1.

BRABANTIO, [A senator,] father to Desdemona 

2. GRATIANO [brother to Brabantio.] Two noble Venetians 
3. LODOVICO [kinsman to Brabantio.] Two noble Venetians 
4. OTHELLO, the Moor [in the military service of Venice.] 
5. CASSIO, an honourable lieutenant [to Othello]. 
6. IAGO [an ensign to Othello,] a villian. 
7. RODERIGO, a Venetian gentleman. 
8. MONTANO, governor of Cyprus [before Othello] 
9. Clown [servant to Othello]. 
10. DESDEMONA, wife to Othello. 
11. EMILIA, wife to Iago. 
12. BIANCA, a courtezan [mistress to Cassio]. 
[Other]

1. SENATORS, 

Literary terms Explanation

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy which deals with the

nature of art, beauty and ‘good taste’. It is traditionally
associated with literature and the visual arts. So far as
literature is concerned, it has led to the delineation of a
Aesthetics canon of ‘classic’ texts which are highly valued for their
complexity, use of literary language, aesthetic unity and
serious subject matter. An aesthetic approach
to Othello might consider the ways in which the play could
be considered ‘beautiful’.

a Greek philosopher (384–322 BC) who discussed tragedy

in his Poetics. Aristotle observed that tragedy represented a
single action of a certain magnitude, that provoked audience
reactions of pity and terror which were then resolved by the
Aristotle catharsis of the play’s climax. Tragedies worked on a
process of the reversal of fortune, with the protagonist
making an error of judgement and then learning the truth
about his folly, gaining insight into himself and his situation
as a consequence.

a dramatic convention in which a character speaks in such a

way that some of the characters on stage do not hear what
aside is said, while others do. It may also be direct address to the
audience, revealing the character’s inner thoughts or
motives, as is the case with Iago.

unrhymed iambic pentameter: a line of five iambs. One of

the commonest English metres, the popularity of blank
verse is due to its flexibility and relative closeness to spoken
English. It allows a pleasant variation of full strong stresses
blank verse per line, generally four or five, while conforming to the basic
metrical pattern of five iambs. Shakespeare uses blank
verse when he wants to convey the intensity of characters’
feelings. Heroes generally speak in verse in Shakespeare’s
plays, so it is significant when Othello speaks in prose.
Literary terms Explanation

catalyst a person or thing that brings about an event or change

in tragedy, the purging of the effects of pent up emotion and

catharsis repressed thoughts by bringing them to the surface of
consciousness

the way in which a writer creates characters so as to attract

or repel our sympathy. Different kinds of literature have
characterisation certain conventions of characterisation. In Jacobean drama
there were many stock dramatic ‘types’ (see Machiavel)
whose characteristics were familiar to the audience.

the final unfolding of a plot; the point at which the

denouement audience’s expectations, be they hopes or fears, about what
will happen to the characters are finally satisfied or denied

a feature of many plays, it occurs when the development of

the plot allows the audience to possess more information
about what is happening than some of the characters
themselves have. Iago is the source of much of the dramatic
dramatic irony
irony in Othello, informing the audience of his intentions.
Characters may also speak in a dramatically ironic way,
saying something that points to events to come without
understanding the significance of their words.

broadly speaking, a political movement claiming political

and economic equality of women with men. Feminist
criticism and scholarship seek to explore or expose the
masculine ‘bias’ in texts and challenge traditional ideas
about them, constructing and then offering a feminine
perspective on works of art. Since the late 1960s feminist
feminism theories about literature and language, and feminist
interpretations of texts have multiplied enormously.
Feminism has its roots in previous centuries: early texts
championing women’s rights include Mary
Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of
Women (1792) and J. S. Mill’s The Subjection of
Women (1869).

a technique used to hint at and prepare the reader for the

foreshadowing
later events or a turning point in the action

hamartia a Greek term meaning an error of judgement

the self-indulgent confidence that causes a tragic hero to

hubris ignore the decrees, laws and warnings of the gods, and
therefore defy them to bring about his or her downfall

idiom a characteristic mode of expression for a character

Literary terms Explanation

in its narrowest sense an image is a word picture, a

description of some visible scene or object. More
commonly, imagery relates to the figurative language in a
piece of literature ( metaphors and similes) or all the words
image, imagery which refer to objects and qualities which appeal to the
senses and feelings. Thematic imagery is imagery which
recurs throughout a work of art. For example,
in Othello Shakespeare’s images of the devil and infection
underpin the theme of evil.

in speech, consists of saying one thing while you mean

another (many of Iago’s speeches to his victims include
examples of this kind). However, not all ironical statements
in literature are as easily discerned or understood; the
patterns of irony – of situation, character, structure and
vocabulary – in Othello need careful unravelling. In certain
irony
cases the context will make clear the true meaning
intended, but sometimes the writer will have to rely on the
reader sharing values and knowledge in order for his or her
meaning to be understood. Ironic literature characteristically
presents a variety of possible points of view about its
subject matter.

