Othello Character Flashcards
Initial prejudice views on Othello
“A Lascivious Moor”- Rodrigo ( Act 1, Scene 1)
A02: Racially driven adjective and noun.
A05: straightaway, Shakespeare introduces external opinions of Othello before the audience meets him. The intentions of this could be to juxtapose and emphasis Othello’s genuinely noble and virtuous nature, that is characterized after the audience meets him. “lascivious”= overpowering sexual desire, which contrasts Othello’s initial intentions in marrying Desdemona. Moor= racial slur used to describe natives of North Africa= idea that they do not refer to him by his name conveys Othello as an outsider in the Venetian society. Could also convey Shakespeare’s intentions to dehumanise Othello through the other characters perceptions, emphasising Othello’s Braver and resilience as he is able to initially overcome this
AO4=A Modern Critique: Shakespeare’s inclusion of both the racial descriptions of Othello and positive ones, could show him as progressive, and aiming to blur the racial boundaries that were heightened in the jacobean era.
AO3= For a Jacobean audience, racial preconceptions would already be embedded in the audience’s mind, and would therefore already understand the stereotypical depictions of a black male: “lascivious”, savage and barbaric.
THEMATIC LINKS: - race
Initial prejudice views on Othello
“An old black ram” Iago (Act 1, Scene 1)
AO2: animalistic metaphor
AO5: Shakespeare’s use of animalistic language to describe Othello, could potentially be used to portray him as an outsider within Venetian society. The use of the isolated and ambiguous article “an”, could be used to dehumanise Othello. This could also be interpreted as an influencing factor to Othello’s insecurities and identity issues. Moreover, the use of the adjective “old” could be used to contrast and undermine Othello’s evident bravery and strength which could suggest that other characters do not believe that Othello should obtain such heroic attributes due to prejudice beliefs and though off god-given positions. Shakespeare’s use of colour imagery of “black”, could be in place to convey Othello as inherently evil and darkness - relating him to the devil- which the audience later sees as ironic, due to Iago relating more to the devil. Alternatively, this could convey the potential fear or resentment that lies within his peers, as “black” also could connote power and strength, which could highlight their subliminal fears of a black man in a position of power and authority as they may believe this is unnatural and going against god. Finally, the plosive sound in “ram”, conveys iago’s perception of Othello as aggressive by nature. furthermore, the harsh sound could be interpreted as quite forceful, suggesting that Othello is forceful by nature. However, this could also foreshadow Othello’s later demise, where the audience witnesses him conforming to these depictions and stereotypes, and transitions into an aggressive man.
AO4: It would be typical for writers of the time to convey any black characters as animalistic and unnatural, however, the idea that Shakespeare uses Iago to deliver this line, could suggest- from a modern audience- that he intended to break these ideologies, as the audience can recognise that Iago is a ploy to represent immortality and evil in man, portrayed as a devil in society.
AO3: the majority of jacobean society, was limited to racial prejudice, and would have agreed with the ideas that Othello- by nature- was most likely evil and forceful.
THEMATIC LINKS: - Race
Later on depictions of Othello
“far more fair than black”
AO2: Irony/Pun
AO5: Shakespeare’s use of this pun suggests that Othello’s characteristics convey him as detached from stereotypical images of black men. Shakespeare uses the double entendre adjective “fair”, to suggest that Othello possesses qualities, such as being just and heroic, as well as being able to conform to the stereotypical ideas of being white: believed to be superior and of a sophisticated nature. This could suggest that despite Othello’s physical separation from Venetian society, he is viewed as an equal, due to his bravery and high ranks. furthermore, Shakespeare could convey this idea of Othello being stripped of his African background, as leading to his own internal identity issues, which could potentially be viewed as a contribution to his later actions caused by his own insecurities.
AO4: Throughout the history of literature- particularly at the time of Shakespeare writing- it would have been classed as Atypical to use a black man as the protagonist, let alone convey him in a positive light that compares him to upholding “white” characteristics.
AO3: For a jacobean audience, this would be viewed as somewhat comical, due to the majority holding prejudice views.
THEMATIC LINKS:
“My Parts, My title, My perfect soul” Othello (act 1, scene 2)
contrast to:
“it is the cause, my soul,” Act 5 scene 2
before killing her
AO2: Triple phrase
AO5: Through the use of this triple phrase, Shakespeare conveys Othello to recognise his list of good attributes, suggesting that he himself acknowledges that he has overcome his struggles to get himself into a position of all-around virtue and success. furthermore, the use of a triple phrase could be subliminally disassociating himself from the devilish character that he has previously been depicted as by other characters, as it could be seen to mirror the holy trinity. in addition to this, the use of anaphora could be reflective of the idea that all his successes are based on his hard work, through the repetition of “my”.
AO4:
AO3:
THEMATIC LINKS:
“Valient Othello, we most straight-up employ you” Duke (act 1, scene 3 )
AO2:
AO5:
AO4:
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THEMATIC LINKS:
“[Striking her]” Act 4 Scene 1 stage directions
contrast to:
“[Kissing her] Act 5 Scene 2
before killing her
Ao2: Stage directions (form)
AO5:Shakespeare’s use of stage directions conveys Othello’s deteriorating nobility and stability. conveys his gradual loss of control suggesting he has been fully manipulated by Iago. Furthermore, reveals his heightened struggles to separate his life as a soldier versus his life as a lover: ideas about being praised for violence on the battlefield compared to punished for it in his marriage. Shows him confining himself to stereotypical depictions of him as a black man: barbaric.
AO4: typically in the history of literature, Black characters were conveyed as violent and unstable.
AO3: For a jacobean audience, Black characters would generally be wearing black makeup= this scene being acted out would have left a black mark on Desdemona’s face, which could possibly be symbolic for Othello as embodying evil as a black man at the time. furthermore, the audience may not have been as shocked due to ideas of domestic violence were more widely accepted at the time.
THEMATIC LINKS: relationships, race, identity, violence
“Lie with her? lie on her?[…] Handkerchief-confessions Handkerchief” Act 4 Scene 1 Othello
“[Falls in a trance]”
AO2: Repetition/ juxtaposing language
AO5: Shakespeare’s overuse of punctuation- could be used for dramatic effect (way of acting out)- conveys Othello’s demise. he is depicted as unstable and overwhelmed with conflicting emotions, which could convey his weakness in the face of manipulation. furthermore, his use of repetition, heightens his instability, juxtaposing his earlier eloquence, conveying him as distancing himself from his one noble and “perfect” appearance. Through this Shakespeare conveys him as conforming to the barbaric and inhuman depictions the audience would have already held through prejudice stereotypes, suggesting that Shakespeare intended to reveal the effects that can occur from isolation and internal conflict stemmed from never being fully accepted, and constantly made to feel out of place (from them referring to him through racial words). could suggest that Othello was ultimately destined to fail his pursuit to fit into the white Venetian society. “handkerchief” is a key motif, Repetition coveys its prominence in Othello’s mind, symbolic of Desdemona’s apparent infidelity.
AO4: typical of Shakespeare to convey an unstable mindset through repetition of a symbol- in Macbeth Lady Macbeth’s repetition of blood before she kills herself- could be foreshadowing Othello murdering Desdemona and killing himself.
A03: Audience at the time would expect him to talk like this due to stereotypes about black men being uneducated.
THEMATIC LINKS: Internal conflict, identity, Jealousy
