Act 1 Extra Points Flashcards

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1
Q

What juxtaposes together at the beginning of the play to permeate the play with domestic issues which clouds with play with an inevitable chaos?

A

the juxtaposition between Rodrigo’s failure to marry Desdemona, and Iago’s failure to gain promotion with the setting of the wedding from the outset of Act 1

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2
Q

Act 1 Scene 1 includes references to the Venetian conflict with the Turks over Cyprus at the senate, why is this important?

A

as it is the setting where Othello’s mind and marriage will be destroyed, creating a sense of inevitability for his plight

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3
Q

Venice had a more rigid class structure than England at the time Othello was written meaning that the nobility and common people were very distinct form one another; Iago’s class envy towards Cassio who was a scholar and a man of prestige therefore suggests why Iago has such resentment for his ‘preferment.’ What does this show about Shakespeare?

A

Shakespeare perhaps uses this point to at the very least, give a possible justification for Iago’s hatred; his own experience in rising up in society himself meant that Shakespeare would have been able to appreciate Iago’s resentment

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4
Q

explore

“I am not what I am”

A

Iago demonstrates several characteristics of a typical Jacobean stage villain with his reputation as a dutiful subordinate is deceptive; openly retorting in an aside that “I am not what I am” which places him into the role of the Machiavellian villain with whom the audience associate the tragic fall of Othello.

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5
Q

Iago sneers that Cassio is “a fellow almost damned in a fair wife”
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A

This casual sexism exposes the way in which male characters discuss women and permeates the play with a patriarchal context. It as well establishes Iago’s misogyny used to infect Othello’s trust for Desdemona into violent jealousy used to compel her murder. The imagery of “fair wife” furthers Iago as the figure for the patriarchy, viewing women as one of their many possessions, as can be supported by his comment later in Act 1 when he calls to Brabantio to “look to your house, your daughter and your bags!” Iago’s use of verb when signifying Brabantio’s property has been “robbed” further signifies this association to Desdemona as an object, rather than an equal

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6
Q

What does Brabanxtio believe Desdemona has done by eloping?

A

that she has subverted the natural order by marrying a man contrary to her fathers wishes, an act which he proclaims as “treason of the blood” in Act 1. Brabantio believes that his daughters marriage is an incomprehensible rejection of everything she has known

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7
Q

Brabanxtio believe that Desdemona has subverted the natural order by marrying a man contrary to his wishes, an act with he proclaims as “treason of the blood” in Act 1. The image of Desdemona in ‘the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor thereby makes it clear that her ‘revolt’ is outrageous, why?

A

because Desdmona has not only deceived her father but has also chosen the Moor, a derogative term to sexualise his character and to discredit his intentions with her. It is important that Othello’s race is central to Brabanxtio’s contempt as from the medieval period onwards the devil was often depicted in art as a black man, suggesting to the audience his physical appearance was enough to prove his guilt in the eyes of Desdemona’s father.

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8
Q

Instead of being a willing bride, Brabanxtio suggests Desdemona is what which is in conjunction with the renasissance stereotype of the black man as a cunning sexual predator ?

A

a passive victim, who’s “youth and maid hood” had been “abused” by Othello’s magic and love potions

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9
Q

As the audience are allowed access to the villain;s thoughts from the outset of Act 1 and from thereafter the whole play; what could be suggested?

A

that we are gradually seduced into colluding with evil, lessening our remorse for Othello in the dénouement because of the almost obvious scheme plotted by Iago; Othello’s quick acceptance of Desdemona’s infidelity resultantly only frustrates the audience to his hubris, that of which disables him from noticing that his inferior, Iago, has manipulated him. This can be seen in the frustration felt towards Rodrigo who fails to see that the man who admits he is a selfish fraud is using him for his own goals.

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10
Q

By the end of Act 1 Scene 1, how has Shakespeare established Iago?

A

as a powerful, manipulative figure, who instigates and stage manages chaos effectively

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11
Q

What could be a reason that much of Act 1 veils Othello?

A

as Shakespeare structures the scene to highlight the audience’s attention to the role that rumour has in the play, learning everything from second hand knowledge

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12
Q

What can be said regarding Brabantio’s accusations that Othello performed black magic on his daughter?

A

that the Renaissance was a time of belief in the nature of evil and the black mans association to the devil

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13
Q

What does Iago want Roderigo to do once he has succeeded in creating his prejudice for Desdemona’s and Othello’s marriage?

A

“poison his delight” ( brabantio)

“plague him with flies”

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14
Q

How do the audience know that the social order has been threatened which pre-empts the tragedy of play until order is restored?

A

the fact that both the elopement had taken place at night, with Desdemona taken from her home in darkness by a “knave of common hire, a gondolier.” civilised place associated with power, prosperity and order has been ultimately assaulted by a “wheeling stranger” whom is the centre of tension within the place, signalling to the audience that Othello’s tragic fall is pivotal to the narrative of the play and in bringing a restoration of order which is a crucial feature of an Aristotelian tragedy.

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15
Q

What does Iago call Othello?

