Othello

Assignment to have been completed: Students should have completed Act 3.3 of Othello.

Activities:

• A. Administer the quiz over 3.3.

• B. Discuss Act III of Othello. Use the following questions to direct discussion and my answers to evaluate that discussion.

  Scene 3.3

  • 1. How strong a promise does Desdemona make to support Cassio’s efforts to regain his lieutenancy and his general’s good graces?

    She promises to keep Cassio’s case constantly before Othello, going so far as to assert, “Therefore be merry, Cassio, / For thy solicitor shall rather die / Than give thy cause away” [26 - 28].

  • 2. Why does Cassio leave when he sees Othello approaching?

    He claims that he is “very ill at ease” [32]

  • 3. What is the significance of lines 92 - 93?

    These are pivotal lines in the play. Othello perceives that Desdemona is the source of order in his life. Order arises from the primacy of reason. If jealousy (a passion) triumphs over love, then reason is brought down, and chaos reigns.

  • 4. Explain the innuendo in Iago’s reply to Othello’s question regarding Cassio’s departure from Desdemona. How is the line “[Cassio] errs in ignorance, and not in cunning” a tacit comparison of Cassio and Iago?

    On the surface, Iago’s words seem intended to protect Cassio, but the innuendo is that he has just been with Desdemona in an unseemly way [38 - 41]. After all, Iago knows that Othello has recognized Cassio. He plants the seed of doubt by his reference to a guilty departure.

    Cassio makes his mistakes by unwitting errors, but Iago plans his wrongs.

  • 5. What does Desdemona reveal about the relationship between Cassio and Othello?

    They have been friends, that Cassio has never been anything but loyal to Othello [8 - 9].

  • 6. We know that Iago is trying to use Cassio and Desdemona to destroy Othello. How then do lines 90 - 92 serve as a foreshadowing of how events – and Othello’s life – may unfold?

    They foreshadow Othello’s weakness that may emerge when anything causes him to cease to love Desdemona. It recalls Iago’s promise to destroy Cassio and Othello by making Desdemona appear to be Cassio’s lover. If Othello ceases to love Desdemona, he may wreak vengeance that will leave his life and island in chaos.

  • 7. What misinterpretation of Iago’s character leads Othello to listen to and even to believe his ensign? What confession does Iago make to Othello that borders on an admission of guilt?

    Othello believes that Iago respects him deeply and expresses himself honestly, that he thinks carefully before he speaks so that he may speak the truth - though, in fact, his pauses may only indicated machinations [119 - 120] He also believes that Iago’s passions cannot rule him, though we know that his passion for revenge is his primary motivation [124 - 125]

    In lines 147 - 154, Iago admits that he has a suspicious nature leads him to investigate matters, even to create offenses where none actually exist - as he is doing even now with Cassio.

  • 8. Contrast lines 158-162 in 3.3 to lines 244-250 in 2.3. What do these lines reaffirm about Iago?

    In this scene Iago makes an eloquent plea for the value of reputation, though in the previous act he has convinced Roderigo that reputation means nothing.

    Iago is willing to say or do anything to further his schemes.

  • 9. How does Othello propose to avoid jealousy?

    He claims he will avoid jealousy by making a thorough and close examination of the fair.

  • 10. Why are lines 207-209 so powerful?

    In these lines, Iago recalls Brabantio’s statement that the Moor could not trust Desdemona not to betray him as she had her father. He also adds that when Othello told the more bestial tales, she always stayed around.

  • 11. What is the double meaning of Othello’s declaration to Iago, “I am bound to thee for ever”? What commission does Othello give Iago just before the ensign departs from him? Which lines reveal Iago’s success in planting suspicion in Othello’s heart?

    From Othello’s perspective, the line means that he is indebted to Iago for his service. However, from the audience’s perspective the line takes on the dramatic irony of Othello entering into a relationship with the “devil” who is Iago [214].

    Othello authorizes Iago to spy on Desdemona (in response to the suspicion of her that Iago has planted in his heart) [241].

    Lines 243 - 244 declare that Othello trusts Iago’s suspicions and even believes the liar knows more than he has already told. Indeed, Othello trusts Iago’s judgment more than his own [259 - 261].

  • 12. What does Othello perceive to be his faults as a fitting husband for Desdemona? How does he justify his growing jealousy?

    As faults he enumerates his blackness, his lack of the fine points of courtesy and etiquette, and his age [264 - 266].

    He asserts that husbands may possess their wives but cannot command their wives’ desires [269 - 271].

  • 13. When Othello actually sees Desdemona the next time, what effect does she immediately have upon him?

    As soon as he sees her, he cannot believe she could ever be false [278 - 279].

  • 14. With what lie about Cassio does Iago make his final assault on Othello’ suspicions? With what prop does Iago seal his seduction of Othello into jealousy?

    He states that if Desdemona makes any plea on Cassio’s behalf for the former lieutenant’s reinstatement, that action will support his suspicion that Cassio is her lover [251 - 253].

  • 15. What is the significance of Othello’s and Iago’s closing speeches in this scene?

    Othello’s speeches make his jealousy very clear but also indicate that he is not completely sure of Iago’s words. He now demands proof that he can witness himself. When Iago creates the lies about Cassio’s talking in his sleep and wiping his beard with the handkerchief Othello had given Desdemona, he seems to regain the Moor’s confidence. Indeed, Othello commissions Iago to kill Cassio and declares he himself will devise a way to kill Desdemona.

Assignment for next class meeting: Read Act 3.4 of Othello. Complete study questions.