ao1 Flashcards
1
Q
Act 1.1 (5)
A
- tragic nature of plot set up
- othello’s name not used at all in the scene - anti-othello language serves as a pattern for the rest of play
- iago set up as tragic villain - blasphemous lang, Venice he alludes to
- iago shows his dominance - roderigo, comments on cassio/othello
- ‘i am not what i am’
2
Q
Act 1.2 (5)
A
- doesn’t let himself be provoked by iago
- audience meets othello - intelligent, erudite and poetic in speech
- reflects his staus and position in society - diplomatic conduct (tragedy - straddled between two worlds?)
- desdemona’s ‘divided duty’
- iago reveals his villainy and motives - cuckold
3
Q
Act 2.1 (3)
A
- Turkish fleet destroyed by storm - storm often symbol of disruption of order and to prefigure disaster
- Cassio - extremely courteous ‘divine Desdemona’
- Iago vents his own misogyny - Des stands up, Emilia is silent
4
Q
Act 2.3 (4)
A
- Iago’s description of Desdemona is low and coarse, contrast courteous comments of Des
- Iago convinces Cassio to drink (drunkenness - vulnerability) and him Roderigo fight (injuring Montano)
- Iago manages action, entrances, exits - manipulating how situation
- pretending to be a friend to both Cassio/Othello - diminishing their status/autonomy
5
Q
Act 3.1 (2)
A
- Desdemona and Othello disturbed again - Cassio’s music
- Comic relief via clown - often used by Shakespeare to expose frailties and true condition of characters within tragedy
6
Q
Act 3.2 (2)
A
- Othello does his job attending to the fortification of Cyprus
- creates an ironic counterpoint to his personal invasion by villain in next scene
7
Q
(FIRST HALF) Act 3.3 (5)
A
- relentless pace - inevitability
- temptation (apple of Eden ‘tragic sin’) - forbidden knowledge - Iago knows nothing Othello doesn’t - drives him mad
- des aids iago’s case by being excessive to cassio’s cause - tragic division between her and othello
- iago dominates the dialogue - animalistic, repetition of ‘satisfaction’
- othello’s speeches - repetitive, incomplete
8
Q
(SECOND HALF) Act 3.3 (6)
A
- ‘ocular proof’/’i’ll see before i doubt’
- othello seems more bothered by shared possession of desdemona which damages his reputation
- senses of compulsion - inevitability
- visual effect of kneeling (being brought down by iago) bound by oath - he has succumbed to his power just like Cassio and Roderigo
-iago knows what is precious to others - gain power
through their value - emilia gives him the hankerchief trying to please him, he dismissies her - ToW
9
Q
What did E.A.J Honighann say about Act 3.3?
A
- ‘Othello is almost the ventriloquist’s dummy’
- compares him to servant- master relationship of Faustus and Mephistopheles
10
Q
Act 3.4 (4)
A
- breakdown of communication between Othello and Des
- Lies on both side - othello claims it is magical, des claims she has it - othello exerting control
- contrast between Emilia (experience of men and jealousy) and ‘divine Desdemona’
- Des promised Cas she will help him - he is polite to Des but dismissive of Bianca - dramatic devices extension of main plot/ToW
11
Q
Act 4.1 (5)
A
- Iago firmly in control of this scene - presents the ‘ocular proof’
- othello’s speech - exclamatory, obsessive repetition and lapses of syntax
- linguistic breakdown reflects his mental collapse - schizophrenically polarised internally/externally - has a fit of ‘savage madness’
- Iago - ‘strangle her in her bed’
- Lodovico - striking a woman - cowardly and dishonourable?
12
Q
Act 4.2 (5)
A
- Emilia pledges Des innocence
- Des pledges her innocence - kneels in front of Othello - image of pathos and vulnerability
- Des kneels in front of Iago - grotesque irony and echo
- wedding sheets (she asks emilia to put on bed) - to become winding (death) sheets (Romeo and Juliet)
- Roderigo threatens to expose him - Iago manipulates
13
Q
Act 4.3
A
- willow scene - comment on ‘barbary’
- scene of high tension and pathos - wives forced into a bond of ignorance
- contrast between emilia and desdemona’s views on men - tragic victim