Jacobean drama refers to the plays written during the reign

Jacobean
of James I (1603–25).

in literature, to place ideas, images or events side by side

juxtapose
so that they can be compared.

a villainous stock character in Elizabethan and Jacobean

drama, so called after the Florentine writer Niccolo
Machiavelli (1469–1527), author of The Prince (written
1513), a book of political advice to rulers that recommended
the need under certain circumstances to lie to the populace
for their own good and to preserve power. Embellishment of
this suggestion (which was only one small part of his
Machiavel analysis of political power and justice) made Machiavelli
almost synonymous with the Devil in English literature.
Machiavels are practised liars and cruel political
opportunists, who delight in their own manipulative evil. The
topic of dissembling and disguising one’s true identity
amount almost to an obsession in plays in the early
seventeenth century. Iago is one of the most sophisticated
Machiavellian villains in Jacobean drama.

a stage archetype who is disaffected, melancholy,

dissatisfied with or disgusted by society and life. Iago is not
malcontent
a true malcontent, but he demonstrates some of these
qualities.

Marxist criticism emphasises the role of class and ideology and seeks to
establish if a text reflects or challenges the current social
order. Marxist critics view texts as products which should be
Literary terms Explanation

understood in relation to their historical contexts. Marxism

began with Karl Marx, the nineteenth-century German
philosopher who wrote Das Kapital (1867), which is
considered the seminal work of the communist movement.
Marx was the first Marxist literary critic, writing critical
essays in the 1830s on Goethe and Shakespeare.

goes further than a comparison between two things by

fusing them together; one thing is described as being
metaphor another, thus carrying over its associations. References to
Iago as being a dog and a devil help Shakespeare portray
the villain’s evil.

in literature, a character or event mirrors another character

or event when the two follow similar plots, act in similar
mirroring ways or contain similar elements or traits. Shakespeare
uses mirroring in Othello to increase the audience’s
appreciation of the characters and their situations.

the work of a loose affiliation of critics who discuss literary

works in terms of their historical contexts. In particular, they
New Historicism
seek to study literature as part of a wider cultural history,
exploring the relationship of literature to society.

a figure of speech in which contradictory terms are brought

together in what is at first sight an impossible combination.
There are a number of examples in Othello , e.g. Cassio is
oxymoron
said to be ‘damned in a fair wife’ (I.1.20); Iago speaks of
‘honest knaves’ (I.1.48) and also informs us ‘I am not what I
am’ (I.1.64).

an imitation of a work or style devised so as to ridicule its

parody characteristics. Iago mocks Othello by imitating his speech
style.

moments in works of art which evoke strong feelings of pity

pathos
are said to have this quality.

a community or family under the authority of a patriarch.

patriarchy The patriarchal system places the man at the head of the
household or government.

a type of metaphorical language in which things or ideas are

personification treated as if they are human beings, with attributes and
feelings.

Thomas Rymer devised this term in 1678 to describe how

poetic justice literature should always depict a world in which virtue and
vice are eventually rewarded and punished appropriately.
Literary terms Explanation

post-colonialism explores the ways in which texts carry racist or colonial

criticism undertones.

the most typical form of written language, which sounds like

the natural flow of speech rather than the more formal
rhythmic structure of poetry and verse. Prose is traditionally
prose associated with ‘low’ and comic characters in Renaissance
drama, but Shakespeare uses it for other purposes as well.
In Othello , Shakespeare uses prose when he wants the
dialogue to sound urgent and fast moving.

protagonist a main character in a play.

Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. The English

Restoration Restoration (1660–89) refers to the final years of the reign
of the Stuart kings.

a special form of tragedy in which a protagonist pursues

vengeance against those who have done wrong. These
plays often focus on the moral confusion caused by the
revenge tragedy need to answer evil with evil. The Elizabethan interest in the
tragedies of Seneca gave rise to many revenge tragedies.
Bloodthirsty scenes and every kind of sensational horror
typify revenge tragedy.

a dramatic convention which allows a character in a play to

speak directly to the audience, as if thinking aloud about
motives, feelings and decisions. The use of the soliloquy
soliloquy enables the dramatist to give characters psychological
depth. Part of the convention of the soliloquy is that it
provides accurate access to the character’s innermost
thoughts.

Shakespeare’s tragedies concentrate on the downfall of

powerful men and often illuminate the resulting deterioration
of a whole community. The protagonists in Shakespeare’s
tragedy
tragedies are not necessarily good. In Othello the
protagonist is noble, but becomes cruel and vicious when
he is jealous.

a figure in morality plays of the fifteenth and sixteenth

centuries who tempts humankind in a half-comic, half-
vice, the
unpleasant manner. Many critics argue that Iago is
modelled on this stock character.

xenophobic fearing or hating foreigners.

