Othello Flashcards
What happens in act 1 scene 1?
Roderigo and Iago wake Brabantio to tell him about Desdemona and Othello’s elopement
What happens in act 1 scene 2?
There is a new threat in Cyprus and Brabantio demands Othello’s arrest for stealing away his daughter
What happens in act 1 scene 3?
Brabantio accuses Othello before the Duke but Othello defends himself, the Duke allows the marriage and appoints Othello as leader of the Venetian force against the Turks. Desdemona asks to go with him to Cyprus
What happens in act 2 scene 1?
The Turkish fleet is destroyed by the storm at sea, Cassio arrives in Cyprus followed by Iago, Desdemona and Emilia, Othello and Desdemona are reunited but Iago reveals his plans to wreck their happiness based on Cassio’s behaviour towards Desdemona
What happens in Act 2 scene 2?
Othello proclaims a public holiday until evening showing he is a noble character by exercising his power as leader of the Venetians in Cyprus
What happens in Act 2 Scene 3?
Iago encourages Cassio to drink until he becomes quarrelsome and fights when provoked by Roderigo, Othello demotes Cassio but Iago encourages him to seek Desdemona’s assistance, Roderigo threatens to return to Venice
What happens in act 3 scene 1?
Cassio hires some musicians to serenade Othello and Desdemona, but Othello sends a clown to pay the musicians to leave, Iago says he will divert Othello’s attention so that Cassio can speak to Desdemona alone and Emilia agrees to help
What happens in Act 3 Scene 2?
Othello sends letters to Venice and leaves his quarters to inspect the island’s fortifications
What happens in Act 3 Scene 3?
Desdemona promises that she will intercede for Cassio, Iago makes suggestions to Othello to manipulate him into thinking that Desdemona has been unfaithful, Emilia gives Desdemona’s handkerchief to Iago
What happens in Act 3 Scene 4?
Othello asks Desdemona for the handkerchief she has lost but she changes the subject to Cassio causing Othello to leave in rage, Desdemona tells Cassio and Iago that Othello is behaving strangely and Emilia suggests that it is jealousy. Cassio is met by his mistress, Bianca and gives her the handkerchief
What happens in Act 4 Scene 1?
Iago continues to manipulate Othello until he has a seizure, Iago promises to get props and Othello hides whole Iago and Cassio discuss a woman assumed to be Desdemona, Othello is now convinced that she is unfaithful, Lodovico brings letters recalling Othello to Venice and Othello insults and strikes Desdemona in front of him
What happens in Act 4 Scene 2?
Othello questions Emilia about Desdemona and sends for Desdemona to accuse her of adulterous, she is distressed and Emilia tries to comfort her before going to fetch Iago, Iago speaks some words of comfort then sets up Roderigo to attack and kill Cassio
What happens in Act 4 Scene 3?
Desdemona prepares for bed and talks to Emilia about unfaithful wives and sings a song about Barbary who’s husband went mad and abandoned her
What happens in Act 5 Scene 1?
Roderigo lies in wait for Cassio as he comes from Bianca’s house there is a quick fight and both are wounded, their cries convince Othello that Iago has murdered Cassio, Lodovico and Gratiano come to see what is the matter and Iago appears on the scene taking control killing Roderigo and sending Emilia to tell Othello and Desdemona
What happens in Act 5 Scene 2?
Othello comes to Desdemona in her bed chamber to kill her, he accuses her of adultery with Cassio to which she pleads her innocence but he covers her head with a pillow and suffocates her, Emilia brings need of the fighting and the death of Roderigo, she sees Desdemona murdered and hears Othello’s accusation and raises the alarm fetching Iago, Gratiano and Montano, Emilia denounces Iago who draws his sword on her and flees, Iago is brought back with Cassio and the truth is revealed, Othello, convinced of his own guilt, stabs himself, Iago is arrested and taken away
Who said “I am not what I am”?
Iago, act1 scene1 reveals his duplicitous nature from the exposition, establishes his role as antagonist, key theme of deception and deceit, paradoxical language highlights the difference between how the audience sees Iago and how other characters see him, he intends to hide his true character to manipulate the situation, declarative statement makes his deception clear to the audience, antithesis creates confusion and ambiguity
Who said “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”?
