Othello Quotes Flashcards
1
Q
“Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ”
A
Iago - A3 S3
- in a dramatic monologue
- “trifles light as air” symbolizes the flimsy and unsubstantial nature of Iago’s proof of Desdemona’s infidelity, being the handkerchief
- mere doubt is enough to fuel Othello’s jealousy - Othello will overestimate the handkerchief’s significance
2
Q
“O beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on”
A
Iago - A3 S3
- to Othello
- anthropomorphizing of jealousy as a “green-eyed monster” - corruptive nature
- dramatic irony - Iago (“green-eyed monster”) is warning Othello (“the meat”) of his tragic flaw of jealousy which he is purposefully exploiting
- also ironic as jealousy is the controlling force of the play that also “mocks” and leads Iago to his villainy
3
Q
“But jealous souls will not be answered so: they are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they’re jealous. It is a monster begot upon itself, born on itself”
A
Emilia - A4 S1
- to Desdemona
- jealous individuals are inherently jealous as jealousy has no cause but itself, despite the reasons jealous people may state (Othello but could also apply to Iago)
- recalls Iago’s “green-eyed monster”
- also recalls ancient symbol of the ouroboros, which depicts a snake swallowing its own tail
- jealousy is a self-perpetuating loop individuals get stuck in
4
Q
“A jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure”
A
Iago - A2 S1
- in a dramatic monologue
- Iago plans to exploit Othello’s hamartia of jealousy to bring about his downfall
- makes the audience complacent when Iago plants doubt in Othello’s mind
5
Q
“The souls of all my tribe defend from jealousy”
A
Iago - A3 S3
- to Othello
- corruptive nature of jealousy
6
Q
“It is my nature’s plague to spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy shapes faults that are not”
A
Iago - A3 S3
- to Othello
- Shakespeare presents jealousy as the controlling force of the play/tragedy
- it is Othello’s jealous nature that creates untrue situations e.g. the handkerchief that Iago framed as “proof” of Desdemona’s infidelity
7
Q
“Othello shall go mad. And his unbookish jealousy must construe poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures and light behaviour quite in the wrong”
A
Iago - A4 S1
- in an aside after Cassio enters
- Othello’s jealousy will impede his ability to distinguish between appearance and reality, clouding his rationale when seeing Cassio, and allowing Iago’s plan to succeed
8
Q
“I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat”
A
Iago - A2 S1
- in a dramatic monologue
- Iago’s sexual jealousy, as he is convinced that Othello slept with Emilia, and motives towards his hatred for Othello
9
Q
“For your sake, jewel, I am glad at soul I have no other child”
A
Brabantio, A1 S3
- to Desdemona
- “jewel” - objectifying her to a high value asset to flaunt and possess / trade between men
10
Q
“She shall undo her credit with the Moor - So I will turn her virtue into pitch”
A
Iago, A2 S3
- in a dramatic monologue
- Iago views Desdemona as Othello’s property/possession - a ‘tool’ for patriarchal benefit
- “credit” - misogynistic - exchange her feminine characteristics in order to stay in the relationship
- not referred to by name - her “virtue” and innocence is just a tool he can use to manipulate Othello
11
Q
“I am not what I am”
A
Iago, A1 S1
- to Roderigo
- hidden blasphemy - juxtaposes God’s statement in the Bible ‘I am what I am’
- enforces Iago’s “demi-devil” character - would have impacted a vast amount of Christians in Shakespeare’s audience (view Iago as villain)
- dramatic irony - the audience will have viewed Iago as the villain, and other characters (specifically Roderigo here) are naive/blind to Iago’s concealed confession
- paradoxical statement - highlights Iago’s duplicity and deceptive nature
- use of blunt monosyllables emphasizes his villainy which he fundamentally admits - contrasts the complexity of his proceeding speech to Brabantio
12
Q
“Thou hast enchanted her… if she in chains of magic”
A
Brabantio, A1 S3
- accusing Othello of using witchcraft to attract Desdemona
- highlights the derogatory remarks made by other characters towards Othello, belittling him due to his race
- witchcraft was associated with black people during the Elizabethan era
- derogatory remarks that belittle Othello as he believes it’s impossible that Desdemona would choose a black man amongst other options - the Witchcraft Act 1604 made it a capital offense to use “magic” - attempting to further villainize Othello
- dramatic irony - Brabantio is painting Othello as the villain, using spells to blind Desdemona, whereas it is Iago who is deceiving and casting a spell on all of the characters (“work on, my medicine, work!” - Iago, A4 S1) to make them believe he is “honest Iago” - highlights the racist divide
- Brabantio is fascinated in Othello’s stories (“her father loved me, oft invited me, still questioned me the story of my life” - Othello, A1 S3) but this fascination is disposed once Othello has ‘infiltrated’ his family and may be associated with him/on the same level as him - there will always be a racist undertone
13
Q
“You’re robbed… an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”
A
Iago, A1 S1
- using sexual imagery to tell Brabantio of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage
- “you’re robbed” - patriarchal view that Desdemona is an item to be taken
- encapsulates the racist and misogynistic context of the play, and establishes the oppressive culture which Othello and Desdemona challenge when eloping (seals their tragic fate as their relationship is too subversive in Elizabethan era to last)
- dark (“black”) and light (“white”) imagery - connotations of evil and pure imagery representing Othello and Desdemona
- dramatic irony - audience is aware that Iago is the villain, not Iago
- Iago is implying that Othello’s ‘darkness’ will consume Desdemona - possibly Desdemona’s fascination with Othello’s stories (“she loved me for the dangers I had passed” - Othello, A1 S3)
14
Q
“Yet she wished that heaven had made her such a man”
A
Othello, A1 S3
- Othello on how Desdemona was fascinated by her stories
- gender roles in the Elizabethan era
- implies that you have to go through struggle in order to be man - hegemonic masculinity
- Othello is respected due to his journeys as a man - Desdemona’s lack of exposure to the world
- she was eager to marry Othello to gain her freedom - she has no grasp on reality
- set up their inevitable tragic downfall as their relationship was built on fascination
15
Q
“A moth of peace, and he go to the war, the rites for which I love him are bereft me”
A
Desdemona, A1 S3
- defending her relationship to the Duke and Brabantio
- “a moth of peace” (Desdemona) is attracted to the light (Othello) - she believes he is the light that brought her out of her sheltered life - if Othello goes to war, Desdemona will be a “moth” left in the dark (without freedom)
- “the rites” - a practice within religion - informs the substantially Christian audience of how intense Desdemona’s love is for Othello
