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Summary of Othello with A* analysis
Summary of Othello with quotes, A* analysis and critics. Critics are from the prescribed critical anthology from Edexcel and other complementary critics to increase diversity within answers!
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Scene Quotes Notes CriticsA1S1 “That thou, Iago, who hast had Class envy: IAGO critiques "Iago is a seductive character,
my purse as if the strings were nepotistic society within the who is able to get the
thine shouldst know of this.” hierarchy of Renaissance audience to collude with him.
RODERIGO Venice. Venice had a more Because 'his victims lack
ridged class structure than humour, Iago appeals to us
“I follow him to serve my turn England. From this scene as more amusing'" E. A. J.
upon him. onwards Iago’s class envy can Honigmann
We cannot all be masters, nor be seen clearly. He argues
all masters against promotions by "England was increasingly
Cannot be truly followed.” IAGO preferment instead of merit. hostile to foreigners, both
officially and at popular level."
“In following him I follow but In medias res launches the Loomba
myself; audience into the conflict,
Heaven is my judge, not I for disorientating them, allowing for “He does not belong to our
love and duty, the conventions of traditional world” Bradley
But seeming so for my peculiar character archetypes to be
end.” IAGO dismantled. EG Iago is the “Godless, bestial and
agent of chaos and Othello, hideous” Loomba
“But I will wear my heart upon despite not being mentioned, is
my sleeve for daws to peck at. I radically positioned as the "It is partly about race, but
am not what I am.” IAGO protagonist. The Moor Aaron in also about how people
Shakespeare’s early play Titus behave in the grip of
“Rouse him, make after him, Andronicus (1583) is a jealousy." Msamati
poison his delight…” IAGO stereotypical villain- a cunning,
ruthless and lecherous figure.
“Thieves, thieves! Look to your Othello’s characterisation as a
house, your daughter, and all noble and heroic figure is a
your bags!” IAGO dramatic departure from the
usual 17th cent depictions of
“Making the beast with two Moors.
backs” IAGO
Iago plays on the senator’s
“Your heart is burst; you have fears, making him imagine a
lost half your soul; even now, barbarous and threatening
now, very now, an old black ram Moor, or native of Africa, whose
Is tupping your white ewe.” bestial sexual appetite has
IAGO turned him into a thief and a
rapist. Knowing nothing of
“Or else the devil will make a Othello, one would expect that
grandsire of you.” IAGO the audience, too, would be
seduced by Iago’s portrait of the
general, but several factors
keep us from believing him.
A1S2 “Damned as thou art, thou hast Othello and Iago are binary “He does not belong to our
enchanted her, For I’ll refer me opposites; one seeks to diffuse world” Bradley
to all things of sense, conflict while the other revels in
If she in chains of magic were it. “If stirred to indignation… he
not bound, answers with one lightning
Whether a maid so tender, fair, After having been prepared for stroke.” Bradley
and happy, So opposite to a passionate and possibly
marriage that she shunned The violent personage in Othello, “Nobly massive man of
wealthy, curlèd darlings of our the quiet calm of Othello’s action” Leavis
nation, Would ever have, t’ incur character—his dismissal of
, a general mock, Run from her Roderigo’s alleged insult and "A chivalric warrior in a world
guardage to the sooty bosom Of his skillful avoidance of run by money and self-
such a thing as thou—to fear, conflict—is surprising. In fact, interest" Iago represents the
not to delight.” far from presenting Othello as a capitalist, consumerist greed
savage barbarian, Shakespeare of humanity? McEvoy
implicitly compares him to
Christ. The moment when
Brabanzio and his men arrive
with swords and torches, tipped
off to Othello’s whereabouts by
Othello’s disloyal friend, vividly
echoes John 18:1–11. In that
Gospel, Christ and his followers
are met by officers carrying
swords and torches. The
officers were informed of
Christ’s whereabouts by Judas,
who pretends to side with Christ
in the ensuing confrontation.
When Othello averts the
violence that seems imminent
with a single sentence, “Keep
up your bright swords, for the
dew will rust ’em” (I.ii.60), he
echoes Christ’s command to
Peter, “Put up thy sword into the
sheath” (John 18:11). However,
whereas Christ’s calm restraint
is due to his resigned
acceptance of his fate, Othello’s
is due to his sense of his own
authority.
A1S3 “She loved me for the dangers I Shakespeare fleshed out the " Desdemona becomes a
had passed, fantastic details of Othello’s stereotype of female
And I loved her that she did pity past life by drawing on a passivity" Jardine
them. number of ancient and
This only is the witchcraft I have Renaissance travel writers. "Did it issue a warning not
used.” Othello clearly attaches great only to disobedient daughters
importance to the image of but also to 'open societies'"
“My heart’s subdued Even to the himself as a unique and heroic Loomba
very quality of my lord. I saw figure, and it is also important to
Othello’s visage in his mind.” him that he have a remarkable Othello and Des are up
life story worthy of repeated against: 'the status quo and a
“And, noble signior, If virtue no telling. Not only does he claim view of the world which Iago
delighted beauty lack, Your son- that Desdemona fell in love with merely embodies in its most
in-law is far more fair than him because of his story, he lethal form.” Ryan
black.” says that he fell in love with her
because of her reaction to his "He can talk up a storm but
“If thou wilt needs damn thyself, story. Desdemona confirms or he's not much for thinking"
do it a more delicate way than validates something about O’Toole
drowning.” Othello’s self-image, which may
suggest why her faithfulness is
“I did not see you. Welcome,
gentle signor”
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