Motifs

Question 1

Sight and blindness

Answer 1

• Othello being visually different to all other characters
• Desdemona ‘saw Othello’s visage in his mind’ but Othello cannot do this (‘haply for I am black’)
• Brabantio questions ‘if thou hast eyes to see, she has deceived her father and may thee’ planting the seed that sight is connected to knowledge and cuckholdry
• This is reinforced by Iago ‘sees and knows more’ and Othello demanding ‘occular proof’
• The use of darkness in Act 5 as Othello hears screams which emphasises his blindness before he kills Desdemona
• Darkness/ blindness allows for Iago to commit his deeds (A1S1 & A5S1)
• Iago brings the light in A5S1
• The final words by Lodovico ‘this object poisons sight’

Question 2

Animals and monsters

Answer 2

• Overall, animals and monsters as a motif displays the positioning of each character on their tragic journey.
• ‘barbary horse’ ‘old black ram’ sets up Othello as defying expectations when he is introduced.
• then he becomes slowly what is expected of him as Iago makes him ‘egregiously an ass’
• ‘goats and monkeys’ as sexual creatures. The primitive language of Othello shows his loss of eloquence
• this line parallels Iago’s metaphor ‘prime as goats, hot as monkeys’ showing Othello conforming to the villain.
• ‘beware of jealousy, it is the green eyed monster’. This is unknowingly also used by Emilia (3.4) showing her alignment with her husband at this point.
• Othello recognising Desdemona to be able to ‘sing the savageness out of a bear’ heightens the tragedy as she cannot save the ‘horned man’

Question 3

Confidence and jealousy

Answer 3

• All characters appear to be motivated by jealousy
• Iago’s professional jealousy and Othello ‘leapt into my seat’
• Bianca’s jealousy portrays two themes: emphasises the ridiculousness of Othello’s reaction since the ‘token from some newer friend’ is better proof
• And the fact that she is expected to put up with this treatment as she is a woman, linking to 4.3
• ## Othello’s entire plot

Question 4

Ideas about women

Answer 4

• Generally presented as one of two extremes: sexually corrupt or pure and innocent.
• Cassio epitomises this idea as he places Desdemona on a pedestal ‘divine Desdemona’ etc but is much more derogatory to Bianca
• Othello is also similar to this at the start ‘my fair warrior’
• Iago corrupts this since he ‘knows this country’s disposition well’ playing on Othello being an outsider
• This changes Othello’s mindset as he becomes more violent, wanting to ‘chop her into pieces’
• At the end he reverts back to idolising her ‘skin whiter than snow’