Iago Flashcards
What provides us access to Iago’s thoughts?
Monologues, solliloquies and asides.
What is the impact of him confiding in the audience?
- We are perhaps seduced into colluding with evil, which makes him a compelling villain.
- Dramatic irony as the audience knows, but the characters don’t.
What imagery does Iago use? What effect does this have?
Imagery of poison and entrapment, talking of spinning a ‘web’ to ‘ensnare’ in his aside. They establish his position as a deadly power, using his words as weapons to poison the atmosphere.
What shows Iago’s confidence in his powers?
His certainty when discussing plans ‘I’ll pour pestilence into his ear’. The sentence structure also shows that he is in control, and Othello is the passive victim.
What time is associated with Iago’s evil progress?
The night time as much of what he achieves occurs at night.
3 examples of scenes the happen at night?
The first scene, Cassio’s drunken brawl, Rodrigo’s stabbing.
Why does Iago act at night?
To conceal his evil.
What is the significance of the speed of the scenes in which Iago’s plan unfolds?
They are rapid to keep his treachery hidden.
How could Iago’s downfall and death be seen as ultimately ironic?
Roderigo, Emelia and Cassio, three characters he had no respect for and whom he believed he controlled are responsible for his downfall. Emelia exposes him, Roderigo’s letters condemn him to torture and Cassio is responsible for the torture.
In what way does Iago manipulate his speech?
He talks in blank verse when alone, in monologues. However, he speaks in perfect iambic pentameter when with Othello, creating a calming and trustworthy effect.
What is the dramatic irony surrounding Iago?
Constant repetition of the word ‘honest’.
How does Iago use imagery of ‘thinking seeing and knowing’?
Iago uses the word ‘think’ to manipulate peoples thoughts. By commenting on what looks like physical evidence, he interprets evens for them.
At the same time, he does not fully reveal his thoughts, but only hints them, and this only makes Othello more desperate to know, and his irritation grows ‘By heaven I’ll know thy thoughts!’
Ultimately, he leads him to assume the worst and jump to false conclusions.
How could the venetian society at the time explain Iago’s nature?
It was very judgemental and competitive at the time, which could explain his overbearing pride and professional jealousy.
How could the beliefs of the renaissance period allow Iago to conceal his villainy?
It was believed that you could tell someone by their appearance- because he looked honest, he was deemed to be so.
What does Iago’s casual sexism reveal about the time period?
The patriarchal context of the time and the method he will use to poison Othello’s mind.
