Othello Critics Flashcards
(18 cards)
What does A.C. Bradley say about Othello’s character?
He sees Othello as ‘the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes,’ but his downfall is due to his simplicity, making him vulnerable to jealousy.
How does F.R. Leavis contrast with A.C. Bradley’s view on Othello?
Leavis argues that Othello has a ‘self-dramatising’ streak and is ‘egotistical,’ making his jealousy a product of pride rather than Iago’s manipulation.
What does Ania Loomba suggest about Othello’s racial identity?
She suggests Othello is both ‘an honorary white’ and ‘still a racial outsider,’ highlighting the play’s colonial and racial anxieties.
What is Karen Newman’s argument regarding Othello’s race?
Newman argues that Othello’s race destabilises the Venetian social order and that Desdemona’s desire for him threatens patriarchy.
What does Marilyn French claim about the play’s view of women?
She claims the play exposes a ‘male society’s view of women as possessions.’
How does Lisa Jardine interpret Desdemona’s character?
Jardine sees Desdemona as ‘too knowing’ and ultimately punished for defying male expectations.
What does Coleridge say about Iago’s actions?
He describes Iago’s actions as ‘motiveless malignity,’ making him a metaphysical force of evil.
What is E.A.J. Honigmann’s perspective on Iago?
Honigmann argues that Iago is not motiveless but rather ‘a practical joker’ who enjoys his own cleverness and control.
What does Valerie Traub say about reputation in the play?
She states that reputation is tied to gender; female chastity is policed while male honour becomes performative.
What does Ruth Vanita highlight about the obsession with honour?
Vanita highlights how the obsession with honour destroys love, particularly through Othello’s inability to separate love from possession.
What does Edward Pechter say about Othello’s identity?
He states that Othello’s identity unravels under external pressure; ‘he becomes the man others say he is.’
How does Leonard Tennenhouse describe the tragedy of Othello?
He argues that tragedy occurs because Othello tries to live out an identity formed by a white-dominated society.
What does Caryl Phillips say about Othello’s love?
He states that Othello ‘loves not wisely but too well’—his love is obsessive and fused with social anxiety.
How does Stephen Greenblatt view Desdemona and Othello’s love?
He views their love as transgressive but doomed by cultural boundaries.
What does A.D. Nuttall argue about the audience’s pleasure in tragedy?
He argues that the audience’s pleasure comes from sadism—watching Othello fall is ‘delight in the disturbing.’
What is David Kastan’s belief about Shakespearean tragedy?
He believes it presents ‘a worldview that resists explanation’ and evokes incomprehensibility more than justice.
What does W.H. Auden say about Iago?
He describes Iago as ‘a practical joker’ who finds pleasure in destroying illusions others live by.
How does Harold Bloom characterize Iago’s success?
Bloom states that Iago’s success lies in his mastery of appearances; he uses truth to tell lies.
