Othello Revision

1. Othello Revision Themes

2. Characterisation Othello vs. Iago = protagonist vs. antagonist Othello changes from someone in control of his private and public life to someone who has lost his sanity; Iago is two-face and he reacts differently to different people. He weaves a web to trap all the other characters in his plan of revenge.

3. Language • Iambic pentameter vs. prose (pay extra attention to the changes • E.g. Iago uses different ones to talk to different characters; Othello uses prose when he suffers some mental breakdown) • Othello loses his ability of elegant speech and there is a lot of fragmentation in his speech at the end.

4. Jealousy • ‘It is a monster, Begot upon itself, born on itself.’ (Act 3 scene 4) – there does not need to be any reason for someone to be jealous; • Jealousy can drive someone insane, as in the case of Othello. Jealousy also drives someone to revenge, as in the case of Iago.

5. Race • Othello’s race is frequently highlighted by other characters (black ram, barbary horse, the devil..) • His marriage is not generally accepted due to the fact that a black man marries a white noble woman, even though the two have love for one another. They are therefore not considered ‘equal’

6. Reminders • Othello is a play, and is therefore watched by an audience. When you ‘read’ the play, you have to visualise the play being performed on stage, especially when it comes to asides and soliloquies.