Reviewing the mock

1. The significance of this extract is the setting in act 1 scene 2, it is set in 'Venice' in which Desdemona and Othello are staying. This does not follow one of Aristotle's conventions of the three unities, it in fact challenges them. This is because this play is not set in place as it is set in Venice and then in Cyprus in which Othello is representing the venetian military. This play does also not take place at one time it takes over a series of days. But their is only one action happening in which it is set around, this is Iago's plan to make Othello believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful towards him as Iago says that she is having an affair with Cassio. We are told that is not just set in Venice as Cassio arrives to deliver some news about 'Cyprus.'Therefore this play challenges Aristotles conventions of a tragedy.

2. At the end of this extracted Othello is portrayed as in control and is a general that is very well respected. The audience can see Othello's importance in this extract as Cassio has come to deliver him a message, in which he is required to go to war in Cyprus, 'Several quests,' this proves that Cassio has been sent to give him a message. Othello does not mind about having to go to war, as he says 'and go with you,' therefore he is ready to go. He is a very well respected war general, this was very unusual in the Elizabethan society as it was a racist society and Othello was black, therefore as he was a general he had a high status. He had also married a white senators daughter, in which was also unheard of in the Elizabethan era as it was not seen as okay fro a white person to marry a black person. As Othello was successful in marrying Desdemona, 'I won his daughter,' also links to othello hubris as he has excessive pride in his role. Therefore he believes that he is in control and is calm due to his role and high status. Although shakespeare makes it tragic as Othello's hubris leads to his own downfall, especially due to his outrageous behaviour, 'chaos has come again,' proving that he caused trouble.

3. Iago's behaviour in this extract is also significant as the audience can see his duplicity due to his hate towards othello, which is caused through jealousy of his role and status, ' he prated and spoke such scurvy and provoking terms.' This also shows how he has been sly and has gone to speak to Brabantio about Othello and Desdemona's secret marriage. He then tries to make Othello feel like an outsider due to his race, as in the Elizabethan society it was adhered of a black man marrying a white woman. 'Be assured of this, that the magnifico is much beloved.' This shows that Iago is trying to make Othello feel scared of Brabantio,  but this does not work as Othello is a strong, powerful character. This portrays Iago as a manipulative character, in which he is shown as two faced and it too determined in to get high status and the tole of lieutenant.

Othello - Act 5 scene 2. Lines 1-233

Answer in full sentences, with quotations. Type your responses and post to your blog.

1. What reasons does Othello give for having to kill Desdemona?

Othello kills Desdemona as he has been succumbed to believe that she has been unfaithful towards him, as Iago has set up a plan in which Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Othello's reason was because 'she was as false as water', inferring that she has not been loyal towards Othello. Therefore this leads to him killing Desdemona which then leads to his hamartia and the audience experience catharsis as they have pity for Desdemona as this was all a lie in which Othello did not realise before he killed her.

2. What evidence is there to suggest that Shakespeare adhered to racial stereotypes in this scene? Consider:

• irrational behaviour
• emotions
• danger
• the 'mystical negro' stereotype
• representations of the 'other'

Shakespeare also uses racial stereotypes in Act 5 scene 2, through the characters that he uses, Emilia calls Othello 'the blacker devil!' This proves that she is angry as she is racist to him, but it is also clear that she is angry due to the use of an exclamation mark. This also proves that Shakespeare adheres to the racial stereotypes by using 'the blacker devil' as in the Elizabethan society black people were seen as devils. Shakespeare also shows the ideas of black slavery in Africa in the Elizabethan society,'O cursed, cursed slave! Whip me, ye devils.' This proves that Othello is wanting to be punished by the devils and also wants to be whipped like he used to be when he was a slave. 

3. Othello tells Desdemona that Cassio has confessed to sleeping with her (line 68). What was this 'confession'?
Othello speaks to Desdemona and tells her that Cassio has confessed to sleeping with her, Othello believed this as he was succumbed into believing it through Iagos lies and the fact that Iago gave Othello evidence of the handkerchief, which was given to Desdemona. But Cassio was caught with it, 'saw the handkerchief,' this proves that Othello had seen the handkerchief. 

