Act 2 Scene 3 Flashcards
Scene 3 Summary
- Iago gets Cassio drunk and encourages him to start a fight
- Cassio fights Montano
- Othello overhears and comes to figure out the problem
- Iago feigns innocence and care for Cassio
- Cassio is dismissed from his position
- Iago advises Cassio in a way that benefits his scheme
‘Iago is most honest’
Othello - Dramatic Irony
‘She’s a most exquisite lady’/’And I’ll warrant her full of game’
Cassio/Iago - Emphasises the differences between their attitudes towards women
‘I have a very poor and unhappy brain for drinking’
Cassio - Self aware of his limits and sensible enough not to jeopardise his position
‘My sick fool Roderigo’
Iago - Uses possessive pronouns as if he is a weapon that belongs to Iago
‘If I can fasten but one cup upon him’
Iago - Villainy and awareness of his limits
‘Do not think gentlemen I am drunk, this is my ancient, this is my right hand, and this is my left hand’
Cassio - His drunken state is supposed to be comedic at first before it turns sinister as the audience realise how intelligent Iago has been with this scheme
‘I do love Cassio well and would do much to cure him of this evil’
Iago - Façade that everyone immediately believes because of his reputation
‘Zounds, you rogue, you rascal’
Cassio - Authorial Method; uses Iago’s vulgar language when he is drunk
‘I’ll knock you over the mazzard’
Cassio - Violence and a real sense of aggression; character flaw
‘Go out and cry a mutiny’
Iago - To Roderigo, desperate for Othello’s attention (Authorial Method; the bell is used to emphasise this and add chaos to the scene)
‘Hold for your lives’
Othello - Contrasts his original calm demeanour in the face of chaos
‘For Christian shame put by this barbarous brawl’
Othello - Constant attempt to assimilate into the religion
‘Honest Iago that looks dead with grieving, speak. Who began this? On thy love I charge thee!
Othello - emphasises to the audience the sheer trust Othello places into Iago and the success of his acting
‘I cannot speak’/’Give me answer to it’
Iago/Othello - Iago lets himself be dominated by Othello to add to the image he is presenting
‘I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Michael Cassio’
Iago - Imitates the respect with which Cassio speaks about people; it is almost comical the way Iago has fun with his scheme which makes the eventual tragedy all the more shocking
‘Yet surely Cassio, I believe, received from him that fled some strange indignity which patience could not pass’
Iago - Attempts to excuse Cassio for the sake of formalities
‘Cassio I love thee, but never more be officer of mine’
Othello - Effective leadership as he no longer trusts Cassio to properly fulfil his duty
‘I have lost the immortal part of myself, my reputation Iago’
Cassio - Highly values reputation and Iago’s response to this shows his deceptive nature
‘Reputation is an idle and most false imposition’
Iago - Says what the individual wants to hear for his own personal gain considering the fact that he puts his personal quests first
‘I remember a mass of things but nothing distinctly’
Cassio - His hazy memory at how everything happened works in Iago’s favour as Cassio will still respect him
‘I will ask him for my place again, he shall tell me I am a drunkard’
Cassio - Iago appears trustworthy as everyone reveals their insecurities to him at some point which he can then exploit
‘I think you think I love you’
Iago - Duplicitous nature
‘Our general’s wife is now the general’
Iago - Reinforces Desdemona’s position but also uses it to put Cassio in a compromising position for the scheme