Othello A Moor (an African), a general in the defense forces of the city state of
Venice. His successful profession brings him high status in Venice, but his foreign
origins and color separate him from those with whom he lives and works. He is a
military man, with a reputation for courage in battle and good judgment in military
matters. Othello falls in love and marries Desdemona, but during the campaign
against the Turks, Othello is tricked by Iago into believing that his wife has been
unfaithful with his lieutenant, Cassio. Iago works on Othello's personal and social
insecurity until Othello believes the combination of Iago's lies and flimsy
circumstantial evidence. Inflamed with jealousy, he smothers Desdemona in her bed,
only to find out too late that he has been misled and has killed the woman who loved
him faithfully. In despair, he kills himself.

Iago Othello's ancient (captain) in the Venetian defense forces. He had hoped for

promotion, but Othello passed over him in favor of Cassio, and Iago works revenge
on them both. He exploites Roderigo as a source of money and an unwitting
accomplice in his plot to bring down Othello. When finally cornered and charged with
his wickedness, Iago refuses to speak or to repent or explain his actions, and he
goes to his punishment still surrounded by mystery.

Desdemona A noble Venetian lady, daughter of Brabantio. She organizes her life
intelligently and shows courage, love, and loyalty in following her husband into
danger. She accompanies Othello to Cyprus on the campaign against the Turks but
finds him becoming distant and making wild accusations against her. She firmly
believes that he will see that she is true to him, but when she realizes he is about to
kill her, she can only feel despair and grief. She dies declaring her love for him.

Brabantio A Venetian Senator, Desdemona's father. He is angry at his daughter's

choice of husband but can do nothing once the marriage has taken place, and the
Venetian Senate has accepted it. He warns Othello that Desdemona is a clever
deceiver.

Roderigo A Venetian nobleman in love with Desdemona. He has more money than
sense and pays Iago to court Desdemona on his behalf. Iago, playing on Roderigo's
hopes and gullibility, continues to help himself to Roderigo's money, and Roderigo
never gets his heart's desire. Iago involves Roderigo in an attack on Cassio, for
which Roderigo pays with his life, as Iago kills him to ensure his silence.

Cassio Othello's lieutenant in the Venetian defense forces. Cassio accompanied

Othello as his friend when he was courting Desdemona. He is popular, he speaks
well, and he is lively and trusting. Iago eventually convinces Othello that Cassio is
Desdemona's paramour. Cassio is appointed governor of Cyprus after Othello's
death.

Bianca A courtesan (prostitute), in love with Cassio. She is skilled in needlework and
agrees to copy the handkerchief that Cassio gives her; then she throws it back at
him, believing it is the token of his new love.

Emilia Desdemona's lady-in-waiting and Iago's wife. She knows Iago better than
anybody else and is suspicious of his actions and motives. She does not realize until
too late that the wicked person who has poisoned Othello against Desdemona is
Iago, her own husband.
The Duke of Venice The leader of the governing body of the city state of Venice.
The Duke appoints Othello to lead the forces defending Venice against the Turkish
attack on Cyprus; he also urges Brabantio to accept his daughter's marriage.

Gratiano Brabantio's brother. He and Lodovico find Cassio wounded after Roderigo

stabs him in the drunken brawl.

Lodovico Desdemona's cousin. After the death of Desdemona, Lodovico questions

Othello and Cassio together, thus revealing the truth.

Montano Othello's predecessor as the governor of Cyprus. He is Othello's friend and

loyal supporter.

For all that Othello is set in a "masculine",military world it is the language which dominates the play
rather than actions. Language defines character, revealing Othello as the eloquent outsider who
descends into madness through the breakdown of his language and Iago as Janus. Moreover it reveals
that appearance isn't always the same as reality...

