Othello - Critics

Question 1

Name: Thomas Rymer

Answer 1

Quote: “A caution of all maidens of quality how, without their parents’ consent, they run away with Blackamoors.”
Explanation: Rymer’s outdated perspective reflects racial prejudices, warning against interracial marriages without parental approval.

Question 2

Name: F. R. Leavis

Answer 2

Quote: “The theme of tragedy is concentrated in… [Othello’s] final speech and action… the simplicity is tragic and grand.”

Explanation: Leavis highlights the profound simplicity and grandeur of Othello’s character, especially in his final moments.

Question 3

Name: Ania Loomba

Answer 3

Quote: “Othello can be interpreted as a play… by someone determined to explode race-hate myths, to represent more positive and multi-faceted images of a noble black African.”

Explanation: Loomba sees the play as challenging racial stereotypes by portraying Othello as a complex and noble character.

Question 4

Name: Bonnie Greer

Answer 4

Quote: “Jealousy is the fatal flaw, jealousy is the ‘chaos come again.’… the black man… discovers that he is his own enemy.”

Explanation: Greer identifies jealousy as Othello’s tragic flaw, leading to his self-destruction.

Question 5

A.C. Bradley (1904):

Answer 5

‘the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes’ ‘A man who loved not wisely but too well’

Question 6

A.C. Bradley (1904):

Answer 6

“Othello’s trust, where he trusts, is absolute. His magnanimity is magnificent. He is full of the most intense feelings, but he is not observant. Emotion excites his imagination, but it confuses and dulls his intellect. And wit his dying words, he exults in his service to Venice and laments his fatal misjudgement.”

Question 7

Ania Loomba (1998):

Answer 7

“Othello is both a fantasy of interracial love and social tolerance, and a nightmare of racial hatred and male violence. The play participates in the racial stereotyping it contests, portraying Othello as both hero and savage.”

Question 8

Ruth Vanita (2000):

Answer 8

“Othello’s tragedy lies in his vulnerability as a lover and husband. His deep emotional investment in Desdemona becomes the very source of his downfall, as his love turns into jealousy.”

Question 9

FR Leavis

Answer 9

“Othello’s tragedy is rooted in his self-pride and noble egotism, where his intense concern for his honor becomes both his virtue and his undoing.”