Othello themes Flashcards
Othello’s Soliloquy
-Othello’s soliloquy in Scene 3 Act 3
-Othello acts as his own antagonist, actively contributing to his tragic downfall. He starts the soliloquy by stating his confidence in Iago’s honesty. Suggests to the audience that Othello’s judgement has become seriously impaired. A terrible tragic momentum has begins to build
-Halfway through Othello’s speech the rhythm of his verse language is fractured and the direction of his thought wavers. He adopts the animal imagery characteristic of Iago’s speeches
-Othello’s suffering does not bring him insight but the opposite
The three women-
Sacrificial victims
-In medieval and 16th Century literature women tended to be represented as either malevolent witches or passive martyrs
-Desdemona seems doomed by her name meaning ‘unfortunate’. The make characters all desire or worship her, putting her on a pedestal which disentitles her from being seen as a fallible human
-The one female dialogue in the play shows that women are at the mercy of men and their fantasies, and Desdemona asks Othello ‘What horrible fancy’s this’ Act 5 Scene 2
-Christ refused to condemn the women taken in adultery and Othello claiming to be a devout christian takes the law and the role of God into his hands
The three women
Double standards, Fickle women and Femme fatales
-Men wished to marry virgins and have chaste wives for social reasons but to have whores available for their pleasure. Fate usually determined which category women ended up in
-Iago despises what he perceives as feminine characteristics in Othello and Cassio which he feels betrays soldiering and masculinity
-Men were afraid of female beauty because it gave women a kind of magical power over them which could not be resisted with logic. Dialogues between all the male characters reveals a deep-seated fear of women deceiving them and thereby gaining supremacy and making them a laughing stock
The Three women-
Natural inferiority, reputation and the silent woman
-Iago sneeringly says of Desdemona ‘Our general’s wife is now the general’ Act 2 Scene 3 he is drawing attention to how unnatural it is to be of higher rank than her husband
-Reputation was an essential commodity for social survival, yet it was vulnerable to attack by any dissatisfied male
-Women’s social category and position was determined by their relationship to men and consequent sexual status
-Together Emilia and Desdemona have only half as many lines as Iago. All three women are told to go away in Act 3
-All 3 women endanger their life and two of them lose it for daring to break the vow of silence imposed on them
The Handkerchief
-Many critics including ‘Rhymer’ have seen the ‘napkin’ as evidence of a domestic drama but it is a key symbol of major themes in the play and pivotal to the plot
-A Handkerchief in those days was often an heirloom or part of a dowry, hand-made from expensive fabric, usually silk and personally embroidered. Only the nobility possessed such as luxury item. It’s role in medieval literature was as a romantic love token
-Strawberries in Christian symbolism mean righteousness and have also been used in Art and Literature to suggest sensuality and sexuality because of their redness and sweetness
Deception and Treachery
-Othello simultaneously believes he is being deceived by characters who are honest while failing to see the deceit and treachery of characters who are tricking him
-While he is naively unable to see that Iago is deceiving him he is also stubbornly convinced that Desdemona is deceiving him even when she is being totally honest. Once Othello makes up his mind that she is guilty all her claims of innocence only enrage his further
-Othello’s inability to correctly identify who is and is not deceiving him makes him act rashly and ultimately leads to violence and tragedy
Jealousy
-Iago is immediately revealed as jealous character, in the first scene he complains that Cassio has been promoted instead of him and his jealousy over the suggestion Emilia may have slept with him is so intense that he does not need proof of this infidelity before punishing Othello for it
-Iago decides to seek revenge by using jealousy as a weapon against Othello knowing that Jealousy is a form of psychological torture which will constantly torment Othello as Iago has been tormented
The incompatibility of military heroism and love
-The military provides Othello a means to gain acceptance in venetian society. Venetians are fearful of Othello’s social entrance into white society through his marriage to Desdemona but all venetians respect and honour him as a soldier
-Without having a means of proving himself on the battle-field Othello begins to feel uneasy in the private setting which Iago capitalises on calling Othello’s epileptic fit in Act 4 Scene 2 ‘passion most unsuiting such a man’
-Othello’s last monologue is preoccupied with his identity as a soldier to try and glorify himself in the public’s memory
The dangers of isolation
-Once the characters come to cyprus they have nothing to do but prey on each other
-Iago frequently speaks in soliloquies and Roderigo seems attached to no one in the play but Iago
- Othello is visibly isolated from the other characters by his physical stature and by the colour of his skin
-Iago manipulates the distance between characters, isolating his victims so that they fall prey to their own obsessions but he falls prey to his obsession with revenge
-Self-isolation as an act of self-preservation leads ultimately to self destruction
A feminist approach
-female characters
-The women are presented in Othello as being controlled by men
-Bianca is subservient, manipulated by money
-Emilia is more outspoken and assertive, speaking out against Othello and Iago which is perhaps why she is killed
A feminist approach
-male characters
-Othello thinks he supports women but as the play goes on he restricts female freedom- possibly his downfall
-Iago represents traditional patriarchal values he has a negative view of women and is particularly derogatory towards Desdemona
-Brabantio is a patriarchal character who wishes to control women- he is a typical father figure for the time
-Desdemona’s marriage to Othello can be seen as swapping one male control for another
Stoicism
-Philosophical theme emphasising self-control and rationality over emotions which are destructive to one’s peace
-At the beginning of the play Othello shows this through his strong sense of control and calm demeanor
-However, Iago’s manipulations cause him to lose his stoic control and he succumbs to destructive emotions
Epicureanism
-Highest good is to seem pleasure and avoid pain- pleasure being the absence of disturbance
-Iago’s worldview is a twisted, darker version of this- he prioritises personal gain, pleasure and success
-Othello allowing his passions to consume him is a cautionary tale of how unchecked desires can lead to destruction