The eloquence of the play is characterised by Othello's language. His eloquence in the opening Act
contrasts sharply with the short sentences of the other characters. He claims that "Rude am I in my
speech/And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace" but this is recognised by the audience to be
modesty. The audience is not alone in noting the beauty of Othello's language with the Duke stating
that Othello's "tale would win" his daughter as well. Indeed the quality of Othello's language has been
labelled as "Othello music" by one critic and if it is worthy of such a label it is in the opening Act. For
Othello the "tented field" is something characterised by romanticism and heroism. He talks of "Rough
quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven" mixing the military world with imagery of
heaven. Equally Desdemona is the "fair warrior" and his "captain's captain". This shows how he not
only considers Desdemona to be his equal (something which none of the other characters do with
the "maiden never bold") but how he has moved his affection and preoccupation with his career on to
Desdemona. For Othello, who is undoubtedly a character of extremes, this is an unsurprising
transference of affection but it is also one which creates an ideal of Desdemona which she has little
chance of living up to. The audience knows that in terms of idealism they are separated from the more
brutal world but, crucially, Othello doesn't. For him the world is one coloured, like his language, with
extremes. Extremes of perfection, extremes of evil. There is no room for shades of grey in such a
world and this is why he is able to dramatically state "my life upon her faith" without realising the
implication of such a statement. Equally he can talk of "my soul's joy" and can state "If it were now to
die/ 'Twere now to be most happy". This is indeed the peak of his life, the peak of his relationship, the
peak of his "music" but in such a world, for such a person as Othello, a peak is unsustainable, merely
an illusive picture which is open to his own dramatic interpretation as much as Iago's untuning.
When the breakdown of Othello's language occurs it is as dramatic as his former eloquence. Again the
dramatic nature of his language is shown in his comment of "Tis the plague of great ones". He may
swear by "heaven" to know "thy thoughts" and then talk of the "monster" in them, demanding proof
but he is unable to recognise that he is jealous, ironically stating "Think'st thou I'd make a life of
jealousy". During his conversation with Iago in Act 3 Scene 3 he talks as if he is addressing a captive
audience and yet there is only him and Iago present, and then just himself. For Othello his language is
shaped by his life experience. Every aspect of it is elevated, powerful,as if he is telling one of his
stories which he previously told Desdemona. This leads to his dramatic "farewell" speech:

Farewell the tranquil mind, farewell content!\ Farewell the plumed troops and the big wars\ That
makes ambition virtue...\ Farewell: Othello's occupation gone".

From this point in the play it is indeed farewell: farewell to the "Pride, pomp and circumstance of
glorious war" in Othello's language; farewell to heaven which is now made of "marble" and farewell
to his "music".Earlier in the play Othello ironically states "when I love thee not/ Chaos is come
again". As Othello's love is so absolute it is unsurprising that when he no longer loves Desdemona the
chaos, in both his life and language, is also absolute. Imagery of heaven is replaced by imagery
of "hollow hell" and "sweating devil[s]" and his language becomes more sexual: "Hot, hot moist". His
speech on the importance of the handkerchief in Act 3 Scene 4 shows how his origins colour his
language. He states that "there's magic in the web of it" and that his mother received it from
a "charmer" who "could almost read/ The thoughts of people". The speech is designed to make
Desdemona realise the importance of the handkerchief and it undoubtedly does this, however it also
prevents either of them escaping from the situation they are in. Whether Othello actually believes in
the superstition or is exaggerating to impress the importance of it on Desdemona is unclear but again
it is an example of the dramatic nature of his language. With such a powerful story Desdemona has
little chance of revealing the truth, especially after his rejection of her in the previous scene. After this
Othello's language rapidly disintegrates. In Act 4 Scene 1 he has lost all sense of reason stating "first
to be hanged and then to confess". His language breaks up further as he stops talking in verse and
finally is no longer able to communicate even in sentences: "Noses, ears, lips. Is't possible? Confess!
handkerchief! O devil!". Desdemona is now the "devil" who is as "false as hell". Equally he has
adopted the animal imagery of Iago: "Goats and monkeys!". For Othello the accumulative nature of
the brutality and ugliness which he is surrounded by has undermined his language. Othello's world,
and his language, has been untuned by an "eternal villain" and his own nature.

Once Othello's language has traversed the spectrum of being exquisite to blatantly ridiculous it again
begins to regain its former structure. By Act 4 Scene 2 his rhetoric has returned, even if it is only to
justify his motives: "Was this fair paper, this most goodly book/ Made to write 'whore' upon?". He is
still using mixed metaphors however: "rose-lipped cherubin/ Ay, here look, grim as hell!". As in Act 3
Scene 4 Othello uses repetition, this time with the word "committed", highlighting how, to Othello,
his actions are "justice". Act 5 Scene 2 however opens with a soliloquy that is filled sensuous imagery
of Desdemona's "whiter skin...than snow"..."smooth as monumental alabaster" and her "balmy
breath". She is no longer the "devil" having regained her former status of the "light" which Othello
will put out. Othello still sees the murder as being a "sacrifice" and this is another of his attempts to
justify what he is doing (which is the very thing that preoccupied Iago in his early soliloquies). Once
he has murdered her however Othello recognises the impact of what he has done: "Methinks it should
be now a huge eclipse/ Of sun and moon". This may well be over dramatic but for once Othello's
dramatisation of his life seems appropriate . Even in Othello's world of extremes Desdemona's death
makes its impact on him. His conversation with Emilia after the murder is characterised by the
repetition of the word "husband" as realisation begins to dawn on Othello. His final speech, which is
effectively his epitaph, shows a return to his "music" of the opening Act. It contains a list of similes to
describe his condition, in which we encounter the "base Indian" and the "Arabian trees". This again
shows how his language is coloured by his origins. After the first-person opening however Othello
stands back from himself and speaks in the third person of "one" who has done all these things. His
judgement on himself is "Of one that loved not wisely, but too well", which may suggest that even at
this point our tragic hero is deceiving himself. It also has to be noted that Othello is conscious that this
is his epitaph and it is therefore worded accordingly. Othello is a highly introspective character who
creates images of beauty and elegance in a way which none of the other characters do and yet, his
final speech gives a clue to the problem of such a style of language. It is not only his language which
is coloured by his dramatisation but his life as well and this undoubtedly leaves him open to having
his poetic talents used for negative effect on both his life and language.

