| What is Iago’s complaint in Scene I? In other words, why does Iago hate Othello? | Iago is complaining that he did not get the promotion he wanted, and instead he gave it to Cassio. |
| Who is Brabantio, and why do Iago and Roderigo awaken him in the middle of the night? | Brabantio is Desdemona’s father. Iago and Roderigo wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him that Desdemona had run away with Othello. |
| Why does Iago leave Roderigo at Brabantio’s house rather than wait until Brabantio comes down? | Iago has to get back to Othello to show that he is on Othello’s side. |
| What is Roderigo’s previous relationship with Brabantio and Desdemona? | Roderigo wanted to marry Desdemona, but Brabantio did not let him. |
| What is Brabantio’s reaction to Othello’s marriage to Desdemona? | Brabantio is very angry and wears that Othello must have bewitched his daughter. He does not believe Desdemona would have married him. |
| Why does the Duke send for Othello? What danger is Cyprus facing? | The Duke sends for Othello because there had been reports that Turkish ships were heading toward the island. The Turks are preparing to invade Cyprus, critical to the trade and economy of Venice. |
| What accusation does Brabantio make against Othello to the Duke? | Brabantio says that Othello must have bewitched his daughter to get her to marry him. |
| What explanation does Othello give as cause for Desdemona’s affections for him? | Othello says that he only won her over with stories and did nothing wrong to her. |
| To whom does Desdemona pledge her duty? | Desdemona pledges her duty to Othello. |
| What warning does Brabantio give to Othello? | Brabantio tells Othello that Desdemona has been deceived once and most likely will be again. |
| What is Roderigo’s complaint, and what is Iago’s reply to it? | Roderigo is upset that Desdemona and Othello’s marriage was allowed to stay since he is in love with Desdemona. Iago replies that they will not last long and Desdemona will come rushing to him. |
| According to the soliloquy at the end of the act, what additional reason does Iago have for “hating the Moor”? | From the soliloquy, we know that Iago is scheming revenge on Othello and believes that by manipulating Desdemona he will be able to hurt Othello. He plans to make it look like Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. |
| In the order of appearance, list the characters who arrive from Venice in Scene 1. | Desdemona, Iago, Emilia, Roderigo, Othello |
| What becomes of the Turkish threat? | The Turkish fleet of ships sent to invade Cyprus didn’t survive the storm so the threat of a Turkish Invasion was no longer there. |
| What trouble does Iago stir up to disturb the peace of the island? | Iago points out the great dishonor done towards Othello by his fight waking the general and his wife from peaceful sleep. WHAT??????? |
| How does Othello react to the disturbance? | Othello is not happy with this since Iago is trying to ruin his relationship. WHAT????????? |
| What advice does Iago give the remorseful Cassio? | Iago tells him he would be better off advancing himself and his reputation through Desdemona, Othello’s recent bride. Iago is only arranging his chess pieces, however, because the reader is privileged to know that it was Iago’s plan in the first place to slander Cassio. By having Cassio constantly seek Desdemona’s ear, Iago can play Othello’s while he does so. |
| How does the setting change from Act I to Act II? What are some possible symbolic meaning of this change? | Act I is in Venice and Act II is in Cyprus. Venice is organized, civilized, and cultured while Cyprus symbolized a place of danger. |
| How does Cassio speak of Desdemona before she arrives from Venice? | Cassio speaks of Desdemona like she is an animal. He makes her seem less innocent |
| What does his greeting of her and Emilia reveal about his character? | Cassio kisses Emilia upon greeting and says it is good manners to address her in that way. He takes Desdemona’s hand. REVEAL?????? |
| Describe Iago’s views of women as he expresses them to Desdemona in Scene 1 (lines 146-156). | Iago claims that all women are unreliable and lazy. Through this, the audience knows that Iago sees women as objects. |
| How does his language contrast with Cassio’s when Cassio speaks of Desdemona (lines 61-65 and 74-82)? | Cassio speaks of Desdemona as a masterpiece of God and that she is sent from heaven, while Iago calls her an unreliable and lazy woman. |
| What emotion does Iago play on to get Roderigo to provoke Cassio? | He urges Roderigo to provoke Cassio “to put our Cassio in some action/that may offend the isle”. As usual, Roderigo is duped by Iago’s manipulative words and agrees to do this, even though all he ends up with is a sound beating from Cassio. Iago, however, succeeds in getting Cassio dismissed from his lieutenant to Othello. |
| What weakness of Cassio’s does Iago take advantage of? What do these actions reveal about Iago and his methods? | Iago takes advantage of Cassio by getting him drunk. Iago’s master plan is to ruin Othello. |
