| setting of novel in act one | venice |
| “I take it much unkindly that thou Iago who hast had my purse as if the strings were mine….” | said by Roderigo to Iago |
| Why is Iago upset at the beginning? | Michael Cassio was promoted to lieutenant rather than himself; Cassio is only a scholar and has way less experience than Iago; Cassio is of lower social class |
| why does Iago remain following othello? | to “serve my turn upon him” and get revenge |
| “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am” | said by Iago; an allusion to Exodus which is a contrasting thought |
| “I am not what I am” | Iago informs Roderigo and the audience that he is a fraud |
| “Thieves thieves. look to your house, your daughter and your bags” | Desdemona is likened to a possession of her father, emphasizing the concept of owning someone else that is prevalent throughout the entire play |
| now now very now and old black ram is tupping your white ewe” | said by Iago to Brabantio; makes desdemona seem less innocent by comparing her to an animal; sexual and racial innuendo |
| How do Brabantio’s feelings toward Roderigo change? | at first, he knows of Roderigo’s affections for Desdemona but does not want his daughter to be with someone like Roderigo; when he finds out that Desdemona and Othello are married and for love, he wishes that he had allowed Roderigo to marry Desdemona earlier |
| How does Othello react to accusations and anger of others? | he is cool, calm, and collected; he is not bothered because he knows the service he has done for the country and that he has noble blood |
| why is the duke looking for othello in act one? | something has happened in cyprus |
| “keep up your bright swords for the dew will rust them…were it my cue to fight I would have known it without a prompter” | othello says this to brabantio, roderigo, and their men; othello is calm and levelheaded; he knows when to fight and when to not fight |
| how does brabantio think othello won desdemona? | magic potions and enchantments |
| “for nature so preposterously to err” | said by brabantio; desdemona is acting unlike herself; later echoed by othello |
| “rude i am in speech and little blessed with soft phrase of peace…” | othello has only known times of war and is unaccustomed to times of peace; this becomes a problem |
| “ancient” and “honest” | condescending term for social inferior; othello uses it against iago |
| “I do perceive here a divided duty” | said by desdemona when asked about her love for othello, implying that her father has already lost this battle |
| Duke and Brabantio’s use of rhyming couplets | … |
| “Look to her moor if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father and may thee” | Brabantio’s warning to Othello; plants a seed of doubt in othello’s mind |
| “Come Desdemona, I have but an hour of love, of worldly matters and direction to spend with thee. We must obey the time” | othello to desdemona; if they consummated marriage, this is when |
| “put money in thy purse” | Iago’s speech to Roderigo; Iago wants his money |
| “Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him. If thou canst cuckold him, thou does thyself a pleasure, me a sport” | Iago says this to Roderigo; Iago hates women and respects use of force; “cuckold”- man whose wife is unfaithful; the beginning of his plan |
| “thus do I ever make my fool my purse” | Iago’s speech |
| what is the other reason that iago hates othello? | he thinks he an affair with emilia though he has no proof |
| where does the remainder of the play take place? | cyprus |
| why are desdemona and othello’s ships separated? | a storm |
| how is the turkish fleet destroyed? | a storm |
| what does cassio call desdemona? | “our great captain’s captain” |
| why does Iago react negatively to cassio in act ii, scene i? | cassio kisses emilia upon greeting and says it is just his good breeding that requires him to address her in that way |
| how do we discover desdemona’s feelings during the scene with iago, cassio, and emilia? | she has an aside informing us that she is struggling with not knowing how othello is |
| “with as little web as this shall I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio” | Iago says this when he devises his plan; he sees cassio is comforting desdemona |
| military diction usage | othello: “o my fair warrior”; captain; warrior |
| what does Iago plan to use against othello? | his habit of constantly talking rather than showing desdemona love |
| how do roderigo and iago speak when planning? | plain prose |
| “the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue; that profit’s yet to come ‘tween me and you” | said by othello; could be argument that marriage has not been consummated |
| “…he hath not yet made wanton the night with her…” | said by Iago; could be argument that marriage has not been consummated |
| what happens at the party that iago uses to turn people against cassio? | cassio gets very drunk and iago tells montano he is worried about othello’s trust in him and that cassio drinks himself to sleep each night; drunken brawl in which montano is gravely wounded |
| appearance vs. reality | theme throughout playexamples: -Iago appearing to be upset over Cassio’s supposed affair and desire to protect his reputation-Iago’s hesitance to tell how the fight started |
| “Are we turned Turks?” | othello says this to the men after the drunken brawl; he is unhappy and demands iago tell him what happened |
| “rather have [his] tongue cut from [his] mouth” | Iago says this; supposedly doesnt want to implicate michael cassio |
| “Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.” | cassio’s response to othello’s firing him |
| iago’s response to cassio’s lament over reputation | petition to othello; othello is only angry now but will get over it |
| what is iago’s solution to cassio’s situation? | petition to othello’s wife for she is the “great captain’s captain” |
| why does cassio order musicians to play for othello? | a sign of courtesy and respect; trying to make amends |
| what is the clown’s purpose in the scene? | -comic relief before climax and fall-sends musicians away so othello can sleep-gets emilia to help cassio talk to desdemona |
| why was othello so concerned about the fight? | montano, who cassio wounded, had great influence in cyprus |
| “Michael Cassio, That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time, When I have spoke of you dispraisingly, Hath ta’en your part- to have so much to do To bring him in!…” | Desdemona to Othello; she is pleading for cassio and pestering othello about when he will talk about it |
| how does iago make othello lose his patience? | he hints that something may be going on but avoids actually saying it |
| “Why, say they are vile and false-” “Though I perchance am vicious in my guess- As, I confess, it is my nature’s plague To spy into abuses and oft my jealousy Shapes faults that are not…” | said by iago to othello; iago covers up his cruel accusations; iago’s flattery puts it onto othello to believe and discover the truth |
