Light and dark

Question 1

What is the significance of the motif of light and darkness

Answer 1

• light/ white represents purity and goodness
• dark/ black represents evil
• visually shown in the relationship between Desdemona and Othello
• verbally reinforced frequently

Question 2

How is the motif of light and darkness introduced

Answer 2

‘Old black ram tupping your white ewe’

Question 3

How does the motif of light and darkness elevate Othello as the tragic hero in 1.3

Answer 3

‘your son in law is more fair than black’

Question 4

How is darkness used in terms of stagecraft

Answer 4

Two of Iago’s main schemes are in the dark:
- the failed rousing of Brabantio in 1.1
- the successful attack of Cassio and murder of Roderigo in 5.1

Question 5

How is darkness associated with fear?

Answer 5

• ‘kill men in the dark’
• ‘hell and night bring this monstrous birth to light’
• the evil in the play is displayed to be conceived in the dark and brought to light

Question 6

How is the contrast between light and dark ultimately the cause of the demise of Othello and Desdemona

Answer 6

• the journey down has Othello becoming more aligned with what is expected of darker (Moorish people)
• ‘more the angel she and you the blacker devil’ (Emilia 5.2)

Question 7

Who wrote ‘Things of Darkness’

Answer 7

Kim Hall

Question 8

What is significant about ‘Things of Darkness’

Answer 8

• dark and light were typically being used as a code of morality for Shakespearean audiences
• this period of time also saw a greater understanding of the presence of other skin colours
• thus began a troubling connection between black skin colour and black morals

Question 9

How did light and darkness create conflict in Shakespearean era (also included in ‘Things of Darkness’)

Answer 9

The long standing tradition of using light and dark to represent good and evil clashed with the reality of increased contact of people with white skin and people with darker skin

Question 10

How does Brabantio exemplify the theme of light and darkness

Answer 10

‘a maid so fair….run to the sooty bosom of a thing such as thou’

Question 11

What is significant about the references to light and dark in regards to Desdemona and Othello

Answer 11

• they are constantly mingled
• highlighting the supposed issues with the conjoining of two ‘opposites’