Othello

Question 1

‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: she has deceived her father and may thee’ (Act 1, Scene 3)

‘Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio’ (Act 3, Scene 3)

Answer 1

• Appearance versus reality
• Illustrates how both Brabantio and lago are able to manipulate Othello’s perception of himself and the foundations of his relationship with Desdemona.
• The harmonious rhyme of ‘see’ and ‘thee’ almost encourages Othello to scrutinise himself, reinforcing his status as Other.
• Brabantio sows the seeds of mistrust, while lago takes advantage of Othello’s gullibility and misogyny.

Question 2

‘Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.’ (Act 2, Scene 3)

Answer 2

Cassio
- The epizeuxis of the first line emphasises the importance of individual status in Venetian society.

• Cassio believes his tarnished reputation will live on in infamy long after he has departed.

Question 3

“What you know, you know’ (Act 5, Scene 2)

Answer 3

• lago’s refusal to explain his plotting against Othello implies that his victims already possess the knowledge to explain his behaviour
• Is lago hinting that the ‘unnatural’ pairing of Othello and Desdemona is justification enough for destructive measures?
• Or is Shakespeare demonstrating that, in life, there are no explanations for malign, vindictively destructive behaviour?

Question 4

‘So will I turn her virtue into pitch / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all’ (Act 2, Scene 2)

Answer 4

• Black and white / dark and light imagery is the play’s fundamental motif.
• Shakespeare’s use of ‘pitch’ implies sheer darkness - as in the idiom ‘pitch-black’.
• Also conveys dirtiness, as ‘pitch’ is a sticky, tar-like resin traditionally used to coat ships.
• lago blackens her righteous name, trapping Othello by recasting her as foul and impure.

Question 5

‘Give me the ocular proof’ (Act 3, Scene 3)

Answer 5

Othello
- Othello’s pivotal scene, where lago’s language of ‘pestilence’ persuades the ‘cuckolded’ Moor to take his revenge.

• Sight is again a key motif - Othello must witness the betrayal for himself, as he clings on to the desperate hope that the allegations of adultery aren’t true.