Critical opinions of Othello

Question 1

What does E.A.J Honingmann say about Othello

Answer 1

O having full deligated authority= fall of a leader
D is misunderstood by all of the characters
I is the plays chief humourist
he enjoys a godlike sense of power

Question 2

What does Thomas Rymer say about Desdemona

Answer 2

her fault was her naivety, witless, weak
moral function
“farce”
O is a comedy = should not be taken seriously

Question 3

what does Samuel Johnson say about Desdemona

Answer 3

D is so innocent she could not understand O’s accusation = soft simplicity

Question 4

What does John Quincy Adams say about Desdemona

Answer 4

D is unladylike - betrays women because of banter
shouldn’t have gone to Cyprus

Question 5

What does A.C Bradley say about Othello

Answer 5

D is weak and powerless to create pathos
Othello is a “faultless hero” pure and noble
I does what he does for enjoyment

Question 6

What does F.R. Levis say about Othello

Answer 6

responsible for his own downfall
a weak character which is sorely tested by marriage
“composed very largely of ignorance of self as well as ignorance of her” [Desdemona]
I’s role is ‘subordinate and merely ancillary’( supportive to the main activities made by O)

Question 7

what does Valerie Traub say about Othello

Answer 7

Shakespeare plays = “male anxiety towards female erotic power is channelled into a strategy of containment… the threat is psychically contained through metaphoric and dramatic transformation of women into jewels, statues and corpses”