act 4 scene 2 Flashcards
othello:
‘to fetch her fan, her gloves her mask, nor nothing?’
questioning emilia - knows her answer
wants more fuel for his anger
emilia:
‘if any wretch have put this in your head, let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse’
iago
how well do we know someone?
dramatic irony
symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld as well as a symbol of fertility, life, healing, and rebirth - irnoic
emilia:
‘the purest of their wives is foul as slander’
becomes prophetic
anyone can be bad
makes her seem slightly more positive as she started out good - tragic waste
a.c bradley - eternal womanly
subjugation of women has resulted in many a societal “double-standard” whereby a woman could be punished severely for a crime for which a man might find full acquittal; also a carry-over of patriarchal and legalistic, religious-based dogmas.
emilia’s statement then reflects that quality, focusing solely on the actions of the “wives”–clearly remarking that if “she’s” not chaste and virgin, then no “woman” is
othello:
‘a closet lock and key of villainous secrets’
entrapment desdemona is in
emilia is stupid
internalised misogyny
othello:
‘let me see your eyes’
windows to the soul
desdemona:
‘i understand a fury in your words, but not the words’
i know you’re angry but i don’t know why
a.c bradley - innocent child
anna jameson - excess gentleness
extremely oblivious
othello:
‘double damned’
she will go to hell when she dies
trapped by male power
othello:
‘i must live or bear no life’
polarised view of the world
can’t live like this
othello:
‘summer flies are in the shambles’
flies around poo/ meat in summer
iago’s jealousy mocks the meat it docks upon
as flies aren’t loyal to one piece of meat, she isn’t loyal to one man
you are no more honourable than those disgusting flies which are associated with rapid procreation
othello:
‘i took you for that cunning whore of venice that married with othello’
not changing his mind
entrapment of women in marriage
sarcastically begs desdemona’s pardon after she protests her innocence of betrayal of their marriage
shows his cruelty by contemptuously saying that he confused her with the “cunning whore” from Venice who married Othello.
desdemona:
‘lay on my bed my wedding sheets’
accepts her fate
the thing she wished for traps her
elizabethan tradition was to hang the bed sheets that a newly married couple have slept on out in public to show off the blood on it.
this blood would suggest their wife was a virgin and therefore pure.
desdemona is trying to repair her and othello’s marriage by proving that she isn’t a ‘whore’ but we get the feel that it is too little, too late
yet to consummate their marriage - patriarchal society
emilia:
‘hath she forsook so many noble matches, her father, and her country, and her friends, to be called a whore?’
the sacrifices desdemona has made to be with othello
the case for many women during this time
highlights how vulnerable and isolated she now is
roderigo:
‘i will hear further reason of this’
how manipulative iago is
roderigo is convinced there is no way he can’t not kill cassio
could expose iago as the villain but he doesn’t - is he the fool of the play?
