Othello critical persepctives AO5 Flashcards
(15 cards)
A.C Bradely
summary of perspective
A.C. Bradley viewed Othello as a noble and romantic figure, “the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes,” who was tragically manipulated by Iago. He saw Othello as a high-status hero who, despite his initial nobility, ultimately succumbed to Iago’s machinations and his own internal vulnerabilities. Bradley emphasized the tragic nature of Othello’s downfall, highlighting the audience’s sympathy and pity for his fate.
- Bradley believed that Iago’s cunning and deceit were the primary forces behind Othello’s downfall, rather than inherent flaws in Othello himself.
- Bradley did not see Othello as entirely blameless, but he believed that the play was primarily a tragic account of a noble figure manipulated by evil and internal weakness.
A.C Bradely- memorable quotations
othello:
-Othello’s nature is all of one piece. His trust where he trusts, is absolute. Hesitation is almost impossible to him. He is extremely self-reliant, and decides and acts instantaneously. If stirred to indignation, he answers with one lightning stroke. Love, if he loves, must be to him the heaven where either he must live or bear no life. If such a passion as jealousy seizes him, it will swell into a well-nigh incontrollable flood.
Desdemona:
Desdemona is helplessly passive. She can do nothing whatever. She cannot retaliate even in speech; no, not even in silent feeling.
A.C Bradely- moments of the play supporting his view
Othello’s initial portrayal:
-In Act 1, Scene 3, Othello’s eloquence and dignity in defending his marriage to Desdemona, despite the accusations, are highlighted, aligning with Bradley’s view of him as a noble figure.
Othello’s susceptibility to jealousy:
-While Bradley acknowledges Othello’s passion, he also sees it as a result of his newness of marriage, making his jealousy understandable, a perspective that some critics disagree with.
- “If it were now to die, / ‘Twere now to be most happy” (Act 2, Scene 1)
Shows Othello’s passion and idealism—his love is real and intense.
His vulnerability in love makes him susceptible to Iago, reinforcing Bradley’s point that Othello’s flaw is too much trust, not inherent jealousy or evil.
Sean McEvoy- summary of perspective
McEvoy argues that Othello is not simply a noble hero, but a character trapped in and shaped by the racist values of the society around him.
He says the play exposes how power works-through manipulation, internalized racism, and societal expectations.
Othello ends up enforcing the very values (patriarchy, white supremacy) that ultimately destroy him.
McEvoy suggests that Othello is not just a personal tragedy, but a political one.
It reflects the structures of power and oppression in Renaissance society, particularly how people of color and women were treated.
Sean McEvoy- memorable quotes
Iago:
- ‘The audience becomes complicit in Iago’s intention and, like it or not, is soon involved in his vengeful plotting. He actually asks them what he should do…Many actors who have played the part have been capable of getting members of the audience to share Iago’s delight in his own powers of evil intention.’
othello
-‘Othello’s tragedy is that he lives according to a set of stories through which he interprets the world – an ideology – but it is a world that has been superseded. He cannot see that this is so, and the contradictions within his ideology destroy him. He is living the life of a chivalric warrior in a world run by money and self-interest.’
Sean McEvoy- moments of the play supporting his view
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe.” ( act1 s1)
Iago uses animalistic, hyper-sexualized, and racial imagery to incite Brabantio.
Supports McEvoy’s idea that Othello is viewed as the racial “other” from the beginning.
Racism is not hidden-it’s central to Venetian society.
McEvoy’s lens: This shows how Othello is defined and degraded by the dominant ideology long before he speaks.
“Rude am I in my speech / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace…” (act1 s3)
Othello presents himself as an outsider-he is adopting the Venetian ideal of what a nobleman should sound like.
He downplays his eloquence, showing he internalizes his position as someone not “naturally” suited to Venetian power.
McEvoy’s point: Othello is trying to conform to a system that will never fully accept him. He’s already internalizing ideological norms that devalue his identity.
F.R Leavis- summary of perspective
-F.R. Leavis offers a very different and sharp critical perspective on Othello compared to someone like A.C. Bradley. His interpretation is more skeptical of Othello’s character and challenges the idea that he is a noble victim.
- F.R. Leavis argues that Othello’s downfall is his own fault, not Iago’s. He sees Othello as deeply flawed, self-centered, and emotionally immature. According to Leavis, the seeds of tragedy lie within Othello himself, not in external manipulation.
F.R Leavis- memorable quotes
othello:
-‘The theme of tragedy is concentrated in…[Othello’s] final speech and action…the speech conveys something like the full complexity of Othello’s simple nature, and in the total effect the simplicity is tragic and grand.’