Iago a1s1, Othello and Desdemona’s relationship is fated to end in tragedy due to their different races and social status, black vs. white imagery portrays Othello as an outsider, negative racial connotations - Iago characterises Othello as a stereotype of his race (bestial sexuality), your has connotations of ownership (possessive pronoun) women were seen as objects for men to own
Who said “I love thee gentle Desdemona”?
Othello a1s2
Who said “O, thou foul thief”?
Brabantio 1.2
Who said “thou hast enchanted her”?
Brabantio 1.2
Who said “your son in law is far more fair than black”?
The Duke about Othello to Brabantio 1.3
Who said “if thou hast eyes go see she has deceived her father and may thee”?
Brabantio to Othello about Desdemona 1.3
Who said “I hate the moor”?
Iago about Othello 1.3
Who said “rude am I in my speech”?
Othello 1.3
Who said “the divine Desdemona”?
Cassio 2.2
Who said “with as little a web as this will I ensnare a fly as great as Cassio”?
Iago 2.1
Who said “turned Turks”?
Othello 2.1
Who says “Iago is most honest”?
Othello 2.3
Who says “reputation, reputation, reputation”?
Cassio 2.3 after his fight
Who says “I’ll put this pestilence into his ear”?
Iago about Othello 2.3
Who says “O beware, my lord, of jealousy, it is the green eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”?
Iago to Othello 3.3 theme of jealousy
Who said “why did I marry?”?
Othello 3.3 on Desdemona’s supposed unfaithfulness
Who said “I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation”?
Othello 3.3 hamartia of insecurity
Who says “O curse of marriage”?
Othello 3.3
Who says “that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites!”?
Othello’s soliloquy 3.3 mirroring Iago’s misogynistic language, contrast with Emilia’s ‘stomach’ metaphor
Who says “foolish wife” and “a good wench! Give it me”?
Iago 3.3 misogynistic language/treatment of Emilia
Who says “her name was as fresh as Dian’s visage is now befriend and black as mine own face”?
Othello about Desdemona’s impurity also links to his racial insecurity 3.3
Who says “damn her, lewd minx! Oh damn her, damn her!” ?
Othello 3.3 again mirroring Iago’s sexualised, derogatory view of women, repetition also shows his language as deteriorating
Who says “there’s magic in the web of it”?
Othello about the handkerchief 3.4 link to Iago’s web metaphor in 2.1 and Brabantios view of Othello/ black stereotype in 1.2
Who says “my lord is not my lord”?
Desdemona 3.4 link to Iago saying “I am not what I am” in 1.1, Othello is becoming more and more like Iago showing his manipulative influence
Who says “they are all but stomachs, we all but food, they eat us hungrily and when they are full they belch us”?
Emilia 3.4 talking about men’s sexual desire, subversion of the stereotype of women across the play
Who says “it is a monster begot upon itself, born on itself”?
Emilia 3.4 to Desdemona about jealousy link to the “green eyed monster” of jealousy (Iago 3.3)
Who says “lie with her? On her?”?
Othello 4.1
Who says “I will chop her into messes, cuckold me!”?
Othello 4.1 shows his violence
Who says “…even the bed she hath contaminated”?
Iago 4.1
Who says “what! Strike his wife?”?
Lodovico 4.1
Who says “tho art false as hell”?
Othello to Desdemona 4.2
Who says “O,heaven forgive us”?
Desdemona 4.2
Who says “his unkindness may defeat my life but never taint my love”?
Desdemona 4.2
Who says “there be women do abuse their husbands in such gross kind?”
Desdemona 4.3
Who says “I do think it is their husbands fault if wives do fall”?
Emilia 4.3
Who says “perdition catch my soul but I do love thee, and when I love thee not chaos is come again”?
