5.1.2

Key Ideas

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Love, Historical Context and Historicism (Act 4, Scene 1)

Jealousy over love and suspicion over Desdemona’s liaisons with Cassio cause Othello’s physical and mental breakdown here. It shows how devastating love can be if it misaligned or misconstrued.

Double standards

Double standards

  • Iago calls Bianca a ‘bauble’ and the audience sees more of his double standards regarding women.
Desdemona's death

Desdemona's death

  • When discussing Desdemona Iago persuades Othello to ‘strangle her in her bed’ rather than use poison.
  • There are many possible reasons for this:
    • It will make Othello’s guilt the greater.
    • Strangulation is a military assault in which the stronger prevails.
    • It is a travesty of the act of love to kill in bed with a pillow.
  • The bed is where they made love; it will now be a death bed.
Misinterpretations

Misinterpretations

  • Desdemona explains that Cassio and Othello have fallen out but she hopes that they can work things out because of the ‘love I bear to Cassio’ which is not a wise thing to say considering what Othello is thinking at this point.
  • She is referring to platonic love and the promise she made to him but Othello is bound to read this in another way.
Public/private

Public/private

  • Sadly when Othello strikes Desdemona and she cries, Othello says that she is only crying crocodile (false) tears, and it appears their true love is now not only shattered privately, but also publicly as well.

Tragedy (Act 4, Scene 1)

Iago is completely in control in this scene, and of the play within a play that he has created.

Iago's direction

Iago's direction

  • Iago directs the action in front of everyone else and they jump according to what he says.
  • Othello has now been reduced to a common spy, and one who misinterprets what he sees.
  • He has fallen so low as to be writhing on the ground, with triumphant Iago looking down on him and sadistically enjoying the degradation of the once great general.
Mental collapse

Mental collapse

  • One of the great indicators of Othello’s tragic fall is his speech or rather his difficulty with it.
  • He was once a great orator (as seen in the early part of the drama) but now rants.
  • His speech is not confident and is full of questions and exclamation marks, obsessive repetition and lapses of syntax.
  • This linguistic breakdown reflects his mental collapse.
Physical collapse

Physical collapse

  • When Othello falls to the ground in a fit of ‘savage madness’ this matches his linguistic collapse.
  • On the floor, he is reduced to being savage and base, put back by Iago into the place he ought to be.
Poetry

Poetry

  • The scene ends in prose, another sign of Othello’s tragic mental breakdown.
  • Earlier on, Othello spoke in poetry but he can no longer do this.
  • It was his poetry and storytelling that first enchanted Desdemona and now that is crumbling.
Private and public

Private and public

  • Lodovico knows that something very dark is brewing and that the collision of private and public worlds in this way is not going to end well.
Jump to other topics
1

Context

1.1

Introduction

1.1.1Specifications
1.2

Background

1.2.1Shakespeare1.2.2Love1.2.3Tragedy1.2.4Historical Context
1.3

Othello

1.3.1Setting1.3.2Social Issues
2

Act One: Summaries & Themes

2.1

Act and Scene Summaries

2.1.1Structure2.1.2The Exam
2.2

Scene One

2.2.1Key Events2.2.2Key Themes2.2.3Key Ideas
2.3

Scene Two

2.3.1Key Events2.3.2Key Themes2.3.3Key Ideas
2.4

Scene Three

2.4.1Key Events2.4.2Key Events 22.4.3Key Themes2.4.4Key Ideas
3

Act Two: Summaries & Themes

3.1

Scene One & Two

3.1.1Scene One: Events3.1.2Key Events 23.1.3Key Ideas: Love & Tragedy3.1.4Scene Two: Events
3.2

Scene Three

3.2.1Key Events3.2.2Key Ideas
4

Act Three: Summaries & Themes

4.1

Key Events

4.1.1Scene One & Two4.1.2Scene Three4.1.3Scene Three: Key Ideas4.1.4Scene Four
5

Act Four

5.1

Scene One

5.1.1Key Events5.1.2Key Ideas
5.2

Scene Two

5.2.1Key Events5.2.2Key Ideas
5.3

Scene Three

5.3.1Key Events5.3.2Key Ideas
6

Act Five

6.1

Scene One

6.1.1Key Events6.1.2Key Ideas
6.2

Scene Two

6.2.1Key Events6.2.2Key Ideas
7

Character Profiles

7.1

Major Characters

7.1.1Othello7.1.2Iago7.1.3Desdemona7.1.4Emilia7.1.5Cassio
7.2

Minor Characters

7.2.1Roderigo & Brabantio7.2.2Other Characters
8

Key Themes

8.1

Love & Tragedy

8.1.1Love8.1.2Love 28.1.3Tragedy8.1.4Tragedy 2
8.2

Other Key Themes

8.2.1Public versus Private8.2.2Appearance & Reality
9

Writing Techniques

9.1

Writing Techniques

9.1.1Structure9.1.2Genre9.1.3Form & Language9.1.4Language & Imagery
10

Critical Debates

10.1

Criticism & Performance

10.1.1Shakespeare's Legacy10.1.2Traditional10.1.3Modern & Contemporary
10.2

Approaches

10.2.1Feminist Approach10.2.2Psychoanalytic Approach10.2.3Marxist Approach
11

Approaching AQA English Literature

11.1

Specification A

11.1.1Specification A11.1.2Love Through the Ages
11.2

Specification B

11.2.1Specification B11.2.2Aspects of Tragedy
12

Issues of Assessment

12.1

The Exams

12.1.1AOs12.1.2Mark Scheme

Practice questions on Key Ideas

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  1. 1
    Reasons Iago persuades Othello to strangle Desdemona rather than use poison:Fill in the list
  2. 2
    Language use in Act Four Scene One:Fill in the list
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Key Events

Key Events