| Although most of the characters in the play are deceived, we in the audience know that Iago is a villain. Some critics see Iago as pure evil, whereas others say he is motivated by common human emotions. What do you think of Iago? Is he merely a stage villain, or are some people in the world very much like him? Explain your answer. | I think that Iago is purely evil mostly because common human emotions do not cause the amount of destruction he did. There are obviously people in the world that are very much like him. |
| Some critics suggest that Othello, the career soldier who is used to action and physical deprivation, cannot tolerate prolonged intimacy and contentment and so must destroy his own happiness. What do you think of this remark? Do you think there is any evidence for this reading in the play so far? | I would disagree with this because there is no evidence of Othello ruining his own contentment so far and his sadness comes from Iago, not himself. |
| What complexity and cleverness do you see in Iago in this first scene? Pay attention to what he says (and does not say) and who he speaks to. What ambitions does he have? What motivates him? | Iago in the first scene is very manipulative and evil but clever at the same time. He is smart because he fooled someone as high as the rank of Othello. He is very observant and knows people weaknesses. He has had this plan for a while and knows what to do. From this, Iago might become higher in rank, but he may not care as much about the prize anymore. |
| What do you think of Othello in this second scene? What are his strengths and weaknesses? How do the other men view him? Is Brabantio right to be upset with him? How important is his skin color? | Othello in the second scene is a very neutral and helps in arguments. His strengths are that he is very rational and confidence. Confidence could also be his weakness because he does not know what is happening around him and thinks everything is fine. His weaknesses are that he is gullible and ignorant. This quote is saying that Othello has put a spell on Desdemona because she would never run away with a black man. |
| Compare and contrast Othello with Iago. In all possible senses, who is the stronger character? (Think about their strength in many terms, such as physical, mental, social, character, etc.) | Iago is physical and Italian. Othello is tough, muscular, tall, and handsome. Mentally, Iago is not stable since he holds grudges and cannot get over that Othello did not promote that. He also has strong mental focus because he is very intimidating and stays on task. Othello is probably very tactically smart but is very gullible and puts his trust in other people. Socially, Othello would be above Iago because of his rankings, but he is black so is looked down upon more than Iago. Iago is scrawny and has to use his brains. |
| In this second act, Iago begins to hatch a plan. What is the plan? Why does he undertake it? What does he hope to gain? What do you think about Iago’s actions? | Iago wants Othello to distrust his wife. He wants to accuse . He wants to take all of Rodrigo’s money. Rodrigo wanted to marry Desdemona, but she did not. This quote shows that Iago takes small things and make it sound much worse than it really is. |
| Whose fault is it when people such as Cassio do bad things? There are two sides here. Is Cassio at fault or Iago? Please explain the arguments for both and explain which is more convincing to you. | This may be Othello’s fault because Othello is choosing someone like Cassio who is strong but not very smart so it was Othello’s fault for hiring him. This could be Cassio’s fault too because he drank and did not have self-control. |
| How does Iago tempt Othello and convince him to be suspicious of Desdemona? Iago uses several linguistic and argumentative tactics to turn Othello from a faithful to jealous husband. Identify and discuss a few. Is Othello too easily convinced or mentally outmatched? Explain. | He starts talking to Desdemona. They are really just talking about getting his job back, but Othello didn’t know that. He also runs out of the room whenever Othello walks in, because if Othello realizes what is going on, he will find out what Iago is doing. Cassio is also ashamed. Desdemona wants to give Cassio’s job back. They meant well, but because of the accusations and the background, it sounds bad. |
| Contrast Othello with Desdemona. How different are they? What motivates them? Are they right for each other? Should they have never have married? Back up your opinion with examples from the play. | Desdemona trusts Othello much more than Othello trust Desdemona. |
| What happens to Othello in Act IV, Scene I? How does Iago respond? | In Scene 1, Othello gets extremely angry because he believes his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with his prior lieutenant Cassio. Iago, in knowing this, goes to speak to Cassio while Othello is listening to their conversation. |
| How does Iago trick Othello into thinking Cassio is gloating and bragging about his affair with Desdemona? | Iago trick Othello into thinking Cassio is gloating and bragging about his affair with Desdemona by telling him to hide in the room where he and Cassio will speak, however Othello can only see Cassio and Iago he cannot hear their conversation. With that certain location, Othello fails to realize that Cassio is speaking and talking badly about Bianca rather than Desdemona. |