Shakespeare uses many types of figurative language tools such as metaphor, simile, and
personification to paint pictures with his words. Recognizing when his characters are speaking
figuratively helps to understand what they are saying. For example, Othello’s soliloquy before he
murders Desdemona (5.2.1–22) is overflowing with figurative language:

It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,—

Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!— (personification)
It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, (imagery)
And smooth as monumental alabaster. (simile)
Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light: (juxtaposition)
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, (personification)
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent me; but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat (allusion)
That can thy light relume. When I have pluck’d the rose, (imagery/metaphor)
I cannot give it vital growth again.
It must needs wither: I’ll smell it on the tree.

    [Kisses her.]

Ah balmy breath, that dost almost persuade (alliteration)

Justice to break her sword! One more, one more. (personification)

     [Kisses her.]

Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,

And love thee after. One more, and this the last: (repetition)

     [Kisses her.]

So sweet was ne’er so fatal. I must weep,

But they are cruel tears: this sorrow’s heavenly; (contrast)
It strikes where it doth love. She wakes.

Of course, the text of the play provides many other examples of figurative language, such as the
following:

METAPHOR

Dangerous conceits are, in their natures, poisons,

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,
But, with a little act upon the blood,
Burn like the mines of sulphur.
    — Iago (3.3.326–29)

They [men] are all but stomachs, and we all but food:
They eat us hungerly, and when they are full,
They belch us.
    — Emilia (3.4.104–06)

IMAGERY

I see sir, you are eaten up with passion.

— Iago (3.3.391)

I think the sun where he was born

Drew all such humours from him.
    — Desdemona (3.4.30–31)

Personification: 

Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate!
      — Othello 3.3.448–49

Simile: 

Like to the Pontic sea, 

Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne’er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on
To the Propontic and the Hellespont;
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable and wide revenge
Swallow them up.--Now, by yond marble heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow
I here in engage my words.
        — Othello 3.3.453–62

Othello: She was false as water.

Emilia: Thou are rash as fire,
To say that she was false: O she was heavenly true.
    —Othello 5.2.133–35
Act 1: Simile

 Scene 3 “The food that to him is as luscious as locusts”

 Scene 3 “Shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida”
 Scene 3 "The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads (do grow) beneath their shoulders"

Act 1: Metaphors

 Scene 1 “Sir, you’re robbed. For shame, put on your gown”

 “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.”
 “Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners.” Pg 51 act1 scene 3
 “By Janus I think no.”
 Scene 3 "The robbed that smiles steals something from thief;"

Act 4 Figurative Language

- She can turn on you again - Metaphor
- Symbolism: The willow
- Simile: “That would be like playing a trick on the devil” Scene 1
- “The fountain from the which my current runs Or else dries up—to be discarded thence! Or keep it
as a cistern for foul toads” scene 2
- “Oh, ay, as summer flies are in the shambles, That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed, Who
art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet. That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been
born!” Scene 2
- “Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell.” Scene 2
- Personification: “The lethargy must have his quiet course. If not, he foams at mouth and by and by
Breaks out to savage madness” Scene 1
- “The fixèd figure for the time of scorn To point his slow and moving finger at!” Scene 2
- “This is the monkey’s own giving out. She is persuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and
flattery, not out of my promise.” Scene 1

Foreshadowing

 scene 3 " Look to her, Moor, if though hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and may
thee."
 "I do follow here in the chase, not like a hound that hunts, but one that fills up the cry.”
what type is this? “By Janus I think so” (1.2.37) allusion

what type is this? “What cannot be preserved when fortune takes/ Patience her injury a mock’ry
makes” (1.3. 237) personification

what type is this? “I am not what I am” (1.1.71) (paradox)

Othello figurative language

Men are all but stomachs and we all but

Metaphor
food

By heaven, he echoes me, as if there were

some monster in his thought too hideous to Simile
be shown

Mak’st his ear a stranger to thy thoughts Personification

Good name in man and women, dear my Metaphor: comparing a good reputation to a
lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls jewel

Who steals my purse, steals trash, ’tis

something, nothing, ’twas mine, ’tis his and Alliteration of T
has been slave to thousands

O beware, my lord, of jealousy: it is the Metaphor: compare jealousy to a green eyes

green eyed monster which doth mock monster
 My wayward husband hath a hundred times Alliteration of H and hyperbole because he
wooed me to steal it didn’t really do it hundreds of times

The Moor already changes with my poison Metaphor

Burn like the mines of sulphur Simile

Th’immortal Jove’s dread clamours

Allusion
counterfeit

Are you a man? Have you a soul? Or

Rhetorical question
sense?

