A complete summary of Shakespeare's Othello for the A-level exam, explaining how to meet each AO as well as a comprehensive guide to the text. The document also includes a list of useful quotes, with an accompanying link to Quizlet flashcards to help you learn them for the exam.
Othello revision overview
Quizlet for learning quotes is available at: https://tinyurl.com/55mfpstv
Password: Bard16
Themes (AO1)
Jealousy
-Jealousy is a driving force in the play,
-Iago's ruins Cassio and Roderigo's lives and Othello's happiness
-Iago is jealous of Cassio, sees him only as a ‘mathematician’ and not a fighter
-Othello's destroys his marriage, kills his wife and himself
-Iago plays on Othello's insecurities to convince him Desdemona is unfaithful
-Is presented as consuming and unnatural
-Bianca is a foil to Othello as has jealousy but then gives Cassio chance to explain
-Context - green first associated with envy by Greek poet Sappho, Shakespeare makes link more
explicit
Gender and sexuality
-Gender was important to Elizabethan society, as it was patriarchal
-Brabantio believes he owns his daughter
-Men were seen as actions not words
-Accepted belief that women were the root of all evil, Eve
-Women treated as property in Othello
-Othello treats Desdemona as equal at start but then stops, Iago orders Emilia
-Female characters break roles, Bianca is more honest than Cassio, Emilia defies her husband and
Desdemona marries in secret
-In the play, men are threatened by women's sexuality, and often fear them being promiscuous
-Men fear cuckoldry selfishly
-There was a double standard of infidelity
-Some relationships presented as unacceptable
-Othello believes Iago but not Desdemona or Emilia as they are women and not soldiers
Love and war
-Male characters define themselves as soldiers
-Men's military background unites them as a brotherhood, trust and honour
-Love is a driving force of the play, portrayed as positive but also dangerous
-Love and war are compatible at first but then see the dangers of trying to combine the two
-Once the play reaches Cyprus, the focus of the play shifts to domestic warfare
-Irony of Othello caring about fortifications when the battle is inside
-Love and war are ultimately incompatible, when Othello kills Desdemona, his desire to be a soldier
wins
-When Othello dies he still sees himself as a soldier, and hopes people will see he served well
Race
-Elizabethan society had a negative view of black people
-The Moor people were seen as savages and the enemy, and makes Othello an outsider
-Strong taboo against inter-racial marriage
-Brabantio disapproves of Othello because of racism
, -The overtly racist characters, Iago, Roderigo and Brabantio are all Venetian
-Othello starts to act like the stereotype of 'savage madness'
-However some characters looks past Othello's race
-At the start, Othello sees his culture as a positive quality
-Also, Desdemona falls in love because of Othello's complex history
Honesty and Deception
-Truth and honour are important to Othello
-Honesty meant being truthful and honourable
-Used frequently in Othello, most often to describe Iago
-Deception is common, Desdemona deceives her father, Emilia Desdemona and Iago many
characters
-Some characters deceive themselves such as Brabantio and Othello
-Appearances can be deceptive, Iago makes other characters see what they want to see
-To Othello, Desdemona's appearance undermines the link between white and goodness
Characters (AO1)
Othello
ACT 1 -Othello is a black man but is accepted by many white Venetians
-He is part of society but still an outsider, he is often described by racist language
ACT 2 -Iago interrupts Othello consummating the marriage with the brawl
ACT3 -Iago starts to exploit Othello's insecurities but he still is unsure, and claims he needs ocular
proof
ACT 4 -Raises idea of killing wife
-Iago pushes Othello further into madness
-Hits Desdemona
ACT 5 -Othello confronts Desdemona and will not listen to her reasoning
-Kills Desdemona by strangling her, before killing himself when confronted
Iago
ACT 1 -Iago manipulates Roderigo
-Reveals belief that Othello has slept with his wife
-Creates tension through Brabantio
ACT 2 -Notices Cassio and decided to use him as bait for Othello
-Tells Roderigo to start a fight with Cassio, and then Cassio to complain to Desdemona
ACT 3 -Starts to manipulate Othello
-Gains handkerchief from Emilia
-Is rude and misogynistic to Emilia even though she has helped him
ACT 4 -Pushes Othello into madness
-Makes him plan to kill her
ACT 5 -Stabs Cassio but fails to kill him
-Is captured and the others realise he is the villain
-Silences himself and accepts punishment
Desdemona
-Loyal wife who stands by Othello even though she is shamed by her father
-Only fault is being naïve to her husband's inner demons and faults, which leads to her downfall
-Is killed by Othello as he believes Iago over her
-Represents love in the love vs war
-Othello strangles her, but she refuses to name him as her killer
-In Act 4, has tender moment with Emilia where they discuss abuse and the lack of power they have
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