4. Emilia says "Good gentleman, let me have leave to speak./ 'Tis proper I obey him - but not now!" [5.2.192-193] what does this indicate about Emilia and society? Consider the circumstances the characters are in.

Emilia says 'Good gentleman, let me have leave to speak./ 'Tis proper I obey him - but not now!' This shows that Emilia is not the kind of woman that would conform to the expectations that are expected in the society that she lives in. But she does prove that she is going to break them. This could also suggest that Emilia is accepting that she is soon to die for speaking the truth, shown when she says 'but not know' as this could prove that she has been very quiet but it is now time for her to speak out against her husband in order to speak the truth. This shows the strength of this female character as she does not seemed bothered to speak out and still knows that she could get killed because of it. 

5. How is Emilia presented in lines 125-233. Consider the language she uses, how she behaves and what she says to Othello and Iago.

6. List all of the names Emilia calls Othello when she realises what he has done. How does this contrast with how Othello was portrayed at the start of the play?

Emilia is very angry when Othello kills Desdemona as it s her mistress, therefore she is very aggressive when speaking to Othello and calls him  a lot of names. At the start of the play Othello is shown as a calm character and a valiant moor, but when he has killed Desdemona he is now called 'the blacker devil,' by Emilia. She is racial to him due to her anger. She also says 'ignorant as dirt' which is also racial as black people were stereotyped to be unitelligent. When Emilia is killed by her husband Iago, pity is evoked as the audience feel pity for her due to her dining about thinking how bad Othello is and she was just telling the truth. 

Othello - Act 5 scene 1

How does Shakespeare create a sense of fear and confusion in Act 5 scene 1?


Setting

Language

Structure of lines

Use of characters

Shakespeare sets this scene in Cyprus in which Othello is part of the venetian military. Shakespeare sets this scene at  ‘Night’ on ‘A Street’ in a land away from Othello's home, this may create a sense of fear and confusion to the audience and the characters on stage. This night time setting may symbolise the hidden truth about Desdemona's fake infidelity and Iago's truth being revealed as Rodrigo has found his true nature out. This then evokes catharsis as the audience have fear in Desdemona and Iago to what will happen to them. 

Shakespeare also creates fear and confusion through Iago being manipulative throughout the play which lead him to being shown as the devil. This then creates fear in the audience as they would be scared of the devil. Towards the end of Act 5 scene 1, it is shown that Shakespeare has created fear and confusion through Iagos aside. The audience start to feel fear for the characters that are involved in the tragedy as Iago uses an aside to communicate to the audience, 'this is the night that either makes me or for does me quite.' This implies that he could be successful in his plan to take down Othello or fail in it. But the audience are unaware of which way this could happen therefore it creates fear and confusion for the audience. 

In this scene Shakespeare presents Iago as a fearful character, due to his realisation that his plan could fall apart due to Rodrigo saying that he will ask for all of his gifts back from Desdemona. Although this is ironic as Iago has just been keeping these gifts. Even though his plan is going to fall apart he is still shown as a strong character through his determination, 'He calls me to a restitution large.'  This si then shown through his jealousy of not having such a high status and wanting the role of lieutenant. 

Shakespeare also uses short lines with punctuation of exclamation marks and question marks in order for the audience to feel fear and confusion, 'thou diest!' This gives the audience the impression that the characters feel scared, therefore they are started to speak louder which gradually leads to shouting. At the start of this extract Iago has long speeches, but as it gets to the end his speeches are much shorter, this shows his fear as it shows lower power and fear also shows signs of weaknesses. Shakspeare also uses various different entrances exits and entrances in this scene. Having a lot of characters on the stage can cause the audience to have confusion, but this also creates an extremely manic atmosphere due to the amount of characters around and there are a lot of people to have to follow. 

Desdemona and Emilia

1. What differences are there between Desdemona and Emilia?

The differences between Desdemona and Emilia are that Desdemona is higher class which puts a social barrier in-between their relationship. Emilia is older than Desdemona which means that she is much wiser. Therefore she believes that women will cheat on men but it will be their fault as they did not love the women enough. Therefore this proves that Emilia can see the reality but Desdemona is oblivious to this and does not agree that women would cheat or even have sex with anyone before marriage.This shows that they both have different attitudes towards men and love, Desdemona is much more romantic whereas Emilia sees it as unequal.  Emilia is less passive towards her husband whereas Desdemona is very naive.


