A* Essay answering Section A question, 'Explore the significance of this extract (A1:s2) in relation to the tragedy of the play as a whole.' Thorough use of quotations, tragic conventions/ terminology, context and analysis. Even if this is not your extract, it helpful in looking at how to answer a ...
Explore the significance of this extract in relation to the tragedy of the play as a whole. Remember to
include in your answer relevant analysis of Shakespeare’s dramatic methods.
This scene taking place in the beginning of the play proves itself significant to the tragedy as it introduces
our eponymous character Othello and begins to establish him as the tragic protagonist. With suggestion to
Othello’s flaw and the realizing of Iago as the antagonist, duplicitous and deceptive, this scene perfectly
paves the way for the tragedy’s inevitable decline.
As this scene is the introduction of Othello, the audience are finally able to make their own judgement of
his character without the lens of biased Iago who has begun the play ascribing Othello as a ‘devil’ and
‘ancient Moor.’ In this scene, Shakespeare then has Othello go on to disprove Iago’s descriptions, by
referring to Desdemona as ‘gentle,’ a contrasting image to that of Iago’s derogatory depiction - ‘black
ram tupping... (a) white ewe.’ These contradictory presentations of Othello allow the audience to grow a
liking toward Othello as well as recognize that Iago is the antagonist of the play, the difference of
‘appearance’ versus reality suggests that the two will become less definable throughout the play; and that
Othello’s tragic fall will see to an end of his initial likeable self. Structurally, this particular scene is
enclosed by two others that present this sense of duplicity and deception that causes the eventual tragic
decline. Iago states himself, ‘I am not what I am,’ in Act One Scene One and in Scene Three, Brabantio
warns Othello that Desdemona, ‘has deceived her father, and may deceive thee.’ The fact that Othello’s
arguably earnest introduction has been positioned in between these two declarations of duplicity
emphasizes that this motif of deception will persist throughout the play in order to summon Othello’s
downfall; it highlights Othello’s naivety, perhaps his hamartia. Additionally, Othello entrusts Iago within
this scene, which is arguably Othello’s first mistake, and the first event in the multiple that eventually
leads to his demise; Iago references ‘Janus’ too, reinforcing his own duplicity and the irony of his epithet
‘honest’ Iago.
Not only does this scene establish Iago’s double-crossing nature and how he will be the main orchestrator
of the tragic fall, but we are also shown another component to the demise – this being Othello himself and
both his hubris and his hamartia. Already demonstrated, through the structure of scenes with both
Desdemona and Iago seemingly have two personas to themselves, Othello’s blatant naivety is further
implied here. ‘My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly,’ Shakespeare’s
hyperbolic phrase of, ‘perfect soul,’ is suggestive of Othello’s hubris, his belief that he is superior and
morally stands above others is what then enables Othello’s hamartia; in believing that he will be led
‘rightly’ by his soul results in him believing Iago and therefore becoming manipulated. Iago is able to
exercise his power over Othello even within this early scene, as Othello entrusts him without much
persuasion. In a slight subversion from the norm of tragic structure, this is the second scene of the play
and we are only just meeting our protagonist as well as the fact that both Iago and Othello have equal
amounts of dialogue within this section – this goes to show that Iago and Othello are perhaps just as
important as each other in Othello’s downfall. Eventually, Iago’s speech outweighs that of Othello’s with
additional asides which also goes to imply that there is power within Iago that drives towards the tragic
ending, rather than it being solely our tragic protagonist’s responsibility. Although, it is Iago’s abuse of
Othello’s hubris and naivety that cause the tragic ending; ‘my parts, my title,’ this pair of possessives
establish Othello’s reliance on reputation. This prioritization, and idea that they will lead him in the right
direction, of reputation and title by Othello foreshadows how this will come to be destructed but also is
perhaps a message by Shakespeare that is unwise to place such importance on reputation as it will result
an abandonment of what is really there – obsessing over one’s appearance rather than reality.
Shakespeare also uses this scene to reveal the contrasting settings that the play’s events will occur in
throughout, his subversion from the ‘one place’ rule in order to catalyze the tragedy’s irreversible events
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