act 3

Question 1

excellent wretch

Answer 1

Act 3 scene 3
- oxymoron used to describe Desdemona, wretch has connotations of despicable person and from this point on his believes this to be true due to iago’s misleading manipulations

Question 2

when I love thee not chaos is come again

Answer 2

Act 3 scene 3
- foreshadowing, the chaos that is unfolding in Othello’s mind and the chaos that is about to erupt in the play
- again he bases his sanity off of her love, never a healthy thing to do in a relationship

Question 3

for a satisfaction of my thought

Answer 3

Act 3 scene 3
- using existing information to othellos demise
- iago is letting othello fill his own narratives/gaps, convinces him he’s not being manipulated + coming to own conclusions
- by ‘withholding’ information he is making Othello doubt himself

Question 4

some monster in thy thought

Answer 4

Act 3 scene 3
- metaphore
- without consciously being aware of iago’s treachery, othello describes iago’s true monstrous character accurately

Question 5

weighst thy words

Answer 5

Act 3 scene 3
- iago does think carefully before he speaks, but not in the way othello thinks
- links to twisted, false appearances and Othello’s inability to see beyond

Question 6

Beware of jealousy, it is the
green-ey’d monster

Answer 6

Act 3 scene 3
- metaphore
- he is speaking the truth, but to othello he is planting seeds of doubt in his mind without actually saying anything
- iago warns othello
- as jealousy becomes irrational and not amendable to reason, it transforms
- can make even the sanest person go crazy

Question 7

I’ll see before I doubt
Ocular proof

Answer 7

Act 3 scene 3
- he is still strong minded, not manipulated by iago’s thoughts
- shakespeare implies Othello’s willingness to communicate with Desdemona, not allowing ill feelings to fester, will save their marriage

Question 8

I speak not yet of proof

Answer 8

Act 3 scene 3
- iago says this so he can properly say his thoughts
- othello seems to ignore this

Question 9

matches of her own complexion

Answer 9

Act 3 scene 3
- it was against her nature to not like suitors of her own race
- feeding on othello’s insecurities

Question 10

this honest creature knows much more than he unfolds

Answer 10

Act 3 scene 3
- iago’s good reputation has allowed othello to plant doubts in his own head which Iago has not even spoke of

Question 11

forked plague is fated

Answer 11

Act 3 scene 3
- from the moment we are born we are fated to wear the horns
- cuckholds were depicted as having horns on their head

Question 12

if she be false then heaven mocks itself

Answer 12

Act 3 scene 3
- the moment he hears her coming he regrets his thoughts
- his rational mind fighting against his insanity, internal battle
- shows he still has such love for her and the potential to put things right

Question 13

I nothing but to please his fantasy

Answer 13

Act 3 scene 3
- emilia steals the napkin for iago
- she is desperate to impress him and make him happy, implies she has been neglected

Question 14

farewell the tranquil mind, Othello’s occupation gone!

Answer 14

Act 3 scene 3
- he lets a problem of love “taint his business”
- he’s letting go of his blind euphoria and moving on to what he believes is the real truth
- shows how intertwined his business is with his love life, goes against what he said at the start of the play, that he would let “housewives make a skillet of my helm” if he let “heat” “taint his business”

Question 15

imputation and strong circumstances

Answer 15

Act 3 scene 3
- because there is no proof, othello is now going to believe evidence which is all made up to satisfy his anger

Question 16

there’s magic in the web of it

Answer 16

Act 3 scene 4
- this is not a christian sentiment
- he is being fanatical
- also implying that the handkerchief is the main reason for his loyalty
- despite the fact it goes against her religion Desdemona remains open to Othello’s narrative over her christianity because of her immense love for him

Question 17

the handkerchief!

Answer 17

Act 3 scene 4
- repeats this over and over
- like he is in a trance, hyper focused on the handkerchief
- he is so overwrought he has lost control of his words

Question 18

they are all but stomachs and we are all but food

Answer 18

Act 3 scene 4
- Emilia gives a modern feminist viewpoint
- suggests women are treated like prey for male appetite
- her feminism is so strong she attempts to persuade Desdemona that she should not put up with Othello’s jealousy

Question 19

my lord is not my lord

Answer 19

Act 3 scene 4
- she feels unfamiliar to him
- like something has completely changed him
- shows that Othello does have the ability to be a kind-hearted, good husband, he just lacks the strength to resist Iago’s manipulations

Question 20

haply for I am black, declin’d in the vale of years

Answer 20

• act 3 scene 3
• othello’s soliloquy
• Othello begins to dwell on his insecurities, arguably one of the biggest factors leading to his downfall because he cannot rationally think about the fact that Desdemona loves him BECAUSE of his uniqueness ‘she lov’d me for the dangers i had passed’
• what makes the story so tragic