Act 2 Flashcards
“Divine Desdemona” “Our great captain’s captain” - Cassio
Alliteration. Depicts her powerful authority.
“Would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue that she oft bestows on me you would have enough” “rise to play and go to sleep to work” - Iago
These are very sexist and derogatory remarks about women, but they not only highlight the tragic unequal society that labelled men as more superior to women, it also highlights the vulnerability that Desdemona is in. Cyprus if infinitely more barbarous than Venice, it is a bastion of male power where Desdemona alone and isolated from her Venetian support system, is vulnerable to the machinations of a highly skilled manipulator like Iago.
“With as little web as this I will ensnare a great fly as Cassio” - Iago
Iago speaks in prose in his aside to represent his “master plan” unravelling. The way that he imperatively tells Cassio and Desdemona to ‘whisper’ to each other, despite them not being able to hear him, suggests that Iago now has complete control over them both: Cassio is going to be the victim of revenge, and Desdemona is going to “pay” for her sins in marrying a ‘Moor’, and betraying her father. The ‘little…web’ that Iago states could be representative of Iago’s plan, and the modesty embedded in to the word ‘little’, contrasted with the expanse of ‘web’ indicates that Iago’s plan will spread far across, like a ‘web’, to everyone involved, but only will he know why the ‘web’ is cast: very ‘little’ people will know of the plan.
“O my fair warrior!” - O
“O my dear Othello!” - D
Terms of endearment. Vocalisations, exclamative sentences.
The reunion between Othello and Desdemona should be a moment of great happiness, but the audience is unable to share in their delight because of Iago’s presence. His calculating, crude asides taint and undermine the joy of this meeting. convergence of soldier and lover. Eloquent expression of Othello’s love.
“What delight will she have to look upon the devil?” - Iago
Vivid imagery is used to create this idea that Desdemona need to repel herself from Othello, In this image, Iago suggests gagging and retching, which in turn creates negative imagery for the audience themselves. The prose used here allows Iago to produce a persuasive outpouring and release repetitious piles of images designed to bury Roderigo’s weak objections.
“Now I do love her too… But partly led to diet my revenge” - Iago
Iago’s second soliloquy of the play, highlighting the roots of his jealousy. The prose presented in the rest of the scene regarding his speech contrasts greatly to this precise and concise speech, perhaps revealing his precise if delusional reasoning. This would be performed erratically as Iago is portrayed to be caught up in his emotions.
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! O I have lost my reputation!” - Cassio
Cassio’s reputation is his lifeline. His career in the military and as an aspiring politician depends totally upon his good name. He relies on those in power perceiving him as capable, responsible, and just.To lose this credit with his superior is, for Cassio, like losing himself. All that remains is low and animalistic. He is, in this respect, morally bankrupt, and he will do anything to return to Othello’s good graces.
“And what’s he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give and honest” - Iago
Iago’s soliloquy is a perfect example of how Iago manipulates every situation. He begins with a rhetorical question which almost allows the exploitation of the virtues and weaknesses of his so-called friends. Iago justifies himself and ironically, having given Cassio ‘good’ advice as to how to win his position and favor back with Othello, knows he can poison Othello’s mind sufficiently to misinterpret Cassio’s and Desdemona’s pleas.
“She’s frames as fruitful, free as the elements” - Iago about Desdemona
In this direct comparison, he equates Desdemona’s generous spirit to the abundance existent in nature. What exists in nature is freely available to those who want it. In essence, it means that Desdemona has so much goodness in her that she will generously and freely assist anyone who seeks her help. The alliteration (the use of the same sound, usually a consonant, in successive words), also accentuates Desdemona’s good qualities. The repetition of the f-sound is used for emphasis in this regard. These words illustrate one of Iago’s most typical ploys. He sees goodness as a weakness and goes out to exploit a character’s good nature to further his evil purpose.
“Divinity of hell!” - Iago
The diabolical nature of Iago’s character is captured in his imagery. This phrase clearly demonstrates where his worship lies, as the oxymoron suggests that he sees divine in the work of the devil, further associating him with the role of the vice. The “divinity of hell” reinforces the spiritual element of the play and Iago’s role as the devil. It entrenches the concept of appearance versus reality and is paradoxical as there should be no reference to divinity when speaking about hell, There are several references throughout to heaven, hell , the divine, evil powers and damnation. Act II itself opens with a storm, preparing the audience for what may follow.
“I’ll poor this pestilence in his ear” - Iago
Iago explains how he will turn the pureness and virtuousness into disgust, undoing all the characteristics that Othello loves about her. By using the word “pestilence” which has connotations to disease and viruses, it reveals the effect that Iago intends his lies to have on Othello. Presenting evil as something tangible that can be poured into someone’s ear heightens Iago’s role as the villain.
Sentence structure makes it clear that Othello will be the passive recipient.
“the net that shall enmesh them all” - Iago
The powerful soliloquy ends on an even more powerful note, as this destructive language reveals the extent of his villainy. Iago’s malice is remorseless and unbridled. He will stop at nothing to get his revenge. He wishes to use Desdemona’s good intentions to draw them all into his trap and thus destroy them.
“impediment most profitably removed without the which there were no expectation of our prosperity” - Iago 2.1
The idea that this mimics from Kastan is the idea that a tragedy always has to have ‘a fall from prosperity to wretchedness’. This is seen in the quotation above through the way Iago says that there is no ‘expectation’ in ‘prosperity’. But in fact, could we not argue that there is the ‘expectation’ that one will become ‘wretched’ from being ‘prosperous’? The way that Shakespeare uses the extended metaphor in this section of a ‘journey to your desires’ conforms to Kastan’s view, as the ‘journey’ could be representative of the ‘fall’ of grace to wretchedness. However, this could challenge Kastan’s views because Iago says that there is ‘no expectation of [their] prosperity’, but there is an expectation: to be ‘wretched’.
