act 2 scene 1 Flashcards
montano:
‘me thinks the wind does speak aloud at land, a fuller blast ne’er shook our battlements’
storm
symbolic of disruption and nature caused by human transgressions of natural order
foreshadows the emotional storm later on in the play
pathetic fallacy
symbolic of the beginning of the foundations of othello’s relationship being shattered
cassio:
‘for i have lost him on a dangerous sea’
talking about iago
prays for othello’s safety
second gentleman:
‘the chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds; the wind - shaked surge, with high and monstrous mane ‘
pathetic fallacy
the interaction between the storm and the sea is described through the metaphor of a battle
this metaphor is fitting, considering the naval battle taking place
cassio:
‘he hath achieved a maid’
is othello married?
positive - means no harm but can be easily flipped
description of desdemona alludes to the poetic tradition of the blazon while drawing attention to that tradition in a teasing manner.
a blazon is a style of poem in which the poet lists the favourable attributes of a lovely woman.
cassio performs a short blazon of desdemona while admitting that she ‘excels the quirks of blazoning pens.’
cassio:
‘our great captain’s captain’
desdemona is the boss in the relationship
subverts stereotypes
alludes to queen elizabeth’s role as queen - women were not supposed to rule
shakespeare cleverly places her in a militaristic hierarchy above othello.
though othello is used to a position of command, his love for desdemona puts him in a position of servitude
stage directions
‘he kisses emilia’
cassio kisses emilia
traditional italian greeting
iago can exploit this
iago:
‘sir, would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue bestows on me’
emilia talks to much - women expected to be submissive and obedient
speaks her heart and according to iago scolds people who do not agree with her feelings on impulse - at the end of the play, emilia has very progressive views about women for her time
iago:
‘you are pictures out of doors’
prose - rude
every aspect of emilia’s life is out of place
in a flurry of figurative language, iago offers a series of images that represent things out of place: ‘bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens’
desdemona:
‘i am not merry’
banter with iago
worried about othello
desdemona subtly admits to putting on a lively facade
claims that she is not truly merry, but that she appears so in order to amuse herself - adds depth to desdemona and parallels iago’s infamous utterance: ‘i am not what i am’
iago:
‘if she be fair and wise, fairness and wit, the one’s for use, the other useth it’
if she’s attractive, she’ll use it to get ahead
praise for desdemona comes down to her combination of ‘fairness and wit’ - her beauty and intelligence.
beauty is a resource meant to be used by one’s wit
rhyming couplets Iago uses to praise desdemona underscore the irreverence and frivolity of his words
desdemona:
‘one that in the authority of her merit did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself?’
tell me about your perfect women
intelligent with no power
‘she could think and ne’er disclose her mind’
iago:
‘to suckle fools and chronicle small beer’
iago claims that her ultimate goal is to raise children and do housework.
this poem within the play represents a parody of the courtly love poem
rather than praising a woman for her perfection, iago’s poem takes a turn into cheekiness and disrespect.
iago:
‘with as little a web as this will i ensnare as great a fly as cassio’
he can use tiny things to get people into trouble
spiders weave an inescapable web for flies, iago plans to construct a web of lies to similarly trap cassio, and frame him for adultery - wrong at the time
othello:
‘o, my soul’s joy, if after every tempest come such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death’
in love - not rational
chain of being - losing reason
links to iago’s garden
iago:
‘inflame it and to give satiety a fresh appetite’
acts like she’s sexually insatiable
roderigo:
‘i cannot believe that in her; she’s full of most blest condition
opposing views of desdemona shared by roderigo and iago in this exchange represent two archetypes of shakespearean characters
roderigo is a romantic; iago is a classicist.
romantic types are driven by emotion and idealism
classical types are cooler and more analytical
roderigo idealises Desdemona, iago, who idealises nothing, resorts with the humorous, sobering truth that ‘the wine she drinks is made of grapes’
iago:
‘make the moor thank me, love me and reward me, for making him egregiously an ass and practicing upon his peace and quiet even to madness. tis here, but yet confused: knavery’s plain face is never seen till used’
sets the stage for the knavery of the rest of the act: a brawl in which cassio will debase himself to the point of demotion
keeping up with his tradition of ending scenes and speeches with a rhymed couplet, iago reminds us of his slippery identity: Recalling his motto of ‘I am not what I am’, iago removes his mask and reveals his ‘plain face’ only to the audience
you can never see the end of an evil plan until the moment comes
