most of Babantio’s charges against him. It is his depiction in the first Act that makes Othello the protagonist by gaining the reader’s empathy.
But toward the end of the play, his disposition is very different. He is no longer noble and peaceful but violent and jealous. His suspicion blinds him from the truth and he refuses to believe Desdemona even when she says: “I never did / Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio / But with such a general warranty of heaven / As I might love. I never gave him token.” (5.2.62-65) Othello’s jealousy warps his mind into believing that it is his duty to the world to kill Desdemona for her alleged unfaithfulness. This is what Othello is explaining in his final soliloquy when he says: “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul. / Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars, / It is the cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood, / Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow And smooth as monumental alabaster. / Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men.” (5.2.3-6)
There are a variety of reasons that Othello is vulnerable to Iago’s plan, but the first is his social inexperience. Othello is a great military commander, but that is the limit of his expertise. In domestic affairs he is naïve and inexperienced. He can see right through the Turks’ deceptive scheme to take Cyprus, but not Iago’s scheme to destroy him. Othello can’t tell the difference between those who mean him harm and those who don’t. Another reason that Othello falls victim to Iago’s plot is his stubbornness. It takes Iago a long time to convince him that Desdemona is unfaithful, but once he does, there is almost nothing anyone can do to change Othello’s mind.
9. I think that the success of Iago’s plan involved pure luck and coincidence almost as much as it did intelligence. Iago does have a great understanding of how people will react which allows him to manipulate them into thinking whatever he wants. But there is no way his plan would have worked out if luck hadn’t been on his side. He can anticipate what people will most likely do, but has no way of knowing for sure. As a result, all of his predictions about people’s behavior rely on some degree of chance. The one stroke of bad luck that he has, when Emilia realizes what he did, is what gets him caught. Everything else fit perfectly into his plan. One thing in particular that shows Iago’s luck is the handkerchief. First, the handkerchief is dropped right in front of Iago’s wife, who has been asked to take it by her husband. Then when Cassio finds it in his room, he doesn’t recognize it as Desdemona’s. Finally, Bianca enters at the peak of Othello’s anger and gives the handkerchief back to Cassio. These events are what lead to Othello’s certainty that Desdemona cheated on him. If things didn’t happen exactly this way, it is doubtful that Iago’s plan would have worked.
While chance and coincidence do carry some thematic significance, I don’t think that this was the reason they were so heavily used in the play. I think their primary function is to move the plot. Without all of the coincidences that occurred in the play, it would have been much less interesting. The only theme in Othello that chance seems significant to, is the theme of trust. In the end Othello does not trust Desdemona because events have conspired against her. Yet all the evidence is circumstantial. Othello has no proof but kills her anyway because he doesn’t trust her.
4/19/09, 10:52 PM
Question 8
Although Othello is no doubt a tragic play, Shakespeare inserts some very careful humor into it. These humorous moments add to the irony of the incredibly miserable and depressing ending. Humor is combined with the racial issue in the beginning of the play. I used this quote in my previous answer but I also feel it is appropriate here. Iago says to Brabantio when he is waking him up in the middle of the night, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise” (Act1Scene1Line90) The racial slur that Iago uses to upset Brabantio is somewhat humorous because of the tone Iago uses. The way he makes a joke out of Othello’s race is what makes Brabantio even more upset about the fact that Desdemona has married a black man. The way this functions in the play, however, is that Othello eventually does become insecure about his race and thus makes himself more vulnerable to Iago’s evil scheme.
Knowing how the play ends makes it very difficult to look at anything in this play with a humorous light. Some things that could be taken to be humor, are just not funny because you know what it is leading to.
4/19/09, 11:12 PM
7. The women in Othello are defined by their relationships with the men in their lives. Desdemona is unswervingly loyal to Othello at all times, even when he distrusts her and believes her to be a whore. She will do anything for him, but this isn’t enough to save her life. Emilia, too, will do anything for her husband, Iago, without question. She steals the handkerchief from Desdemona at Iago’s command without knowing his motives, and keeps this a secret even though she sees the distress her actions cause. Her loyalty to her husband is more important, up until the end, when she reveals the truth and is also murdered by her husband. Bianca is loyal to Cassio, and wants to please him at all times. In the end, it is this trust and loyalty that brings about the deaths of both Desdemona and Emilia. Both become the victims of the men they tried so hard to please.
