Act One Scene Three Questions (in 45-225)

Act One, Scene Three (In 45-225)

1. How does the Duke and Senators speak of Othello?

They speak of him as if he's important because they call him the "valiant Moor". This would suggest that he is of an important position. Also they speak about him using racist terms like "Moor" which would suggest society at this time was racist.

2. How does Brabantio speak of his daughter?

He speaks of Desdemona as if Othello has ruined her as if she's an object to be damaged which is demonstrated when he says: "she is abused". This would also suggest a racist society because he thinks that just because his daughter's husband is black that she's "abused" with some kind of drugs or magic spells which was a racist view held of black people.

3. What do we learn about views towards foreigners/moors?

We learn that society was highly racist and that they had low opinions of "Moors". We also learn that Othello has a lot of people that respect him though because of his high position, however, he loses the respect of Brabantio when he marries Desdemona because he's black and Brabantio believes he's used drugs or magic to 'win' her. This is another racist view that the only way "Moors" can get people to find them attractive is by using magic or drugs.

4.What is ironic about Othello's claim that "rude I am in my speech"?

Because he says he can't speak very well in front of people but he manages to deliver several speeches, using really good language in front of lots of people when he's explaining how Desdemona fell in love with him and how he didn't use magic or drugs to 'win' her.

5. What is startling about Othello's decision to let Desdemona speak on his behalf?

Aristotle stated that the tragic hero in a classic tragedy should be a man of magnitude and if Othello is a man of magnitude then he should be able to speak on his own behalf and not need Desdemona to prove that she loves him. He should be able to do that for himself. Also, society was patriarchal at this time so what ever Desdemona says would not be taken too seriously anyway because she's a woman so the fact that Othello has to get his wife to speak for him may make us question whether he really is a man of magnitude.

6. Using the thinking question, what 'stories' does Othello tell in his speech to the senate? 

He tells all the stories from his life: "battles, sieges, fortunes" and explains that when he told these stories to Desdemona, she felt sympathy for him which is how she fell in love with him. Not all of his stories were true though, he just liked the feeling of Desdemona feeling sorry for him and all that she thinks he has been through. They are Othello's 'ideologies' and how he would have wanted things to be  so he lie about it which is what he feels he needs to do in order for Desdemona to fall in love with him.

Act One Scene Two Questions

Act One, Scene Two

1. Thoughts on Othello

Very confident and authoritive.

“keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them”.

This quote demonstrates Othello’s confidence because he is in a dangerous situation, doesn’t show any fear and asserts his authority over the other men through his tone. This also demonstrates how well respected Othello is because all of the men listen to him and do not fight him.

Remains calm.

“The goodness of the night upon you, friends! What is the news?

This quote demonstrates how calm Othello is because Iago has just told him that lots are people are angry with him and the fact that he’s married Desdemona and although Cassio is not one of them, Othello doesn’t know this when he is first approached by Cassio and he still remains calm. This also shows Othello’s intelligence because he doesn’t see fighting as necessary, whereas Iago does.

2. How does Othello respond to Iago’s baiting?

He doesn’t really react.

“’Tis better as it is”

This demonstrates that Othello is more intelligent than Iago because he doesn’t see the need to get angry or lose his temper with what Iago has just told him and therefore doesn’t give Iago the reaction he wants from him.

3. How does Brabanito react upon meeting Othello?

He accuses Othello of theft.

“Down with him, thief!”

This demonstrates how both Iago and Brabanito view Desdemona as a possession to own, it highlights the patriarchal views of the society at this time. Brabanito is not happy that his daughter has gotten married behind his back and because she is a woman, she is seen to not be capable of making her own decisions which is why Brabanito is angry with Othello as he believes Othello has forced her into this.

Brabanito is also highly racist to Othello.

“thou hast enchanted her”

“Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals”

The racist views towards black people in this society are shown through the way Othello is spoken to by Brabanito. Because Othello is black, Brabanito finds it impossible to believe that Desdemona could find him attractive and therefore accuses him of drugging her or putting some kind of spell on her so that she would marry him. Therefore showing the racist views of society believing that black people are evil and that people could not freely fall in love with them.

4. How does Othello react to Brabanito’s charges?

Othello again, demonstrates how he remains calm.

“Hold your hands….Where will you that I go to answer this your charge?”

