Animals and monsters

Question 1

What is the purpose of this motif

Answer 1

It displays the positioning of each character’s tragic journey

Question 2

How does Iago introduce Othello as animalistic in A1S1?

Answer 2

• ‘Old black ram’
• ‘Barbary horse’

Question 3

Why is Iago’s 1.1 animalistic description of Othello significant?

Answer 3

When Othello is properly introduced, he defies these expectations which places him as a tragic hero.

Question 4

How does Iago use animalistic imagery in his 2.1 plan?

Answer 4

• He plans to make Othello ‘egregiously an ass’
• Othello begins to conform to this

Question 5

Which Iago metaphor does Othello angrily exclaim at the end of 4.1 and why is this metaphor significant?

Answer 5

• ‘prime as goats, hot as monkeys’
• this is significant as it is being used to rile Othello up by comparing Cassio and Desdemona to sexual creatures

Question 6

What is the significance of Othello attempting to replicate Iago’s metaphor?

Answer 6

• his poor eloquence contrasts how he acted in earlier scenes which signifies his downfall
• by replicating the villain’s language, it is clear to see the effectiveness of Iago’s manipulations

Question 7

How does Emilia compare Othello to a monster in A5S2

Answer 7

• In Othello’s torment in the end, Emilia commands Othello to ‘roar’ hinting that he has became a monster

Question 8

How is cuckoldry compared to a monster

Answer 8

• ‘the horned man’s a monster’
• ‘beware of jealousy, it is the green eyed monster’

Question 9

How does Emilia’s bestial language in 3.4 align her with Iago

Answer 9

• she states that jealousy is ‘a monster begot upon itself’ mirroring her husband’s earlier language

Question 10

How does the motif of animals generate pity towards Desdemona

Answer 10

• Othello recognises that she could ‘sing the savageness out of a bear’ yet she cannot calm him.