Big Ideas Flashcards
What is the tragedy about?
Othello and Desdemona’s optimistic desire for a world in which all races and genders can achieve autonomy is destroyed by forces that wish to maintain the status quo. This is a play about racism and misogyny; but it is also about the failure of the individual to combat oppression.
What concept does Shakespeare use Othello to communicate?
He uses Othello to demonstrate how his racial identity makes him vulnerable to Iago’s schemes, and as he internalises preconceptions of his identity he is shaped into the very stereotype he refuted in Act 1.
What concept does Shakespeare use Iago to communicate?
He is the quintessence of prejudice and discontent - he rials against anyone who is an outsider & attempts to manipulate them to their downfall. He is used to demonstrate mankind’s capacity for evil.
What concept does Shakespeare use Desdemona to communicate?
Initially, she provides a glimmer of hope for women - her outspoken nature and her determination to make her own choices show that women can have agency. The play ultimately suggests female empowerment is not possible within Renaissance society.
What concept does Shakespeare use Emilia to communicate?
Her development is the mirror image of Desdemona’s trajectory - as Desdemona becomes passive, Emilia finds her voice. Yet both women face the same fate. Within the patriarchal world of the play, women who attempt to assert their views find themselves literally silenced.
What concept does Shakespeare use Bianca to communicate?
Parallels between Bianca and Desdemona suggest that an individual’s fate is purely an accident of birth. Her character is also used to suggest that survival is dependant on treading a fine line between maintaining one’s integrity and being world-wise.
What concept does Shakespeare use Cassio to communicate?
Demonstrates that it is possible to maintain one’s integrity and morality, even in the ace of being reduced to a debased pawn. He becomes the voice of reason and order at the play’s denounement.
What concept does Shakespeare use Lodovico to communicate?
A voice of reason, and also provides a moral commentary, highlighting the dramatic shifts in Othello’s character.
