Quotations - Act One

Question 1

“Mere prattle without practice / Is all his soldiership”

Act One, Scene One (pg 121, line 25-26)
Iago (to Roderigo)

Answer 1

Theme of Jealousy
Emphasises the Importance of Rumour and Reputation
Establishes the Relationship between Iago and Michael Cassio
Reason One for Iago’s distaste for Othello
Cassio - meaning “Hollow” - Interesting for his Characterisation

Question 2

“I follow him to serve my turn upon him.”

Act One, Scene One (pg 122, line 41)
Iago (to Roderigo)

Answer 2

Theme of Revenge (Key Quote)
Iago drives the Narrative
Statement of intent, villainous
Machiavellian manipulation - to control others more powerful than yourself

Question 3

“I am not what I am.”

Act One, Scene One (pg 124, line 64)
Iago (to Roderigo)

Answer 3

Idea of Appearance Vs Reality (Key Quote)
Iago is Machiavellian, not Honest - True Villain of the Narrative?

Question 4

“Awake, what ho, Brabantio! thieves, thieves, thieves! / Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! / Thieves, thieves!”

Act One, Scene One (pg 125, line 78-80)
Iago (to Brabantio)

Answer 4

Theme of Betrayal of Dutiful Love (?)
Iago as Active
Chaos and Confusion emphasised by Night Setting
Patriarchy, Women are Possessions - Male Insecurity of Property

Question 5

” Even now, now, very now, an old back ram / Is tupping your whit ewe!”

Act One, Scene One (pg 125-136, line 87-88)
Iago (to Brabantio)

Answer 5

Theme of Sexual Love & Betrayal of Dutiful Love (?) (Key Quote)
“Now” Repetition heightens Intensity
Negative Representation of Othello - Racial Stereotypes
Bestial Imagery, Sexual Imagery, Colour Contrast
Crude, Casual Language

Question 6

“My daughter is not for thee;”

Act One, Scene One (pg 126, line 97)
Brabantio (to Roderigo)

Answer 6

Theme of Unrequited Love (Male Perspective)
Idea of Male Possession over Women - Patriarchy

Question 7

“you’ll / have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse;”
“your daughter/ and the Moor are now making the beast with two / backs.”

Act One, Scene One (pg 127, line 109-110 & 113-115)
Iago (to Brabantio)

Answer 7

Theme of Sexual Love & Betrayal of Dutiful Love (?)
Extended metaphor for Othello - Bestial
Insulting, Mocking Quality
Prose over Poetry - Iago’s Manipulation of Narratives

Clarity, Crude, Sexually Imagery
Reputation! (Happens in Middle of the Street)
Connotations of Unnatural and Monstrous - Grotesque, Distasteful, Off-Putting
Characters unable to Control Lust - English views of Venetian

Question 8

“O treason of the blood! / -Fathers, from hence trust not your daughter’s minds”

Act One, Scene One (pg 131, line 177-178)
Brabantio (to Roderigo?)

Answer 8

Theme of Betrayal of Dutiful Love (Good Quote)
Rebellion from Patriarchy - Race Angle
Betrayed by her Disobedience, Lacks Control
Question of Trust - Male Insecurity over Female Autonomy

Question 9

“But that I love the gentle Desdemona”

Act One, Scene Two (pg 133, line 25)
Othello (to Iago)

Answer 9

Theme of Romantic Love
Simple, Sincere Love - to what degree?

Question 10

“Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.”

Act One, Scene Two (pg 136, line 59)
Othello (to Mob?)

Answer 10

Idea of Militaristic Othello (Good Poetic Quote)
Rejection of Aggression, Respectful (Contrast in later Acts)
Othello as a Natural Leader, Controlled - Result of Pride?
Dignified, Contrasts earlier Assumptions and Characterisation

Question 11

“Where hast thou stowed my daughter?”
“thou hast enchanted her,”
“If she in chains of magic were not bound,”
“That thou hast practised on her with foul charms,”

Act One, Scene Two (pg 136-137, line 62 & 63 & 65 & 73)
Brabantio (to Othello)

Answer 11

Theme of Betrayal of Dutiful Love
Property and Male Ownership - Male Insecurity
Women defined by Familial Role (Daughter or Wife)
Passive Woman, Fear of the Other, Stereotypes of ‘Dark Magic’ = Racist
Entrapment
Repetition shows Lack of Control

Question 12

“For if such actions may have passage free / Bond-salves and pagans shall our statesmen be.”