-‘Othello has a propensity to jealousy and possesses a weak character: the stuff of which he is made begins at once to deteriorate and show itself unfit. His love is composed largely of ignorance of self as well as ignorance of Desdemona.’
F.R Leavis- moments in the play supporting his view
“I am bound to thee forever.” (act 3 s3)
-Othello goes from loving Desdemona to trusting Iago almost immediately.
This shows emotional instability and weak judgment-not tragic nobility.
Supports Leavis: Othello’s quickness to believe Iago shows his jealousy and insecurity are internal, not caused by Iago.
“Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell!” (act 3 s3)
Instead of calmly seeking truth, Othello launches into violent, dramatic declarations.
His jealousy becomes performative-he embraces vengeance in a theatrical way.
Supports Leavis: This isn’t noble grief-it’s self-indulgent rage, suggesting pride and ego are driving him.
Jennifer Bastin- summary of perspective
Jennifer Bastin’s critical perspective on Othello focuses on the character of Bianca, offering a nuanced interpretation that challenges traditional readings. She suggests that Bianca’s presence illuminates the dynamics of the other relationships in the play, highlighting the complexities of jealousy and trust.
Bastin contends that Bianca’s role as a marginalized character allows her to reflect the paradoxes of Venetian sexual morality. She challenges the audience’s perceptions by presenting a character who, despite her societal status, exhibits agency and emotional honesty. This portrayal contrasts with the more passive roles of other female characters in the play, such as Desdemona.
Jennifer Bastin- memorable quotes
Bianca:
-‘Through Bianca, Shakespeare illuminates the passivity of the other female characters … [She] forces the audience to see her on her own terms, freed from misogynistic labels.’
Jennifer Bastin- moments in the play that suppot her view
“This is some token from a newer friend. / To the felt absence now I feel a cause: / Is’t come to this? Well, well.” ( act3 s4)
-Bianca sees the handkerchief (which Cassio asks her to copy) and assumes he’s seeing someone else. Her reaction shows genuine hurt and jealousyemotions that echo Othello’s own, but from someone marginalized
-Bianca’s emotional honesty here contrasts with Othello’s growing instability and Desdemona’s confusion. Bastin argues that Bianca is an emotionally sincere character caught in a world that devalues her due to her status.
“Alas, poor rogue! I think, i’ faith, she loves me.” (act 4 s1)
-Cassio mocks Bianca’s affection for him, even as he admits she loves him. This is juxtaposed with Othello watching and believing it’s about Desdemona.
-This shows the double standard in how women are treated—Bianca’s love is dismissed because of her lower social status, while Desdemona is idealized and yet still distrusted. Bastin uses this to highlight how all women in the play are subjected to male judgment, but Bianca exposes the hypocrisy more clearly.
Karen Newman- summary of perspective
Newman argues that both Desdemona and Othello are marginalized by Venetian society-Othello due to his race and Desdemona due to her progressive sexuality. She highlights how the play’s discourse employs binary oppositions, such as black/white and angel/devil, to polarize characters and reinforce societal norms. Newman critiques traditional readings that interpret Desdemona as a symbol of purity and opposition to blackness, suggesting instead that she identifies with the marginalized and monstrous aspects of Othello’s identity
Karen Newman memorable quotes
- Critical readings of Desdemona in the late 20th century have focused on the idea that Shakespeare uses Desdemona’s character to question and critique Jacobean ideals of femininity and the patriarchal social structures which reinforced these expectations. Karen Newman argued that the play is a critique of male anxieties about the dangers of freely expressed female desire. Irene Dash saw the play as a critique of the tragic consequences for married women trapped within a sexist patriarchal system that condones their subjection and even their abuse.
Karen Newman- moments in the play which support her view
I do perceive here a divided duty: / To you I am bound for life and education; / …But here’s my husband.” ( act 1 s3)
-Desdemona claims her sexual and marital agency in a public space, choosing Othello over her father and defying patriarchal expectations.
-Her active choice subverts gender norms-she is not passive but asserts her will. That autonomy is threatening to the social order, reinforcing Newman’s “femininity as monstrous” idea.
This is a subtle whore, / A closet lock and key of villainous secrets.” ( act4 s2)
-Desdemona is accused and punished not for anything she’s done, but for embodying male anxiety-Othello projects the monstrous feminine onto her.
- Desdemona becomes the site of projected racial and sexual fears. She’s called “whore” and treated like the very “monstrous” other Venice feared she’d become.
