Critics Flashcards
What does F.R. Leavis say about Othello’s character?
Othello is overly aware of his nobility and acts with a self-dramatising finality.
How does T.S. Eliot interpret Othello’s final speech?
Othello’s final speech is a terrible exposure of human weakness rather than a hero’s triumph.
What is A.C. Bradley’s view on Othello as a hero?
Othello is the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes.
What does Coleridge say about Iago’s nature?
The motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity.
How does E.A.J. Honigmann describe Iago?
Iago is a seductive storyteller who ensnares Othello in his narrative.
What does Harold Bloom say about Iago’s manipulation?
Iago’s genius is that he turns Othello’s virtue into a trap.
How does Ania Loomba characterize Othello?
Othello is both an insider and outsider, hero and villain.
What does Karen Newman suggest about Othello and race?
Othello reinforces the fear of racial and sexual difference.
What does Marilyn French say about Othello’s societal position?
Othello is a victim of a society that sees him as an outsider.
How does Lisa Jardine view Desdemona’s role?
Desdemona is a political liability, silenced for her transgression.
What is Marilyn French’s perspective on Desdemona’s obedience?
Desdemona accepts her culture’s dictum that she must be obedient to males.
How does Valerie Traub define women in Othello?
Women in Othello are defined by their sexual virtue or lack of it.
What does William Hazlitt say about Othello’s transformation?
Othello loses the soft simplicity of his love and becomes cruel.
How does Catherine Belsey describe jealousy?
Jealousy is not a spontaneous passion but a cultural construct.
What is G.K. Hunter’s view on Othello’s tragedy?
Othello’s tragedy is that he believes in the absolute truth of Iago’s words.
