Quotes - VIOLENCE

Question 1

‘Come, be a man.’ / ‘Drown thyself?’ (IAGO)

Answer 1

1.3
Talking to Rodrigo who is straying from typical male stereotypes - Iago insults him, practically mocking him and telling him to assert his manhood.

Question 2

‘Reputation, reputation, reputation!’ (CASSIO)
‘I have lost the immortal part of myself’ / ‘what remains is bestial.’

Answer 2

2.3
Epizeuxis reiterates manhood is based a lot on status and reputation.
‘bestial’ - zoomorphism,
‘Immortal’ - everlasting, status is fluctuating and is prone to change in the play due to Iago’s manipulation.

Question 3

‘Men’s nature wrangle with inferior things through great ones are their object.’ (DESDEMONA)

Answer 3

3.4
Exhibition of violence - men cannot express feelings and they are repressed in that manner; the only place in society where women have something men don’t necessarily have the ability to do.

Question 4

‘Whether he kill Cassio, or Cassio him’/‘every way makes my gain’ (IAGO)

Answer 4

Coleridge; motiveless malignity
Colloquial tone/casual when discussing murder - toxic masculinity creating jealousy leading to casual talk of murder.

Question 5

‘Feats of broil and battle’ (OTHELLO)

Answer 5

1.3
Exposition - Othello is a warrior and only knows war and battle.
Plosives reiterate the influence of war/military behaviour on Othello.

Question 6

‘I won his daughter’

Answer 6

Views things through a militaristic lens.

Question 7

‘O my fair warrior!’/‘My dear Othello’

Answer 7

2.1
Where Othello values war, Desdemona values love.

Question 8

‘Farewell the tranquil mind!’

Answer 8

3.3
Signals Othello’s downfall - farewell to rationality; calling upon primal violence and is no longer seeing things through a militaristic lens.

Question 9

‘O blood, blood, blood!’

Answer 9

3.3
Epizeuxis - represents primal savagery.
Motif throughout the scene of blood - ‘my bloody thoughts.’

Question 10

‘This would not be believed in Venice.’ (LODOVICO)

Answer 10

4.1
Signals the complete transgression of Othello from the polite character in 1.1 to a character thirsted for revenge in 3.3 onwards.

Question 11

‘I will chop her into messes.’

Answer 11

4.1
Excessive violence beyond necessity - hyperbolic language signals his thirst for revenge.

Question 12

‘The justice of it pleases.’

Answer 12

4.1
Othello views murder as a form of justice; violence for Othello is inevitable.

Question 13

‘She must die, else she’ll betray more men.’

Answer 13

5.2
‘Must’ reiterates the NEED and importance for her death for Othello. There is no other way.
Othello believes he is performing a favour to man, asserting justice through killing Desdemona, demonstrating his poor morality.
CONTEXT: male fear of being cuckholded.

Question 14

‘To die upon a kiss.’

Answer 14

5.2
Demonstrates Othello’s puzzled concept of romance through juxtaposition of ‘die’ and ‘kiss’.