Dramatic Language Flashcards

1
Q

What does the use of black verse do?

A

Imitates the rhythm of natural speech, where every other syllable is emphasised. Shakespeare uses the 10-syllable framework of blank verse to imitate formal speech - lines that are written in blank verse are usually spoken by high-status characters.

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2
Q

When is prose used?

A

When characters take to each other informally or address characters of a lower class.

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3
Q

How is Othello’s speech broken in Act 5, Scene 2?

A

“So sweet was ne’er so fatal. I must weep.”

The steady rhythm of blank verse is interrupted by a caesura. In A5, S2, Othello’s speeches broken by an emotional pause. The pause adds extra weight to the word “fatal” and makes the final three words of the line seem heavy and slow.

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4
Q

What is prose?

A

Writing that’s not verse - it doesn’t rhyme, it’s got no metre and there are no line breaks

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5
Q

When does Othello’s language slip from iambic pentameter to prose?

A

Act 4, Scene 1.
“Is’t possible? Confess! Handkerchief! O devil!”
The breakdown in his speech mirrors a breakdown in his emotional state as he “falls” into a trance.

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6
Q

How does Shakespeare use a pun?

A

The word “lie”, meaning to be dishonest or to lie down, had sexual connotations in Shakespeare’s time - “Lie with her? Lie on her?”

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7
Q

Quote: How is biblical language used to show Iago’s jealousy?

A

“And nothing can or shall content my soul / Till I am evened with him, wife for wife.”

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8
Q

What is significant about “wife for wife”?

A

It is an adaptation of the Biblical law “life for life.” Iago seems to be seeking justification for “revenge”, and this Biblical reference highlights his determination.

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9
Q

Quote: Metaphor for Iago’s language being aggressive and predatory.

A

“If this poor trash of Venice, whom I leash / For his quick hunting”

Iago uses a series of hunting metaphors “trash” was a verb meaning to restrain hounds while hunting and a “leash” is used to restrain dogs.

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10
Q

How is a paradox used in his soliloquy at the end of Act 2, Scene 3?

A

“Divinity of hell!”

The idea of ‘divinity’ of ‘hell’ is a paradox that summarises Iago’s evil logic. There is no god in hell, but this phrase makes sense if Iago is referring to himself as a devil with a ‘heavenly’ appearance and evil intentions.

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11
Q

Quote: Othello foreshadowing and trying to understand his own actions.

A

“Put out the light, and then put out the light.”

The repetition suggests he is trying to find a solution to his situation by repeating his intentions aloud. The repetition symbolises both the literal and figurative lights - the actual candle light and the symbolic light of Desdemona’s life. The candle light may be symbolic of romance, or the darkness to detach him from his actions.

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