He demonstrates his honourable nature by remaining calm and asking where he can go to answer to Brabanito’s charges. By doing this he shows that he is a man of magnitude because he doesn’t see fighting as necessary because there is a better way to get the right conclusion and he wants a chance to explain himself because fighting would just make him look worse  in this situation.

Also, he threatens Brabanito.

“Where it my cue to fight, I should have known it without a prompter.”

He is saying that if he wanted to fight, he would have and he would’ve won against them all. This is a threat to Brabanito because he is showing that he is of an important position and he would be able to fight if he wanted to. He chooses not to because he doesn’t see the need and, by doing this, he hasn’t given Iago the reaction that he wants in this situation.

Act One Scene One Questions

Act One, Scene One

1.Thoughts on Othello

That he's a thief.

“Thieves, thieves, thieves! Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! Thieves, thieves!”

We think of Othello as an evil man who has stolen Desdemona, Brabanito’s daughter. They objectify Desdemona because they speak of her as if she is a possession to own and to steal. At this point in the play, we do not like Othello because he doesn’t sound like a nice character.

Taking advantage of Desdemona.

“an old black ram is tupping your white ewe!”

We think of Othello disgustingly taking advantage of Desdemona and for the original audience of this play, we would have been shocked that a white woman would be with a black man because of the highly racist views in society in this time. 

2. Why do we believe Iago?

He’s manipulative.

“nor all masters cannot be truly followed.”

At this point in the play we cannot see how cunning Iago is because Othello hasn't been introduced to the play yet so we can only go on what he's telling us and trust what he's saying. He even gets the audience to dislike Othello before he's even in the play.

3. Why does Brabantio react the way he does?

Because at the time the play was set, society was highly racist and Othello is black so Brabantio doesn't like the fact that he has 'stolen' his daughter.

4. What is 'wrong' with Michael Cassio?

He's handsome and Iago is jealous of him because he wants his job and he tries to pick out all of his flaws like the fact that he's "never set a squadron in the field". He's trying to highlight his imperfections so that he can feel better about himself.

5. Why/how is Iago the perfect Venetian man?

He's manipulative cunning and 'strong' which is what Venetian men are described like.

6. How doe Brabantio think Othello has won Desdemona?

Through witchcraft and the use of magic because he doesn't honestly believe that Desdemona could freely fall in love with him and find him attractive because he's black.

7. Is there anything in his words and actions that make us doubt Iago's honesty?

He's underhand and sneaky.
"Whether I in any just term am affined to the Moor"
This demonstrates how he's cunning because he's covering his back to Roderigo after he's just been telling him how much he hates Othello but realises that because of his job and friendship with him he will have to continue to act that way, especially for his plan to work, so he's telling Roderigo that he's only acting like he likes Othello because he has to.

Othello Act 1 Scene 1 TASK

How does Shakespeare present the world of Venice in the first act, and how does he construct the interactions of his central characters (Iago, Othello, and Desdemona) with that Venetian world and with each other. How are these interactions complicated by the fact that Othello is a Moor and that Desdemona is a young women? Shakespeare presents the world of Venice as very racist and patriarchal because women and black people were seen as inferior to white men. This  is demonstrated by Iago and Roderigo and how they describe Othello and as if Desdemona would have not had a say in their marriage because she's a women, which also links to  Brabanito reaction to Desdemona marrying Othello because he says is must be a type of magic that Othello has used. Because Desdemona is a girl, they think she is incapable of making decisions for herself like this therefore see it must be a form of magic and that's how Brabanito justifies it to himself too. He doesn't like the idea of his daughter marrying a 'Moor'. What sort of person is Iago, as he appears in act 1? Are you satisfied by the reasons he gives for hating Othello? What is Iago's relationship with Roderigo? Iago appears to be a very manipulative person because he's taking all of Roderigo's money and making out to him as if he's working for him when in actual fact he's not using the money for what he says he will and he's not working for Roderigo because he actually likes Othello, but lies to Roderigo and says he hates him because he knows Roderigo wants to be with Desdemona so Roderigo also hates Othello. Iago holds all the power in  his relationship with Roderigo because he is able to manipulate him so easily into doing what he wants him to do and getting him to believe what ever he wants him to so that things will be better in his own situation. What sort of language does Iago use? What sort of language does Othello use? What might be the significance of this difference? Iago uses language to suggest the type of character he his e.g. 'poison' whereas Othello uses more gentle language which demonstrates he's not a nasty character. The significance of this difference could be to show how the play ends when we realise what Iago is really like and when Othello realises the mistake he has made by listening to Iago which demonstrates that Iago is almost poisonous for what he has done and Othello is not actually a nasty man, because although he kills Desdemona, he realises in the end that he was wrong and regrets it.

