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English > Othello Key Quotes A1 > Flashcards

Othello Key Quotes A1 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘I follow him…

A

… to serve my turn upon him.’

  • Introduction of revenge, duplicity and deceit.
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2
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘I am not…

A

… what I am’

  • Perversion of Exodus 3:14. Comparison to God (heretical).
  • Duplicity.
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3
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘We cannot all…

A

…be masters, nor all masters/ Cannot truly be follow’d.’

  • ## At this stage his machinations are merely to defy Othello and attain the position he believes is owed to him.
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4
Q

A1:1 - Roderigo: ‘What a full…

A

…fortune does the thicklips owe’

  • Use of racial epithets.
  • Iago has radicalised Roderigo, incensed him to hate Othello for the malfeasance he deems himself to have been subject to.
  • Idea of debt, to Iago?
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5
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘Rouse him, make after him, …

A

… poison his delight, /Proclaim him in the street, incense her kinsmen.’

  • Iago seems to have some anarchistic tendencies, he seems eager to cause city-wide havoc to harm Othello.
  • Incite fear of miscegenation.
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6
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘Plague him…

A

…with flies’

  • More biblical imagery.
  • Iago believes he is performing some deed of absolution?
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7
Q

A1:1 - Iago (to Bra.): ‘Your heart is…

A

…burst; you have lost half your soul’

  • Objectification of Desdemona.
  • Iago tries to dictate Brabantio’s emotional response, to evoke some form of anger/outrage.
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8
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘an old…

A

…black ram is tupping your white ewe’

  • Overt sexual imagery.
  • Suggestion that Othello is polluting/exploiting D’s white chastity.
  • Racial tropes: hypersexuality/lasciviousness/voracity, immorality and animalistic traits.
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9
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘your daughter and the Moor, …

A

… are now making the beast with two backs.’

  • Suggestion of pollution of B’s white blood line.
  • He implies their progeny will be misshapen/mutant.
  • Overt sexual imagery.
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10
Q

A1:1 - Roderigo: ‘To the gross…

A

…clasps of a lascivious Moor’

  • Iago has inspired some of this hatred in him, however Roderigo is also evidently obsessed with Desdemona which Iago takes advantage of.
  • Idea of possession and lack of female agency.
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11
Q

A1:1 - Brabantio: ‘O treason…

A

…of the blood!’

  • Fear of miscegenation.
  • Iago’s plan has been effective, he is riled.
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12
Q

A1:2 - Oth: ‘I love…

A

…the gentle Desdemona’

  • He is calm and composed, very diplomatic considering the risk that has presented itself to his marriage and his livelihood.
  • He knows his worth to the state.
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13
Q

A1:2 - Oth: ‘My parts, my title, …

A

…and my perfect soul, /Shall manifest me rightly’

  • Self-assured.
  • Morally astute and secure in his goodness.
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14
Q

A1:2 - Iago: ‘By Janus…

A

…I think no.’

  • Swears by the Roman God with two faces.
  • Duplicity.
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15
Q

A1:2 - Iago: ‘he to-night hath…

A

…boarded a land carrack.’

  • Monetised and degraded.
  • Treasure ship.
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16
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘preferment goes by…

A

…letter and affection, not by the old gradation’

  • Implies Othello is nepotistic/forming a kakistocracy.
  • Professional jealousy.
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17
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘In following him I follow…

A

… but myself; / Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, / But seeming so for my particular end’

  • Machiavellian, will do anything to achieve his own ends.
  • Cares only for his own ambition, self seeking and conceited.
  • Manipulative and conniving.
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18
Q

A1:2 - Othello: ‘Keep up your…

A

…bright swords, for the dew will rust ‘em’

  • Othello is calm, composed and diplomatic.
  • Statesman like and the opposite of how Iago and Brabantio would have him portrayed.
  • He is control, unfazed and unflappable.
  • Dignified and courageous.
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19
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘I know…

A

…my price, I am worth no worse a place’

  • Resentful and bitter malcontent..
  • Envious of the accomplishments and possessions of others, is his jealousy proportional to his hatred?
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20
Q

A1:1 - Iago: ‘But I will not wear…

A

…my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at’

  • He is false, everything is a facade except in his soliloquies to the audience.
  • His outward behaviour rarely reflects the true nature of his feelings.
  • Honesty is presented as a weakness and a flaw, he will go on to instil this belief in Othello.
  • Boasts about his ability to conceal his true nature.
  • Despite this admission, Roderigo continues to trust him - ignorant and weak-minded.
21
Q

A1:2 - Brabantio: ‘Damn’d as thou art…

A

…thou hast enchanted her…in chains of magic’

  • Racial element to his speech, use of epithet and stereotype.
  • Othello is made to seem devilish.
  • He cannot ascertain how Desdemona would have wilfully married Othello without some coercion.
22
Q

A1:2 - Brabantio: ‘she shunn’d…

A

… / the wealth curled darlings of our nation’

-Suggestion that Desdemona has rejected all previous suitors, rejected those of her ‘own kind’
- Brabantio cannot comprehend why she would choose him.
- ‘Our nation’ implies Othello is ‘other’, he is not part of their collective.

