Othello Flashcards
Jealousy quote 1 (Emilia)
“They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on it self.”
Jealousy quote 2 (Iago)
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster”
Jealousy quote 3 (Iago)
“Ha, I like not that.”
Jealousy quote 4 (Othello)
“Haply for I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation that chamberers have.”
Jealousy quote 5 (Iago)
“As I confess my nature’s plague to spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy shapes faults that are not.”
My view on jealousy
jealousy isn’t begot upon itself but led off other people’s jealousies. This is seen through Iago’s ability to corrupt Othello, causing Othello jealousy based off his own.
Prejudice quote 1
“You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse…making the beast with two backs”.
Prejudice quotes 2
“Old black ram” “Moor” “Thick-lips”
Reputation quote 1
“Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away richer than all his tribe”
Reputation quote 2
“I will a round unvarnished tale deliver of my whole course of love: what drugs, what charms, what conjuration and what mighty magic.”
Deception quote 1
“Honest Iago”
Deception quote 2 (Iago)
“the Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so; and will as tenderly be led by th’ nose/ As asses are”
Justice quote 1
“Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore; Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof.”
Justice quote 2
“An honourable murderer”
Ambiguity
more than one interpretation.
Psychoanalytical view on Othello
Iago prompts Othello into jealousy, making Othello question his own thoughts and feelings proving Desdemona’s deception of the past and the duplicity of her character reverse psychology “Long live she so, and long live you to think so!” – subtly degrade Othello until he questions his own self worth (insecurity based off otherness)
Psychoanalytical view on Iago
Iago is not as subtle or clever as we are led to believe – his actions and words are incredible simplistic (Paul Prescott) the ironic equation is that all characters mistake illusion for reality (Estelle Taylor)
Feminist view on females
Each of the female characters are introduced through the man she is associated with
Explores the theme of women being subject to men’s whims and desires
Feminist view on men’s view of women
Physical wealth vs wife’s faithfulness loss of symbol and title rather than loss of wife’s character
Post-colonial view of the play
‘Othello didn’t begin as a play about race, history has made it one.’ (Ben Okri)
Post-colonial view on Iago and Othello
“Iago is represented as a white man with a black soul, whilst Othello is the black man with a white soul.” Othello’s blackness makes the audience work harder to believe in his heroism, but achieving this is a greater success than if he were white (G K Hunter)
Handkerchief reading
The “spotted” handkerchief “is potent as visible proof of Desdemona’s adultery largely because it subconsciously evokes for Othello the blood-stained sheets of the wedding-bed and his wife’s loss of virginity there.” – Edward A. Snow
