Othello Act 1

‘Rude am I ______________/And bless’d with the______________’ ‘Rude am I in my speechAnd bless’d with the soft praise of speech’This was spoken by Othello, and he is saying that he is awkward when making speeches and he is not a smooth talker, suggesting he can only speak on military terms. This quotation is included in a delicate speech about his love story involving Desdemona, so he can in fact express himself. The fact that he can also express himself and face issues when under pressure, proves he can be excellent military leader.
‘The Moor is of a ___________/The thinks men honest but________/And will be tenderly led________/As __________/ ‘The Moor is of a free and open natureThat thinks men honest but seem to be soAnd will be tenderly led by th’nose As asses are’Iago is basically saying that Othello is stupid, and is also seeing the good in him. However, it shows how evil Iago can be, as he later on in the play wants to ruin Othello’s goodness. Iago will lead Othello into the bad events that are yet to come.
‘Our bodies__________To which our__________’ ‘Our bodies are our gardens To which our wills are gardeners’This is an elaborate analogy between gardening and exercising free will. Iago is showing the audience that he is the master manipulator, as he has control over his free well. As well as this, it is ironic he makes this statement, as he will be planting the seeds of jealousy later in the play, making him the master gardener.
‘If virtue no __________Your son in law_________’ ‘If virtue no delighted beauty lack,Your son in law is much more fair than black’This has dual meanings: Othello and his race, and ugliness. The duke is saying that if virtue was beautiful, then Othello is very attractive. However, this can be viewed as a backhanded compliment, as it is seems that Othello contains more goodness than other people in his race. Racism is a pervasive theme throughout the play, and even though Othello seems to rise above the stereotypes, he is still separated from the Venetians.
‘She wished,That heaven___________’ ‘She wished,That heaven made her such a man’This quote, said by Othello, can be interpreted in a few ways. It could mean that Desdemona wanted heaven to make her a man for her to marry, especially since Othello’s story was set to woo her. It could also be interpreted as her hoping heaven will literally make her a man, since Othello calls her a ‘fair warrior’, suggesting she craves adventure.
‘But I will wear my heart on my sleeveFor daws__________I am ___________’ ‘But I will wear my heart on my sleeve,For daws to peck at,I am not what I am’Iago is explaining that he is not following the Moor out of love or duty, but so that he can exploit or dupe his master. The day that he decides to demonstrate outwardly what he feels inwardly is that he will be honest, but in actual fact, the day will not come.
‘I do perceive __________’ ‘I do perceive a divided duty’Even though Desdemona is loyal to her father, she must show her passion towards her new husband. This quote not only shows how loyal she is, but also how intelligent and noble she is towards people she is committed to.
‘To fall in love with_______________’ ‘To fall in love with what she feared to look at’Here Brabantio is stating that Desdemona and Othello’s love is unnatural, since she would never fall for something she was scared of. However, Brabantio is totally wrong, and shows that he doesn’t really know his daughter very well.
‘Damned as thou art,Thou ______________’ ‘Damned as thou art,Thou hast enchanted her!’It is almost as if Brabantio is stating that Desdemona is his property. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, it was common for fathers to view their daughters as properties.
‘O thou, __________’ ‘O thou, foul thief!’Suggesting Desdemona is a piece of Brabantio’s property.
‘An old __________Is tupping___________’ ‘An old black ram is tupping your white ewe’Iago is touching on the fact that Desdemona and Othello have recently eloped in secret, which was a taboo thing to do. The fact that Othello is described as a black ram, it suggest that he has an animal like hyper sexual attitude towards women and love.
September 10, 2019