Act 1, Scene 3 - Key Events

Question 1

How does the scene open?

Answer 1

Duke and senators discuss the Turkish threat

Question 2

What is debated in court by the senators? What is accepted by the Duke?

Answer 2

Othello and Desdemona’s marriage

Their courtship

Question 3

What is granted by the senators?

Answer 3

Permission for Othello and Desdemona to travel as a married couple

Question 4

What do Roderigo and Iago further cement? Who do they want to ruin?

Answer 4

Their plans to destroy Othello’s marriage and Cassio’s reputation

Question 5

What does the discussion of Othello’s marriage emphasise?

Answer 5

Military conflict

Question 6

What did Venice value Cyprus as in the 16th century? Why would Venice want to protect it?

Answer 6

A colonial outpost

Commercial reasons

Question 7

What do the Turks bear? What does this create a feeling of?

Answer 7

“Purposes towards Cyprus”

Immediacy

Question 8

What do the Turks run parallel to in Othello’s life?

Answer 8

Conflict

Question 9

What does the Senator suggest to the Turks? How is this described?

Answer 9

They set sail for Rhodes

“Pageant/To keep us in false gaze”

Question 10

Who does the Senator’s fraudulence link to? What link does this reassert?

Answer 10

Iago’s lies

Private and public conflict

Question 11

How do the Duke and senators greet Othello? What is this interrupted by?

Answer 11

“Valiant Othello”

Brabantio’s “grief” that “swallows other sorrows”

Question 12

How does Othello describe his signiors during his plea? Why does he say this modestly?

Answer 12

“Most potent, grave and reverend”

“Rude am I in my speech”

Question 13

What does Othello say he is blessed with?

Answer 13

“Little bless’d with the soft phrase with peace”

Question 14

What does Othello promise to tell? How does this frame his relationship with Desdemona?

Answer 14

“An unvarnish’d tale of the whole course of love”

Chivaric yet loving

Question 15

What does Brabantio dismiss all of Othello’s claims as?

Answer 15

“Against all rules of nature/Cunning hell”

Question 16

What does Brabantio emphasise about Desdemona’s love? How does he describe Desdemona?

Answer 16

It’s due to “some damn conjur’d”

“Maiden never bold”

Question 17

What 3 things does Brabantio suggest Desdemona’s marriage is mismatched?

Answer 17

Her youth, culture and fear of black men

“What she feared to look on”

Question 18

What does Othello ask for so Desdemona can speak for herself?

Answer 18

“Send for the lady to the Sagittary”

Question 19

What does Othello tell a tale to the senators about? What has Othello valiantly experienced?

Answer 19

“The battles, sieges and fortunes”

“Anthropophagi”

Question 20

How did Desdemona listen to Othello? What would she “devour up”?

Answer 20

“Greedy ear”

His stories

Question 21

How does Othello summarise his love with Desdemona? Why does Othello love Desdemona?

Answer 21

“She loved me for the dangers I had passed”

“I loved her that she did pity them”

Question 22

What does Desdemona’s “greedy ear” subvert about Brabantio’s accusations?

Answer 22

“This is the only witchcraft I (Othello) have used”

Question 23

How does Othello appear in this scene? Whose view does this contrast?

Answer 23

An eloquent soldier

Brabantio’s

Question 24

Who is impressed by Othello’s tale? What does he think about Othello’s blank verse?

Answer 24

Duke

It would “win” his daughter too

Question 25

How does Desdemona dutifully describe Othello?

Answer 25

“Lord of all my duty”

Question 26

What does Brabantio do with Desdemona? What does this emphasise?

Answer 26

Disowns her

Patriarchal society

Question 27

What do the rhyming couplets of the Duke and Brabantio suggest? How does the Duke establish Othello’s role?

Answer 27

A swift conclusion to the conflict

“More stubborn and boisterous expedition”

Question 28

How does Desdemona describe her elopement? What has she violated to be with Othello?

Answer 28

“Downright violence”/”A storm of fortunes”

Social norms

Question 29

What does Desdemona’s elopement foreshadow?

Answer 29

Future violence and tempestuous nature

Question 30

How does Desdemona reject the racism? What did she fall in love with?

Answer 30

She “saw Othello’s visage in his mind”

His “valiant parts” and status

Question 31

How does Brabantio describe Desdemona’s elopement? What does this suggest?

Answer 31

She “has deceived her father and may thee”

Desdemona will be a promiscuous wife, and establish the foundation for Othello’s jealousy

Question 32

How does Othello describe Iago? What is this quote loaded with?

Answer 32

“Man he is of honesty and trust”

Irony

Question 33

What does the use of prose imply with Roderigo and Iago’s conversation?

Answer 33

Scheming plans

Question 34

What is Iago irritated by with Roderigo? What does he say he will do?

Answer 34

His melancholic attitude

“Incontinently drown” himself

Question 35

How does Iago respond to his drowning phrase? How does he describe women here?

Answer 35

He “never found a man who knew how to love himself”

“Guinea-hens”

Question 36

How is Iago’s depraved mortality presented? What are the 3 ways?

Answer 36

“Blood and baseness”/”Raging motions”/”Carnal stings” over love

Question 37

What does the use of imperative verbs embolden? What is an example?

Answer 37

His claims of Othello and Desdemona’s vices

“Put money in thy purse”

Question 38

How does Iago see the “Moor”? What does he think Desdemona will become?

Answer 38

“Changeable”

Easily “sated”

Question 39

What does Iago do when Roderigo leaves? What will he do to Othello’s ear?

Answer 39

Soliloquise

“Abuse Othello’s ear”

Question 40

How will Iago manipulate Othello?

Answer 40

Use his “free and open nature” by “hell and night”

Question 41

What do the audience become involved in at the end of the scene? What will they witness throughout the play?

Answer 41

Iago’s malevolent scheme

Iago “bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light”