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E2 > OTHELLO > Flashcards

OTHELLO Flashcards

1
Q

‘the green eyed monster’

A

Jealousy, appearance vs reality

Othello’s jealousy impedes him from distinguishing appearance from reality

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2
Q

‘I have lost…

A

…‘the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial’

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3
Q

‘I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial’

A

Cassio’s implication that reputation is the only thing that makes one human

Theme of manhood and honour

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4
Q

‘A horned mans…

A

‘…a monster and a beast’

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5
Q

‘She deceived her father…’

A

‘… and will deceive thee’

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6
Q

‘My ____, my____ and my ______ ____ will _______ __ rightly’

A

‘My parts, my title and my perfect soul will manifest me rightly’

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7
Q

‘Tis a monster, begot upon itself, born on itself’

A

Emilia argues that events do not cause jealousy, jealousy causes events

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8
Q

‘I’ll ____ ____ __________ in his ___’

A

‘I’ll pour this pestilence in his ear’

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9
Q

‘I am not what I am’

A

Twists the words of the Bible to deceive

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10
Q

‘Corrupted by ______ and _________’

A

‘Corrupted by spells and medicines’

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11
Q

‘An ___ ____ ___ is ______ your _____ ___’

A

‘An old black ram is tupping your white ewe’

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12
Q

‘By _____’

A

‘By Janus’

A two faced God

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13
Q

‘My ____ upon ___ _____’

A

‘My life upon her faith’

Irony is painful here

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14
Q

‘Divine Desdemona’

A

Often associated with pure and heavenly imagery

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15
Q

‘With as ______ _ ___ __ ____ I will _______ __ _____ _ ___ __ ______’

A

‘With as great a web as this I will ensnare as great a fly as Cassio’

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16
Q

‘Thy ______ and ____ ____ _____ this ______’

A

‘Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter’

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17
Q

‘Your ____my ____; your ____ and _____ ____’

A

‘Your wife, my Lord; your true and loyal wife’

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18
Q

‘Dost thou __ _________ think- tell me, ______- that _____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ _______ in such _ _____ ____?’

A

‘Dost thou in conscience think- tell me, Emilia- that there be women do abuse their husbands in such gross kind?’

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19
Q

‘Let husbands know, their wives have ____ like them; they ___ and _____, and have their _______ both for _____ and ____ as husbands have’

A

‘Let husbands know, their wives have sense like them; they see and smell, and have their palates for both sweet and sour as husbands have’

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20
Q

‘Put out the _____, and then put out the _____’

A

A5S2 ‘Put out the light, and then put out the light’

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21
Q

‘She’s like a ____ gone to _______ ____’

A

A5S2 ‘She’s like a liar gone to burning hell’

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22
Q

‘For thou hast ______ the ________ ________’

A

A5S2 ‘For thou hast killed the sweetest innocent’

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23
Q

‘I ____ the villain’

A

‘I play the villain’

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24
Q

‘but my noble Moor is ____ of mind and made of no such ________ as _______ _________ are’

A

‘but my noble Moor is true of mind and made of no such baseness as jealous creatures are’

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25
Q

‘_____ clasps of the _________ Moor’

A

‘gross clasps of the laviscious Moor’

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26
Q

‘______ of magic’

A

‘chains of magic’ (A1S2)

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27
Q

‘________ against the devil’ (about Desdemona’s ‘unauthorised kiss’

A

‘hypocrisy against the devil’

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28
Q

A5S2 ‘_____ Moor’

A

‘cruel Moor’

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29
Q

Renaissance view of Moors

A

Considered them heathens, like the Turks- provoked anxiety

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30
Q

Appearance vs reality

A

Iago’s ability to mislead, especially Roderigo and Othello, by encouraging them to misinterpret

References to dreams throughout highlights what seems real may be fake

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31
Q

The handkerchief (in European Renaissance poetry)

A

In European medieval and Renaissance love poetry, the handkerchief typically symbolises a woman’s romantic favour

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32
Q

Animals

A

Animal language closely connected to prejudice, by defining a person as less than human

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33
Q

The handkerchief

A

For Othello: Symbolises Desdemona’s fidelity

Resembles white wedding sheet, stained with virgins blood, thus when Desdemona loses it, she loses her ‘chastity’

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34
Q

Honesty

A

Can refer to both chastity and personal honesty

Iago uses dishonesty to convince Othello that his wife is sexually dishonest, whilst pretending to be a good friend

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35
Q

War

A

Could be interpreted that the war that didn’t happen in Act 3 due to weather, actually did happen, just in Othello’s mind

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36
Q

The willow song

A

Supposedly sung by one of Desdemona’s mothers’ servants who loved a crazy person- ironic

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37
Q

The candle

A

Symbolises Desdemona’s fragile life (‘put out the light, and then put out the light’)

