ACT THREE Flashcards
“I never knew//A ………. more kind and ……” - Cassio to himself about Iago Act3Scene1
“I never knew//A florentine more kind and honest” - Act 3, Scene 1
-Cassio to himself, about Iago.
-The theme of Appearance vs Reality
This epitomises how successful Iago is in his manipulation, the characters are so confident that he is someone to be trusted and has nothing but good intentions. Dramatic irony as the audience knows he is the exact opposite, this also highlights Iago’s intelligence which will either make the audience despise him more or admire him for how well his plan is falling into place.
“I will …. thee …….” - Act 3, Scene 3 Othello to Desdemona
“I will deny thee nothing” - Act 3, Scene 3
-Othello to Desdemona.
-Theme of Love and Relationships.
Even though Desdemona is worsening Othello’s insecurities and suspicions (unknowingly), Othello still holds on to his confident outer shell and represses how he is probably truly feeling. He is still devoted to his love for her even in his time of insecurity, which shows the contrast between how he treated his wife in the beginning compared to how it ended. This also may suggest that perhaps the tragedy was not inevitable, as Othello did truly love Othello but this did not trump the jealousy, therefore the tragedy could have been avoided.
“But I do …. thee; and when I …. thee not,//…..is come again” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello to Desdemona.
“But I do love thee; and when I love thee not,//Chaos is come again” - Act 3, Scene 3
-Othello to Desdemona.
-Theme of Love and Relationships.
Heavy sense of foreshadowing. Othello professes his love for Desdemona once again, but then claims when he stops loving her, chaos will be restored. This is foreshadowing because once he allows jealousy and Iago’s villainy to trump his love, the climax of the play occurs and he himself becomes villainous. Reintroduces the idea of fate as Othello himself knows the downfall is coming, because the tragedy begins in himself and this allows it to play out in reality.
“… should be what they ….;//Or those that be not, would they might seem none” - Act 3, Scene 3
Iago to Othello.
“Men should be what they seem;//Or those that be not, would they might seem none” - Act 3, Scene 3
-Iago to Othello.
-Theme of Manhood and Honour, and Appearance vs Reality.
Iago claims that a man should appear the way he is, which is ironic because that is the exact opposite of Iago.
“Good name in … and woman, dear my lord,//is the immediate ….. of their souls” - Act 3, Scene 3
Iago to Othello.
“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,//is the immediate jewel of their souls” - Act 3, Scene 3
-Iago to Othello.
-Theme of Manhood and Honour.
Iago claims that reputation and good name is the most important thing a man or woman can have. This contradicts an earlier statement by Iago to Cassio; “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving”. Iago not only changes his character depending on who he is talking to, but also his morals. Iago’s morals are out of align, and change to get people on his side.
“O, beware, my lord, of ………://It is the green eyed ……, which doth mock//The meat it feeds on” - Act 3, Scene 3.
Iago to Othello.
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy://It is the green eyed monster, which doth mock//The meat it feeds on” - Act 3, Scene 3.
-Iago to Othello.
-Theme of Jealousy.
Iago warns Othello about how dangerous jealousy can be. Once again Shakespeare’s use of irony is highlighted, as Iago is the person who planted the jealousy within Othello in the first place.
“She did ……. her ……., marrying you” - Act 3, Scene 3
Iago to Othello.
“She did deceive her father, marrying you” - Act 3, Scene 3
-Iago to Othello.
-Theme of Womanhood and Sexuality.
Iago uses the fact that Desdemona betrayed her father for Othello to insinuate that she could do it once again to Othello. Iago manipulates something that should be celebrated, a woman choosing true love over her duty to play the role of the subordinate daughter, and turns it into another tool to send Othello further into a pit of doubt. This also comments on Shakespeare’s common theme in his plays regarding father-daughter relationships, and how a daughter that betrays her father faces a tragedy, due to the idea that daughters were possessions of their fathers and owe them their loyalty.
“Haply, for I am black//And have not those soft parts of conversation//That chamberers have, or for I am declined//into the vale of years” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello soliloquoy
“Haply, for I am black//And have not those soft parts of conversation//That chamberers have, or for I am declined//into the vale of years” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello soliloquoy
Othello reveals his deep insecurities that have been mentioned previosuly. He is aware of himself as an outsider and not a traditionally suitable partner for a woman. His age is something he begins to blame for Desdemona’s affair, however it is actually something Desdemona admires as she fell in love with him for the things he has experienced, something that has come with both his age and his race. This illustrates the tragedy that the reasons others may look down upon Othello for, Desdemona actually loves which shows her purity.
“Tis destiny unshunnable, like …..” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello’s soliloquoy.
“Tis destiny unshunnable, like death” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello’s soliloquoy.
Shakespeare once again uses the idea of fate to suggest that the tragedy in inevitable. Othello is aware of his own fate also, which raises the question of how strong Othello truly was in his character and if the tragedy originates from himself, or if it was caused by Iago.
“The …. already changes with my ……” - Act 3, Scene 3
Iago to himself.
“The Moor already changes with my poison” - Act 3, Scene 3
Iago to himself.
Theme of Jealousy.
Jealousy is connoted with illness and death once again. Foreshadows the ending of the play because jealousy is indeed the death of Iago, and it poisons not only Othello’s mind and manhood, but also his love for Desdemona.
“I think my wife be …… and think she is …” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello to Iago.
“I think my wife be honest, and think she is not” - Act 3, Scene 3
Othello to Iago.
Theme of Appearance vs Reality
Illustrates the duplicity of Othello and how on the fence he is about who to believe. He is eventually inclined to believe Iago, whether that is due to his surroundings or his character is debatable.
“It yet hath felt no … nor known no ……” - Act 3, Scene 4
Desdemona to Othello.
“It yet hath felt no age, nor known no sorrow” - Act 3, Scene 4
Desdemona to Othello.
Theme of Womanhood and sexuality.
Othello takes Desdemona’s hand and describes it as ‘moist’. In this era, a moist hand was thought to be representative of a tendency to give love, which portrays Desdemona’s purity.
“They are all but …….., and we all but …../They eat us …….. , and when they are full//they …. us” - Act 3, Scene 4
Emilia to Desdemona.
“They are all but stomachs, and we all but food//They eat us hungerly, and when they are full//they belch us” - Act 3, Scene 4
Emilia to Desdemona.
Theme of Womanhood and Sexuality.
Emilia is aware of the society they live in. This is revolutionary for a Shakespearean play, as Emilia is no longer compliant to the stereotypes surrounding women. This also means Shakespeare himself is aware of the reality he lived in, which may influence the morals of the play. Emilia becomes almost a tragic hero herself, as she is the only woman with a voice who is able to change the fate of the play. She is the reason Iago’s villainy finally gets revealed, in her defending Desdemona because her loyalties lie to her mistress. Ultimately, she is silenced, which shows the cyclical nature of a patriarchal society.
