Othello Act 3 Scenes 1-4

Affinity A natural liking or sympathy for someone or something
Discretion Quality of behaving or speaking in such a way to avoid causing offense or revealing private information
Reconcile Restore friendly relations or harmony
Surmise Suppose something is true without verified evidence to confirm it
Vehement Showing passion or intense feeling
Who brings in the musicians and why? Cassio because he wants to please Othello
What does Emilia agree to do for Cassio? She agrees to find a place for Desdemona and Cassio to talk in private
What is Emilia’s opinion of Cassio? She feels bad for him
What is the atmosphere of scene 3? Tension is high between everyone in the room
Why does Cassio hurriedly exit? He is embarrassed and he does not want to see Othello because he is mad at him
What is the “green-eyed” monster? It is a symbol for jealousy
What does Iago do to build suspicion in Othello? He says that Cassio is a good man, but he could lie and so could Desdemona. He also uses Cassio quick exit to build the jealousy that Othello has
What happened to Desdemona’s handkerchief? She dropped it and Emilia took it
Why does Emilia take the handkerchief? Iago has been asking her to steal it
Why is the handkerchief important to Desdemona? It is a gift from Othello and it represents their love and marriage
Why does Othello call Iago a villain? Iago was the one telling him things that he did not want to hear. Iago is causing Othello to question Desdemona’s loyalty.
What is the point of Desdemona having a conversation with the clown? It gives the audience comical relief and lightens up the mood
What is the irony of what Desdemona says in the beginning of scene 4? She says that Othello can never be jealous, because of where is he from, the sun took it out of him
What is happening with Othello and Desdemona’s relationship? It used to be easy and calm, but now there is a lot of tension and anger and their relationship is hard for them
What is the background of the handkerchief? It was his mothers and was given to her by his father that he received from an Egyptian witch. He got it when his mother died and it represent their marriage. If his mother lost it then his father would cheat, he wants to put that idea in Desdemona’s mind
What is her disadvantage in the conversation about the handkerchief? She doesn’t actually have it to show him and she is caught off guard because she has never seen him like this
Why does she lie about losing the handkerchief? She knows how much it means to Othello and she does not want him to know
How is Bianca different from Emilia and Desdemona? She is very forward in telling Cassio what she wants