Othello questions

Why do Iago and Roderigo wake Brabantio?

To tell him that his daughter has married Othello.

How does Brabantio believe Othello ‘won’ his daughter, Desdemona?

With witchcraft

How does Othello believe he ‘won’ Desdemona?

Through being brave when he was telling her about his stories from the past

What two reasons are there for Othello appearing before the senate?

To tell him he has to go to war and because Brabantio wanted to get a punishment for him for marrying his daughter, Desdemona.

What do we learn about Othello’s past?

That he was sold into slavery but managed to escape


What terms are used to describe Othello whilst in front of the senate?


They're all racist about him and use terms like:
"The Moor"
"The thick-lips"


What is significant about Brabantio’s rhyming couplet “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to
see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.”?


It's foreshadowing that she will be unfaithful to him.


Can you find an example of dramatic irony in Othello’s retort?


Dramatic irony is used when Othello is supposed to be the tragic hero, yet he gets his wife to speak on his behalf which doesn't make it seem that he has much power for someone who's a general.


What does Iago persuade Roderigo to do?


To give him all of his money


What do we learn from Iago’s soliloquy?


That he's manipulating Roderigo for his money and he wants Othello to be dead, he wasn't trying to help Roderigo 'win' Desdemona, he just hates Othello and wants him dead.


Pause question.
According to Aristotle, “The hero must have good qualities appropriate to his or her
station and should be portrayed realistically and consistently”, what qualities has Othello
displayed so far? Do you regard these as appropriate to his ‘station’?


He has portrayed his good qualities because he doesn't have a fight at the start but he has also portrayed his weak qualities because he gets Desdemona to speak on his behalf and doesn't speak for himself. According to Aristotle's rules, he doesn't seem to fit the description of what a tragic hero should be so therefore doesn't have all of the qualities appropriate for his 'station'.

Possible Questions

Bertens says: 'it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness'.
Using the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?




'Capitalism, Marxism tells us, thrives on exploiting its labourers'.
Using  the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?




'Capitalism turns people into things, it reifies them.'
Using the Critical Anthology and four of Larkin's poems, to what extent do you agree with this statement?

Classical Tragedy:

A branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered by a heroic individual.

The concept of Classical Tragedy originated from Ancient Greece in the 5th Century BCE.

Some of the earliest examples of Classical Tragedies were Oedipus Rex by Sophocles which was first performed in 429 BCE, The Oresteia by Aeschylus which was first performed in 458 BCE, and Ajax by Sophocles which was written in the 5th Century BCE.

Aristotle:

Aristotle was a Greek Philosopher and scientist who was born in Stagira, on the northern periphery of Classical Greece. He was born in 384 BC and died in 322 BC. He wrote his study of tragedy, Poetics, in 335 BCE. According to Aristotle, the aim of tragedy is to teach the audience how to best run their lives from learning not to do the same as the tragic hero in tragedies. He believed that they teach people what to do and what not to do in life.

6 component parts of tragedy, according to Aristotle:

1. Plot

2. Character

3. Diction

4. Reasoning (case being staged and opinions of characters being expressed)

5. Spectacle

6. Lyric Poetry

According to Aristotle, a good tragic structure consists of  the plot being a complete whole — with a definite beginning, middle, and end — and its length should be such that the spectators can comprehend without difficulty both its separate parts and its overall unity.

The tragic hero must be someone  of high importance but must also be someone who the audience can identify with so they can relate to them and their problems and then learn from their mistakes too. The tragic hero is very important in a Classical Tragedy because it's them who the audience learn from.

Hamartia:

The idea that the tragic hero makes a mistake.

Tragic flaw:

Called a hubris - a kind of excessive pride that causes the hero to ignore important warnings and break moral codes, thereby committing hamartia.

Peripeteia:

Greek for catastrophe.

Anagnorisis (recognition):

Important that the tragic hero recognises their tragic flaw in order for the audience to learn from their mistakes and know that the tragic hero has also learnt from their mistakes.