A

“a knave of common hire, a gondolier”

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16
Q

How is it clear that Iago has managed to control even the most powerful of characters such as Brabantio?

A

As instead of directing his social inferiors-Iago and Roderigo-Brabantio finds himself acting in response to them, listening to their impudent words, directed by Iago, regarding Desdemona’s “gross revolt” and relations with the sexualised “black ram.” Iago’s evident xenophobia through his descriptions of Othello as being a “Barbary horse” resinate with Brabantio’s similar views, consequently manipulating him into the decision to begin a manhunt to find the repugnant and lustful predator figure created by Iago. Iago forces his own interpretations of events on Brabantio in order to heighten his outrage and reaction to the elopement in an attempt to poison the social image of Othello through the power of Brabantio as a senator of Venice.

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17
Q

What does Iago reduce the Desdemona-Othello match to?

A

to a bestial sexuality which ironically communicates Iago’s character moreso than it does the former.

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18
Q

What does this exchange of contrasts and discord within Act 1 set the scene for?

A

the events that follow

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19
Q

What themes are built in Act 1?

A
social disruption 
class and power
delusion and knowledge 
male and female sexuality 
black and white
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20
Q

In contrast to the other characters we meet in Act 1 scene 1, how does Othello speak in scene 2?

A

with a measured calm in blank verse

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21
Q

What has Caryl Philips noted about Othello’s position in Act 1 Scene 2 which was calm, and measured against accusations of enchantment?

A

that even from his very first speech, he subconsciously acknowledged the social pressure that he was under.

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22
Q

How can Othello be described as brave, dignified and authoritative?

A

through the way in which he handled Brabanxtio and his men

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23
Q

Why might we the audience accuse Othello of pride in Scene 2? (quote)” what does this contrast to?

A

“my parts….title, and…perfect soul”

this contrasts to his final speech in Act 5 when he compares himself to a “circumcised dog” and “base indian”

24
Q

The course imagery Iago used in Act 1 to describe the sexual union of Othello and Desdemona continues, Iago makes a crude joke when he tells Cassio that Othello has “boarded a land carrack” what is the meaning of this?

A

This has a double meaning, either a treasure ship or a slang term for a prostitute. The metaphor of piracy also degrades Othello and echoes Brabanxtio’s accusation that he is a “foul thief.”

25
Q

How does Othello defend his love for Desdemona simply and clearly?(quote)

A

“I love thee gentle Desdemona”

26
Q

How has Shakespeare structured scene 3?

A

in a way which discussions move back and forward between love and war, foreshadowing the conflict between both these areas of Othello’s life later in the play

27
Q

How is Othello’s military skill established in scene 3?

A

from repeated references to him as “valiant”

28
Q

How many times in scene 3 does Othello refer to Iago’s honesty?

A

twice

29
Q

What quote demonstrates that Desdemona was seduced by Othello’s story-tellnig, while the Moor was enchanted by the Venetian’s sympathetic response to his history?

A

“she loved me for the dangers I had passed/ And I loved her that she did pity them”

30
Q

How could it be suggested that Desdemona and Othello’s love is too idealised?

A

as they seem to have an idea of love from an idealised perspective beginning from an initial romance surrounding stories and secrets; in reality life would be much more mundane to what is expected

31
Q

How is there a contradiction in the way Brabanntio describes his daughter as a young woman? (quote)

A

“a maiden never bold”

32
Q

Although Desdemona asserts confidence when she states that “I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband” what is the reality?

A

Desdemona accepts male authority at the same time that she subverts it; she ergo transfers her duty and obedience from her father to her husband, just as her mother did. This does not therefore indicate that Desdemona has power in this scene, but rather than even from the outset she stands by Othello, her husband; and does so until her last breath. Ultimately this focuses the male-female relationships as the centre of the play’s thematic exploration of power and opposition. The power struggles between man and woman permeates the play, arguably from this Shakespeare presents the fragility of a woman’s power and how they are defined by men, and killed by men. Desdemona proves to be a good Renaissance wife, even in Act 4 when she stated she would “not stay to offend you”, even though she does deceive her father.

33
Q

How does Iago speak when outwitting Roderigo, which suggests that he thinks on his feet; an opportunist.

A

in a fast-moving prose

34
Q

What about Iago’s speech indicates that he manipulates his style to suit his audience and purposes?

A

the fact that when he speaks to Roderigo he speaks in fast moving prose in order to outwit him; yet on stage alone, Iago returns to a blank verse

35
Q

Before he appears on stage, what are the audience led to believe about Othello?

A

that he is bombastic, conceited and personally lascivious.

36
Q

What is the moor a descendant of?

A

a royal line, reared to as his birthright

37
Q

What 2 things indicate that we should view Othello as a hero in the first 2 acts of the play?

A

his positive attributes and customary mode of speech (speaks in a blank verse)

38
Q

While the play focuses on the tragic consequences of sexual jealousy, what must we not ignore?

A

the wider worldly or political dimension of Othello’s tragedy

39
Q

What would a Jacobean audience have understood about Othello and his reputation?

