ACT ONE Flashcards
“I know my price: I am worth … ….. . …… “
“I know my price: I am worth no worse a place”
-Iago to Roderigo about him not being chosen as second in command.
-Theme of Manhood and Honour.
-Makes Iago appear to be confident, when in reality the fact he feels he has to manipulate Iago into submission to Iago’s villainy highlights Iago’s insecurities as well as evil nature. He clearly does not know his worth.
-Scene 1
“One Michael Cassio, a …… ,that never set a squadron in ….. …..//nor the division of battle knows”
“One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,that never set a squadron in the field//nor the division of battle knows”
-Theme of Manhood and Honour:
-Iago questions Cassio’s honour because he may have a pretty wife, but he cannot control her.
-A man rests his reputation on their ability to command his wife. He also lacks honour by the fact he is not strong in battle, which is the epitome of masculinity. Something that Othello excels at.
Act 1, Scene 1
Iago
“The …”
“The Moor”
Theme of Prejudice and Race.
How Othello is referred to throughout the first scene before we learn his name. Shows the other characters only see him for his skin colour, structural choice from Shakespeare because this also highlights the problems within the Elizabethan audience-they would have developed their own opinions of Othello before being introduced to him due to the historical context. Elizabethans were against mixed marriages, and Elizabeth I demanded their removal from England because they were considered an ‘annoyance’-many believed black people were only fit to be slaves.
Foreshadows the character’s inability to see Othello for the person he is, Othello also later blames himself and his race on the events that have occurred.
Scene 1
“I am not …. . ..”
“I am not what I am”
-Iago to Roderigo.
-Theme of Appearance vs reality.
-Iago explicitly admits that he is manipulative by nature and reveals to the audience he is not sorry about it. This emphasises his villainy, but it could also possibly be interpreted as Iago establishing a connection with the audience.
Scene 1
“What a full fortune does the …..-…. …”
“What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe”
Roderigo to Iago.
-Theme of Prejudice and Race.
-Use of stereotypes used against Othello, again the characters cannot see him for anything other than his race, or uses his race as an excuse for their treatment towards him and for Iago to enable his jealousy.
-Scene 1
“Thieves, thieves, thieves!//Look to your ….., your …….., and your ….!”
“Thieves, thieves, thieves!//Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags!” - Act 1, Scene 1
-Iago to Brabantio.
-Theme of Womanhood and Sexuality, also Manhood and Honour.
-Iago proclaims that Brabantio’s daughter has been stolen and reduces Desdemona to a belonging, by putting her between a house and bags. A woman was a man’s property, and this also links to the historical context of the Renaissance, where women had subordinate roles and had few legal rights.
“An old black … is tupping your white …”
“An old black ram is tupping your white ewe” - Act 1, Scene 1
-Iago to Brabantio
-Themes of Prejudice and Race, and Love and Relationships.
-Othello is being accused of corrupting Desdemona, and is also being reduced to an animal. A lot of animal imagery is used throughout the play to reflect the views of black people at the time. The validity of their relationship is also questioned due to the fact it is mixed, it is assumed that Desdemona is being forced into it in some capacity.
“Your daughter and the Moor are now making the ….. …. ….. ……”
“Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs” - Act 1, Scene 1
-Iago to Brabantio.
-Theme of Prejudice and Race.
-Othello once again describes using imagery of animals and beastiality.
“Let him do his ….”
“Let him do his spite” - Act 1, Scene 2
-Othello to Iago.
-Theme of Manhood and Honour.
-Othello embodies what modern audiences would consider to be a man, he is the opposite to Iago in the beginning, and does not give in to drama and has no interest in pursuing it. He appears as someone who Iago will not be able to manipulate and has a strong outer shell, which emphasises the later tragedy as this shell cracks and the man Othello once was fades away throughout.
“But that I love the…… ………”
“But that I love the gentle Desdemona” - Act 1, Scene 2
-Othello to Iago.
-Theme of Love and Relationships.
-The way that Othello speaks on his wife changes throughout the play. At the beginning he speaks with nothing but love, and this shows the damage Iago causes.
“Rude I am in my ……//And little blest with the soft phrase .. …..”
“Rude I am in my speech//And little blest with the soft phrase of peace” - Act 1, Scene 3.
-Othello
-Theme of Prejudice and Race.
-Othello also criticises himself in the way that everyone else does and sees himself as an outsider. The tragedy comes from within himself, as he is insecure in his surroundings and knows that he will never belong. This reoccurs later on when he blames Desdemona’s supposed affair on the fact that he is black.
” A maiden never …. /so still and quiet that her motion blushed at itself…To fall in …. with what she feared .. …. .. ?” -
“A maiden never bold…..so still and quiet that her motion blushed at itself…To fall in love with what she feared to look on?” - Act 1, Scene 3.
-Brabantio to Othello.
-Theme of Womanhood and Sexuality, and Prejudice and Race.
-Desdemona is described as what would considered to be the perfect woman, one that does not appear to have a voice. This idealised view of woman from men is imposed here.
-The racism against Othello is particularly hurtful here, the sacarastic tone in the question would be enough to make Othello question Desdemona’s love for him, he is painted as a monster to be feared.
“She ….. me for the dangers I had passed//and I loved her that she did …. them”
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed//and I loved her that she did pity them” - Act 1, Scene 3
-Othello to Brabantio (and all)
-Theme of Love and Relationships.
-The love between Othello and Desdemona is described, and it is far different from the other couples in the play. Their relationship is built on understanding and genuine love, rather than idealised visions of each other that they will inevitably never fulfil. By setting apart Othello and Desdemona from everyone else, highlights the flaws in Elizabethan relationships, but also heightens the tragedy that a love that is not approved of by society is doomed.
“I do perceive here a ……. ….”
“I do perceive here a divided duty” - Act 1, Scene 3
-Desdemona to Brabantio.
Theme of Womanhood and Sexuality.
Desdemona is torn between her duties towards her father and her love for Othello. She recognises the expectations of her but can not ignore how she truly feels. This allows us to admire her even more, and later pity her in her death as her purity is shown through her character, not how obedient she is. A contemporary audience can recognise this, whereas a traditional audience may see her as a rebel.
“The ….. are changeable in their …..”
“The Moors are changeable in their wills” - Act 1, Scene 3
-Iago to Roderigo.
-Theme of Prejudice and Race.
Iago once again generalises black people. Accuses Othello of someone who can be easily manipulated, and Othello is portrayed as someone who is the opposite of this, but his true fragility is shown because he becomes exactly what Iago wants him to be, and gives into these stereotypes which an audience would want to see him stay away from. This heightens Iago’s villainy, Othello’s flaws and also the tragedy of the play as a whole.