Her name, that was as fresh as Dian’s

Allusion
visage

I see sir you are eaten up with passion Personification as passion is eating

Were they as prime as goat as hot as

Simile
monkeys

Then kiss me hard as if he plucked up Personification (the roots that grew upon my
kisses by the roots that grew upon my lips lips) and simile

OTHELLO FLASHCARDS

 July 20, 2019

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Act 5 Figurative Language

- Dramatic Irony: “It’s him! Brave Iago, how honest and trustworthy you are!” Scene 1
- “No. He won’t say anything anymore. Honest Iago’s arranged that.” Scene 2
- Metaphor: “You’ve already stained our sheets with your lust; now I’ll stain them with your whore’s
blood.” Scene 1
- “Put out the light of the candle, and then put out the light of her heart” Scene 2
- “Describe me as a fool who threw away a precious pearl with his own hands, like a silly Indian who
didn’t know what it was worth. “ Scene 2
- “Let me smell you while you’re still on the tree.” Scene 2
- “ou’re turning my heart to stone” scene 2
- Personification: “This is such a quiet, sleepy town!” Scene 1
- “Blow on me with hot winds, roast me in lava, drown me in liquid fire! “ Scene 2
- “When I’ve plucked this rose, I can’t make it grow again; it will have no choice but to wither and
die.” Scene 2
- “No, I don’t want to send your soul to hell when I kill you.” Scene 2
- Simile: “whiter than snow and smooth as the finest marble. “ Scene 2
- “I’m acting like God in the Old Testament—I have to punish the one I love. She’s waking up.”
Scene 2
- “If he had as many lives as he’s got hairs on his head, I would’ve killed them all in revenge.” Scene
2
- “You’re as pale as your nightgown! “ Scene 2

More like this

 https://www.bard.org/study-guides/figurative-language-othello

http://www.geocities.ws/corinnefurness/othellolanguage.htm

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/characters/

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Othello

William Shakespeare

Study GuideNO FEAR Translation

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 Further Study
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 Writing Help
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Characters

Character List
Characters Character List

 Othello

The play’s protagonist and hero. A Christian Moor and general of the armies of Venice, Othello is an
eloquent and physically powerful figure, respected by all those around him. In spite of his elevated
status, he is nevertheless easy prey to insecurities because of his age, his life as a soldier, and his race.
He possesses a “free and open nature,” which his ensign Iago uses to twist his love for his wife,
Desdemona, into a powerful and destructive jealousy (I.iii.381).
 Desdemona

The daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio. Desdemona and Othello are secretly married before
the play begins. While in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is also determined
and self-possessed. She is equally capable of defending her marriage, jesting bawdily with Iago, and
responding with dignity to Othello’s incomprehensible jealousy.

 Iago

Othello’s ensign (a job also known as an ancient or standard-bearer), and the villain of the play. Iago
is twenty-eight years old. While his ostensible reason for desiring Othello’s demise is that he has been
passed over for promotion to lieutenant, Iago’s motivations are never very clearly expressed and seem
to originate in an obsessive, almost aesthetic delight in manipulation and destruction.

 Michael Cassio

Othello’s lieutenant. Cassio is a young and inexperienced soldier, whose high position is much
resented by Iago. Truly devoted to Othello, Cassio is extremely ashamed after being implicated in a
drunken brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant. Iago uses Cassio’s youth, good looks, and
friendship with Desdemona to play on Othello’s insecurities about Desdemona’s fidelity.

 Emilia
 Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical, worldly woman, she is deeply attached to her
mistress and distrustful of her husband.

Read an in-depth analysis of Emilia.

 Roderigo

A jealous suitor of Desdemona. Young, rich, and foolish, Roderigo is convinced that if he gives Iago
all of his money, Iago will help him win Desdemona’s hand. Repeatedly frustrated as Othello marries
Desdemona and then takes her to Cyprus, Roderigo is ultimately desperate enough to agree to help
Iago kill Cassio after Iago points out that Cassio is another potential rival for Desdemona.

 Bianca

A courtesan, or prostitute, in Cyprus. Bianca’s favorite customer is Cassio, who teases her with
promises of marriage.