Act One, Scene Two (pg 138, line 98-99)
Brabantio (to Officer or Crowd?)

Answer 12

Idea of (???)
Rhyming Couplet - Fragility of Society
Jacobian Tragedy, Subversion of the Natural Order serves as a Warning
World Ending!

Question 13

“Valiant Othello”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 142, line 49)
Duke (to Othello)

Answer 13

Idea of Militaristic Othello
Repetition of Great Reputation
High Status, Brave

“Others mostly speak of him as the Moor, to him as Othello”

Question 14

“She is abused, stolen from me and corrupted”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 143, line 61)
Brabantio (to Duke)

Answer 14

Theme of Dutiful Love
Racial Profiling, Discrimination
Dutiful Love - Modern Perspective, Cynicism
Victimises her, Possession, no Autonomy
Imagery of Death and Decay
Abruptness, Priority, Daughter’s role to serve
Repetition

Question 15

“It is most true; true, I have married her.”
“I won his daughter”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 144-145, line 80 & 95)
Othello (to Counsel)

Answer 15

Theme of Romantic Love
Important for the Relationship
Worthy of Respect, love
Answering the Accusation, gives Desdemona Agency - Active Participant in the Relationship
Link to Patriarchy, Women as Possessions and Prizes

Question 16

“A maiden never bold”
“Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion / Blushed at herself:”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 145, line 95 & 96-97)
Brabantio (to Duke)

Answer 16

Theme of Dutiful Love
Disconnect in Familial Relationship, he doesn’t know Desdemona - His Understanding of Her is Inaccurate
Dutiful Love as unrealistic?

Question 17

“How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love / And she in mine.”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 147, line 127-128)
Othello (to Duke)

Answer 17

Theme of Romantic Love
Equality of their love. Balance
“thrive” implies natural imagery, subverts Brabantio’s perspective of their love as unnatural

Question 18

“She’d come again, and with a greedy ear / Devour up my discourse”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 148-9, line 150-151)
Othello (to Duke)

Answer 18

Idea of Appearance vs Being - Othello life story is crafted by him, to what degree is it true? What does this mean for their relationship?
Idea of Sexual Appetite
Active Desdemona

Question 19

“I do perceive here a divided duty… / …I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband:”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 150-151, line 181…185)
Desdemona (to Duke)

Answer 19

Theme of Dutiful Love
Possibly Theme of Romantic Love (?)
Assertive Confidence - Subverts Previous Conceptions of her
Direct Challenge to Patriarchal Society, yet still Defined by the Patriarchy

Question 20

“I saw Othello’s visage in his mind,”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 155, line 253)
Desdemona (to Duke)

Answer 20

Idea of Appearance vs Being
In Love with Othello’s Version of Himself?
Reliability of Othello as a Narrator

Question 21

“Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee.”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 158, line 293)
Brabantio (to Othello)

Answer 21

Theme of Betrayal of Dutiful Love
Rhyming Couplet, emphasises the line - WARNING
Seeds of Doubt - Foreshadowing
Idea of Appearance vs Being

CF. Iago Act Three Scene Three (?)

Question 22

“My life upon her faith. Honest Iago,”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 158, line 295)
Othello (generally, to Iago)

Answer 22

Theme of Romantic Love
Deeply Ironic
Pro-leptic of tragedy - warning of Othello’s vulnerability

Question 23

“erring Barbarian / and a super-subtle Venetian,”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 162, lines 356-357)
Iago (to Roderigo)

Answer 23

Context: stereotypes - of the Venetian Women and Black Man - perspective of the English

Question 24

“I hate the Moor / And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets / He’s done my office.”

Act One, Scene Three (pg 164, lines 385-387)
Iago (soliloquy)

Answer 24

Theme of Jealousy & Betrayal (?)
Reason Two for Iago’s distaste for Othello
Narratives - rumours only
Monologue his “True” Thoughts