iago's manipulation & deception Flashcards
1.1 “s’blood but you’ll not hear me”
AO2:His first line is blaspheming (using God’s name in a sacrilegious/irreverent way) which indicative of his character later in the play.
1.3 “to get his place and plume up my will”
AO”: metaphor “Plume up” suggests he is using Cassio and manipulating and exploiting him.
You could plume up feathers like a bird being displayed in an exhibit.
2.1 [aside] “With as little a web as this will ensure as great a fly as Cassio”
Iago is plotting his plan and regarding Cassio as a fly
AO2: connotes small, prey, dirty, death, unworthy creatures
2.1 soliloquy “but partly led to diet my revenge, for that I do suspect the lusty moor hath leaped into my seat, the thought whereof doth like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards”
”diet my revenge” -hunting and trapping theme, he is paranoid and jealous, anger is infecting + poisoning him
- AO2: In iambic pentameter. When he speaks cunningly, he is calculated + careful but when he talks to others he fakes a casual blank verse.
2.3 “i had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Micheal cassio…cassio…cassio”
AO2: Hyperbolic language, over-exaggerating to emphasise Cassio’s wrong-doing.
- grassing on him in an innocent, careful manipulative way - The excessive use of cassio’s name excusing him but in reality it is blaming him more
2.3 “I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear”
“She repeals him for her body’s lust… so I will turn her virtue into pitch and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all”
AO4 aswell
- Admits his evilness plaguing Othello with his thoughts, Iago is brutal and blank.
- AO2: switch to the metaphor that shows Iago as a hunter again netting his victims.
- AO4: Hamlet’s father is killed. Claudius pours poison into his ear (lies are being told = poison in ear OR like the snake in the garden of Eden who tricks eve.
3.3 Othello “was not that Cassio parted from my wife?”
Iago “cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it that he would steal away so guilty-like seeing you coming”
- Leading Othello on to believe Cassio is getting closer to Desdemona.
- AO2: Interesting lang. Choices for Iago eg. steal + guilty-like shows him being less formal + sophisticated, more confused
3.3 “for micheal cassio, i dare be sworn, i think, that he is honest”
AO2: excessive use of commas shows iago’s clever plantation of doubt in Othello’s mind
3.3 “not to affect many proposed matches of her own clime, complexion and degree, whereto we see, in all things, nature tends”
OR
Iago - “She did deceive her father, marrying you”
OTHELLO -
“And so she did.”
- Expressing the idea to Othello that she deceived nature in marrying a black man and she deceived her father so she may deceive him.
- Iago refers back to the play when she deceives her fathers. Using similar words to him.
- A callback in Othello’s mind and the short line following shows a destruction of his confidence
3.3 “Would you, the supervisor, grossly gape on? Behold her topped?”
Othello: ”death and damnation! O!”
(Convincing Othello he doesn’t need prove, frustrating him even more by giving graphic details.)
- AO2: Othellos reaction uses plosive language, his jealousy is growing. ‘O’
- language breakdown from elaborate speeches to incoherent noises. The convergence of Iago’s manipulation corrupts his mind and leads to his downfall.
4.1 O: “what?what?”
I: “lie.”
O: ”lie with her? Lie on her? We say lie on her when they belie her!”
[falls in a trance]
- Iago is purposely provoking Othello, letting his imagination run away with him. Carefully chosen vague language to spike jealousy in him and make him spiral.
- This stage direction has been a modern argument. Is this Othello falling from being so overwhelmed in his mind or does he have undiagnosed epilepsy? - was believed to be a disease flaw the mind, a weakness
4.1 “do not do it with poison, strangle her in bed - even the bed she hath contaminated”
- Wants Desdemona to die in bed. symbolism of the relaxation place being destroyed, Othello will be distraught.
- Iago pushing his plan onto Othello, he wants him to watch her die as unlike poison he is less psychologically distanced and there is speculation of others murdering her if poisoned.
3.3 othello: “zounds! What dost thou mean?”
- Iago’s swear word. He loses it and becomes trapped by Iago.
- He has bled his language into Othello
3.3 othello “with fresh suspicions? No: to be once in doubt is once to be resolved. Exchange me for a goat”
- AO2: Caesura and punctuation undermine his confidence.
- In denial that he is jealous and this suggests the idea has been planted
- Bleeding of Iago’s animalistic language
4.1 iago: “will you think so?
Othello: “think so, iago?”
AO2: Starts act in media res to heighten tension
AO2: Hemistichomythia = sharing one line of blank verse. Shows their unity, alikeness + iago has achieved his ultimate goal.
- Links back to act 2.1 when othello + desdemona share a line “o my fair warrior…” the harmonious nature of their relationship is gone, replaced with iago.
