Othello

Question 1

“‘Sblood” (Iago 1.1)

Answer 1

Iago’s first heard words are swears
Foreshadowing of his aggressive personality and actions

Question 2

“And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace, For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith” (Othello 1.3)

Answer 2

Sibilance, softly spoken tone
Othello is calm under pressure

Question 3

“Put money in thy purse” (Iago 1.3)

Answer 3

Imperative verbs = Iago controls Roderigo
Repetition is persuasive, almost like a drum-beat or battle cry

Question 4

“Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light” (Iago 1.3)

Answer 4

Monster imagery connotes evil
Heroic couplet
Links to theme of light vs dark which is common among Shakespeare’s tragedies
Metaphor for the plan coming to life
Final volta of the act

Question 5

“I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear” (Iago 2.3)

Answer 5

Poison is a commonly associated motif with Iago
Plosives show his determination
Sibilance connotes duplicity and snakes

Question 6

“Thou know’st we work by wit and not by witchcraft, And wit depends on dilatory time” Iago (2.3)

Answer 6

Alliteration
“W” slows down the pace and reflects time
Phonologically advances
Persuasive in tone, proving his control over Roderigo

Question 7

“Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content! Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wars That makes ambition virtue- O farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear-piercing fife, The royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!” (Othello 3.3)

Answer 7

Anaphora and anadiplosis create a melodramatic tone, as he believes his life and career is over.
Sibilance, fricatives and plosives enhance the angry tone.
Lexical field of war/army imagery create a battle like scene, reflecting on the tone and career of Othello

Question 8

The Willow Song (Desdemona 4.3)

Answer 8

Willows represent unrequited love
Doesn’t move the plot onwards at all
Creates sympathy for both Desdemona and Emilia
Mournful atmosphere
Beginning of the sadness
Reflective upon her grief
Pathetic fallacy throughout

Question 9

Desdemona’s bedchamber (5.2)

Answer 9

Significance of a personal space becoming public, reflective upon society and the marriage breakdown of Othello and Desdemona
Desdemona is presented as vulnerable, potentially making Othello appear as weak

Question 10

“Put out the light, and then put out the light” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 10

Oxford comma forces a stop in the sentence, proving the importance of what follows.
Symbolic meaning of shunning hope and draining life from Desdemona - he is going to kill her
Antanaclasis
Light is an extended metaphor throughout “Othello”

Question 11

“Have you preyed tonight, Desdemona?” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 11

Contextually, Catholics believe they had to confess their sins for their souls to be saved.
Foreshadows the certainty of her death

Question 12

“I would not kill thy unprepared spirit” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 12

He believes she has to die in order to save other men from her alleged adultery.
Wants her to go to heaven, so gives her the opportunity to prey before killing her.
Negative parallelisms shows he is not thinking logically, as this is unusual speech patterns for Othello

Question 13

“Why should I fear I know not Since guiltiness I know not, but yet I feel I fear” (Desdemona 5.2)

Answer 13

Submissive and scared, evokes sympathy
Repetition enhances her fear
Fricatives convey her vulnerability.

Question 14

“He smothers her” (Stage Direction 5.2)

Answer 14

She no longer has a voice
Contextually relevant as men would make women submissive due to the sexist patriarchy of the time.”

Question 15

“My wife, my wife! What wife? I have no wife.” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 15

Fragmented language reflects his fragmented and vulnerable mind
Parallel phrasing/epizeuxis proves he is incredulous about what he’s done

Question 16

“Nobody; I myself. Farewell. Commend me to my kind lord. O farewell!” (Desdemona 5.2)

Answer 16

She’s presented as saint-like due to her forgiveness.
Removes the blame from Othello as she:
- Cannot criticise Othello (because of love?)
- Submits to her martyrdom (proving her innocence?)
- Proves she loves him regardless
Epanalepsis
Jonah Ozark Holmer said Desdemona as a, “Fair warrior, beauty and inner virtue

Question 17

“My husband?” (Emilia 5.2)

Answer 17

Epizeuxis of “husband” elucidates her astonishment then fury and echo’s Othello’s previous repetition of “wife”

Question 18

“Villainy, villainy, villainy … O villainy!” (Emilia 5.2)

Answer 18

Epizeuxis outs his deleterious behaviour.
Fragmented language emphasises her fragmented mind due to anger

Question 19

“I will speak as liberal as the north” (Emilia 5.2)

Answer 19

Strong metaphor
She speaks despite patriarchal beliefs
Emilia does something different and subversive which seals her fate of death

Question 20

“All All, all cry shame” (Emilia 5.2)

Answer 20

Repetition indicates her passion, she won’t be silenced like she was in Act 2

Question 21

“As naked as I am” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 21

Literal meaning of his lack of weapon
Symbolic meaning of being stripped of everything:
- Wife
- Reputation
- Life

Question 22

“Of one that loved not wisely, but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 22

Antithesis elucidates difficulties and inner conflict
Syntactic parallelism

Question 23

“I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this, Killing myself, do die upon a kiss” (Othello 5.2)

Answer 23

Antimetabole enhancing the importance of his love for Desdemona was in his life.

Question 24

“Myself will straight aboard, and to the state This heavy act with heavy heart relate” (Lodovico 5.2)

Answer 24

Heroic couplet
“h” sounds heavy, and slows pace, representing his emotions (having a heavy heart)