act 5 Flashcards
every way makes my gain
Act 5, scene 1
- Iago is entirely selfish
- the whole play is manipulated by him to his liking, for his own good
- he arguably does not one good thing or deed for any other characters in the play
- his nature is pure evil
else she’ll betray more men
Act 5, scene 2
- Othello still thinks he is doing a good act by murdering his own wife
- he tries to justify his murder because he thought she was immoral, as if it’s his responsibility to wash and clean the immoral world
- believes he has a duty
- still devoted to his life as a solider, won’t see his actions for what they are
I have no wife!
Act 5, scene 2
- in the series of monosyllabic words, ‘wife’ falls on the fourth of the lines 5 beats, creating a powerful pulse which underscores Othello’s crisis
a guiltless death
Act 5, scene 2
- Desdemona dies a guiltless death, she knows she is innocent
- first time she makes any sort of rebellion, refusing to surrender to his authority as her husband
o the more angel she, blacker devil you
Act 5, scene 2
- Emilia bravely speaks out with her empowering words
- resonates with the idea of Desdemona as innocent perfection, and the idea of Othello as a devil which lago had planted in Othello’s mind
- however even Emilia shows some racism
- the simple division between ‘good and bad’ and ‘black and white’ ties in with religious imagery
- Emilia can’t help but draw on their differences and scorn Othello for his blackness
my husband?
Act 5, scene 2
- Emilia cannot help but repeat herself because she is in so much shock and has lost control of her words trying to process the new information she has just received
- shows how iago truly did deceive everyone around him - is iago a mastermind or are those around him oblivious? Unfortunately Emilia was the only one who figured out the truth but her bias towards iago, being his wife, meant she was unable to see the truth and expose him for what he truly is until it was too late
villainy, villainy, villainy!
Act 5, scene 2
- Emilia steps out of her domestic role as a loyal wife to show her loyalty to her mistress
- she betrays iago
- perhaps she holds some guilt about keeping her suspicions quiet?
I will not charm thy tongue
Act 5, scene 2
- Emilia is arguably the most powerful woman in the play
- she does not follow her husbands instructions despite possibility of death
an honourable murder
Act 5, scene 2
- Othello is still attempting to justify his murder even after the lies have been revealed
- he can’t bare to face up to his actions
- his mental state encounters binary switches in the final scene between being guilty and attempting to justify his actions - shows his internal conflicts
I have done the state some service
Act 5, scene 2
- Othello refers to his work as if it’s his only admirable thing
- In his final moments, Othello depends on his identity as a soldier to glorify himself in the public’s memory and make the audience forget about his marital disaster
- but everything he says is tarnished by what he’s done
turk beat a Venetian
Act 5, scene 2
- Othello’s final words are of his state business