2. Why do you think Emilia does not mention the handkerchief to Desdemona? Use what you hear in the video, as well as your own ideas. Consider the relationship between Iago and Emilia, as well as the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia.

Emilia does not mention the handkerchief to her friend Desdemona as she does not believe the handkerchief is very important but it is too Iago, therefore she believes this is a chance for her to get some affection from her husband Iago. Emilia and Iagos relationship is not very strong as they do not have strong bond therefore she believes this will also allow their relationship to get better. If Emilia told Desdemona it may be unprofessional and they do not already have a very strong relationship therefore they would still not be very close if she was told. 

Othello act 4 scene 2

1. What does Othello ask Emilia at the beginning of the scene, and how does Emilia respond?

Othello asks Emilia whether Desdemona has been having an affair, ‘yes, you have seen Cassio and she together.’ Emilia tells him that she has not seen them together and reacts by saying ‘but then I saw no harm, and then I heard each syllable that breath made up between them.’ Emilia constantly says ‘never’ as she knows that nothing is happening as she is with Desdemona every second of the day so does not see how this could happen. She believes that Desdemona would never do such a thing as she can see how much love she has for Othello, therefore she tells Othello this and tells him how much Desdemona loves him.

1. What does Othello say to Desdemona and how does Desdemona respond? Is Othello treating Desdemona fairly?

Othello calls Desdemona a ‘subtle whore.’ But Desdemona does not really respond as she is so naive, therefore she has no idea what is going on. This then means that she does not know why her husband is saying these horrible words about her. From an audiences perspective we would say that Desdemona is being treated unfairly as we know that Iago is making things up about Desdemona’s affair. Therefore she is being treated badly by her husband as he has been made to believe that it is true. But from Othello’s view she is being treated fairly and she is getting what she deserves as he believes that she is having an affair with Cassio. Therefore he believes that she is in the wrong. 

1. When Desdemona and Emilia tell Iago about Othello’s behaviour, how does Iago respond? What does Iago say he thinks is the cause of Othello’s anger? What does Emilia think is the cause?

Iago responds to the situation of Othello’s behaviour in panic, as he has realised that they are going to be able to work out that it is him that has set the plot up about Desdemona’s affair with Cassio. Therefore he is worried that he is going to get caught out and this will make Othello very angry. He blames Othellos cause of anger on ‘the business of the state does him offence, and he does chide with you.’ This means that the letter that Othello was given has angered him and he has a bad day at work, therefore this is Iagos excuse to get himself out of trouble. But Emilia says ‘ I will be hung’d if some eternal villain, some busy and insinuating rogue, some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, have not devis’d this slander: ill be hung’d else.’ This proves that Emilia has realised that someone has lied to Othello as she is inquisitive enough to work this out. Although if she did know it was Iago she would not be able to say anything as women is inferior to men so she would not have a voice to say anything about her thoughts. 

1. Why is Roderigo angry and how does he threaten Iago? In response, what does Iago say Roderigo must do and why? According to Iago, what will be Roderigo’s reward if he follows Iago’s advice?

Roderigo is angry at Iago as at the start of the play Iago said that he was going to give the jewels to Desdemona but he did not do this which caused Roderigo to be very annoyed at him. Another reason why Roderigo is angry at Iago as at the start of the play Iago promised that Roderigo would get Desdemona but has not completed his one job that he was supposed to do. Therefore he tells Roderigo that Othello and Desedemona are leaving and the only way to get them to stay is killing Cassio, ‘non can be so determinate as the removing of Cassio.’ Therefore Roderigo is not very happy with this so he threatens Iago by saying ‘I will seek satisfaction of you.’ This means that he wants to beat him up as he is very annoyed at Iago. But the audience know that he won’t beat him up as he would not have told him he would have just hit him straight away.

Othello act 3 scene 3

For what two reasons does Desdemona agree to plead Cassio's case?

