OTHELLO ACT 2
SCENE 1
Summary:
The fleet of invading Turkish ships is destroyed in a storm
Cassio, Iago and Desdemona arrive safely in Cyprus. Seeing Othello arrive, Cassio
plans to ruin the couple’s happiness.
Iago tells Roderigo that Desdemona and Cassio are in love and convinces him that
they need to get Cassio dismissed from his post. Alone, he thinks through his
plans to destroy Othello.
This scene is significant as it sets up this literal storm which foreshadows the
metaphorical storm that is yet to come Shakespeare establishes Desdemona and
Cassio in such a way that the audience are more likely to believe the relationship that
is suggested later in the play; making Othello’s jealousy more plausible. We enter the
setting of Cyprus, which places the character’s out of their natural environment,
creating this feeling of chaos away from the safety of Venice. Shakespeare
establishes Iago’s plans of destruction in the play, creating this sense of underlying
tension beneath the current happiness of the new couple.
THE STORM AND THE TURKS
As previously stated, the shift of scenery is important as Cyprus is an
environment which does not have the same rules. In this sense, Shakespeare
provides a perfect setting for an unusual tragic situation which might not
otherwise have occurred in a normal setting.
Stormy weather acts as a form of pathetic fallacy yet, as this is a play, the
audience cannot visually see the storm hence why the characters describe it in
such detail ‘the wind-shaked surge , with high and monstrous main’
The storm at sea could also be reflective of the storm inside Othello later in the
play as he accumulates anger and jealousy.
War equally acts as a structural device to get Othello to Cyprus.
The gentleman and the start of the act describe Othello as ‘warlike Othello’,
‘Brave Othello’pre-modifying adjectives which place the protagonist at a high and
respected position; creating this height from which he will later fall.
INTRODUCTION TO CASSIO
The way in which Cassio describes Desdemona suggests that he has affection for
her. He uses hyperbole, even describing as too perfect for an artist to paint
‘th’essential vesture of creation does tire the ingener’. This makes him more
vulnerable to Iago’s plans as his behaviours suggest to others, and the audience,
that it would be plausible for him to have an affair with ‘the divine Desdemona’
He is also portrayed as a flirtatious character, kissing Amelia’s hand as he greets
her ‘Tis my breeding that gives me this bold show of courtesy’. Indeed,
Shakespeare’s use of stage direction here adds to this portrayal of Cassio as a
character who may easily have affairs with multiple women
However, it could also be argued that Cassio is simply an expressive character
and so hyperbolises all of his speech, not just when referring to Desdemona.
, Especially as he links Othello’s ability to bring peace in war to his role as a
husband ‘Great Jove, Othello guard! And swell his sail with thine own powerful
breath…’ showing Cassio’s love and respect for Othello as well as his marriage.
IAGO’S MYSOGINY
In this scene Iago establishes his misogynistic views in response to Cassio kissing
his wife he states ‘would she give you so munch of her lips as her tongue she oft
bestows on me’, suggesting the nature of women to talk too much and nag. This
is just one common stereotype of women.
He describes women as ‘pictures out of doors, bells in your parlours’ to suggest
their pleasant appearance and silence in public, then directly contrasts this with
‘wildcats in your kitchens’ in which the metaphorical comparison to animals
connotes difficulty behind closed-doors, hence the reference to ‘kitchens’ which
were often hidden away within a home. Hence he suggests that in reality women
are difficult to deal with and love to complain. The use of rhyming couplets
throughout connotes wit.
Most of all he describes them as ‘housewives in your beds’ suggesting that
another issue is women not being interested in sex.
He implies that women are sexually irresponsible and that even foolish women
are able to use their looks in order to get themselves an ‘heir’
His final speech on the matter is written as an epigram, a short and witty poem
in which Iago essentially summarises his distaste for women and their lack of
obedience.
The way in which Iago uses language and structure, with his use of rhyme and
clever metaphor makes him appear witty to the audience; a bit of a joker, hence
they may not initially take his misogyny with such seriousness.
However, as he speaks aside from the other characters, shifting back into prose (a
device which gives him the ability to be his real self) his use of crude language
describing ‘clyster pipes’ confirms his crude and base nature, perhaps removing
the audience’s opinion of him as a simple joker.
PORTRYAL OF DESDEMONA
Throughout their verbal repartee about the behaviour of women, it is evident
through Desdemona’s strong and capable use of language that she is at least
Iago’s equal in this situation.
She seems unfazed by his use of offensive insults towards her sex, as she exposes
his use of paradoxical language ‘these are old fond paradoxes to make fools
laugh’ she sharply retorts.
The fact that she chooses to involve Cassio in the conversation, to give his opinion
of Iago, provides dramatic irony for the audience who know that Iago dislikes
Cassio and so would be enraged by this. She describes him equally as ‘he’ to
Cassio with the use of impersonal pronoun suggesting that she has a certain
amount of power over Iago, being that he is seen as a simple joker, and a man of
lower class.
Desdemona is portrayed very different to how her father described her, as she is
unfazed by Iago’s comments, proving that she is sexually aware. This ability to
deceive makes it all the more plausible for Othello to become jealous and
suspicious of her behaviour.
