| How does Othello begin | in medias res (in the middle of a conflict) |
| Why did Roderigo and Iago go to Brabantio’s house | to expose Othello and Desdemona |
| What were Roderigo’s intentions of going to Brabantio’s house | to get Othello in trouble because he wants Desdemona to himself |
| What were Iago’s intention of going to Brabantio’s house | to get revenge on Othello giving Cassio the lieutenant job instead of Iago |
| Cassio | academic, no war experience, unmarried, young |
| Iago | local, old with experience at Rhodes and Cyprus, he fakes his personality in front of Othello |
| “I am not what I am” | -Iago-paradox-he was awarded position of Ancient (general) by Othello-he will serve as Othello’s Ancient, but with a fake purpose because he wanted the lieutenant position |
| “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe if he can carry’t thus” | -Roderigo-an intentional racial slur towards Othello |
| “An old black Ram is tupping your white ewe” | -Iago-to Barbantio-prove the devil/villain archetypeuses animal imagery-meaning: Othello (old black ram) is sleeping with Desdemona (white ewe)-ram and ewe contrast with eachother |
| “The worser welcome. I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors. In honest plainness thou hast heard me say my daughter is not for thee…” | -Brabantio-to Roderigo-meaning: Brabantio exposes to the audience that Roderigo tried to ask for Desdemona before |
| “you’ll have your daughter covered with a barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans” | -Iago-to Brabantio-meaning: Iago tells Brabantio he will have a terrible family because his daughter is making love with Othello |
| “transported with no worse nor better guard but with a knave of common hire, a gondolier” | -Roderigo-to Brabantio-meaning: Roderigo tells Brabantio his daughter met up with Othello by gondolier |
| “Lascivious moor” | -Roderigo -to Brabantio-meaning: Roderigo characterization of Othello calling him horny |
| “in an extravagant and wheeling stranger of here and everywhere” | -Roderigo-to Brabantio-meaning: Roderigo calling Othello a player with lots of money |
| what are the risks if Desdemona is married to Othello | -Desdemona is worthless-Othello taking Desdemona-Brabantio reputation is loss |
| “farewell, for I must leave you. it seems not meet nor wholesome to my place to be produced-as, if i stay, i shall-against the moor” | -Iago-to Roderigo-meaning: Iago tells Roderigo he must leave before Brabantio finds out Iago was in on the plan too because he doesn’t want to lose his job |
| “O, would you had had her!- some one way, some another” | -Brabantio-to Roderigo-meaning: Brabantio wishes he gave his daughter to Brabantio or someone else so this wouldn’t of happened |
| “is there not charms by which property of youth and maidhood may be abused” | -Brabantio-to Roderigo-meaning: Brabantio asks Roderigo could Desdemona be given drugs |
| “Nay, but he prated, and spoke such scurvy and provoking terms against your honor” | -Iago-to Othello-meaning: Iago blames Roderigo for telling Brabantio of Othello’s and Desdemona’s marriage |
| “are you fast married” | -Iago-to Othello-meaning: Iago asks Othello if he is married to Desdemona already because Brabantio might do something |
| “the law, with all his might to enforce it on, will give him cable” | -Iago-to Othello-meaning: Iago tells Othello, Brabantio might get the law on this situation |
| “my services which i have done the seigniory” | -Othello-to Iago-meaning: Othello tells Iago he doesn’t care if Brabantio knows because he stands on service, reputation/loyalty to the seigniory |
| “but that i love the gentle desdemona” | -Othello-to Iago-meaning: Othello tells Iago he doesn’t care if Brabantio knows because he loves Desdemona |
| “my parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly.” | -Othello-to Iago-meaning: Othello tells Iago he is unflawed in this act |
| “By Janus, I think no” | -Iago-to Othello-meaning: Iago calls Othello two face |
| ” faith, he tonight hath boarded a land carrack. if it prove lawful prize, he’s made forever” | -Iago-to Cassio-meaning: Iago says Othello is like a pirate who boarded a ship called Desdemona the prize or booty-metaphor for marriage |
| “good signor, you shall more command with years than with your weapons” | -Othello-to Brabantio-meaning: Othello says it is better to talk the problem out than fighting-“years” Othello is wise for saying it to respect the elders |
| “so opposite to marriage that she shunned the wealthy curled darlings of our nation” | -Brabantio-to Othello-meaning: Brabantio thinks Desdemona regretted all of the other wealthy men her father recommended because she already loved Othello |
