Act 1 Scene 3. There are plenty of male characters in these If one were to leave out the word “black” in the “old black ram” speech above and substitute the word “old” for “black” or “sooty” elsewhere throughout the text, the meaning would change, but it would still make sense. Nor does he feel any guilt about casting suspicion on poor Bianca, whom he claims is angry with Cassio for having jilted her]. [2] Note also that the joke is flawed because the paycheck is technically not a motivation, something from the past, but a goal to be obtained in the future. The result of the power dynamic of the patriarchal relationship is that Brabantio believes Desdemona to possess an innocence and naivety that she does not have, as he fundamentally believes women are inferior to men and misguided in their beliefs and desires. “Abused her delicate soul with drugs or minerals”. Beginning of Act 1 Scene 3. Thanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. When they arrive, Cassio greets Iago as “good ancient” and when Desdemona dislikes the punchline to one of Iago’s jokes, Cassio suggests that Iago’s not the brightest, telling Desdemona “you may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar“. He delights in the misery of others. Shakespeare uses the senators to counteract Iago’s attempts to defame Othello, by having them refer to the general as ‘valiant’ (reminding us of his exploits in the field). Meanwhile, if we believe Iago’s comments, he is stuck in a loveless marriage to a woman who frequently nags him (“would she give you so much of her lips as of her tongue she oft bestows on me, you’d have enough“) and views sex with her husband as a chore (“you rise to play and go to bed to work“). Why shouldn’t the same formula work for Shakespeare? I dunno.

Discuss this issue in terms of Iago’s interactions with two characters OTHER THAN Othello. This is shown in the text when Brabantio cannot accept that Desdemona wanted to elope with Othello by her own wishes “that thou hast practis’d on her with foul charms”. This behavior serves in his favor as his respectful and humble response differs to Brabantio’s own behavior. There is no question as to Othello being black, but we never hear of a black race, a biologically distinct group of people. He does what he does not because some obscure previous event drives him to it but simply because tempting people is in his nature. She did deceive her father, marrying you.

Act 1 Scene 1 Iago.

Powered by WordPress. Act 1 Scene 2 Othello. masculinity. Before delving into the ways in which power and knowledge command contemporary development it is necessary to isolate the relationship of these terms outside of it. To expose the falsehood of the Victorian marriage, Ibsen uses characters that contrast Nora, Torvald, and their relationship.

As does Iago's slipping away without giving away his identity, so he can continue to plot against Othello. Othello married Desdemona, Brabantio’s daughter—though hardly with his blessing!—after spending much time with her at her father’s house. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. “An old black ram is tipping your white ewe”.

In the light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Brabantio and Desdemona’s relationship in the first two scenes of the play. He knows Roderigo hates Othello for winning Desdemona’s heart and tries to convince Roderigo that she’ll soon tire of Othello “what delight shall she have to look on the devil?” using Othello’s skin colour as a signifier of his physical and moral ugliness. Reality is polarized between a radically transcendent divinity and a radically “fallen” humanity that, ipso facto, is devoid of sacred qualities. In Cyprus, Cassio has been regularly seeing Bianca, a local courtesan. (circle one)2.What is your age? Read Othello, and respond to the following questions: Brabantio protests the marriage of his daughter, Desdemona, to Othello, claiming Othello used “spells and medicines” to dull her senses so that she would marry “against all rules of nature.” Some critics, however, have claimed that Brabantio’s real motive is racial prejudice. My students aren’t the first to point out that perhaps Iago has a man crush on Othello.

Act 1 Scene 2 Brabantio. Iago frequently fixates on Othello’s colour but it’s not clear if Iago himself is racist.

[Amoral sadist: Iago delights in the suffering of others.

First of many uses of this phrase, Shakespeare quickly establishes Iago’s deceptiveness as he is already playing an influence to Othello’s mind. Animalistic and crude language establishing his Machiavellian qualities.

KEY IDEA 6: Moral Decision Making Students appreciate how the process of informing one’s, Larkin’s fervour (he wrote to a friend that he wanted to “fall on her like a lion”), Arnott summed up with the words “I didn’t think of him like that.” This essay will explore Larkin’s portrayal of affection in ‘Maiden Name’ and ‘Latest Face’ and how the speaker in each poem attempts to rationalise his affection. hes the one who brought on this problem. Brabantio and Desdemona’s relationship further exemplifies wrongful ideas of Desdemona’s innocence and naivety when he doesn’t accept her sexuality and desires.

It means that you can have what you desire…just be ready to pay and pay and pay…for it.

(a) Jealous of their happiness in love: Othello is newly & happily married to an aristocratic Venetian lady and Cassio has a reputation for being very popular with the ladies. In the opening scene, Iago does describe the elopement to Desdemona’s father by crying, “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (I.i.87–88), but again his purpose is to enrage somebody (Brabantio in this case) rather than simply to express his personal feelings. Iago has a less detailed past than Othello, but it too is not lacking in specifics. Berger elaborates: “I think this tale would woo over my daughter too”. Iago also makes use of the fact that Brabantio will feel his manly … Marthe Tanghe 6.2: Explores practical implications of what it means to be fully human in such areas as relationship, sexuality and spirituality, and explains how this is linked to religious identity. Throughout the play, the Doctor’s role within the play evolves, going from simply a friend of Nora and, Cameron Bicknell The contrast in their career paths could not be more stark – Othello is in demand, Iago is going no-where. The word black occurs many times—Othello even calls himself black (III.iii.223)—sometimes condescendingly, sometimes contemptuously, but occasionally even fondly, as when the Duke says to Brabantio, “If virtue no delighted beauty lack, / Your son-in-law is more fair than black” (I.iii.289–90).

Sounds like a bit of a stretch to me! Suggests that as his plan become more out of proportion, he needs to justify his actions more. Why didn’t Iago wake Cassio up? Of Brabantio he says “rouse him, make after him, poison his delight…plague him with flies“. After all, he does put quite a bit of effort into picturing Othello and Desdemona having sex… and each of the images he presents to Brabantio involve Othello behind rather than on top of his lover… and Iago does vividly describe Cassio kissing him and laying his leg across his thigh… why doesn’t he push him away? In fact, one of the strengths of the play that passes almost unnoticed is that Shakespeare convincingly depicts a standing army in which everybody knows everybody, with constant jockeying for position, and with longterm relationships that extend beyond the army itself into the surrounding community.

Here, Iago is describing his previous encounter with Brabantio however not accurately. Iago is an absolute materialist, and—so that he may continue to line his own pockets—he frames Roderigo’s prospects in material terms: there’s no love that money can’t buy. Othello commands the stage and perhaps the audience’s admiration. Critics have been discussing this question for centuries. You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee.