Othello Knowledge Organizer

Othello Knowledge Organiser Very Brief Plot Summary Key Quotations Act One: Othello, a great general, has just married Desdemona, the daughter of a nobleman. Othello is a black man and Desdemona is white, so “In following him, I follow but myself” Iago, Act I, Scene i this is a great scandal for the time. Iago, one of Othello’s officers, sees the marriage as an opportunity to get revenge on the general, who has just “I am not what I am” Iago, Act I, Scene i overlooked him for promotion in favour of another officer, Michael Cassio. Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, pleads to the Duke for justice, saying Othello has stolen his daughter. The Duke listens to both Desdemona and Othello, and realises they are in love. He sends Othello (and his new wife) to Cyprus, to protect it from a Turkish invasion. Act Two: Othello arrives in Cyprus with his army and his bride. The Turkish fleet has been destroyed in a terrible storm, so there is no prospect of a “Rude am I in my speech And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace” Othello, Act I, Scene iii “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, battle. To celebrate, Othello arranges a party. During the celebrations, Iago gets Cassio drunk. Cassio causes a drunken brawl and is fired by Othello. And I loved her that she did pity them.” Othello, Act I, Scene iii Horrified and ashamed of his actions, Cassio asks Iago’s advice. Iago tells him to plead with Desdemona, who could put in a good word for him with “Honest Iago” Othello, Act I, Scene iii Othello. Cassio agrees. “The Moor is of a free and open nature, Act Three: Desdemona begs Othello to talk to Cassio. He agrees to do as she says. Meanwhile, Iago starts to convince Othello that Desdemona is That thinks men honest that seem to be so.” Iago, Act I, Scene iii unfaithful to him and favours Cassio. Iago’s wife, Emilia, steals a handkerchief of Desdemona’s which was given to her by Othello. Iago takes the “I put the Moor / At least into a jealousy so strong / That judgment handkerchief and plants it in Cassio’s rooms. Cassio, finding it, gives it to a local woman with whom he is having an affair. Act Four: Iago subtly provokes Othello’s jealousy over Desdemona until he falls into a fit. When he wakes, Othello overhears a conversation between Iago and Cassio in which he presumes Cassio is talking about sleeping with Desdemona. Othello vows to kill his wife and Cassio. Othello strikes Desdemona in front of important guests. Realising something is wrong, she begs Iago and Emilia for help. Othello tells her to go to bed. Act Five: Cassio and Roderigo fight. Iago sneaks onto the scene and wounds Cassio, then kills Roderigo. Meanwhile, Othello finds Desdemona asleep in bed and smothers her. Emilia bursts in and Othello confesses, saying he killed Desdemona because she was unfaithful. Emilia realises her husband has engineered the situation and Iago stabs her. Othello sees he has been tricked and that Desdemona was innocent. He stabs himself. Characters cannot cure.” Iago, Act II, Scene i “Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation!” Cassio, Act II, Scene iii “Our general’s wife is now the general.” Iago, Act II, Scene iii “I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear” Iago, Act II, Scene iii “Perdition catch my soul / But I do love thee; and when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again.” Othello, Act III, Scene iii “Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, / Is the immediate Othello: a successful army general. jewel of their souls.” Iago, Act III, Scene iii Iago: Othello’s ensign – a low rank of officer. “O beware, my lord, of jealousy. / It is the green-eyed monster which Desdemona: the young and beautiful daughter of a nobleman. doth mock / The meat it feeds on.” Iago, Act III, Scene iii Cassio: Othello’s young and handsome lieutenant. “This fellow’s of exceeding honesty” Othello, Act III, Scene iii Emilia: Wife of Iago and companion to Desdemona. “fair devil” Othello, Act III, Scene iii Bianca: a woman in Cyprus who has fallen in love with Cassio. “But jealous souls will not be answered so. / They are not ever jealous The Duke of Venice: he sends Othello to Cyprus and adjudicates between Othello and Brabantio. for the cause, / But jealous for they’re jealous. ‘Tis a monster / Begot Brabantio: a wealthy nobleman and Desdemona’s father. upon itself, born on itself.” Emilia, Act III, Scene iv Roderigo: a Venetian gentleman, in love with Desdemona. “my heart is turned to stone” Othello, Act IV, Scene i Gratiano: Brabantio’s brother. Lodovico: a relative of Brabantio who arrives in Cyprus on state business. Montano: the governor of Cypru Page 1 of 2 visit twinkl.com Othello Knowledge Organiser Themes Love and Hate • • • • • • Love is the catalyst for events in the play. Iago’s hate is the antithesis of Othello and Desdemona’s love. Love between father and daughter shown in Brabantio/Desdemona. Roderigo suffers unrequited love for Desdemona. Cassio’s lust is mistaken for love by Bianca. Love, hate and sex are closely intertwined within the play. dramatic irony Words and their ability to manipulate others is a strong motif in the play. Othello admits that he is not used to The play explores: gender and its role in identity – Emilia talks about the restrictions placed on women and the differences between the sexes; race as a part of identity – Othello’s race makes him an outsider; status and its importance to identity – Iago plots against Othello because he resents his status, Cassio is desperate to regain his status and Brabantio feels his status has been insulted by his daughter running away. Jealousy is the driving force behind events in the play. Iago is jealous of Othello and Cassio, so plots against them both. Roderigo is jealous of Othello. Othello is jealous of Desdemona. Bianca is jealous because she thinks Cassio has a new lover. Jealousy is a monster which feeds on the characters. • Society viewed men and women differently at the time of the play. • Emilia argues passionately against the expectations for women, drawing attention to the inequalities in society. • Desdemona is portrayed as a perfect, ‘pure’ woman. But she disobeys her father to be with Othello, and tries to manipulate Othello into re-employing Cassio. • Bianca is shown as the opposite of Desdemona – because she has slept with Cassio out of wedlock, he treats her with contempt. • Both Emilia and Desdemona die at the hands of their husbands. They are victims of abusive relationships. Race • Society’s attitude to racial equality was very different at the time of the play. • Othello is seen as an outsider because of the colour of his skin. His military prowess means he is more accepted, but he is still not seen as an equal. • Brabantio is scandalised, not just because his daughter ran away, but because she chose to run away with a black man. • Many characters frequently use derogatory language based on race when speaking about Othello. Perceptions emotive language foreshadowing hyperbole speaking publicly, but it is actually his speeches and iambic pentameter stories which wooed Desdemona. Iago shows how a irony way with words can manipulate others; his choice to remain silent at the end of the play is a powerful way of maintaining control over his captors. The power of poison is a motif running through the Men and Women • • • • antithesis the play. This is most obviously shown by Othello being but the language of the play often draws out this contrast. Jealousy • • • • • • Language and Techniques The balance between dark and light is a motif within a black man within a predominantly white environment, Identity • • • • Symbols and Motifs juxtaposition metaphor meter play. Iago equates words with poison; he is figuratively repetition poisoning Othello to literally hurt him. rhyming couplet Animals are highly symbolic and carry different meanings simile and implications when they are referenced in the text. tragedy Context Key Vocabulary • Written in England around 1604, but set in Venice and Cyprus. • Strong social structure in Renaissance England, with the Church at the very top. • People were often superstitious and had a thorough knowledge of classical myths and legends. • Strict divide between men and women, with men seen as superior. • England was predominantly white, although there were some black people living in London. • Attitudes were often highly racist. People from any part of Africa were called ‘Moors’. Othello’s racial origin is not clear – perhaps purposefully so. act domestic jealousy men playwright race rage scene sexuality stage directions The play explores how we present ourselves to others, and how others see us. Iago’s web of lies is based entirely on Othello’s perception – there is no truth behind it. Iago’s jealousy starts because he believes Othello has slept with Emilia – but this is only his perception. Iago exploits Othello’s perception of other people as honest. tragedy violence women Page 2 of 2 visit twinkl.com