Othello Flashcards
(Othello)
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them.”
Act 1, Scene 3 - Othello in response to Brabantio’s outrage.
Measured and composed tone.
Trying to say that their love is mutual and not forced.
Parallelism - “she loved me” “i loved her” - shows reciprocity of relationship
(Othello)
“Virtue! A fig! ‘Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.”
Act 1, Scene 3 - Iago after Roderigo has expressed his love for Desdemona
Doesn’t believe there is any such thing and emphasises that by using a swear word “fig”
The repetition of “thus” shows Iago’s belief in man’s malleability and control - we can turn out any way we want.
Analogy - we are the sole controller of our behaviour
Polyptoton - “gardens…gardeners” emphasises that our actions are always a direct result of our values.
Polyptoton
Repetition of the root of a word in different forms e.g. gardens and gardeners
Analogy
An extended comparison
Parallelism
Sentences with similar grammatical structure e.g. “she loved me…I loved her”
Chiasmus
Placing two or more words in a reversed order.
E.g. “she loved me for the dangers i had passed, and i loved her that she did pity them”
The ‘she’ and ‘i’ are in each line but are the reverse order.
Alliterative parallelism
Sentences with similar first letter consonant placement.
(Othello)
“Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains is bestial.”
Act 2, Scene 3 - Cassio after getting in a drunken fight and Othello demotes him.
Left distraught, not because of his professional downgrade, but because of his loss of reputation. (Repeated in the tricolon)
Hyperbolic contrast between “the immortal” and “bestial” shows how Cassio, and the society, cares about honour - ironic to the way Iago does not care. (Dramatic irony)
Tricolon
A series of three paralleled words/phrases e.g. “reputation, reputation, reputation!”
(Othello)
“But jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous: ‘tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself.”
Act 3, Scene 4 - Emilia to Desdemona about men
Saying that jealousy is an irrational emotion.
Desdemona is baffled by Othello’s outburst whereas Emilia is unfazed because she understands that envy does not require a reason.
Tautology - “but jealous for they are jealous” one cannot prevent jealousy
Tautology
Seemingly unnecessary repetition
“In following him…” (Iago, Act 1 Sc 1)
“…I follow but myself…I am not what I am.”
“I am hithero your daughter…” (Desdemona, Act 1 Sc 3)
“…But here’s my husband.”
“My noble father…” (Desdemona, Act 1 Sc 3)
“…I do perceive here a divided duty.”
