Roderigo quotes

Question 1

'’What a full fortune does the thick lips owe’’ (1.1)

Answer 1

This is a racial remark about Othello, hinting that he has big lips

Question 2

‘o dammed Iago, o inhumane dog’ (5.1)

Answer 2

could symbolise the ‘dog’ that guards the gates of hell, something which is completely illegal and emphasises Iago’s viscous, evil nature. This could also portray Roderigo’s own anagnorisis, as he realises Iago’s villainy, which helps tighten the tragedy of the play.

Question 3

“Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes/ In an extravagant and wheeling stranger.”

Answer 3

Wheeling stranger’ presents Othello as godless, significant as he calls his evolution from Islam to Christianity his “pilgrimage” in Act 1 Scene 3. In terms of Desdemona, it shows that she has her worth tied to her father, and now she will be tied to another male body. The semantic field of entrapment shows the claustrophobia projected upon Desdemona before she even gets to Cyprus – her fate is already determined, reflective of her name that means “ill-starred.”