Exam (elaborations)
A-level Othello Act 4 Scene 2 Extract Question Response
- Module
- Aspects of Tragedy
- Institution
- AQA
A response I completed about Act 4 Scene 2 and the significance it plays in orchestrating a greater sense of tragedy.
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Charlotte CorriganAct 4 Scene 2: Explore the significance of this extract in relation to the tragedy as the play
as a whole. (25 marks).
In Act 4 of ‘Othello’, Othello’s behaviour and actions present him as a character whose
patriarchal dominance has been undermined as a result of Iago’s manipulation, causing him
to believe of Desdemona’s alleged infidelity. The audience see the tragic consequences of
Othello’s fall from grace, as a result of the ‘motiveless malignity’ of Iago, the anti-hero.
Subsequently, this breech of his masculine pride causes Othello to break into savage
madness, evident through his syntax, as his insecurities make him more susceptible to the
tragedy. Due to his position as the Aristotelian tragic hero, this scene focalises Othello’s
tragic fall, as the extract frames the tragic outcome of Iago’s antagonistic machinations.
Previously, Lodovico has witnessed Othello publicly slap Desdemona which has humiliated
her, causing the Jacobean audience to witness the downward spiral of Othello. This scene
serves to spark the peak of the tragedy at the end of the play when Othello blindly
suffocates Desdemona, resulting in the ‘Tragic Loading of the Bed’. Therefore, this scene is
integral in cultivating the tragedy of the play is it portrays Othello’s tragic arc.
Initially, Shakespeare utilises dramatic methods to perpetuate the tragedy of the play, in
particular, cementing Othello’s position as the tragic hero of the play. This is evident in how
Iago’s machinations have caused Othello to revert to his ethnic origins through his broken
and fragmented syntax. In particular, Othello’s lexicon reflects his position as the tragic hero
as his speech exposes the extent of Iago’s manipulation. His use of the vocative article ‘O’
highlights his inner turmoil and anguish that the news of Desdemona’s infidelity has caused.
This combined with the repeated use of exclamatives such as, ‘O-well painted passion!’
captures Othello’s outrage as a result of his questionable male pride. Moreover, Othello has
reverted to speaking in verse instead of prose, as previously in Act 1, the Jacobean audience
witnessed Othello’s eloquence, speaking in iambic pentameter in his soliloquies. This seems
to mark out the tragic arc of the play as the audience can see the stereotypical journey of
the titular hero, falling from nobility to a much lower and vulnerable status. Additionally,
Othello exclaims, ‘Hence, avaunt!’ which is a pivotal discourse marker in signposting the
tragedy as his silencing of his loyal wife Desdemona results in his misguided uxorcide and
subsequent blind trust in Iago. The fragmented imperative combined with the exclamative
portrays how Iago has completely deceived Othello, so much so that Othello favours
listening to Iago, silencing his loyal wife. Therefore, Othello’s speech highlights the
inescapable element of Desdemona and Othello’s inevitable tragic denouement, as it
exposes the blind trust in Iago which enables the tragedy of the play to take root.
Furthermore, the extract centres around male pride; a poignant theme of the play which
catalyses the tragedy. Othello’s hamartia, his jealousy, stems directly from his questionable
masculine pride. This is emphasised when Othello utilises the triadic references to certain
adjectives and verbs such as, ‘she can turn, and turn and yet go on and turn again’ and ‘she’s
obedient, as you say, obedient, very obedient’. The triplicate reference to both ‘turn’ and
‘obedient’ conveys the paranoia of Othello as the ambiguity of these alludes to the alleged
infidelity of Desdemona which haunts him and causes his hostile behaviour towards
Desdemona. The verb ‘turn’ is sexualised here, alluding to Desdemona’s sexual appetite and
lustful behaviours, and it is belief in these facets of Desdemona’s character which forces him
to suffocate her in the conclusion of the play. Additionally, within the extract, the
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