Othello act one part two Flashcards
(6 cards)
what does the quote I know my price, I am worth no worse a place’ mean
Iago incurs resentment towards Othello for various reasons. With this line we see the emergence of a deep jealousy, the beginning of tragic villainy which overtime, moulds itself into vapid incomplete explanations of malice, with the audience is unable to determine Iago’s true drive. He uses a multifaceted compound sentence to reveal his anger towards himself and the apparent class divide which acts as one explanation of his ruthless attempt of obtaining power. Iago has class envy, he is jealous of the nepotistic society around him which promotion is dependent on ‘letter and affection’ rather than efficiency, skills and experience. Coupled with the setting of renaissance Italy, we are able to gain insight into the rigid hierarchical structure. Thus proving that his hatred of Othello is largely rooted in class division.
what does the quote ‘I am not what I am’ mean
This speech embodies Iago’s elliptical manner of speaking, alluding to biblical imagery casting him as an allegorical figure of evil. The devil’s incarnate. It is at this moment does Shakespeare begin to intertwine the moral context of deception into the play commissioning the audience to identify Iago as the tragic villain or as Graham Bradshaw refers to him as ‘the surrogate dramatist’. With this recognition Iago is able to ignite the transgression of the play and all the audience can do is wait.
what does the quote ‘Iago who had hadst my purse as if the strings were thine’ mean
Almost immediately does Shakespeare use foreshadowing to cast Roderigo as Iago’s pawn. His gullibility, naivety as well as his love for Desdemona make him an archetypal love-fool and a perfect target of manipulation by the clever Iago. Here, an imperceptible hint of tragic villainy is introduced to fabricate curiosity into the character of Iago
what does the quote ‘An old black ram is tupping your white ewe’ mean?
Iago characterises Othello as a mindless animal who has besmirched the pure Desdemona with his lust, employing animalistic imagery to introduce the racial connotations of black vs white something that was most prevalent in Shakespeare’s times. In reducing Othello to a ram, Iago demotes him to a beast essentially stripping him of his humanity and ‘titles.. and perfect soul’
ridiculing his race and revealing his own jealousy. Othello is alienated from the people of Venice, Iago uses this to enact his villainy and wicked intent of ruining Othello’s happiness and peace of mind. The general has everything Iago wants, status, power and respect considering his background and race, it is no surprise that the first comment he makes about Othello to Brabantio is about his race.
what does the quote ‘My parts, my title and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly’ mean ?
Iago is used in this scene to cast doubt on the magnificence of Othello subtly persuading him to run away from the scornful Brabantio but Othello, perfectly confident in himself and the virtue in his actions in rhythmic controlled language tells Iago he must be found : ‘my parts, my title and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly’ with this line, Othello commands the stage as well as the audience’s admiration as a black general although, this line could be claimed as a smack of arrogance. Shakespeare contextualises ideas of power as Iago attempts to shift the power balance in this scene to his favour, a reference to the previous scene with Roderigo, purposefully distinguishing the ‘valiant Othello’ from the archetypal love-fool. He remains unperturbed to iago’s attempts of tragic villainy, due to his valour and integrity .His statement also initiates a building block for the transgression of the play as the line unearths itself in his attempt to compose his own eulogy, we as the audience question if this statement does ‘manifest’ him rightly in the end
what does the quote ‘I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege and my demerits may speak unbonneted’ mean?
Othello’s identity is consumed by his race and his actions. Throughout the play, he is defined by what he is and the qualities or stereotypes that are associated with it. He is the ‘valiant moor’ because he is a black war general whereas characters such as Michael Cassio, are described as affectionate, honest and loyal. Whether or not Cassio’s whole being revolves around his line of work is unknown but it is known to Othello and the people around him, that his whole being revolves around his work as the war general.