Othello 3.3
“I am your own forever”
iago 3.3 to Othello, element of homoerotic love, Iago’s motivation could be that he is in love with Othello and therefore jealous of Desdemona, key theme of deception and deceit/Iago’s duplicity
“My Lord, you know I love you”
3.3 Iago to Othello, Othello faces an internal battle between Desdemona’s true love and Iago’s false love
“recoiling to her better judgement”
3.3 Iago suggests that it is natural that Desdemona should feel attracted to Cassio as she rejected a number of suitable partners before marrying Othello
“country disposition”
3.3 Iago reminds Othello that he is an outsider in venetian society
“epithets of war” “squadron in the field” “battle”
1.1 semantic field of war foreshadows the conflict which is to come, the macrocosm (public sphere) reflects the microcosm (private sphere)
“lascivious moor”
1.1 Roderigo, sexualised imagery to portray Othello as corrupt, playing to stereotypes of Othello’s race
“though I do hate him as I do hell pains I must show out a flag and sign of love”
1.1 Iago, Othello is associated with hellish imagery, contextually black skin was associated with hell and the devil, love and hate set in juxtaposition revealing his duplicitous character, establishing key concepts of love and hate, sets up his character development throughout - he continually goes behind Othello’s back but making it seem like he cares for him
“I follow him to serve my turn upon him”
1.1 Iago’s role as antagonist, the audience and Roderigo are the only people who know Iago’s intentions - audience positioned close to Iago rather than Othello, allowing for dramatic irony
Othello is described as ‘him’ and ‘the moor’
1.1 portrays him as an outsider despite being the eponymous character, he is not in the first scene, audience positioned closer to Iago, establishes key theme of race, revealing Othello is a black man, audience inclined to dislike him even before he appears on stage, positions the audience closer to Iago allowing for dramatic irony
“nor the division of battle knows more than a spinster”
1.1 Iago about Cassio, develops Iago’s position of antagonist/tragic villain, outlining his intentions and motivations, he is a gentleman not a soldier - what Othello aspires to be hence why he is jealous of him
“One Michael Cassio a Florentine”
1.1 Iago about Cassio, he is also an outsider in Venice but Cassio, as an educated Florentine gentlemen is a cultural insider while Othello would be seen as a cultural outsider, Florence had a reputation of city culture so he is a social sophisticate unlike Othello, Othello aspires to be more like Cassio and is therefor easily jealous
what did F.R Leavis say caused Othello’s downfall?
Othello’s ‘essential make up’ lead to his tragedy as he is ‘simple minded’
“one not easily jealous but when wrought perplexed in the extreme”
5.2 ironic as jealousy is Othello’s hamartia or fatal flaw, he is not as self aware of his hamartia as a tragic hero would be expected to be after a moment of anagnorisis, instead he blames Iago the ‘demi devil’
“demi devil”
5.2 Othello realises Iago has been acting as antagonist/tragic villain, he reaches anagnorisis but more so about Iago’s flaws rather than his own, perhaps due to his hubris (excessive pride) and desire to fit into Venetian society
“Othello’s occupation’s gone”
3.3 Othello is deeply jealous at the idea of Desdemona and Cassio and believes he has been cuckolded, hubris, he is so proud of his career and character that he would rather be a murderer than a cuckold
“my parts, my title and my perfect soul will manifest me rightly”
1.2 Othello, hubris his reputation matters a lot to him as he has had to work hard for it, however it is understandable here as his reputation has been threatened
“rude am I in my speech”
1.3 Othello, revealing his hamartia of racial insecurity, ironic at this point as precedes a speech in iambic pentameter
“haply for I am black, and have not those soft parts of conversation”
3.3 Othello, racial insecurity (hamartia) this time not as ironic as his speech has started to disintegrate
“base Indian” “circumcised dog”
5.2 in Othello’s final speech we see his insecurity through his repeated negative language and metaphors when describing himself
“your daughter and the moor are now making the beast with two backs”
1.1 Iago to Brabantio, negative racial stereotypes
“an old black ram” “barbary horse”
1.1 Iago to Brabantio racial stereotype of a lustful predator, their relationship reduced to bestial sexuality
“your son in law is far more fair than black”
1.3 the Duke, racist language/colour imagery, suggests Iago is good despite his race, he is an exception to his race, stereotypes still exist
“run from her guardage to a sooty bosom”
1.2 Brabantio, racist language, also sets Desdemona as a transgressive woman (women in Tragedies are always punished for being transgressive) as she has ‘deceived her father’
