Quotes Flashcards
I: ‘His Moorship’s ancient’
-Moor; nebulous term, refers to person of north African decent, racist
-Capital M; thats how he’s known as if its his name/identity as it cancels out anything else about him
-Lordship; mocking of his race and status as if they cant be together, shows his disrespect of Othello, implies someone with that ethnicity cannot also be an actual lord
-also plays on othello’s insecurities of his age (say he has ‘declined into the vale of years’)
I: ‘We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly followed’
-lago challenges the great chain of being, shows he want for chaos and change
-He feels superior despite lower status
-Doesn’t think Othello is worth being followed
I: ‘I am not what i am’
-Twists god’s words by mirroring exodus
-‘i am what i am’ and aligns self with devil. He knows he will be deceitful and two faced (later references the two-faced greek god ‘by janus’)
I: Who trimmed in forms and visages of duty keep yet their hearts attending on themselves’
-Saying others also appear dutiful whilst focusing on their own gain -trying to justify his own actions and selfish desires
-Foreshadows his plans and later actions.
I: ‘An old black ram is tupping you white ewe’
-Animalistic imagery against Othello (motif throughout the play) but links to fear of the hyper sexuality of black people that included the belief of beastality and homosexuality.
-possessive pronoun over Desdemona as women were property
-juxtaposed colours, she is pure and innocent and beautiful but he is evil also makes it seem like he’s attacking or forcing her
I: ‘Wheeling stranger of here and everywhere’
-Othello is unwanted, unwelcome and an outsider because of his ethnicity
-ironic as Othello is a well known general yet is still cast aside
-set apart from others as he is only referred to as the Moor yet everyone knows its Othello showing how rare a black person in Europe is and how discriminated against they are
I: ‘I lack iniquity sometimes to do me service’
-dramatic irony
-saying he lacks evil to be selfish yet audience saw his plotting
-two faced
-sense if superiority
O: The gentle Desdemona’
-othello truly lives and respects her
-only one to day her name m, gives her a personality and autonomy (‘the girl’ infantilises her and defines her by her gender)
-opposes othello’s character to other men in play who are misogynistic
-makes the ending sadder
-‘the’ versus being called ‘my’ and ‘yours’ by others
O: ‘My parts my title and my perfect soul’
-hamartia of hubris, foreshadows his downfall as all Shakespeare’s heroes demonstrate this
-meglopsychia, greatness of soul, othello is a good person
-exudes confidence despite his social disadvantage of race
-links to pious belief that good people will get good things (such as heaven)
O: ‘Keep up your bright swords for the dew will rust them’
-feminine iambic pentameter, shows his hidden fear and lack of control in situation despite confident facade
-visually he is the only black person on stage surrounded by armed white men which is dangerous
B: ‘Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals’
-shows widespread fear of miscegenation
-accuses othello of witchcraft to marry
Desdemona as its seen as unnatural
-also implies unconsensual relations
-B repeatedly uses masculine iambic pentameter throughout speech to show his control and feeling of superiority, he is protected and safe as a white man in Europe
O: ‘Most potent, grave and reverend signors,
my very noble and approved good masters’
-first line is in iambic pentameter, reinforcing othello’s intelligence and nobility; he is very calm, respectful
-‘masters’ may show he feels inferior (internalised racism) he belittles himself
‘rude am i in my speech and little blessed’
-his words are very servile, he is boosting their ego’s, tactical flattery to gain their favour
-he even reinforces false, racist myths about African tribes from iacobean time (‘men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders’), he does this to fit in with their Eurocentric, ignorant ideas
B: ‘A maiden never bold; blushed at herself
-maiden, reminder she’s pure/virgin, as if its the most important thing (if othello slept with her she’s spoiled goods)
-first thing he mentions, where his focus is as she is part of his reputation
Makes her appear like the submissive archetypal Jacobean lady
-describes her as quiet and shy with no opinions
-ironic and shows lack of parental relationship as othello describes her as forward and desire full ‘a greedy ear devour up my discourse’ and she stands up to Iago in Act 2 scene 2
O: ‘let her speak of me’
-revolutionary for the time
-othello is inviting a woman into a mans space and asking to hear her
-his progressive invitation shows his live and respect for her
-also connotes his trust in her
-Peripetia, when he takes her voice by strangling her
D:’i do perceive here a divided duty’
-she belongs to both, owes both because of lacobean belief women
belong led to men in their life
-she wants to appease everybody
-Skilled negotiator and use of sophisticated language throughout suggests intelligence
