characters Flashcards
1
Q
introductory information about Othello
A
- a successful mercenary general who works for the state of Venice
- posted to Cyprus as govenor during the Turkish conflict
2
Q
first impressions of Othello
A
- Othello’s appearance in Act 1 scene 2 contradicts Iago’s assessment of Othello as bombastic, conceited and lascivious in the first scene.
- unlike Shakespeare’s other tragic protagonists, Othello is not a monarch, an aspiring monarch nor a displaced prince. He is, however, the descendant of a royal line of kings (Othello refers to his birthright when defending his right to marry Desdemona) and has been an impressive military commander.
3
Q
are we meant to view Othello as a hero?
A
- ‘Valiant Othello’ commands the respect of figures of authority (Duke of Venice, Governor Montano and even Brabantio to some extent).
- Othello is undoubtedly a conscientious soldier; we can see this when he attempts to ensure that the carousing at his wedding festivities does not get out of hand and inspects the fortifications in the town in Act3sc2.
- Othello’s customary mode of speech (blank verse), as well as he fact that his words often inspire confidence in his character, seem to indicate that we should view him as a hero.
4
Q
Othello and opposition
A
- the many contradictions and oppositions in the play are embodied in the tragic hero, perhaps immediately evident with the play’s contradictory (to an Elizabethan audience) subtitle, ‘The Moor of Venice’.
- all of the characters hold highly specific, individual and often opposing views of Othello and these views may obscure our judgment of him too.
- the hero’s two contradictory roles - military man and lover-husband - arguably oppose eachother throughout the duration of the play and only become reconciled when he kills himself at the end: when these separate selves cease to exist.
5
Q
is Othello’s tragedy a domestic tragedy?
A
- the focus in this play is, as often has been suggested, domestic. Othello’s previous history, the Turkish invasion and machinations of the Venetian state provide the backdrop to an essentially private tragedy.
- However, while the play focuses on the tragic consequences of sexual jealousy in relationships, we must not ignore the wider worldly or political dimension of Othello’s tragedy.
- Othello is proud of his profession and his reputation as a soldier is an essential part of the hero’s conception of himself. Othello’s desire for revenge is arguably prompted by his need to recover his [professional] reputation.
- A Jacobean audience would have understood the weight Othello attaches to his reputation: a man’s honour was significant and a wife’s chastity was an integral part of it.
- when Othello fears that he has been cuckolded, the hero doubts himself and is forced to accomodate a new role - that of a ‘duped husband’ - which his pride will not allow him to accept.
- it is perhaps possible to argue that Othello’s marriage is a political act; a black soldier marrying a white aristocrat, according to views of the time, does not seem to make sense for any other reason. The initially loving and equal relationship between the pair, though (“O, my fair warrior!” , “My dear Othello!”) seems to disprove this idea.
6
Q
Othello’s race
A
- Othello is not the stereotypical immoral, lustful Moor of much Renaissance drama. He is portrayed as such by other characters - notably Iago - but we eventually come to realise that we cannot trust the judgement of those who make negative comments about Othello’s race.
- Shakespeare crafts the tragedy in a way that suggests that Othello’s jealousy and the subsequent murder of Desdemona is not because of his blackness. his negative emotions are, rather, the result of being ‘Perplexed in the extreme’ by Iago, whose discrimination is a part of his evil, just as Othello’s blackness is portrayed by Shakespeare as part of his nobility.
7
Q
Othello as a lover and husband
A
- it’s difficult from the beginning of the play to accept Othello as a perfect wooer, lover and husband, partly because he marries Desdemona in secret - a covert action that sits uncomfortably with Othello’s protestation that he has nothing to hide after the marriage.
- we are, however, encouraged not to dwell on this fact too much as it becomes clear that Desdemona was ‘half the wooer’ and the couple communicate clearly with the council and eachother.
- the Duke of Venice recognises Othello’s suitability as a wooer when he says “I think this tale would win my daughter too”, reassuring Brabantio that “Your son-in-law is far more fair than black”.
- however, there are tensions and contradictions that must be considered: Desdemona’s need to live with Othello conflicts with his intention to keep the marriage separate from his duties. We gradually come to question Othello’s self-awareness on this point; he may be a capable general, but the events of the play suggest that Othello is out of his depth in matters of the heart.