He can put out the candle and relight it, but he can only kill Desdemona once

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38
Q

Structure of tragedies

A
  1. Exposition
  2. Rising action
  3. Climax
  4. Falling action
  5. Denouement
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39
Q

Aristotle’s ‘tragic hero’

A

‘A man who doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall’

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40
Q

Aristotlean Greek tragedy

A

There is a relatable good character who makes mistakes

Introduces Hamartia

Main characters’ error of judgement

We live in a flawed world and it is due to our own actions

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41
Q

Contemporary attitudes on race

A

1601 Elizabeth I passed a law allowing the deportation of black people

‘blackness’ was not just connected to a physical skin colour, but also a dark and evil nature

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42
Q

Shift in setting

A

Both Venice and Cyprus represent hugely different worlds, and the shift in the setting in play is reflected in the shift in plot, action and characterisation

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43
Q

Venice

A

Venetian society was generally orderly, civilised and formal

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44
Q

Cyprus

A

Unstable, violent setting

James I was very interested in Turkish history

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45
Q

Iago’s control of narrative

A

Creates scenes within scenes

Sets up encounters between characters, with a position as spectator; eg having Othello watch him speak with Cassio about Bianca

46
Q

Desdemona and Bianca…

A

Are fantasies created by men, imposed by men, that men want THEM to fulfil

Emilia shows this complexity as she is not defined by either virtue or deceptive sexuality

47
Q

The role of Othello

A

Shows how jealousy can change even the most noble of men

Shows Iago’s intelligence

Bad taints good

Shows how love can lead to violent jealouy

48
Q

Domestic tragedy

A

Zooms in from court to bedroom

Demonstrative of how marriage breaks down

Creates catharsis at the end

49
Q

Prose

A

Iago often speaks in prose

Was usually reserved for lowly characters

Othello gradually reverts to prose during his downfall

50
Q

Magical imagery A1S2

A

‘foul charms’

‘thou hast enchanted her’

‘if she in chains of magic were not bound’

51
Q

Language in Iago’s soliloquy A2S3

A

‘Divinity of hell’

'’Blackest sins’

‘I’ll pour this pestilence’

52
Q

Othello shift in language A3S3 soliloquy

A

Strikingly reminiscent of Iago

‘O curse’, ‘creatures’, ‘vapour of a dungeon’, ‘plague’

53
Q

Purpose of Bianca

A

Foil to Desdemona

54
Q

‘whore’, ‘strumpet’

A

Juxtaposes how he referred to Desdemona at the beginning, however she continues to call him ‘my Lord’

55
Q

A5S2 white imagery

A

Do the repeated references to Desdemona’s whiteness serve to highlight Othello’s blackness?

Would it make an Elizabethan audience uncomfortable to see a black man in bed with a white woman?

56
Q

How does Shakespeare use setting to isolate Desdemona?

A

The Turkish War

57
Q

The storm

A

Reflects the fear and violence awaiting, and a symbol of Othello’s love

58
Q

Claustrophobia in Othello

A

Lack of subplot, intensifies dramatic tension

59
Q

What could the time inconsistencies reflect?

A

The irrationality of jealousy

60
Q

Othello’s speech

A

Dignified, measured blank verse

Shared by Desdemona- reflects their ‘well tuned’ harmony

61
Q

Othello’s corrupted speech

A

‘Confess? Handkerchief! O devil!’

Disjointed prose- gives way to passion

62
Q

Iago’s speech

A

Source of his power
Slips between prose and verse depending on who he’s manipulating
eg long, fast prose for Roderigo

63
Q

Renaissance beliefs about the nature of evil

A

Believed in witches

Associated the black man with the devil

64
Q

Iago is driven by ‘__________ ________’

A

‘motiveless malignity’

65
Q

How is Othello’s transferral of love from Desdemona to Iago seen?

A

Othello begins to finish Iago’s lines for him

66
Q

Staging in A1S1

A

Two levels- shows the disruption of what Iago and Roderigo are reporting

67
Q

Reversal

A

Iago starts out as the underdog

68
Q

How does Iago reveal his his insightful nature to the audience?

A

He reveals his insights about what he knows the other characters’ vulnerabilities to be (Othello’s credibility, Cassio’s good manners etc)

69
Q

Handkerchief in Renaissance Europe

A

If a woman’s handkerchief was found in the possession of another man, it was seen as adultery

70
Q

Machiavelli’s key tenets

A

‘to be a great pretender and dissembler’

71
Q

Othello’s insecurity about his age

A

‘declined into the vale of years’

72
Q

‘I’ll ____ ___ ___ __ pieces’

A

‘I’ll tear her all to pieces’

73
Q

Use of soliloquays in Othello

A

Act as a way of revealing the speaker’s thoughts- most significantly Iago

74
Q

How might soliloquays influence our view of Iago (as an audience)??

