11English / Themes of The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge and Othello

Moulin Rouge – Love Quotes (intertextuality)”I was made for loving you, baby” “All you need is love””I will always love you”(repetition)”The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return”(allegory)”Why would the courtesan choose the penniless sitar player over the maharajah, who is offering a lifetime of security. That’s real love.”
Moulin Rouge – Freedom Quotes “All my life you made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me! But Christian loves me…and that is worth everything!”
Moulin Rouge – Truth Quotes (intertextuality, irony)”My heart is breaking, but the show must go on”(dialogue)”Use your talent to save him… Hurt him to protect him.”(allegory)”The truth is, I am the courtesan and I choose the maharajah.”
Gatsby – Love Quotes (colour imagery)”Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the windows…and the two women slowly ballooned to the floor.”(characterisation)”He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy”
Gatsby – Money Quotes (colour imagery and contrast)”This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the form of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendant effort, of ash-grey men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.””golden girl”(characterisation)”It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such – beautiful shirts before.””Her voice is full of money.”(symbolism)”He stretched out his arms toward the dark water… I…distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away.”
Gatsby – Social Class Quotes (anecdote)”His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself.””They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and…then retreated back into their money…and let other people clean up the mess.”(narrative voice)”I’m inclined to reserve all judgements…I come to an admission that it has a limit.”
Gatsby – Spirituality Quotes (imagery)”The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg…dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.”
Gatsby – Women’s Roles Quotes (characterisation)”I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(imagery)”a great number of girls danced individualistically.”
Othello – Manipulation Quotes (metaphors, idiom, animal imagery)”an old black ram is tupping your white ewe””You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse, you’ll have your nephews neigh to you.””Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.””In sleep I heard him say, ‘Sweet Desdemona…'””So I will turn her virtue into pitch and out of her own goodness make the net that will enmesh them all.”(metaphor)”With as little web as this shall I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio.””If I fastem but one cup upon him…he’ll be as full of quarrel and offence as my young mistress’ dog.””My wayward husband hath a hundred timed wooed me to steal it…I nothing but please his fantasy.”
Othello – Appearance v. Reality Quotes (irony)”Honest Iago.””A man is he of honesty and trust.””Goodnight, honest Iago.”(paradox)”In following him, I follow but myself… I am not what I am.”(Allusion)”By Janus, I think no.”(simile)”The Moor is of free and open nature, that thinks men honest that seem to be so, and will be tenderly led by the nose as asses are.”
Othello – Jealousy Quotes (soliloquy)”For I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leapt into my seat…For I fear Cassio with my nightcap too.”(violent imagery, repetition)”O, blood, blood, blood.””I’ll tear her to pieces.”(irony)”O beware, my lord, of jealousy: it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”
Othello – Reputation Quotes (repetition)”Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what is left is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!”
Othello – Prejudice Quotes (imagery, metaphors, colour imagery and juxtaposition)”You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse, you’ll have your nephews neigh to you.””an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.””thick lips””the Moor””She is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted by spells and medicines.””O curse of marriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites!”
Moulin Rouge – Love Techniques Lighting, mis-en-scene, foreshadowing and temporal distortion to contrast Christian’s life with and without Satine.Pastiche and costuming in Satine’s first scene, where she sings “Material Girl” and “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and is dressed in gemstones and crystals show the importance of materialistic love to Satine at that point.Close up shots and framing show the intimacy of Christian and Satine’s love throughout the film.Allegory of Spectacular! Spectacular! represents the love triangle of the film. It is also set in another cultural context, but shows the same truth that love conquers all, domonstrating that it is univerally applicable.
Moulin Rouge – Social Class Techniques Colour imagery and juxtaposition in the dancing scene – aristocrats are dressed in a bland, black and white uniform of a suit, tophat and cane, while dancers are dressed in colourful, unique dresses that show thier personalities. This summarises social classes, where the rich are well dressed and groomed, but the poor are more artistic, talented and passionate.
Moulin Rouge – Freedom Techniques Props and symbolism of the caged bird in Satine’s elephant which represents her trapped in the Moulin Rouge as she has no independence.Contrast between freedom of money from financial security, and freedom of expression/individuality (see social class)
Moulin Rouge – Truth Techniques Pathetic fallacy of weather reflecting mood when Satine discovers she is dying and tells Christian she does not love him
Gatsby – Love Explained Love is a convenience for Tom and Daisy to maintain their reputations and conform to societal expectations. Also, Tom provides Daisy with financial security, so she stays with him after she kills Myrtle.Daisy represents wealth and class. Gatsby is in love with the idea of her, not herself.
Gatsby – Money Explained East Egg vs. West Egg w/ Old and New money. Huge mansions = excess = shows wealthGatsby’s yellow car is the ultimate source of destruction within the narrative when it kills Myrtle.Symbloism of the green light representing money and the disillusionment of Gatsby’s dream to attain a position in the upped class.
Gatsby – Social Class Explained Lack of mobility – Gatsby attempts to forge a new identity for himself from poor soldier to upper class but cannot.Taste functions as a mode of discrimination. It cannot be bought because it is also inherited through social etiquette and social conditioning. Gatsby will, therefore, never have taste. Nick does have taste as he comes from an established family with social conventions of upper class and scritinises those he sees as tasteless, despite his efforts to refrain from judgement.Noone goes to Gatsby’s funeral – his parties were his appeal but he was not really one of them.
Gatsby – Spirituality Explained Valley of Ashes represents decline in morality of US society after losses of WW1 – author’s social commentaryMaterialism has corrupted spirituality – adultury, bootlegging, drinking, murder and cover upDaisy kills Myrtle under the eyes of Eckleberg
Gatsby – Women’s Roles Explained Characterisation of Daisy is criticism of traditional women who are fickle damsels in distress who are objects to be desired / won, as well as “new” women, detached from daughterWomen have no place to be intelligent, just beautiful in order to get ahead in lifeJordan = flapper w/ cynacism, boyishnessAffairs = movement away from women as housewives
Othello – Manipulation Explained Iago treats those around him as puppets. He can see their vulnerabilities and can use those to his advantage
Othello – Appearance v. Reality Explained Othello appears to be cool, calm and collected but his jealous nature lurks just below his noble facade and can easily be pulled out by Iago.Iago appears honest, but is actually manipulative.
Othello – Jealousy Explained Iago is jealous from the start of the play over promotion. Then over “affairs” of his wifeOthello grows jealous of Cassio and Desdemona. His jealous inspired him to kill his wife, and he believes this is justification until he realises she is innocent.
Othello – Reputation Explained Reputation is explored through social class, position and race.Interracial marriage is frowned upon, so Desdemona and Othello’s marriage upsets her reputation, along with Brabantio’sCassio is dismissed from a high position within the military, which destroys his reputation
Othello – Prejudice Explained Racial prejudice related to Venetian Elizabethan society where most people, in particular people with power, were white. Although Othello is given military power he is denied entry into the upper class due to his race. There are many negative stereotypes put onto Othello, and he ends up conforming to them when he kills Desdemona.Religious prejudice against MuslimsMysogyny and double standards in Venetian Society where women are not seen as having needs and must be loyal to their husbands. They are seen as objects to be owned.
September 8, 2019