SCENE 1
Summary:
The fleet of invading Turkish ships is destroyed in a storm
Cassio, Iago and Desdemona arrive safely in Cyprus. Seeing Othello arrive, Cassio
plans to ruin the couple’s happiness.
Iago tells Roderigo that Desdemona and Cassio are in love and convinces him that
they need to get Cassio dismissed from his post. Alone, he thinks through his
plans to destroy Othello.
This scene is significant as it sets up this literal storm which foreshadows the
metaphorical storm that is yet to come Shakespeare establishes Desdemona and
Cassio in such a way that the audience are more likely to believe the relationship that
is suggested later in the play; making Othello’s jealousy more plausible. We enter the
setting of Cyprus, which places the character’s out of their natural environment,
creating this feeling of chaos away from the safety of Venice. Shakespeare
establishes Iago’s plans of destruction in the play, creating this sense of underlying
tension beneath the current happiness of the new couple.
THE STORM AND THE TURKS
As previously stated, the shift of scenery is important as Cyprus is an
environment which does not have the same rules. In this sense, Shakespeare
provides a perfect setting for an unusual tragic situation which might not
otherwise have occurred in a normal setting.
Stormy weather acts as a form of pathetic fallacy yet, as this is a play, the
audience cannot visually see the storm hence why the characters describe it in
such detail ‘the wind-shaked surge , with high and monstrous main’
The storm at sea could also be reflective of the storm inside Othello later in the
play as he accumulates anger and jealousy.
War equally acts as a structural device to get Othello to Cyprus.
The gentleman and the start of the act describe Othello as ‘warlike Othello’,
‘Brave Othello’pre-modifying adjectives which place the protagonist at a high and
respected position; creating this height from which he will later fall.
INTRODUCTION TO CASSIO
The way in which Cassio describes Desdemona suggests that he has affection for
her. He uses hyperbole, even describing as too perfect for an artist to paint
‘th’essential vesture of creation does tire the ingener’. This makes him more
vulnerable to Iago’s plans as his behaviours suggest to others, and the audience,
that it would be plausible for him to have an affair with ‘the divine Desdemona’
He is also portrayed as a flirtatious character, kissing Amelia’s hand as he greets
her ‘Tis my breeding that gives me this bold show of courtesy’. Indeed,
Shakespeare’s use of stage direction here adds to this portrayal of Cassio as a
character who may easily have affairs with multiple women
However, it could also be argued that Cassio is simply an expressive character
and so hyperbolises all of his speech, not just when referring to Desdemona.
, Especially as he links Othello’s ability to bring peace in war to his role as a
husband ‘Great Jove, Othello guard! And swell his sail with thine own powerful
breath…’ showing Cassio’s love and respect for Othello as well as his marriage.
IAGO’S MYSOGINY
In this scene Iago establishes his misogynistic views in response to Cassio kissing
his wife he states ‘would she give you so munch of her lips as her tongue she oft
bestows on me’, suggesting the nature of women to talk too much and nag. This
is just one common stereotype of women.
He describes women as ‘pictures out of doors, bells in your parlours’ to suggest
their pleasant appearance and silence in public, then directly contrasts this with
‘wildcats in your kitchens’ in which the metaphorical comparison to animals
connotes difficulty behind closed-doors, hence the reference to ‘kitchens’ which
were often hidden away within a home. Hence he suggests that in reality women
are difficult to deal with and love to complain. The use of rhyming couplets
throughout connotes wit.
Most of all he describes them as ‘housewives in your beds’ suggesting that
another issue is women not being interested in sex.
He implies that women are sexually irresponsible and that even foolish women
are able to use their looks in order to get themselves an ‘heir’
His final speech on the matter is written as an epigram, a short and witty poem
in which Iago essentially summarises his distaste for women and their lack of
obedience.
The way in which Iago uses language and structure, with his use of rhyme and
clever metaphor makes him appear witty to the audience; a bit of a joker, hence
they may not initially take his misogyny with such seriousness.
However, as he speaks aside from the other characters, shifting back into prose (a
device which gives him the ability to be his real self) his use of crude language
describing ‘clyster pipes’ confirms his crude and base nature, perhaps removing
the audience’s opinion of him as a simple joker.
PORTRYAL OF DESDEMONA
Throughout their verbal repartee about the behaviour of women, it is evident
through Desdemona’s strong and capable use of language that she is at least
Iago’s equal in this situation.
She seems unfazed by his use of offensive insults towards her sex, as she exposes
his use of paradoxical language ‘these are old fond paradoxes to make fools
laugh’ she sharply retorts.
The fact that she chooses to involve Cassio in the conversation, to give his opinion
of Iago, provides dramatic irony for the audience who know that Iago dislikes
Cassio and so would be enraged by this. She describes him equally as ‘he’ to
Cassio with the use of impersonal pronoun suggesting that she has a certain
amount of power over Iago, being that he is seen as a simple joker, and a man of
lower class.
Desdemona is portrayed very different to how her father described her, as she is
unfazed by Iago’s comments, proving that she is sexually aware. This ability to
deceive makes it all the more plausible for Othello to become jealous and
suspicious of her behaviour.