11. Prose is usually used by Iago in “Othello.” When an actor speaks in prose, the words do not flow as easily as they do in poetry, and do not sound as lofty. The noble characters in Othello, such as the Duke and Othello himself, speak in poetry, which portrays to the reader that they are more attractive characters than the immoral Iago. Iago’s speaking in prose also makes his character more relatable to the reader, since he speaks more commonly, stressing the idea that we all have certain characteristics similar to Iago’s.
Iago’s tendency to speak in prose is not a strict rule. His character also speaks in poetry in his speech about how he fooled Roderigo (Act 2, Scene I, lines 366-387). Most of the speech is spoken in prose, but the last two lines are poetry, in keeping with Shakespeare’s tradition of ending scenes with two lines of poetry.
4/19/09, 11:27 PM
2. Iago presents himself in a manner that suggests he is an honest, and caring person. However, beneath the surface of this false public identity lies a scheming, untrustworthy person. Throughout the play, Iago manipulates Othello, forcing him to think his wife, Desdemona, is being unfaithful. He does this, seeking revenge against Othello for choosing Michael Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago is able to obtain Othello’s trust because of his sly wording, good timing, and altogether genius schemes.
“I know not that; but such a handkerchief- I am sure it was your wife’s- did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with.”- (Act III, Scene III)
Iago mentions the missing handkerchief to Othello, only to place more doubt and fear into his head. To others besides Othello, Iago is a very trusted person, which is why he is able to manipulate everyone so well without being caught. He is free of suspicion until the end of the play, where his plans fall apart.
10. Othello insists he must kill Desdemona immediately, because he thinks she will betray more men if she is kept alive. “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul… Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.” (Act V, Scene II) In the final scenes, Othello’s actions are impulses, brought on by the lies that Iago had told him. Othello is a general, who usually bases his decisions on solid information. However, in the final scenes, his actions directly come from his emotional distress. This makes the reader or playgoer feel less sympathetic for Othello, due to his ignorant and impulsive actions.
4/20/09, 12:23 AM
Question 1
In the beginning of the play Othello is every part the noble character. He is respected by everybody, loyal to Desdemona, and seems to have very limited emotional problems. What I mean by emotional problems is that Othello seems like he has never had to deal with much emotional turmoil so when he is exposed to that in the play it is so new to him that he does not know what to do.
When Othello is presented I don’t think he is presented with both a jealous disposition as well as a noble one. I think he is presented as this man with very few flaws, and has no real emotional turmoil. All of Othello’s jealous emotions are built up inside him by outside sources. Iago plants all kinds of seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind during the whole play. Iago is constantly presenting new information that is constantly getting Othello more and more jealous.
Othello is really vulnerable to Iago because he has lived the life of the soldier. He seems like women are a relatively knew thing in his life. Othello is used to being able to act on instinct and never have to second guess himself. He is not used to the life of nobles, where all decisions can be second guessed and continuously thought about. Iago uses Othello’s inexperience with this type of life to manipulate him into being a jealous that he eventually kills the one woman he loves. All the jealously is just manufactured by Iago, but because of Othello’s inexperience with the life outside of being a soldier he cannot see Iago’s villainy.
Even as Othello’s jealously grows through the entire play he still believes that he is acting noble. When he kills Desdemona he believes that he is doing so out of duty not out of jealously. He seems to only see limited how much his emotions are taking control of his life. He trusts Iago so much that he never picks up how much emotional turmoil Iago is causing in Othello’s life.
A heart Othello is a noble character. He believes that his actions are helping all the characters around him. He does not realize what he has become, and if he could he seems like he would try and fix what he has created.
Question 5
In the beginning of the play the setting is in Venice. There seems to be a very specific social hierarchy in Venice. There is a court, at the head of which is the Duke, which rules the city. The city seems to be relatively peaceful and calm place, but hen Iago and Rodrigo come out during the night and start their plotting. It turns out that this Venice is actually a very dark city. The scenes tend to take place at night in settings that where at any time some could put a knife in your back. This impression may be because we are exposed to Iago’s plots and deception during Venice that it is seen as a very dark place.
The setting of Venice is also affected a lot of the court that exists their. Othello who seems to be a lower level noble has to go there to convince everybody that Desdemona loves him and that he used no magic. When he is at the council it seems as if the members don’t really trust each other completely. It is a strained atmosphere with very little emotions showed by anybody except Othello.
