| What is the setting of Othello? (2 places) | Venice and Cyprus |
| What literary term refers to when the audience knows more than the characters know? | Dramatic Irony |
| How does Brabantio think Othello convinced Desdemona to marry him? | Othello put a spell on her. |
| Why does Iago hate Othello? | Othello promoted Cassio instead of Iago AND Iago suspects that Othello has slept with his wife. |
| Why does Iago continue to serve Othello if he claims to hate him? | to get revenge on Othello by using his gullible (and jealous) nature against him |
| What are Roderigo’s feelings towards Desdemona? | He loves her and wants to marry her. He thinks Iago will help him get Desdemona. |
| How did Othello win Desdemona’s heart? | with stories of his valor in battle |
| How is the allusion to Janus relevant to this play? | The Roman god Janus had 2 faces. Iago has 2 faces – the loyal one he shows to Othello and the deceitful, evil one he shows to the audience. |
| What is Iago’s plan to get revenge on Othello? | He will make Othello believe that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. |
| What is the Duke’s advice to Brabantio about Desdemona’s secret marriage? | Accept it. He thinks his own daughter could have been won over by Othello’s stories of bravery. |
| Why does the Duke of Venice send for Othello? | The Turks (enemy) are on their way to invade Cyprus. |
| What “fool” does Iago make to be his “purse”? | Roderigo |
| What does Iago mean when he says, “I am not what I am”? | Iago is 2 faced – he pretends to be something he is not. |
| Who is compared to a “white ewe”? | Desdemona (pure/innocent) |
| Who says this – “Look to her, moor, it thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may thee.” | Brabantio |
| How has Desdemona violated Natural Order? | She married a man of a different race and social class without her fathers permission. |
| What literary term means a reference to something outside the text, usually from history, literature, or popular culture? | allusion |
| What is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept? | metonymy (Roderigo claims that Iago has had his “purse.” Purse is a metonym for money.) |
| According to Iago, which type of men have “some soul”? | men who look after themselves first instead of pledging full loyalty to their masters |
| What does “iniquity” mean? | immoral or grossly unfair behavior |
| What is a long speech made by a character alone on stage expressing feelings and thoughts? | soliloquy |
| What literary devices are at work in this phrase: “hills who heads touch heaven”? | alliteration and hyperbole (exaggeration) |
| Why Desdemona cannot love Othello | Not thinking about marriage, social class, race, Afraid of him |
| What does Roderigo threaten to do at the end of Act 1 when he sees that Desdemona seems happy with Othello? | He says he will drown himself (Iago tells him that is cowardly.) |
| What literary device is at work in this phrase: “wondrous pitiful”? | oxymoron (2 opposite words next to each other) |
| Othello starts “in medias res.” What does that mean? | It means that the play starts in the middle of a scene. Iago and Roderigo are having a conversation, and it takes awhile for the audience to understand what’s going on. |
Othello Act 1 Review
September 12, 2019