Chapter 11 Flashcards
Question 1:
What is the recurring theme in Othello related to breath and wind, and how is it depicted?
Answer 1:
The recurring theme in Othello is the significance of breath and wind, depicted as a cosmological element. The play emphasizes the impact of climate and air, portraying them as ‘the heavens’ breath.’ This cosmic influence contributes to Othello’s tragic fate, intertwining with his humors and the malicious actions of Iago
How does Iago use the metaphor of the body as a garden to manipulate Roderigo’s emotions?
Answer 2:
Iago employs the metaphor of the body as a garden to manipulate Roderigo by presenting a perverse variation on the theological idea of the body as a garden tended by the will. Iago urges Roderigo to use reason to control his passions, paralleling a good gardener caring for plants. This metaphor highlights the need for constant physiological temperature and portrays Othello as a mutable human susceptible to the influence of his emotions.
What role does the theme of distemper play in the play, and how is it manifested?
Answer 3:
The theme of distemper is prevalent in the play, manifested through an unfavorable climate that systematically severs the links of love and disrupts natural human behavior. Instances like Brabantio’s anger at being awakened and Cassio’s drunkenness represent forms of intemperance, echoing the threat of distemper. The play uses these disturbances to explore the impact of external influences on characters’ actions.
Question 4:
How does Iago use geo-humoral stereotypes to manipulate Othello’s perception of Desdemona?
Answer 4:
Iago manipulates Othello’s perception of Desdemona by exploiting geo-humoral stereotypes. In Act 3, Scene 3, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona’s supposed affair is linked to her defective temperament, emphasizing her geographic origins. By associating her Venetian birth with presumed sexual voracity, Iago perpetuates stereotypes, portraying Desdemona as nature-like, generous, and productive. This manipulation contributes to Othello’s doubts about his wife’s fidelity.
How does Shakespeare use onomastics in relation to Othello’s character, and what inference can be drawn from it?
Shakespeare uses onomastics in relation to Othello’s character by associating the word ‘Moor’ with the Latin morus, meaning ‘dull.’ Iago insinuates that Desdemona is dissatisfied due to Othello’s reputed dullness. This onomastic play suggests a connection between Othello’s name and the perception of him as dull. Iago’s insinuations imply that Desdemona may seek satisfaction elsewhere, contributing to the overall theme of sexual tension and jealousy in the play.
What conflicting perspectives on Othello’s prowess as a lover are presented by Othello and Iago?
Conflicting perspectives on Othello’s prowess as a lover are presented by Othello and Iago. Othello claims to be an ardent partner, equating marital desire with sexual appetite. In contrast, Iago portrays Othello as a mediocre lover, suggesting that his marital duties may compromise his martial courage. Shakespeare leaves it to the audience to decide between these contrasting views, providing multiple alternatives rather than asserting a definitive truth.
What is the significance of air in shaping the play as mentioned in the passage?
Answer: Air, whether lacking or in excess, influences the play’s atmosphere and characters. In Venice, the lack of air stifles the atmosphere, while in Cyprus, the wind’s action unleashes human passions
How does Iago’s influence affect Othello’s experience with air in the play?
Answer: Iago’s insinuations gradually rarefy the air for Othello, making it difficult for him to breathe under the shocking revelation of his wife’s lust and adultery.
What is the significance of ‘wind instruments’ in act 3, scene 1?
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Answer: In act 3, scene 1, a group of musicians plays the bagpipe, symbolizing wind instruments. This scene is laden with scatological innuendoes and allusions to syphilis, serving as a grotesque counterpart to the main plot
How does the bagpipe scene relate to the main plot of the play?
Answer: The bagpipe scene literalizes the wind trope in the play, representing characters in the main plot as wind instruments. It serves as a grotesque counterpart, staging wind instruments that produce a flatulent noise.
What role does Othello play as a ‘wind instrument’ in the play?
Answer: Othello functions as a wind instrument, issuing forth breath and sounds. He plays ecstatically upon it in Cyprus, turning his wife into a metaphorical wind instrument. However, he later breaks this “toy,” symbolizing the brutal obstruction of Desdemona’s windpipe and the cessation of human music.
What connotations does the circulation of air have in the play?
Answer: The circulation of air in the play has both comic and tragic connotations, symbolizing a dark carnival and transforming from a liberating wind of desire in Venice to a deadly wind of suspicion in Cyprus.
Who is Saint Blaise, and what is he associated with in the context of the play?
Answer: Saint Blaise is the patron saint of blasts, associated with the feast day traditionally linked to carnival. The circulation of air in the play corresponds to a carnival linked to Saint Blaise, known for healing throat aches.
How does the wind of desire in Venice transform in Cyprus, and what impact does it have on amorous couples?
Answer: In Cyprus, the burning, liberating wind of desire becomes a deadly wind of suspicion, causing amorous couples to suffocate and succumb.
What ominous subterranean force does the hellish breath of air become in the play?
Answer: Iago alludes to earthquakes caused by moving air, drawing a parallel to Othello’s physiology. Confined in Othello’s lungs, the air, lacking release, makes him shake and collapse.
