Imagery Flashcards
What does Iago, the ensign, say about poison to Brabantio in Act 1?
he wants to “poison his [Brabantio’s] delight”
Iago’s jealousy of the Moor is so strong that he said it what in Act 2?
it “Doth like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards”
Iago resolves to what? in order to secure Othello’s downfall?
to “pour this pestilence into his ear”
Othello recalls Iago’s words when he says…? Act 3
“Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams/I’ll not endure it”
Othello recalls Iago’s words when he says “Poison, or ___, or _______ ________/I’ll not endure it” Act 3
fire
suffocating streams
When is the most chilling reference to poison?
it comes in Act IV Scene I when Othello decides to murder Desdemona “Get me some poison, Iago”
What does Othello say in Act IV Scene I when Othello decides to murder Desdemona?
“Get me some poison, Iago”
HIs mind poisoned with foul thought, Othello now seeks to kill Desdemona in the bed that he thinks she has poisoned with her lust. Why is it particularly chilling that Iago, the real poisoner, suggests the method of killing Desdemona?
as ultimately Iago achieves what he wanted, at the end of the play Ludovico looks at the ‘tragic loading’ of bodies on Othello’s bed commenting that it is a “poisons sight”
How does Iago say to kill Desdemona?
do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed
What is the effect of SHakespeares use of imagery of hell and the devil?
this subverts the negative stereotype of the evil black man and links Iago firmly to the figure of the vice from medieval drama.
When does Iago make the link between his construct and the devil at the end of his soliloquy?
Act 1 Scene 3
Iago makes the link between his construct and the devil at the end of his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 3, when he outlines his evil intentions saying….?
“Hell and night/Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light”
What oxymoron does Iago say in his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 1?
“Divinity of hell”
“blackest sins put on”
“heavenly shows”
While Iago names Othello a devil, in the context of the play what is probably the reason?
it is most likely used as a racial slur than a comment on his character
What does othello make to wreak vengeance on Desdemona?
a “sacred vow”
What is significant about Othello’s “sacred vow” to wreak vengeance on Desdemona?
The sacred wedding vows Othello made to Desdemona in love are now eclipsed by Iago’s “pestilence,” Othello once consumed by the love of his “fair warrior” has now corrupted into a hatred and “sacred vow” to kill.
When does Othello attempt to force an admission of guilt from Desdemona?
Act 4 Scene 2
How does Othello accuse Emilia of concealing Desdemona’s infidelity in Act 4 Scene 2?
by claiming she “keeps the gates of hell”
What does Emilia declare to Othello in the final scene?
that “thou art a devil” “the blacker devil”
Othello is bewildered by the ensign’s evil in Act V Scene 2, asking what?
“Why he hath ensnared my soul and body”
In Iago’s speech, the reference to animal and insect imagery is reductive and negative to suggest his despise for his victims. What does Iago set out with Rorderigo to do in Act 1 Scene 1?
to “Plague him [Brabantio] with flies!”
Othello is infected by Iago’s dark imagery, but the animal imagery in othello’s speeches reveals the hero’s misery rather than sneering triumph. In Act 3 Scene 3 he declares “I had rather be a toad” when Iago makes reference to Desdemona’s infidelity. When is this image of a toad repeated when Othello describes his sorrow at “losing” the innocent Desdemona he loved so much?
In Act 4 Scene 2
Iago maintains Othello’s jealousy with images of bestial lust. How does he describe Cassio and Desdemona’s fling? in Act 3 Scene 3
“as hot as monkeys”
By Act 4 Othello has lost all power of reason and sound judgment, unable to resist the sexual images Iago “pours” into his mind, polluting his love. What indicates this in Act 4 Scene 1?
Othello yelps “Goats and Monkeys!”