 Brabanzio

Desdemona’s father, a somewhat blustering and self-important Venetian senator. As a friend of

Othello, Brabanzio feels betrayed when the general marries his daughter in secret.

 Duke of Venice

The official authority in Venice, the duke has great respect for Othello as a public and military
servant. His primary role within the play is to reconcile Othello and Brabanzio in Act I, scene iii, and
then to send Othello to Cyprus.

 Montano

The governor of Cyprus before Othello. We see him first in Act II, as he recounts the status of the war
and awaits the Venetian ships.

 Lodovico

One of Brabanzio’s kinsmen, Lodovico acts as a messenger from Venice to Cyprus. He arrives in
Cyprus in Act IV with letters announcing that Othello has been replaced by Cassio as governor.

 Graziano

Brabanzio’s kinsman who accompanies Lodovico to Cyprus. Amidst the chaos of the final scene,
Graziano mentions that Desdemona’s father has died.
 Clown

Othello’s servant. Although the clown appears only in two short scenes, his appearances reflect and
distort the action and words of the main plots: his puns on the word “lie” in Act III, scene iv, for
example, anticipate Othello’s confusion of two meanings of that word in Act IV, scene i.

Cassio: Motivations

Cassio's motivations throughout the play are love, and staying true to his general.

Cassio is motivated because he truly loves Bianca. When she finds a suspicious handkerchief he runs
after her because he is motivated by his love for her.

Cassio has always stayed true to his general and was there throughout his whole relationship with
Desdemona. When he makes a mistake by celebrating too much he never stops trying to please
Othello.

Iago: Goals

Iago's individual goals include tricking Othello into thinking ill of his wife and demoting Cassio from
his position of lieutenant.

Iago affects Desdemona and his own wife, Emilia, while tricking Othello. Desdemona has no clue as
to why her husband is acting this way and so she and Emilia do their best to convince him otherwise.

By demoting Cassio, Iago affects himself, Desdemona and Othello. Iago is now placed as lieutenant
and Othello has to deal with the idea of Cassio committing adultery with his love. Desdemona is
affected because she believes that Cassio deserves a second chance and leads Othello to believe that
they have a relationship.

Cassio: Goals

Cassio's goals are to please Othello and become his lieutenant again and to make Bianca feel loved.

Desdemona: Motivations

Cassio's goal of pleasing Othello affects Othello because he is the one who promoted and later
demoted Cassio of his position.
Desdemona's main motivation throughout the play is her love for Othello. She makes a sacrifice for
Othello and they elope without her father knowing. She stays true to her love for Othello throughout
the entire play.

In order to make Bianca feel loved, Cassio affects Bianca herself. He will do anything to please her
and convince her that he is faithful and that the handkerchief that caused drama, had just appeared.

Also motivating Desdemona throughout the play is her desire to help resolve her husband's problems.
When Othello plans to kill her she tries everything to make his troubles go away and remind him of
their love.

Othello: Motivations

Othello begins the play by being motivated by his love, Desdemona. He is determined to marry her,
and so they elope. He will do anything for his new wife, Desdemona, at this point.

Mid-way through the play Othello is convinced that his love is doing him wrong, by committing
adultery. Iago brings out an evil side of Othello, which is motivated by hate.

The goals of the characters in Othello are what connects them in the play. Although they are all
motivated by personal desires their goals require them to work together to reach that which they
desire.
“She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd,

And I lov'd her that she did pity them”

Othello: Goals

In order for Othello to obtain his goal of being the best general to his abilities he must appoint Cassio
lieutenant. This affects Cassio because Iago is deeply jealous and will do anything to gain the position
of lieutenant.

“She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,

And I loved her that she did pity them”
In order for Othello to reach his goal of earning Desdemona's love, he uses Cassio to be his messenger
in the beginning of their relationship.

This is a love quote from Othello speaking of himself and Desdemona near the beginning of the play.
(Act 1, Scene 3 lines 181 and 182.)
Towards the end of the play Othello's individual goals have changed. He now wants to kill
Desdemona instead of love her. Othello is working with the evil Iago which changes his personality.
Othello has turned from a kind, thoughtful, strong hearted man to a rude and untrustworthy version of
himself.

Iago: Motivations

Desdemona: Goals

Iago's main motivation throughout the play is to gain revenge on Othello. To do so, Iago comes up
with one of the most evil plans ever. He confides in Roderigo to help him in ruining Othello's life.

Desdemona's individual goal of convincing Othello that she is innocent affects Emilia. Emilia does
everything in her power to prove to Othello that his wife is still honest and true to him.

Iago is motivated by hate. He clearly states that he "hates the moor." Iago's feeling of hatred towards
Othello is one of the main themes of the play.