| “O, beware my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects yet strongly loves!” | Iago says to Othello; VERY IMPORTANT QUOTE; |
| “No, Iago I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; and on the proof, there is no more but this away at once with love or jealousy” | Othello demands proof of desdemona’s unfaithfulness from Iago; does not yet believe him |
| “she did deceive her father marrying you, and when she seemed to shake and fear your looks she loved them most.” | Iago reminds Othello of what Brabantio said earlier; that desdemona has a past in disloyalty |
| “And, yet, how nature erring from itself” | point at which othello is lost to iago |
| “strain his (Cassio) entertainment with any strong or vehement importunity” as “much will be seen in that” | iago encourages othello to take notice if desdemona does this |
| “Haply for I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have…” | othello meditates over what iago has said; says it twice |
| “I have a pain upon my forehead here” | othello is implying he is a cuckold with figurative horns; handkerchief will not fit around his head because of his horns important |
| why does emilia give iago the handkerchief? | because he kept asking her to steal it for him |
| “trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ. | iago says this after emilia leaves from giving him the handkerchief |
| “He that is robbed, not wanting what is stol’n let him not know’t and he’s not robbed at all.” | othello to iago; he would rather not know if his wife is cheating on him |
| what does iago realize must happen when he is threatened by othello? | someone (desdemona) has to die or he himself will be killed by othello |
| what do othello and iago pledge to each other? | iago will kill casio and othello will kill desdemona |
| “the cannon when it hath blown his ranks into the air….and is he angry?” | iago says this about othello |
| “They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster begot upon itself, born on itself” | emilia echoes iago’s words |
| what does cassio ask bianca to do for him? | copy the strawberry hankie pattern |
| “my medicine, work! thus credulous fools are caught, and many worthy and chaste dames even thus, all guiltless, meet reproach.” | -Iago’s true self is shown for a moment-iago’s hand is in so many places that he cannot leave two people alone for even a short amount of time without a risk of truth coming out |
| what does cassio and iago’s conversation about bianca provide for othello? | iago tricks othello and makes it sound like theyre talking about desdemona so othello gets ocular proof about the affair |
| what does othello uncharacteristically do to desdemona? | he strikes her in lodovico’s presence; this is unexpected from someone in othello’s position |
| “if any wretch have put this in your head, let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse, for if she be not honest, chaste, and true, there’s no man happy. the purest of their wives is foul as slander” | -said by emilia to othello-Emilia is arguing strongly for desdemona’s purity-if shes not pure, no one is |
| what action does othello do to degrade desdemona? (second time) | -he tosses money at her-this implies that he views her as a prostitute, paying her for her services |
| “lay on my bed my wedding sheets.” | -desdemona tells emilia to do this-suggests that marriage has been consummated-desdemona feels something is wrong and foreshadows her own death |
| “i will be hanged if some eternal villain, some busy and insinuating rogue, some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, have not devised this slander. i will be hanged else.” | -emilia says this in the presence of iago and desdemona-emilia states iago’s plan and insults him without realizing it |
| “the moor’s abused by some most villainous knave, some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.” | -emilia says this in the presence of iago and desdemona-emilia states iago’s plan and insults him without realizing it |
| who does desdemona plead for help from? | iago |
| “i do not find that thou deal’st justly with me.” | -roderigo feels cheated and lied to by iago-mostly upset about the money that he has been giving to iago to be spent on gifts for desdemona |
| “i will show you such a necessity in his death that you shall think yourself bound to put it on him.” | -iago is convincing roderigo to kill cassio-iago transfers his job from the “marriage” ceremony with othello to roderigo |
| “if i do die before thee, prithee, shroud me in one of those same sheets.” | -desdemona to emilia-foreshadows own death |
| what does desdemona sing about? | a willow |
| “the ills we do, their ills instruct us so.” | -emilia to desdemona-emilia believes its not the woman’s fault if she cheats; its men’s lusty desires for power or love causing the women to act wrongly |
| “o damned iago! o inhuman dog!” | -roderigo to iago-roderigo finally realizes that iago has used him |
| who does iago try to blame everything on at the beginning of act 5? | bianca |
| othello and desdemona’s last conversation | -othello talks and talks though he said he was not good with words-desdemona cannot reason with him because he has completely changed and will not listen to her |
| “not cassio killed? then murder’s out of tune, and sweet revenge grows harsh.” | -othello to emilia-othello realizes he has messed up and that what he thought was true was a lie |
| “O falsely, falsely murdered” “nobody. i myself. farewell. commend me to my kind lord. o, farewell.” | -desdemona to emilia (othello is present)-desdemona blames herself for her death and still will not speak against othello |
| “she was too fond of her most filthy bargain” | -othello is finally getting some truth-shows us why it was so important that iago is always present because the one time he isnt, truth comes out |
| emilia’s role in play | -Despite how much Iago hates women, there is a strong female character-she gets final revenge on her husband at the end; has no loyalty to him-reveals truth |
| “disprove this villain, if thou be’st a man. he says thou told’st him that his wife was false. i know thou didst not. thou’rt not such a villain. speak, for my heart is full.” | -emilia to iago-emilia knows iago is bad but wants to believe he is not entirely evil |
| “villainy, villainy, villainy! i think upon’t, i think! i smell’t! o villainy! i thought so then. ill kill myself for grief! o villainy!” | -emilia in presence of all-iago has underestimated emilia-he did not count on her revealing the truth |
| “demand me nothing. what you know, you know. from this time forth i never will speak a word.” | -iago to othello in presence of lodovico, gratiano, cassio-iago does not die at this point-the character who spoke the most and caused evil, now is silent |
Othello
August 28, 2019