8
Q
Othello’s love
A
- in Act3sc3 Othello says that he fears chaos when he is away from Desdemona: ‘perdition catch my soul/ but I do love thee! and when I love thee not/ Chaos is come again’
- it seems Othello cannot master his feelings - is he in the grip of emotions he can’t control even before Iago begins working his ‘poison’?
- the qualities that served Othello well as a soldier contribute to his downfall; his decisiveness leads him to seek ‘ocular proof’, and so when he is presented with with such proof his decision to pursue a bloody course is made swiftly.
9
Q
Othello not giving in to jealousy
A
- Othello suffers accutely from Act3sc3 but does not seem to give into his feelings of jealousy as quickly as Hazlitt suggests when he says that Othello has ‘blood of the most inflammable kind’.
- he tries, on many occasions, to persuade himself that Desdemona is honest; he has second thoughts about murdering her as late as the final scene.
- Iago’s influence in facilitating the tragedy is evident as Othello begins to think and speak like the ensign when his imagination is polluted - animal imagery e.g. “Goats and monkeys!”
10
Q
Othello’s final scene
A
- possible to argue that his insistence on the importance of his honour both redeems and damns Othello.
- Shakespeare reminds us that the hero was a worthy man before he was ensnared by Iago in order to create pathos.
- When Othello commits suicide he takes his own life to pay for the crime of taking Desdemona’s.
- In his final lines/action he is perhaps able to reconcile his two contradictory roles: the soldier kills the faulty lover. so, while it is impossible to condone Othello’s actions (even Jacobean audiences would have seen the act as extreme), it is possible to sympathise with and pity the fallen hero, whose suffering has been extreme.
11
Q
Brabantio’s Desdemona
A
- early in the play, Brabantio defines Desdemona as his ‘jewel’ - ‘A maiden never bold,/ Of spirit’, modest and opposed to marriage, afraid to look on Othello.
- she emerges from her father’s descriptions as an innocent, girlish figure. this version of Desdemona proves innaccurate when she speaks in Act1 (“Let me go with him”), however, by the end of the play, Othello’s abusive treatment has turned Desdemona into the fearful girl Brabantio initially described. This is horribly ironic as Desdemona has been silenced and it seems her final role is to be a sacrifice to masculine pride.
11
Q
Desdemona the wife
A
- the heroine’s active sexuality is necessary to the play; Iago is able to make a great deal out of the fact that Desdemona deceived her father, and is therefore untrustworthy
- although Desdemona disobeyed her father, she expects to submit to Othello’s authority: “My heart’s subdued/ Even to the very quality of my lord”
- Desdemona isn’t without fault, though; she lies to Othello about the handkerchief (understandably so as he frightens her with serious talk about its magical properties), and she reproaches Othello briefly after being hit (‘I have not deserved this’ - by Jacobean social standards, this was perhaps not Desdemona being a ‘good wife’).
12
Q
Desdemona’s final words
A
- Desdemona refuses to blame Othello for her unhappiness, declaring it is her ‘wretched fortune’ (linking to the fact her name means ‘ill-starred’)
- marriage ultimately teaches Desdemona that ‘men are not gods’.
- her passivity in this scene contradicts her earlier assertiveness.
13
Q
Desdemona’s honour
A
- Desdemona defends her honour throughout the play: ‘By heaven, you do me wrong’
- she’s still brave and assertive, even when Othello attacks her verbally and physically
- reference to heaven reinforces Desdemona’s virtue and is ironic as she is about to be murdered
- she is loyal to her husband to the bitter end: ‘Commend me to my kind lord - O, farewell!’
14
Q
-
Iago as a villain
A
- part vice, part Machiavel, and seems to be inherently evil
- cynical, quick-witted and opportunistic - all qualities of stage villains in revenge tragedy
- where many Romantic critics (like Coleridge) viewed Iago as ‘being next to the devil’, changing social/cultural contexts have gradually caused many to instead view him as an emotionally-limited man driven by petty professional jealousy and class consciousness.
- like many stage villains, Iago is a source of irony and humour that makes him appealing to audiences (E.A.J. Honnigmann)
- perhaps Iago is allowed to live because evil will always exist in the world, and cannot be killed
- maybe used by Shakespeare to symbolise and comment on the issues with the patriarchally dominated Jacobean society in the sense that any (usually white) male is awarded privilege of unquestionable power
