Exam (elaborations)
Othello Extract Question and Response: Act 2 Scene 1
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An A* worthy response to Act 2 Scene 1 and how it plays a fundamental role in orchestrating an overwhelming sense of tragedy.
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Charlotte CorriganIn this extract, the audience witnesses Iago manipulating and influencing Roderigo, once again for
his own gain. The extract features Iago’s third soliloquy of the play where the audience are once
again subjected to see Iago’s malign influence and his malevolent plotting as he plans to create
unease and disruption between Othello and his new wife, Desdemona. He reveals to the audience
his ulterior motive to make Othello mad with jealousy and he further reinforces his ‘desire to diet his
revenge’. The catalyst which sparks Iago’s cunning plan seems to, according to the extra, stem from
the allusion to the idea that Othello has slept with Emelia and during this scene, we see Iago’s
exchange with Roderigo as he begins to develop his plan to provoke Othello’s jealousy.
In an earlier scene, Roderigo, the ‘poor trash’, has confessed his feelings for Desdemona and Iago
appears to be aiding Roderigo in his pursuit of her. Additionally, Iago’s possible motive to inflict pain
onto Othello could be due to Cassio being promoted as a lieutenant above him which seems to serve
as the spark which ignites Iago’s flame of fury. Furthermore, Cassio seems to have some sort of
adulation for Desdemona which further helps to propound and encourage Iago’s plan which
therefore, would lead to Othello’s demise as this jealousy seems to act as his fatal flaw.
As a consequence of this behaviour, Michael Cassio is fired by Othello for injuring Roderigo which is
instigated by Iago. Iago responds immediately by suggesting to Cassio that he could gain his position
back if he uses Othello’s wife, Desdemona, to gain favour from Othello. Significantly, Cassio begins to
speak to Desdemona about regaining his position, whilst Iago utilises this friendship to plan the seed
of jealousy and begin his treacherous plan to destroy Othello. Subsequently, we see Iago
contributing to the psychological instability of Othello, his murder of his beloved wife and his
untimely death.
Initially, the tragic villain propels the tragedy of the scene forwards as the audience is able to witness
Iago expresses his plans directly to the audience in the soliloquy which dominates this particular
scene. Iago bids ‘farewell’ to Roderigo before being left isolated on the stage to reveal to the
audience his malevolent plan. Through Shakespeare’s choice to suspend the fourth wall to address
the audience with his thoughts and aims, the feeling of fear is instilled amongst the audience and the
constant use of dramatic irony seems to cultivate a sense of powerlessness amongst the audience
which in turn heightens the tragedy of the scene. Furthermore, the drama of the scene and fear
invoked seems to be dramatically increasing. This is evident as Iago ends his soliloquy using the
definite emphatic rhyming couplet before he exits, ‘Even to madness. ‘It’s here, but yet confused:
Knavery‘s plain face is never seen till used’. Perhaps, the completed rhyming couplet highlights that
Iago’s exist is definite and his plan has been finalised which further reinforces the powerlessness of
the audience and possibly foreshadows the tragic outcome of the play and seems to propound the
tragic fate of Othello which has already been confirmed. Samuel Coleridge supports the idea that the
tragic villain enhances the tragedy of the scene and the entire play as he reveals that ‘Iago’s
soliloquy’ extols ‘motiveless malignity’. This idea that Iago’s malignant influence does not have a
motive further heightens the tragedy associated with the villain further contributing to the overall
tragedy of the entire play.
Furthermore, Iago uses a demeaning epithet to describe Othello to further contribute to the tragedy
of the scene by portraying him as a tragic victim. The repeated use of the derogatory epithet, ‘the
moor’, shows that Iago views Othello as inferior and could reinforce the power dynamic between
Othello and Iago. The exploitation of the definite article, ‘the’ seems to dehumanise Othello, making
him an easy target for Iago invoking fear within the audience. Additionally, through referencing
Othello as ‘the moor’, Iago exploits the racial slur to mimic the attitudes and mind-sets of the
Jacobean era who were largely racist and prejudiced to diverse colonies. The term ‘moor’ is a
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