23
Q

A1:2 - Brabantio: ‘Run from her…

A

…guardage to the sooty bosom of such a thing as thou’

  • Incomprehensible to him.
  • Fixation on his race, he ostracises him with his language.
  • He is not presented as a person, but a ‘thing’ with which Brabantio cannot identify.
  • he views their marriage is a complete transgression of all social norms, a violation of the natural order.
24
Q

A1:2 - Brabantio: ‘Thou hast practiced on her with…

A

…foul charms, abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals’

  • Another implication that he has used magic, for how else could he have secured Desdemona’s love.
  • Sees their interracial marriage as an abomination and a social and ethical violation, which he believes Desdemona would only have agreed to under duress.
25
Q

A1:2 - Othello: ‘Were it my cue…

A

…I should have known it without a prompter’

  • Othello is independent, he acts according to his own volition - this will change.
  • Despite all the insults and hatred he maintains his dignity and self discipline.
  • He will not be provoked - he is not the violent racial paradigm they present him as.
  • He wins audience sympathy.
26
Q

A1:2 - Brabantio: ‘For if such actions…

A

…may have passage free / Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be.’

  • Brabantio associates their marriage with depravity and social decline into chaos.
27
Q

A1:3 - Senator: ‘ The valiant…

A

…Moor. Valiant Othello’

  • He is respected and revered by his superiors and peers.
28
Q

A1:3 - Brabantio: ‘She is abused…

A

…stolen from me and corrupted by spells and medicines.

  • Again, Brabantio believes the only feasible means by which Othello could have got Desdemona to marry him is by coercion and necromancy.
29
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘I do beseech you…

A

…Send for the lady to the Sagittary.’

  • He is an advocate for mutuality in relationships, he asks her to speak for herself instead of him doing so on her behalf.
30
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘let your…

A

…sentence / Even fall upon my life.’

  • Othello deems his life a worthy price to wager for Desdemona’s love.
  • It is ironic that he is willing to sacrifice his own life for Desdemona now, for he will arguably do just that in the final scene.
31
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘I did thrive…

A

…in this fair lady’s love / And she in mine.’

  • We experience first hand the love they afford one another, the strength of feeling is evident.
32
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘Her father loved me…

A

…oft invited me, / Still questioned me the story of my life / From year to year’

  • Here we see Othello being valued for his role as a novelty, an outsider who is being exploited for entertainment by the sheltered Venetians.
  • Though Brabantio’s interest in his life seems genuine, he evidently doesn’t enjoy his presence or character for any other reason than the entertainment and services which benefit him (Brabantio).
33
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘She loved me for…

A

…the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them.’

  • The association of absolute true love in their relationship seems threatened here, it seems based on Desdemona’s fascination with the novelty of his suffering and his reciprocation seems rooted in his enjoyment of her sympathy. They seem to have little common ground aside from his recitals, drawn together simply by rather fleeting sensation rather than impenetrable love.
34
Q

A1:3 - Desdemona: ‘I do perceive…

A

…here a divided duty.’

  • Women presented as unable to be independent in such androcentric circumstances, she must be in service to one or the other, husband or father, never truly master of herself.
35
Q

A1:3 - Brabantio: ‘I never yet did hear…

A

… / That the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.’

  • Brabantio will not be present to see this proved wrong, Iago’s words will corrupt the minds and bodies of multiple people. Othello will be the primary victim, his heart will be more than bruised, it will be torn apart by Iago’s machinations; he uses little more than auditory evidence (despite Othello’s plea for ‘ocular proof’) to convince, corrupt and defile Othello and his marriage.
  • The use of a rhyming couplet in Brabantio’s speech implies finality - foreshadowing, expressing his loss in verse.
36
Q

A1:3 - Desdemona: ‘I saw Othello’s…

A

…visage in his mind’

  • She looked past something which others might hold against him, she does however imply his actual visage is inferior.
37
Q

A1:3 - Desdemona: ‘A moth…

A

…of peace’

  • Desdemona frames herself as an inherently peaceful and subdued character, this is reinforced by her inability to combat Othello’s accusations later on, or perceive how her actions might be misinterpreted. She is highly naive.
38
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘I therefore beg it not to please…

A

…the palate of my appetite, / Nor to comply with heat’

  • Othello contradicts the earlier accusation that he, personally, is ‘lascivious’. He also subverts the stereotype of hyper-sexuality in people of a similar race to him.
39
Q

A1:3 - Othello: ‘my ancient: A man he is of…

A

…honesty and trust.’

