Iago key quotes Flashcards
‘I _____ him __ _____ __ turn ____ ___’ Act 1 Scene _
‘I follow him to serve my turn upon him’ Act 1 Scene 1
- Follows him to better himself
- Planning revenge from beginning
‘_ ____ wear my _____ ____ __ sleeve for ____ __ ____ at’ Act _ Scene 1
’ I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at’ Act 1 Scene 1
- Admitting he’s tricking Othello (if he was open and wore his heart on his sleeve, crows would peck at it because he’s a bad person
- Metaphor foreshadows duplicity
- Finds people foolish who are what they seem
- He’s against vulnerability and for masculinity
‘I __ ___ what _ __’ Act _ Scene _
‘I am not what I am’ Act 1 Scene 1
- Biblical allusion Exodus 3:14 (God to Moses ‘I am who I am’)
- Self aware of his ways but doesn’t believe he should change
- Directly telling audience he’s deceitful = villainous
- Appearance vs reality
‘__ ___ black ___ is _______ your white ___’ Act 1 Scene _
‘an old black ram is tupping your white ewe’ Act 1 Scene 1
- Derogatory, sexual language
- Metaphorical/zoomorphic racial insults
- Sex shown as animalistic (no euphemisms (word to avoid an unpleasant one)
- Highlights Desdemona as pure and innocent and Othello as a lascivious old man (infuriating Brabantio)
‘are ___ making a _____ ____ two _____’ Act _ Scene 1
‘are now making a beast with two backs’ Act 1 Scene 1
- Animalistic language
- Evocative (strong) imagery to put Othello in vicious light
- Audiences first view of Othello
‘By _____ _ think __’ Act _ Scene _
‘By Janus I think no’ Act 1 Scene 2
- Janus = Roman God of two faces, beginnings, endings nd doorways
- Iago is like this = two faced (duplicitous and deceitful) and holds key to Othello’s ending
- Dramatic irony as audience is aware of his deceit but Othello isn’t (appearance vs reality)
‘to abuse ________ ___ that he is ___ _______ with ___ ____’ Act 1 Scene _
‘to abuse Othello’s ear that he is too familiar with his wife’ Act 1 Scene 3
- Manipulation - making Othello think Cassio and Desdemona are too familiar = beginning of plot
- He’s open with his wicked intentions
-Tragic villain - we sympathise with the fact he’s allowed himself to be consumed with jealousy and hate
‘(aside) with as ______ _ ___ as this _ ____ ______ as great _ ___ as ______’ Act _ Scene _
‘with as little a web as this I will ensnare as great a fly as Cassio’ Act 2 Scene 1
- Aside = dramatic device - stepping into shadows to conspire with audience about his plan
- Dehumanises his victims and regards them not as people but play pieces to his own will
- Mocking Cassio = jealous
- Zoomorphic metaphor
‘I do suspect ___ _____ ___ hath leaped ____ my ____ the thought… ____ a poisonous ______ ____ my inwards’ Act 2 Scene _
‘I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat the thought… like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards’
- Metaphor and Simile
- Compares feeling of the thought of his wife’s affair to a poisonous mineral working on his stomach
- Iago is clearly jealous of Othello and uses this as justification for his actions
‘___ I am evened ____ him ____ ___ ____’ Act _ Scene 1
’ Till I am evened with him wife for wife’ Act 2 Scene 1
- Showing audience he also intends to destroy Desdemona and through her Othello also
- Biblical allusion to ‘eye for an eye’
- Believes Othello slept with his wife so wants revenge
‘I put ___ ____ at least ____ a _______ so strong that ________ ______ cure’ Act 2 Scene _ **
‘I put the Moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure’ Act 2 Scene 1
- Highlights Othello’ hamartia = his jealousy/ that he trusts Iago
- Context of jealousy at the time
- Gives Iago control to the outcome of Othello’s life
- Wants balance and justice
’ _ ___ rather have this _____ cut from __ _____ than it _____ __ offence to _______ ______’ Act 2 Scene _
’ I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Michael Cassio’ Act 2 Scene 3
- Dramatic irony
- Montano warns Iago not to twist things in Cassio’s favor and Iago says this
- Right after this Othello calls Iago honest = shows audience effect of Iago’s deceit on Othello (leading to Iago’s downfall)
- Keeps saying he’d rather not have body parts than speak ill of certain people (pg 77 ‘and would in action glorious I had lost those legs that brought me to a part of it)
- Trying to seem honest and loyal to Othello and Montano
- Context of jealousy and how that’s overtaken him
’ And _____ __ then that ____ I play the ______’ Act 2 Scene _
‘And what’s he then that says I play the villain’ Act 2 Scene 3
- Playing with the audience that why would he be the villain if he is giving honest advice to Cassio (told him to talk to Desdemona about his position - what Cassio originally suggested anyways)
- Iago speaks from malevolence (wishing to do evil to others) and Cassio speaks from remorse/ foolishness
- Shown to be egotistical
-
‘___ ____ this _________ into his ear’ Act _ Scene _
‘I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear’ Act 2 Scene 3
- Pestilence is used to kill and destroy bad things
- Minds of Othello and Desdemona are like fertile soil and Iago’s pestilence will cause growth of plants of destruction that will destroy all roots of good as they aren’t deep
- Iago will whisper words of poison (his rumors about Desdemona) to Othello and kill him from the inside by planting seeds of jealousy
- Mirrors Lady Macbeth ‘poor spirits in thine ear’ as she manipulates Macbeth into taking action to get the crown
‘My ____ you know _ ____ you’ Act _ Scene 3
‘My Lord you know I love you’ Act 3 Scene 3
- Iago usually talks a lot but here is letting Othello do the talking who is trying to find more about Iago’s inner thoughts
- Making Othello think he’s in control
- Simple statement very deliberately shows loyalty = facade
- Shows audience that Iago has Othello completely fooled but masks this hatred with superficial loyalty
- Balance of power shifting in Iago’s favor
