Key Ideas

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

Iago calls Bianca a ‘bauble’ and the audience sees more of his double standards regarding women.

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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.

1Context

1.1Introduction

1.1.1Specifications

1.2Background

1.2.1Shakespeare

1.2.2Love

1.2.3Tragedy

1.2.4Historical Context

1.3Othello

1.3.1Setting

1.3.2Social Issues

2Act One: Summaries & Themes

2.1Act and Scene Summaries

2.1.1Structure

2.1.2The Exam

2.2Scene One

2.2.1Key Events

2.2.2Key Themes

2.2.3Key Ideas

2.3Scene Two

2.3.1Key Events

2.3.2Key Themes

2.3.3Key Ideas

2.4Scene Three

2.4.1Key Events

2.4.2Key Events 2

2.4.3Key Themes

2.4.4Key Ideas

3Act Two: Summaries & Themes

3.1Scene One & Two

3.1.1Scene One: Events

3.1.2Key Events 2

3.1.3Key Ideas: Love & Tragedy

3.1.4Scene Two: Events

3.2Scene Three

3.2.1Key Events

3.2.2Key Ideas

4Act Three: Summaries & Themes

4.1Key Events

4.1.1Scene One & Two

4.1.2Scene Three

4.1.3Scene Three: Key Ideas

4.1.4Scene Four

5Act Four

5.1Scene One

5.1.1Key Events

5.1.2Key Ideas

5.2Scene Two

5.2.1Key Events

5.2.2Key Ideas

5.3Scene Three

5.3.1Key Events

5.3.2Key Ideas

6Act Five

6.1Scene One

6.1.1Key Events

6.1.2Key Ideas

6.2Scene Two

6.2.1Key Events

6.2.2Key Ideas

7Character Profiles

7.1Major Characters

7.1.1Othello

7.1.2Iago

7.1.3Desdemona

7.1.4Emilia

7.1.5Cassio

7.2Minor Characters

7.2.1Roderigo & Brabantio

7.2.2Other Characters

8Key Themes

8.1Love & Tragedy

8.1.1Love

8.1.2Love 2

8.1.3Tragedy

8.1.4Tragedy 2

8.2Other Key Themes

8.2.1Public versus Private

8.2.2Appearance & Reality

9Writing Techniques

9.1Writing Techniques

9.1.1Structure

9.1.2Genre

9.1.3Form & Language

9.1.4Language & Imagery

10Critical Debates

10.1Criticism & Performance

10.1.1Shakespeare's Legacy

10.1.2Traditional

10.1.3Modern & Contemporary

10.2Approaches

10.2.1Feminist Approach

10.2.2Psychoanalytic Approach

10.2.3Marxist Approach

11Approaching AQA English Literature

11.1Specification A

11.1.1Specification A

11.1.2Love Through the Ages

11.2Specification B

11.2.1Specification B

11.2.2Aspects of Tragedy

12Issues of Assessment

12.1The Exams

12.1.1AOs

12.1.2Mark Scheme

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