  • Even at such a premature stage in the play we know Iago is far from being either of the descriptors Othello choose to apply to him.
40
Q

A1:3 - Duke: ‘Your son-in-law…

A

…is far more fair than black.’

  • Despite meaning it to be a compliment, the Duke upholds the implication that dark skin is an indicator of moral stain.
41
Q

A1:3 (295) - Othello: ‘My life…

A

…upon her faith.’

  • Both of their lives will be the cost of Desdemona’s mistaken infidelity. Othello lays out an ultimatum for himself; he will sooner die than believe her unfaithful, demonstrates the abominable effect Iago will have upon him.
42
Q

A1:3 (296) - Othello: ‘My Desdemona must…

A

…I leave to thee’

  • Othello places Desdemona under Iago’s control. This decree must signify the beginning of his machinations, Othello has afforded Iago complete manipulation over him via use of Desdemona as a medium for exploitation.
43
Q

A1:3 (314-15) - Iago: ’I never found a man…

A

…that knew how to love himself.’

  • Iago seems to have an inherently pessimistic view on life, it implies he does not love himself and maybe isn’t as conceitedly self-satisfied as his speech and actions would have the audience believe.
44
Q

A1:3 (340) - Iago: ‘Put money…

A

…in thy purse’

  • The literal meaning is that Roderigo should sell his assets so he can follow Desdemona to Cyprus to see Iago’s plan take fruition. Iago will doubtless take the profits of Iago’s land, and it demonstrates how ignorant and desperate Roderigo must be.
  • Iago implies Roderigo must invest in him, and himself, to see his interests catered to. Could he be encouraging Roderigo to have patience, for he believes Othello’s downfall to be a certainty?
  • Repeated numerous times, Iago is incredibly persuasive and this repeated phrase seems to excite Roderigo’s faith in him and the possibility of him having his love Desdemona reciprocated. Iago, though yet to put it into to practice, seems assured of his ability to change people’s minds, to contort their loves and hates.
45
Q

A1:3 (370-71) - Iago: ‘There are many events…

A

…in the womb of time, which will be delivered.’

  • Links to his later quote: ‘Hell and night / Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.’
  • Iago utilises a perversion of an image of childbirth, implying he not only has utter control of the future, but also aspects of life that he should normally have no control over. He seems omnipotent, and able to make every occurrence the progeny of his malicious mind.
46
Q

A1:3 (386) - Iago: ‘it is thought abroad that…

A

… ‘twixt my sheets he has done my office.’

  • We are given a glimpse into Iago’s motivation for wanting to destroy Othello’s life.
  • Iago seems as easily susceptible to rumour and falsehood as all the other characters, maybe due to his first-hand experience he can appreciate the all-consuming nature of jealousy, and thereby he can manufacture it with extreme dexterity, and weaponise it against others.
47
Q

A1:3 (398-99): ‘The Moor is of a free…

A

…and open nature / That thinks men honest that but seem to be so’

  • Iago seems to criticise Othello for the fact that he is a trusting character. He implies that his lack of cynicism is a flaw which he will isolate and exploit, which indeed he will.
  • Iago has now formulated his new plan. Despite not yet wanting either Othello or Desdemona dead, he has increased the severity of his scheme: previously he only wanted to dissolve their marriage by using Brabantio as a source of objection. Now he wishes to destroy it from within, by insinuating Desdemona has been unfaithful.
48
Q

A1:3 (400-01) - Iago: ‘tenderly be led…

A

…by the nose / As asses are.’

  • Reinforcement of the racist epithet that Othello is closer to animalism than the other pale-skinned characters.
  • Iago can already envisage how easy it will be to lead Othello to false conclusions even about the women he loves and who loves him unconditionally.
49
Q

A1:3 (402-03) - Iago: ‘Hell and night…

A

…Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.’

  • Again he perverts imagery of childbirth, with the possible implication that his power is such that he controls all aspects of nature, even those he is not physically predisposed to be capable of.
  • He also suggests only by dredging the depths of ‘Hell and night’ (the epitomes of sin and darkness) could he engender such a plan capable of destroying their marriage, and therefore that is what he must do.

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