My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty:
To you I am bound for life and education;
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you; you are the lord of duty;
I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,
And so much duty as my mother show'd
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord.
This is a quote from Desdemona convincing her father that she must divide her love between Othello
and him, just as he and her mother did. (Act 1, Scene 3 lines 196-205.)

Literary Terms in Othello

Parallelism
Foreshadowing
 Definition: A literary device that uses components in a sentence that are
grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter.
 Location: I.iii.380-404
 Quote: Iago repeats "put money in thy purse" and other forms of this eight times
throughout his monologue to Roderigo
  Iago’s parallelism reminds Roderigo of the wealth he would gain if he joins Iago, this
causes Roderigo to lose his miserable state and gain one of optimism and stability.

 Location: I.iii.333-334
 Quote: "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. She has deceived her father, and
may thee."
 This quote, spoken by Brabantio, foreshadows that it is possible for Desdemona to
deceive Othello since she decieves her own father. Although it is not Desdemona
who ends up deceiving Othello, if Othello had remembered this quote from Brabantio,
it might have made him believe Iago even more than he does when he tells him that
Desdemona cheated on him (Othello).

Locusts and Coloquintida

Oxymoron
 Definition: A literary device/term where two or more clauses are repeated against
each other in inverse order.
 Location: III.iii.199-200
 Quote: "But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er who dotes, yet doubts; suspects,
yet (strongly) loves!"
 Words of affection are "dotes" and "strongly loves" and words of doubting are
"doubts" and "suspects". These two ideas (affection and doubting) occur in a
repeated and inverted format which makes this an example of chiasmus. This was
used to show the great contrast of how Iago thinks Othello will feel about Desdemona
after Iago tells him (Othello) what he thinks he knows of Desdemona.

Simile
Alliteration
Plant used to make coloquintida

 Location: II.iii.85-86
 Quote: "Why, he drinks you, with facility, your Dane dead drunk."
 This use of alliteration puts emphasis on the main subject of what Iago and Cassio
are talking about; drinking. It increases how understandable their conversation is by
putting stress on the "d" in each word which in turn brings out the word "drunk".

 Location: I.iii.391-392
 Quote: "The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him shortly as
bitter as coloquintida."
 This comparison uses like or as so it is a simile. Locusts were often believed to be
the food of God, so they were in fact "luscious". Iago is explaining that what is now to
Othello delicious and sustaining will turn bitter and unwanted. Iago is referring to
Othello's romance with Desdemona as the locusts. He (Iago) plans to turn that
romance sour and distasteful as coloquintida.

Omission (Ellipsis)
A black ram
  Location: I.i.97-98
 Quote: "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe."
 The metaphor is from Iago who is telling Brabantio that his daughter (the white ewe)
is having sex with Othello (the old black ram). Iago is insulting Othello by calling him
an old ram and using his skin color to add more meaning behind the insult.

Chiasmus
 Location: I.iii.184-186
 Quote: "She swore, in faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange, 'twas pitiful, 'twas
wondrous pitiful."
 This oxymoron uses two words that are opposites of each other to describe one thing
(the stories of the life of Othello that he told to Desdemona). This helps develop a
better understanding of how Desdemona feels about what Othello told her because it
shows how there are two completely different feelings it gives her that make up her
one feeling towards his life story.

Anaphora
Anadiplosis
 Definition: The purposeful repetition of the first part of a sentence in the following
phrases or sentences.
 Location: I.iii.107-109
 Quote: "I will a round unvarnished tale deliver of my whole course of love- what
drugs, what charms, what conjuration, and what mighty magic..."
 Anaphora is used here to create an artistic flow in the wording of what Othello is
saying in this quote. This literary term helps put emphasis on important words and/or
ideas in a sentence. It does this here by emphasizing each and every thing that
Othello is claiming to not have used when wooing Desdemona.

Metaphor
 Definition: The repetition of the last word or phrase of one line or clause to begin the
next line or clause.
 Location: I.iii.94
 Quote: "It is most true; true I have married her."
 This use of anadiplosis helps develop the setting of the story because it helps create
a sense of how the people in this era and place (of the world) spoke and acted.
Anadiplosis also creates beauty in this phrase because it flows better. It also helps
the ideas progress in a way that is easier to follow.

 Definition: When a word or phrase not necessary for understanding is omitted from
the sentence. This is often to improve the flow of the sentence for the speaker (if it is
a spoken part).
 Location: I.iii.5-6
 Quote: "And mine, a hundred forty." "And mine, two hundred."
 This omission of "is" serves the purpose of increasing the flow of the two speakers. It
is necessary for phrases in a play to flow certain ways depending on the context of
them and on the characters speaking them. Because these two quotes are from two
 military men talking about battle maneuvers, it is important for the wording to create a
tone of importance for the characters and to help their voices project smoothly.

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