One of the reasons that Desdemona agrees to help Cassio is by talking to Othello to get Cassios job back for him. Desdemona does this because she has seen that Othello and Cassio have a good bond.  Although Desdemona can see this Cassio feels that Othello will forget about everything that Cassio does for him and has done for him, he also thinks that he will only think about the bad events that happened between them. Desdemona says that she will not let Othello think that about him. Desdemona does this because she likes Cassio so wants to help him.

What is Iago referring to when he says, "Ha! I like not that."

Iago is referring to Desdemona and Cassio being together. I ago says this because he does not want Othello to think that something is going on between Desdemona and Cassio. Iago says this though so that he comes across to Othello that he cares and is sticking up for Othello.

After Othello repeatedly urges Iago to tell him what's on his mind, Iago says "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green eyed monster, which doth mock / The meat it feeds on." What is Othello's response? What does he want from Iago?

Once Iago has told Othello to not be jealous, we can see that Iago’s plan has worked as he has made Othello fall out of love with Desdemona, as Iago has made him think that she is unfaithful towards him. Othello wants Iago to tell the truth and to be honest with him.

What does Iago say about the women of Venice?

Iago says he knows well the ways of the women of Venice: they are promiscuous, and though heaven knows their little exploits, their men don't. ‘Her own clime, complexion and degree.’ He says this because they are out of place if they are not together.

What contextual evidence do we have to support Iago's views of Venetian women?

The contextual evidence that we have to support Iagos view is that in the Shakespeare time women were not heard and did not really have a voice, they were also very rarely seen; this was because they were seen as a possession to their husband. They would follow orders of their husband and be faithful.

What does Iago plan to do with the handkerchief?

Iago plans to place the handkerchief in Casio’s room. He does this because he wants Casio to find the handkerchief. ‘I will in Casio’s lodging lose this napkin and let him find it.’ Iago does this as he knows that it will annoy Othello, once Iago has done this Othello grabs him by the throat, therefore you can see how annoyed Othello gets from Iago hiding the handkerchief.

Othello Act 1 scene 3

How does the Duke and the senators speak of Othello?
The Duke and the Senators speak of Othello in a good way, as they show respect towards him. We can see this from "duty recommends you." This shows the respect for Othello. This also shows that they look up to him as they think he is a very good man. They also know his importance, which is why they look up to him.
How does Brabantio speak of his daughter?
Brabantio speaks about his daughter in a bad way. This is because he describes her as being weak and vulnerable. he speaks about her in a bad way as she is getting married to a black man and her father is not very happy about it.
What do we learn about views towards foreigners/moors?
We learn throughout act scene 2 that the attitude towards moors is negative. Othello is a moor and many people say horrible things about him, due to him being a moor. Desdemona says that she does not find Othello physically attractive this is referring to him being black.  
What is ironic about Othellos claim that "rude i am in my speech?
He says that he can not speak well but he is very well spoken and speaks much better than any other characters. 
What is startling about Othellos decision to let Desdemona speak on his behalf?
The thing that is startling about Othello's decision to let Desdemona speak is that it is very unusual for a man to let a lady say there opinion. As the men were the dominant ones. This also makes Othello look vulnerable as he is getting a lady to speak for him.
What 'stories' does Othello tell in his speech to the senate?
Othello tells stories about when he used to be a slave and how he escaped. He also tells stories about the venetian war. 
Why do senators listen to Desdemona and what does she persuade them to do?
The senators listen to Desdemona as Othello has asked them to and Othello has a high status. She has persuaded them to let her go to Cyprus with Othello.
What praise does the Duke afford Othello?
The praise that the Duke offers Othello is that he is more white than black. He says 'your son in law is far more fair than black.'
What is significant about the rhyming couplet used by Brabantio?

What is Ironic about Othello's retort and his subsequent description of Iago?
The ironic thing about Othello's retort and description of Iago is that he calls Iago 'honest' but really Othello is betraying Iago. This show that it is ironic. 
Why is Rodrigo so distraught and how does Iago convince him to keep going?
Rodrigo is so distraught as he can seeing that everything is going really well between Othello and Desdemona. Iago convinces him to keep going by saying that he is being to emotional. Men were not seen as emotional therefore Iago uses this to manipulate him. 
Focus on Iago's Soliloquy what reasons does he give for wanting revenge against Othello?