| Why is Bianca angry with Cassio? | Bianca is angry with Cassio because he treating her as if she’s nothing, and he gives her another woman’s handkerchief! |
| How does Bianca’s return with the handkerchief help Iago? | Bianca’s return with the handkerchief help Iago in his plan of having Othello see Desdemona’s handkerchief with Cassio’s lover, instigating that Cassio had it and gave it away. |
| Why does Othello hit Desdemona? | Othello, overhearing Desdemona’s loving comments toward Cassio, becomes angry and hits Desdemona. |
| Who is Lodovico, and why has he come to Cyprus? | Lodovico is Desdemona’s cousin and a member of Venice’s diplomatic service, he comes to Cyprus to tell othello that he is needed in Venice and that Cassio will take his place here in Cyprus. |
| What is Lodovico’s reaction to Othello’s behavior towards Desdemona? | Lodovico is shocked, saying that it will not be accepted in Venice. He asks if he has lost his wits, and Iago says his behavior is mild and he should observe him himself. |
| How does Iago later explain Othello’s behavior to Lodovico? | Iago explains Othello’s behavior to Lodovico’s by saying this behavior is mild, but he, Iago, can’t honestly speak of Othello’s behavior,and that Lodovico should just observe Othello for himself. |
| Why does Othello ask Emilia about Cassio’s affair with Desdemona, and what is her reply? | Othello asks Emilia about Cassio’s affair with Desdemona because he’s looking for the truth about the affair and whether or not it was true, he is also looking for proof. Emilia claimed that Desdemona was innocent and she remained faithful to him. |
| What does Othello believe his weakness is in Scene 2? | Othello believe his weakness is in Scene 2 is his jealousy, but his real weakness is that he is to trusting and believes to firmly in people who seem honest. |
| To whom does Desdemona turn for help after Othello calls her a strumpet? | Desdemona turns to Iago for help after Othello calls her a strumpet. |
| Why does Iago tell Roderigo to kill Cassio? | Iago tell Roderigo to kill Cassio because Venice has made Cassio governor. Roderigo agrees to think about it because he is desperate to win Desdemona’s heart. |
| To what does Emilia attribute the fact that women betray their husbands? | Emilia attributes to the fact that women betray their husbands as not a big deal, woman should be able to enjoy the same pleasures as men do, and if men cheat then women should be allowed to as well. |
| elements of tragedy | -the protagonist is admirable, but flawed, with the audience able to understand and sympathize with the character-the protagonist is capable of both good and evil-free will is insisted upon-the protagonist must always be able to back out of a situation or to redeem themselves-but always towards their inevitable doom |
| Ways the real reason for Brabantio’s protest is due to Othello’s race. | -when he first hears that they are married he immediately calls Iago a villain for even suggesting that-Othello is a respectable and noble man, it would be weird for someone to not want their daughter to marry a man like that-he said he would rather have Roderigo marry her than Othello even though he had previously banned Roderigo from marrying Desdemona-says she is betraying their family and roots but he should be happy that she finally settled down-quickly assumed he used magic-He says she is marrying someone of another nature which shows he does not like that he is of another race-He is asking why she would have rejected the best of the nation and choose a “thing” like Othello, he is calling Othello less of a person |
| Do you think anyone else had a problem with Othello’s race? | -Iago specifically targets him because he is different. -yes, but Othello did not care because he still wanted to marry Desdemona and is proud of himself for being high up in rank |
| Were there any other forms of discrimination in the book? | -discrimination towards women because when Desdemona is trying to defend herself, no one listens to her because she is a woman-Between husbands and wives, but also with Desdemona and her father. He believes he can own and control her-Also after it is said that Desdemona cheated on her husband, everyone goes after her instead of Cassio |
| Similarities between Othello & Desdemona and Romeo & Juliet. | -they are disapproved by their family and societies.-Both of the couples are doomed by an outside force. In Othello and Desdemona it was Iago’s plot and in Romeo and Juliet, it was her marriage with Paris. -Both Shakespeare’s tragedies-In Othello, he was clouded by rage and jealousy. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was not thinking straight when he went to the priest. They were both confused.-In both stories, there was much discommunication. -Both deaths end in a peaceful way, Desdemona and Othello say peace before they die and so do Romeo and Juliet. |
