Othello Flashcards
character (25 cards)
The Mediator
“Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (Act 1 Scene 2) - he doesn’t view violence as a solution
The leader
“Cassio, I love thee, /But never more be officer of mine” (Act 2 Scene 3) - Othello is willing to sacrifice his own loyalties in order to act the perfect leader
“send for the lady […]/And let her speak of me to her father” (Act 1 Scene 3)
presents the faith Othello has in Desdemona, as well as his appreciation for her own voice and opinions.
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed, /And I loved her that she did pity them” (Act 1 Scene 3)
illustrates the strength Othello draws from her support, showing how marriage should be a union and a meeting of perspectives, rather than one’s power over another.
“My soul’s joy, /If after every tempest come such calms, /May the winds blow till they have wakened death” AND
“The greatest discords be /That e’er our hearts hall make (Act 2 Scene 1)
Othello as an optimist. he feels like together, him and Desdemona can face anything. the references to nature and music draw strong parallels to traditional love poetry.
“Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw /The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt”
“If she be false, O then heaven mock itself” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Othello’s trust is greater than his own self-doubt or insecurity. resembles someone swearing to God - demonstrating how Desdemona’s honesty forms the foundations of Othello’s worldview.
“good Iago” (Act 2 Scene 1)
“most honest” (Act2 Scene 3)
“full of love and honesty” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Othello is naïve in his blind trust
“Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy, /To follow still the changes of the moon /With fresh suspicions?” (Act 3 Scene 3)
implies Othello will be resistant to Iago’s ploys. He appears aware of his own weakness and of the temptations of jealousy.
“To be once in doubt /Is once to be resolved […] I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Shakespeare implies Othello’s willingness to communicate with Desdemona, not allowing any ill feelings to fester, will save their marriage.
“On the proof, there is no more but this: /Away at once with love or jealousy!” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Shakespeare hints at Othello’s hubris; he is overconfident, believing himself immune to the feelings that would compromise his rational thought.
“Thou hast set me on the rack” (Act 3 Scene 3)
This metaphor (medieval methods of torture) conveys Iago’s growing power over Othello, as well as the doubts that corrupt Othello’s mind.
“Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content! (Act 3 Scene 3)
Shakespeare implies Othello’s greatest nemesis is his own mind. Paranoia is what causes his downward spiral, and he is no longer able to trust his own feelings towards Desdemona.
“Give me the ocular proof” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Othello relies too heavily on physical proof.
“Our new heraldry is hands, not hearts” (Act 3 Scene 4)
This obsession with evidence foreshadows what happens with the handkerchief. His insecurities take over and he reduces Desdemona to a series of objects and gestures.
“Farewell […] the big wars /That makes ambition virtue […] /Farewell […] pride, pomp, and circumstances of glorious war!” (Act 3 Scene 3)
the glorification of violence. Othello’s manhood is tied to his “occupation” and now he feels disconnected from his role.
“Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell! /Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne /To tyrannous hate!” (Act 3 Scene 3)
resembles a war-like cry or call to arms. he could be attempting to regain is military prowess.
“My bloody thoughts with violent pace /Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love” (Act 3 Scene 3)
Othello’s wrath and bloodthirst. Love is a weakness and obstacle he must overcome.
“To confess and be hanged for his labour. First to be hanged and then to confess” (Act 4 Scene 1)
Paradoxical statement which reflects his broken state of mind. He has lost awareness of justice, wishing Cassio is “hanged” and then “confess”. Suggests Othello craves the death of his enemies rather than the truth.
Iago suggests Othello kill Desdemona in “her bed”. Othello replies “The justice of it pleases” (Act 4 Scene 1)
Othello’s sense of lawfulness and justice is now centred around his own desires. he has gained an inflated ego, viewing himself capable of making life and death decisions (God)
“I’ll tear her all to pieces!” (Act 3 Scene 3) and “I will chop her into messes. Cuckold me!” (Act 4 Scene 1)
reveals his fixation on being cuckolded - he is furious that she would dare humiliate him. This suggests the truth is no longer important to Othello - he craves validation and for his masculinity to be reinstated. Desdemona is a symbol of his insecurities.
“Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men” (Act 5 Scene 1)
Othello is fighting for all men. Her death is symbolic of men’s victory over cuckoldry and deceitful female sexuality.
AO5: The Other
The Other is any individual who doesn’t belong with the group because of some fundamental difference. Othering establishes power imbalances between the colonised and the coloniser. This allows false binary divisions, such as social class, race, or gender, to endure. A symbol of the oppressed and repressed.
Portrayal of deterioration through structure and form
At the beginning: “Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, […] I will a round unvarnish’d tale deliver /Of my whole course of love” (1.3)
Once engulfed by jealousy: “he foams at the mouth and by and by /Breaks out to savage madness” (4.1) (Iago telling Cassio) - foreshadows what is to come of Othello
“O curse of marriage, /that we can call these delicate creatures ours /and not their appetites” (3.3)
place emphasis on Desdemona’s betrayal. The semantic field of property and ownership suggests Othello is angered because his wife has broken a material contract, rather than his heart. Her affections and body belong to him and she has robbed him by committing adultery.