A

that the weight he attaches to reputation was not excessive in relation to others at this time; a man’s hour was important and his wife’s charity was an integral part of it.

40
Q

Why is it horribly ironic that in Act 1 Brabantio describes her Desdemona as “maiden never bold” which she then defends at her height of power?

A

as in Act V Othello’s abusive treatment has turned Desdemona into the fearful girl Brabanxtio claimed her to be; she becomes silenced and a sacrifice to masculine pride

41
Q

What would a Freudian interpretation of the play suggest?

A

that ago is in love with Othello (“I am your own forever”)

42
Q

How does Iago present a belittling portrait of Cassio in scene 1?

A

he presents him as an inexperienced soldier, a mere ‘arithmetician’ who has been been promoted beyong deserving

43
Q

What indicates that Brabantio is not as important as first led to believe?

A

as when he insists the council put Othello on trial for witchcraft in scene 3, they are more concerned with the military fate of Cyprus

44
Q

Like in Romeo and Juliet, the treasured daughter denies her father’s right to dispose of her in marriage; a Jacobean audience would have recognised this as…?

A

as an assault on the patriarchy, whom Brabantio symbolises. This “gross revolt” against the natural order would have been felt more deeply by a Shakespearean audience who would have seen it as her duty to obey her father.

45
Q

To a modern audience, Brabantio’s suspicious view of Othello as a foreign appears racist however how would this have been perceived by a Jacobean audience?

A

They would have aligned with his traditional view as Othello’s marriage to an upper-class Venetian woman undermines not only Brabantio’s authority but also the whole social order. Given his role as a father, it is not unusual for his desire to find a suitable match for Desdemona, and while he underestimates her strength, he recognises her virtues and cares for her deeply. Not only this but a 17th century audience were likely to have viewed Othello, a “moor”, in line with the traditions of lust, sin and death associated to black men; this can be seen from the ‘blackamoors’ in plays who were usually sinister figures. Arguably from this Shakespeare toys with the idea of appearance versus reality, using appearance to demonstrate the oppressive, hierarchal judgment of the white man and how it condemns the vulnerable and the ‘other.’

46
Q

Brabanxtio’s sense of loss is profound; this intense emotion foreshadows what?

A

Othello’s outrage when he believes he has been betrayed by Desdemona.

47
Q

How are the audience prevented from sympathising with the patriarch Brabanxtio wholeheartedly?

A

due to his immovable unkindness to Desdemona and Othello

48
Q

explore

“Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see/ She has deceived her father, and may thee”

A

The loving, generous father is placed by a mean-spirited prophet of doom

49
Q

How has Brabanxtio’s unfavourable view of Othello been influenced?

A

by the ensigns crude and prejudiced characterisation of the Moor

50
Q

explore

“bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesman be”

A

Brabanxtio sees Othello as a threat to social order and stability as we are reminded of Othello’s history before he became a general. These words as well reveal the social attitudes of many people in Shakespeare’s society with Brabanxtio implying that slaves and foreigners should not be treated as equals

51
Q

As a disspointed suitor, who does Rodrigo represent?

A

the “curled darlings” that Desdemona rejected, providing us with a point of comparison with noble Othello.

52
Q

Rodrigo lacks resolution or volition (using one’s will) and has to be directed off stage many times; but how may he be seen as villainous?

A

as he shares responsibility with Iago for prejudicing Brabanxtio’s view of Desdemona’s elopement

53
Q

How is it possible to see Roderigo as an outsider in Othello?

A

as Iago keeps him on the fringes of action, ensuring that he remains powerless.

54
Q

In Cyprus Iago propels Roderigo into the main plot, used as a pawn in which 2 scenes?

A

in the drinking scene in Act 2 scene 3. and then the attack on Cassio’s life in Act 5.

55
Q

Iago declares that an “old black ram is tupping your white ewe”, what does this reveal about his construct?

A

that his misogyny casts a dark shadow over Othello’s relationship with Desdemona which from the outset he spoils from sexualised and violent imagery.

56
Q

explore

“saw Othello’s visage in his mind”

A

Desdemona looks past his race, and is used by Shakespeare to demonstrate the simplicity of love that can exist behind colour and prejudice. Through seeing his “visage in his mind” she discards any racial differences which positions her as a radical Jacobean heroine and cements her tragic fall from the social distaste towards mixed marriage which must restore to normal in order to fulfil Aristotle’s tragic functions. However this does parallel to Act 3 when Othello claims that “she had eyes and chose me,” as his jealousy possibly stems from his own insecurity as a middle-aged black man in a white society, suggesting that Desdemona’s speech on how she loves his “mind” actually solidifies Iago’s comment that she has “recoil[ed]to her better judgment,” Cassio, a white Venetian man. Desdemona’s positive view of Othello’s race provides a clear contrast with the negative Renaissance racial stereotype of Othello as a cruel savage black man. Ironically, Desdemona is wrong about Othello however Shakespeare does not suggest that his propensity to jealousy is because he is black.