jealousy Flashcards
1.1 IAGO “as loving his [othellos] own pride and purposes evades them, with a bombast circumstance”
AO2 Plosive language. The horrid consonants make it vitriol and spitty.
AO2 The sibilance of circumstance is snakes and spiteful, adding to the animal theme.
1.1 IAGO “poison his delight…plague him with flies”
He wants to make othellos relationship poisoned/fatal.
AO3 - Plague him with flies could reference god sending locusts as a biblical plague showing iago is so evil he metaphorically (?) wants to commit sins only god is capable of.
2.1 IAGO’S 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
Suspects othello has slept with his wife (paranoia)
Jealousy? This rumour justifies his actions/plan as anger is infecting him. Poison = hunting + trapping. Feels poisoned himself
AO2 - In iambic pentameter. When he speaks cunningly, he is calculated + careful but when he talks to others he fakes a casual blank verse.
3.3 IAGO“- As i confess it is my nature’s plague to spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy”
3.3 “O beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on. That cuckold lies in bliss who, certain of his fate”
Planting ‘jealous’ into othellos mind for the first time.
AO2 - The monster (jealousy) feeds on your optimism sucking out the optimism. It slowly takes over your brain and a nightmare grows inside of you.
Cuckold - someone whos wife has cheated on them
3.3 othello “prithee no more. Let him come when he will, i will deny thee nothing”
He later repeats “I will deny thee nothing” which emphasises his frustration.
He also realises that desdemona can use her femininity but now he is vulnerable and she is capable to do it to all men.
3.3 “O misery!”
From this moment on, now iago has planted the seed of jealousy, misery is all othello experiences.
3.3 OTHELLO “with fresh suspicions? No: to be once in doubt is once to be resolved. Exchange me for a goat”
Caesura and punctuation undermines his confidence. In denial that he is jealous and this suggests the idea has been planted
AO2 Bleeding of iago’s animalistic language
3.3 OTHELLO“i have a pain upon my forehead, here”
Indicative to the horns on a cuckold, hinting to desdemona but she is oblivious, makes it quite sad she is naive and has no idea.
This is a classical literature and art reference.
3.3 after iago has made up the lie that cassio dreamt of desdemona OTHELLO: “o monstrous! O monstrous! “ill tear her all to pieces!”
AO2 - Violent reaction and more emotive breakdown of language.
Iago has officially changed Othello, he didn’t want to be violent earlier but now he is. He has heard a lie and resorted to the ultimate extent.
Iago after says “nay, this was but his dream” to contradict, doubt himself cleverly to balance his drip feeding.
3.3 OTHELLO“Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell!”
Striking images to show jealousy taking over and blackening his soul.
He has resorted to a black-and-white approach. Given in to the racist beliefs of others, uses witchcraft like language. AO3
Sea imagery, wave of emotion and a violent pace. He is no longer in a state of calm.
3.3 OTHELLO “for the fair devil”
oxymoron , conflicting emotion. Links to earlier when she was a ‘fair warrior’. Is perception is completely deceived by iagos words
3.4 OTHELLO “well, my good lady. [aside] O hardness to dissemble!”
The aside indicates that he has to turn to the audience for solidarity. The intimacy between him and his wife has shattered.
3.4 OTHELLO “give me your hand. This hand is moist, my lady”
AO2 - Double entendre, a suggestive sexual reference trying to indicate to desdemona that othello is suspicious of the affair.
But could also be sweat from nerves as he is testing their relationship.
3.4 OTHELLO “a liberal hand. The hearts of old gave hands But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts”
AO2 - Develops a metaphorical duality.
Heart = truth. Hand = tool which can either tell truths or deceive.
Othello is referring to marriage saying she gave her hand without involving her heart.
[falls in a trance]
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 of the mind, a weakness