A

We may see Othello as stupid for failing to recognise Iago’s villany, but we probably would’t have seen it without his soliloquays

75
Q

Use of action

A

Act 4 scene 1- Othello loses physical control of his body, juxtaposing the power he had, over both himself and others, at the beginning of the play

76
Q

How does Shakespeare emphasise the illogicality of Othello’s jealousy?

A

Unity of time and place- by the time O, D and C get back from Cyprus (separately) every moment is accounted for- literally no time

77
Q

How can love be seen to overpower evil? (2)

A

Desdemona’s final words can be seen as a final act of forgiveness (Honigmann)
Emilia’s love for Desdemona is Iago’s undoing

78
Q

Iago displays many characteristics of a ….

A

Jacobean stage villain

79
Q

A1S1 description of Cassio

A

‘arithmetician’

Belittling

80
Q

Reputation in the Renaissance

A

Fundamental to a mans conception of his honour

81
Q

Function of Cassio

A

Serve as a point of comparison to Othello

82
Q

What can be said about those who hold power in Othello?

A

Undeserving and, to some extent, morally corrupt

83
Q

Cassio’s tribute to Othello

A

‘he was great of heart’

84
Q

How does Iago refer to Emilia?

A

‘foolish wife’

85
Q

‘she has deceived her father…

A

… and may thee’

86
Q

Primary role of Roderigo

A

To allow us as an audience to gain insight into Iago’s methods

87
Q

Roderigo is described as ‘____ ______ __ _____’

A

‘poor trash of Venice’

88
Q

What is Bianca’s vulnerability a result of?

A

Her social position

89
Q

Bianca’s lack of power

A

Due to her social position

The only power she has is in her ability to attract customers

90
Q

‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona’

A

Othello’s soft language contrasts with his image painted by the other characters- he juxtaposes love with war to highlight the two different parts of his life: battle and his wife

91
Q

‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved that she did pity them’

A

Relationship not based on love, but an illusion of admiration and pity respectively?

92
Q

Irony of how Bianca’s reaction to the handkerchief is received

A

She is presented as irrational and obsessive for the same emotions that Othello has

93
Q

How is the theme of deception seen in the character of Roderigo?

A

Roderigo is, throughout the play, seen as the ‘fool’. However, it is him who is the first character to see Iago for who he is

94
Q

Wedding sheets

A

A03. Wives were sometimes buried in their wedding sheets when they died. Foreshadows Desdemona’s death

95
Q

How does Shakespeare use repetition in Iago’s speech, and to what effect?

A

A3S3 Iago repeats Othello’s words back to him (‘Indeed?, ‘honest, my lord?’)
Presents him as almost foolish

96
Q

Significance of blindness in Othello

A

The action of the play largely depends on characters not seeing things

97
Q

Iago’s botanical imagery

A

Organic growth of his plots suggests that the other characters’ minds are fertile for his ‘pestilence’

98
Q

Sight and Desdemona

A

Despite the other characters’ racial prejudices, Desdemona has the ability to see Othello for more than just his blackness

99
Q

Irony of Othello’s demand for ‘ocular proof’

A

He continually believes things that he does not see- Cassio’s fight, the handkerchief, Cassio’s murder

100
Q

How is war significant to the tragic trajectory?

A

Desdemona is wooed by stories of war
Reputation, honour and masculinity
Bond between Iago and Othello
Othello gains his status THROUGH war

101
Q

Setting in the opening of A1S1

A

Darkness- much of the play takes place at night. Symbolic resonance with evil

102
Q

Significance of speech opening of A1S1

A

Iago starts on the backfoot, but begins to dominate the conversation- this is typical of him

103
Q

Significance of language opening of A1S1

A

Words associated with hate- this is arguably what the play is all about- hate destroying love

104
Q

Opening of A1S1

A

Establishment of Othello’s hubris (through Iago’s speech)

Iago is a very shrewd character, and arguably Othello’s hubris that does set the tragic events in motion

105
Q

Extended metaphor between sexual intercourse and conception

A

The ideas are ‘engender’d’ in Othello’s mind, and produce images of a graphic and sexual nature, of Cassio and Desdemona
‘monstrous birth’

106
Q

Language of conception/ impregnation

A

‘engender’d’

‘monstrous birth’

107
Q

How does Othello refer to himself A5S2?

A

‘honourable murderer’

108
Q

Othello’s suffering at thinking about Desdemona’s infidelity

A

‘Thou hast set me on the rack’

109
Q

‘that ___’

A

‘that viper’

110
Q

Iago’s description of his own jealousy of Emilia and Othello

A

‘like a poisonous mineral- gnaw at my inwards’

111
Q

‘Yield up….

A

O love, thy crown and hearted throne/ To tyrannous hate’

E2 (4 decks)

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