| Differences between Othello & Desdemona and Romeo & Juliet. | -Romeo and Juliet disapproved because of family conflicts but Othello because of race-Othello & Desdemona die because of disloyalty and Romeo and Juliet die because of great love-Romeo and Juliet the characters are fueled by love and hatred by families while characters in Othello were fueled by jealousy, greed, and lust.- |
| Why do you think Romeo and Juliet is more well known? | -In a modern context, more people can relate to jealousy rather than intense love-Othello has a worse ending because Othello kills Desdemona while in Romeo and Juliet they are always in love with each other.-Romeo and Juliet is similar to the qualities of love at first sight and matches made in heaven. – |
| Why was Othello so easily deceived by Iago? | -Othello is easily deceived because soldiers are supposed to rely on other soldiers and he does not realize that he has to rely and trust himself.-Othello trusted Iago because he was an honest man, and he kept saying he loved him because he thought they were close.-He started to doubt himself because he didn’t know why Desdemona would choose him when her father didn’t approve and he was of a different race.-Look at Othello’s flaws. He says he loved Desdemona very much but his jealousy took over and he let himself be tricked.-Desdemona lied to her father and Iago made that point to him, so it showed him that she is not very trustworthy. -He thought of Iago as a friend and his only friend. He did not have any other friends because of his skin color, so he liked having someone he could trust. -He wasn’t viewing Iago as an enemy-Because war and life is very different, Othello is war smart, but not life smart |
| What is the climax of Othello? | -Act III, Scene III, Othello kneels with Iago and vows not to change course until he has achieved bloody revenge-rising action is Iago telling the audience of his scheme, arranges for Cassio to lose his position as lieutenant, and insinuates to Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful |
| dramatic irony in Othello | when everyone knows something that the main character does not-Iago plans to convince Othello that he is not keeping track of his wife and that another character is too familiar with her.-there is no one else in the room at this time so only the audience and him know about his plan (dramatic irony) -we know that desdemona is innocent but Othello does not, when he is planning on killing her -Desdemona’s innocence-The handkerchief-Desdemona asks Iago for help with Othello |
| Verbal irony in Othello | saying one thing but really meaning another-“My lord. You know I love you” Act 3 Scene 3From Iago to Othello, he does not actually love him -Othello calls Iago “Honest Iago” multiple times |
| situational irony in Othello | when something happens and we were expecting the oppositeI-ago wanted Cassio demoted, in the end Cassio was promoted-Othello being the only one oblivious to the truth about his wife-The death of Desdemona and Emilia-Emilia unintentionally betrays Desdemona-one person Othello should trust he does not |
| Jealousy in Othello | -Iago is jealous of Cassio and fuels his plan for revenge.-If Iago was not so jealous, the end of the story would have turned out differently.-Iago is consumed in his jealousy but influences other people’s jealousy too to get his way. -He realizes that Othello can be easily jealous and he uses that-In Act 3, Othello says that he thinks she is cheating and Iago pushed him into that mindset because of his jealousy.-Even bianca was jealous, every character was-Iago is also jealous because he thinks Othello and Emilia had an affair. |
| Did Iago have a right to be jealous at Cassio in the beginning? | A little, because if you don’t get something you want, you’ll be jealous of the person who does, but it’s how you react to it |
| Is there a sense of superiority in Iago? | -Iago thinks he’s better and is mad at Othello-He already gets mad at Othello and then feels even more superior to him. |
| Why do you think that Othello is so easily jealous? | -Othello may be insecure about his race-Being in a position of power, you are constantly worried about the people that are under your rule and this could be driving him insane. |
| Do other characters play a role in his jealousy? | -Cassio is clueless throughout the play and doesn’t realize he is the one causing much jealousy. |
| Is Othello a Tragic Hero? | -Tragic hero is of great importance to his state, relatable to the audience, even though he is superior, city cares about the tragic heroes feelings.Othello is a high position general so is important to his state.-Tragic heroes are usually not only good and have flaws to them too.Othello lacked confidence and gullible.-His punishment in the end was very brutal and realizes he made a huge mistake, significant because part of his crime was being jealous and not trusting in himself-His tragic flaw was jealousy or gullibility. One person that he should trust he does not. Situational irony.-The concept of a cuckold. Othello is generated by the idea that his wife has cheated on him. She doesn’t take ownership. |
| One of the characteristics of a tragedy is that protagonist is both good and evil. What were his good points? | -he has a lot of trust in his companions |
Othello Test
September 6, 2019