| “if she in chains of magic not bound”, “that thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals” | -Brabantio-to Othello-meaning: Barbantio accuses Othello of drugging Desdemona |
| how does scene 2 end in act 1 | with a couplet by Brabantio |
| Why does Brabantio and Cassio tell everyone to head to the Duke’s chambers | they are called for and Brabantio wants justice and he thinks the senators will feel the same way “cannot but feel this wrong as twere their own” |
| “we lacked your counsel and your help tonight” | -Duke-to Brabantio-meaning: Duke asked for Brabantio’s help earlier but Brabantio had other things to take care of |
| “we are very sorry for’t” | -all (Duke)-to Brabantio-meaning: the Duke has respect towards Brabantio and they are shock his name is ruined and they felt sorry to hear this news |
| “What, in your own part, can you say to this” | -Duke-to Othello-meaning: the Duke asks Othello to speak about the issue |
| “I won his daughter” | -Othello-to all at the Duke’s chambers-meaning: Othello won Desdemona because she loves him |
| “to fall in love with what she fear to look on” | -Brabantio-to Othello-meaning: Brabantio is shock to hear that Desdemona loves Othello because she told Brabantio that she felt fear towards him |
| “to vouch this is no proof” | -Othello-to Brabantio-meaning: Othello tells Brabantio he can say that Desdemona is frighten by him, but it might be false |
| “if you do find me foul in her report, the trust, the office i do hold of you not only take away, but let your sentence even fall upon my life” | -Othello-to Duke-meaning: Othello says if Desdemona does tell them he drugged her then they can kill him (shows Othello is 100% sure he didn’t drug her) |
| “she wished she had not heard it, yet she wished that heaven had made her such a man. she thanked me” | -Othello monologue-Meaning: Desdemona fell in love with Othello because of his stories, adventures, and experiences |
| Who exposed Desdemona to Othello first | Brabantio because he invited Othello over for dinner to hear his war stories too |
| examples of shakespeare’s “if…then” statements | (A)Roderigo: “if he is wrong about Desdemona wrong then Brabantio can have justice”(B)Othello: “if you find me foul…take my life away”(C)Brabantio: “if she can confess…then destruction on my head” |
| “I do perceive a double duty” | -Desdemona-to Brabantio-meaning: desdemona has two duties to serve, for her father and her husband |
| “I am glad at soul I have no other child” | -Brabantio-to Duke-meaning: Brabantio disowned Desdemona because she went behind his back to marry Othello |
| “when remedies are past, the griefs are ended by seeing the worst, which late on hopes deluded. to mourn a mischief that is past and gone” | -Duke’s monologue to Brabantio-meaning: Duke tells Brabantio he must accept it and move on or more pain/mischief will result |
| “what cannot be preserved when fortune takes, patience her injury a mockery makes. the robbed that smiles steals something from the thief; he robs himself that spends a bootless grief” | -Duke’s monologue to Brabantio-meaning: patience is personified, and Duke tells him to let the pain subside and smile because he will look better and Othello will look like the wrong |
| “so let the turk of cyprus us beguile, we lose it not, so long as we can smile” | -Brabantio’s answer to Duke’s monologue-meaning: Brabantio sarcastically mocks Duke’s advice by applying it to war, tells the Duke we should just smile and let cyprus to fight back |
| “a man he is honesty and honor” | -Othello-to Duke-meaning: Othello asks to send his honest trusty Iago (ironic) |
| “Your son in law is far more fair than black” | -duke-to Brabantio-meaning: duke tells brabantio that Othello is fair (light, goodness with rightousness) then black (skin color, darkness, or dishonesty) |
| “she has deceived her father, and may thee” | -Brabantio-to Othello-meaning: Brabantio tells Othello that Desdemona might deceive him because she deceived her father |
| “My life upon her faith” | -Othello-to Brabantio-meaning: Othello bets his life on Desdemona’s honesty |
| Othello | -the moor-african taken to a region of Spain (black Spaniard)-train to become a merchinary (hired to kill)-serve as a general in Venetian army |
| Desdemona | the person who is married to her will be of opportunity because her father is a senator |
| Brabantio | -senator-father of desdemona |
| Roderigo | -loves Desdemona-sad he wasn’t able to marry desdemona |
Act 1: Othello
September 1, 2019