Othello Act 3 Focus Flashcards
Summary of scene 1?
- Cassio has arranged for some musicians to serenade Othello and Desdemona the morning after their nuptial celebrations.
- A clown is sent down to pay the musicians to depart, as they are disturbing the new couple.
- Cassio persuades the clown to give a message to Emilia, Desdemona’s lady in waiting.
- Iago arrives and says he will get Emilia to see Cassio at once and will also distract Othello so that Cassio may speak freely to Desdemona.
- Emilia tells Cassio that his problems may soon be solved, as Desdemona has already begun to intercede on his behalf, but nevertheless agrees to arrange a meeting between him and Desdemona.
Summary of scene 2?
A very brief scene in which we see Othello discharging his public duties as Governor of Cyprus and going off to inspect the island’s fortifications.
Summary of scene 3?
- Desdemona tells Cassio that she will do everything she can to persuade Othello to reinstate him.
- Othello and Iago arrive and Desdemona pleads with her husband - Othello agrees to her request, but after she has left, Iago makes it clear to Othello that he has something on his mind about Cassio which he would rather not discuss.
- Othello asks him to say what it is on his mind and before he departs, Iago skilfully steers Othello’s feelings towards jealousy about Cassio and Desdemona’s relationship.
- When Desdemona and Emilia reappear, Desdemona thinks her husband seems unwell.
- Othello and Desdemona depart and Emilia picks up a handkerchief - Othello’s first present to his wife - which Desdemona has unknowingly dropped.
- Emilia gives the handkerchief to Iago, who says he will leave it in Cassio’s lodgings so as to fuel Othello’s suspicions further.
- Othello returns, almost completely convinced of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness, but demanding proof.
- Iago says Cassio has talked in his sleep about his love for Desdemona and that Iago has seen him wiping his beard with her handkerchief.
- Othello believes Iago and plans his revenge.
- He tells Iago to murder Cassio and says he will kill Desdemona himself.
Summary of scene 4?
- Desdemona is asking Emilia about the whereabouts of her handkerchief when Othello arrives and asks his wife for the handkerchief, saying it has special magical powers and must never be lost.
- Desdemona says it is not lost and tries to change the subject to the reinstatement of Cassio.
- Othello becomes furious at this and leaves.
- Iago and Cassio arrive and when they are told about Othello’s fury Iago goes after him, saying that he will find out what is the matter.
- Desdemona and Emilia leave also and whilst waiting for Iago’s return, Cassio is visited by Bianca, his mistress, who gently scolds him for not visiting her more often.
- Cassio asks Bianca to copy an embroidered handkerchief he has found in his lodgings and says he will visit her soon.
What themes occur in this act?
- Jealousy
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Scene 1 - analysis - context:
Beginning - Cassio plan on lightening tensions between Othello & Cassio using musicians to play - “wind-instruments” (pun, farting joke) -> Shakespeare purposely introduces this -> typical humour appeal to working class members of the audience - all status are in the shakespearean audience - reducing tension from Act 1 & 2 - Othello not appreciated of the music & arts
Emilia attending on the general’s wife - mirroring Shakespeare creates in his narrative - Iago ensigned to Othello & Emilia attended to Des - 2 husbands & 2 wives, in parallel reflective - relationships slowly merge into 1 relationship as play progresses - 25th line
2nd plan of Cassio (advice of Iago): entre Emilia to vouch for him on behalf of Des - Des allow Cassio some access to her
- 35th line
Cassio’s remarks on iago, describing him honest - notion of dramatic irony that drips out of these words - 45th line
Scene 2 analysis - context:
- Brief scene - shortest of all scene
- juxtaposes with the upcoming longest scene 3
Only scenes in the play way we get to see Othello in his professional capacity as his general - writing letters, giving instructions to ensign iago, speaking duties to the senet -> wants to see the plan & defences in around the castle -> give audience that outside of his marriage and relationships, othello remains a soldier
Scene 3 - analysis - context:
- Longest scene of entire play - hinge scene - greatest transformation, action, action (including act 5 scene 2)
- All major characters are on stage
- Iago plants & grows the seeds of doubt in Othello -> see the product of Iago’s manipulation & machiavellian trickery flourish
- Othello starts scene, not be the same that ends the scene
Location: The garden of the castle -> connotes, being at one with nature, romantic chivalric age - des, cass & em enters, des assures cassio on his side/vouch for him, cass be chivalric to des - power dynamics shift -> subservient to the authority of a woman - our general’s wife is now the general
des assertive - “assured”, “do not doubt”
cass - “bounteous madam” - chivalric - aside from his sexist qualities & treating according to status - audience empathize with cassio & understand in relation to Iago, cass heart is pure
des can fix relationship but not the political dimension involded (cassio - left tenant, overstepped his mark, provoked a fight with a well a member in the cypriot community, higher status than cassio) -> “polite distance” - political distance
21 line - virtue in des - christian woman - characterisation of des; divine, pure, eager to help
32 line - iago & othello enter & speech - sew that seed of doubt, diff between othello’s calm short responses & iago energy, frantic changes, iago starts a motive exclamation “Ha!”, “my Lord!”.
50 line - des putting on her judgment on cassio’s behalf, telling othello- immediateley does it, shows her assertiveness & promise
60 line - presses othello for a time - othello kind to des “sweet”, not rejecting her to her questions, just negates the time he wants to meet cassio
75 line - “let him come when…” - turning point - after othello will start to deny des almost all the time
90-92 line - metaphor - speaks primarily of the high regards with othello holds des & her love for him - emotive decleration, regardless of the consequences, othello will love des endlessly
92-93 - “chaos is come again” des love keeps the beast in
othello
105 - othello questioning & wondering, asking iago, what is iago thinking. iago manipulation tactic = repeat thing after othello or othello repeating iago, iago pick up on words what othello is saying
152-4 - manipulation - iago doesn’t want to tell his thoughts to othello - knows it will infuriate othello & want to know more
165-70 - iago warning to othello - even before othello gets into jealousy - fill othellos head is that reputation is important - fill his head with adultery “cuckold” jealousy is that type of monster that mocks the person that it feeds on
187 - “revolt” - brabantio used this word earlier when talking about des grouse revolt - othello psycholigcally remebered this word & uses it
202-3 - iago makes sexist joke - venetian women are sneaky, they show their sneakiness to heaven before their husbands
206 - iago echoes the words of brabantio in act 1, scene 3 on des deceiving her father - repetition creates thinking for othello
297 - des nature may have erred from herself when she married
(betraying father), iago cuts in when he sees othello’s doubts showing
