points to use when discussing the effectiveness of the opening scene in othello

Question 1

point 1 - dramatic irony

Answer 1

• sets the stage with suspense for what is to come.
• “i follow him to serve my turn upon him”.
• from this moment onward the audience is aware of iago’s duplitious nature and sees through the lies as iago stirs up trouble with brabantio later in the scene

Question 2

point 2 - characterisation

Answer 2

• used to create an effective opening scene as the nature of iago’s character is revealed.
• “i am not what i am”. reveals the key characteristic element of iago, allows the scene to be effective on many levels.
• it is clear from this that iago intends to carry out a wicked revenge plan since he is so quick to reveal how multifaceted he is.

Question 3

point 3 - character relationship

Answer 3

• brabantio and desdemona.
• suggests the nature of their relationship was one of trust and love that brabantio clearly feels was betrayed.
• “o treason of the blood”. suggests there was a deceptive nature in the matrimoney of desdemona and othello, which sets the stage for the deception to come later in the play.
• agitation and grief also foreshadows a similar chain of emotion that will be experienced by othello later in the play.
• emotions the characters are feeling are suggested to come up again later in the play in more extreme forms as othello is blinded by jealousy and betrayal

Question 4

point 4 - imagery

Answer 4

sets the stage for heartbreak and betrayal because iago and roderigo use animalistic references to describe othello to brabantio.

• the imagery aids characterisation as othello is shaped by images of lustful and potentially violent ideas. “making the beast with two backs” conjures an offensive and uncomfortable image in brabantio’s mind as he pictures the ruthless animalistic sexual ritual.
• this allows the scene to be effective to the play opening because it creates a picture of how othello is described in negative ways, suggesting he is an outcast in venice due to racial prejudice, being described as a “black ram”

Question 5

point 5 - impact of othello’s insecurity on the rest of the play

Answer 5

othello is described in many negative ways, which reinforces othello’s insecurity in the following acts and scenes as he is unsure of his social status.
he is aware that other’s view him as an outcast, describing himself as “rude i am in speech” which indicates his feelings of insecurity in himself when compared to the white venitians.
the impact that these insecurities have on the rest of the play lead to his susceptibility to jealousy later on. he becomes so blinded by the emotion that even as his wife plead innocence, he is totally unmoved.
he was so consumed by it that he though only of killing desdemona, wishing her to “rot and perish and be damned tonight”. very insecure and very jealous, so when it was suggested to him that cassio and desdemona were sleeping with each other, there was very little hesitation in killing her.

Question 6

point 6 - iago’s plans of deception

Answer 6

the reveal of iagos true nature in this opening scene set the stage for how his plans to destroy othello will unravel.
he observed that othello was gullible and trusting, which is something he intended to exploit in order to destroy othello in the future. “trifles light as air” and then the analysis for that.
observation soon proved to be true when othello became consumed by the doubt and confronted desdemona. “fetch my the handkerchief, my mind misgives”. use of the two faced characteristic to deceive othello into killing his beloved.

Question 7

point 7 - opening scene builds tension for the rest of the play that leads to the climax of the deaths in the final scene

Answer 7

audience becomes familiar with the conclusion of shakesperean tragedies.
throughout the play, the minor deceptions iago puts in place build tension and climax as the audience anticipates the crucial moment in the play as othello says “smooth as monumental alabaster / Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men”. othello is stupidly convinced of the lies iago feeds to him, and even after desdemonas pleads of innocence, he still insisted to Gratiano that “iago knows that she with cassio hath the act of shame / a thousand times committed”.
the depth of deception that iago reached in othello is of a magnitude so profoundly tragic and suspenseful to the audience, that even though as every scene went by and the inevitability of the tragidy became ever clearer, it made the heartbreak no easier to bare.

Question 8

point 8 - cassio is fired

Answer 8

iago reveals in the opening scene just how angry he is that cassio was hired.
“never set a squadron in the field”. few moments where iago reveals his motives for being so obsessed with destroying othello. iago wanted to destroy cassio and was successful. “never more be officer of mine”.
iago did not stop there and used the embarassment cassio felt about the matter to make him seem guilty and sheepish - and said to othello that this was a result of the affair cassio was supposedly having with desdemona.