Cyprus on the other hand is a place where everybody got along fine. Everyone there is tranquil and no one lets their emotions get the best of them. It is an island, which creates a sense of isolation from everybody else. This isolation seems to sever the worries about other people’s problems. When Othello first arrives he fits in perfectly. He does not let his emotions get the best of him. He tends to be very collected, never showing his emotions to anybody but his most trusted. Then he is betrayed by his most trusted officer, Iago. Iago uses the calmness of Cyprus to bring out the darkness in Othello. Cyprus is a bright and calm setting which serves to emphasize the change in Othello. We can see Othello’s change a lot more clearly in Cyprus, because his mistrust and fury stand out like a sore thumb. Everybody expects his to be calm and collected, so when he starts to let his emotions get the best of him it is very hard to hide in a setting like Cyprus.
4/20/09, 3:23 AM
8. I agree with Emma in that humor is used in Othello to shock the readers. The first two scenes are slightly humorous and somewhat ironic. Desdemona and Othello were opposites brought together by true stories of war, and destroyed by lies. At first, the couple seems humorous because they are so different in age, race, and experience. Even so, we find out that they are madly in love. Iago is out to ruin the relationship from the beginning, as he stirs the senator from sleep -
“I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.“ (1.1.115)
The senator comes to trust Rodrigo and Iago, and finds out that his daughter has married Othello. This is ironic and humorous at the same time, because by the end we all know Iago’s reputation of honesty is completely ridiculous. When he tells Brabantio that his daughter has been married (along with other humorous comments that are not completely true, like the previous quote) he is telling the truth for his only time in the entire play. Humor in the first scene does help shock the readers later on, when the plot becomes much more serious. It also helps foreshadow the character of Iago, who never tells the whole truth.
4/20/09, 7:11 AM
2. To the world, Iago presents himself as a kind and honest man. His friends view him as a loyal companion and seem to trust him greatly. Beneath the surface, Iago is an evil and manipulative man who is only looking to please himself and hurt others. Iago hates Othello so passionately because Othello did not make him lieutenant and instead hired the less experienced Cassio. Iago also hates Othello because he believes that he has slept with his wife Emilia. Iago is so effective at manipulating people because he is able to gain their trust. When Iago tells Othello about Desdemona, he makes it seem like he is trying to do what is best for his friend, but in reality he is doing what is best for him. The other characters of the play view Iago as honest and not until the end of the play do some of them realize his true intentions. The only character that seems to view Iago differently is his wife Emilia.
10. Othello insists on killing Desdemona immediately in Act V, Scene II because he believes that she may “betray more men.” Othello’s action here is based on impulse rather than a carefully thought out decision. He is so caught up with Iago’s lies that his natural impulse is to kill Desdemona to relieve himself to the “betrayal” he believes she has committed. This affects my view of Othello because as a general in war, Othello may have to act on impulse rather than decisions. However, when someone is accusing that his wife is a whore; Othello should have been more decisive in his actions and shouldn’t have reacted on mere impulse.
4/20/09, 8:25 AM
Question 3
I think that Othello could have protected himself from Iagos schemes. Othello began to doubt Desdemona’s honesty in Act 3 Scene 3 when Iago was toying with him. Even before Othello had proof of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair, he jumped to conclusions and began to plot his revenge against them. “Now, by yond marble heaven, in due reverence of a sacred vow, I here engage my words.” (Act 3 Scene 3 line 475ish) At this point Othello has no real proof of the affair and from this point on his mind is so clouded by false jealousy that no one can convince him otherwise. Othello even said to Iago that he wanted proof. “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore! Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof.” (Act 3 Scene 3 Line 376) Throughout the play he never had real ocular proof. I think Othello could have trusted his wife instead of Iago or he should have gotten the ocular evidence that he wanted from the beginning. Iago shouldn’t be blamed for everything because he is not the one who “smothers” Desdemona; he only planted the doubt into Othello’s mind.
Question 4
I think that the racial background does affect the events in the play. For one thing Othello is the only black man in the play, which sets him apart from everyone else and makes him slightly isolated. From the beginning people are always addressing him as “The Moor”. Brabantio even accuses Othello for bewitching his daughter into marrying him. As a black man, the bewitching hints toward primitive acts that Moors may participate in, conjuring spells and using medicines. “She is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted by spells and medicines bought of mountebanks.” (Act 1 Scene 3 Line 62) Othello is constantly faced with these accusations and I think this adds to his insecurities and jealousy. He gets so unsure of himself and questions if Desdemona even loves him anymore. “Haply, for I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have, or for I am declined into the vale years – yet that’s not much – she’s gone.” (Act 3 Scene 3 Line 280) His background does affect events in the play.
4/20/09, 8:46 AM
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