AS
ENGLISH LITERATURE A
Paper 1 Love through the ages: Shakespeare and poetry
Thursday 15 May 2025 Morning Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
• an AQA 12-page answer book.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7711/1.
• Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
• Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B.
Information
• The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
• In your response you need to:
– analyse carefully the writers’ methods
– explore the contexts of the texts you are writing about
– explore connections across the texts you have studied
– explore different interpretations of your texts.
IB/G/Jun25/G4005/V2 7711/1
, 2
Section A: Shakespeare
Answer one question from this section.
Either
0 1 Othello – William Shakespeare
Read the extract from Othello, provided below, and respond to the following:
• How does Shakespeare present aspects of love in this extract?
• Examine the view that, in this extract and elsewhere in the play, this is a play more
about hate than love.
[25 marks]
IAGO I say, put
money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should
long continue her love to the Moor – put money in thy
purse – nor he his to her. It was a violent commence-
ment, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration –
put but money in thy purse. These Moors are change-
able in their wills – fill thy purse with money. The food
that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him
shortly as acerbe as the coloquintida. She must change
for youth: when she is sated with his body she will find
the error of her choice. Therefore put money in thy
purse. If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more
delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou
canst. If sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring
barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian be not too hard
for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy
her – therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself!
It is clean out of the way. Seek thou rather to be hanged
in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go with-
out her.
RODERIGO Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on
the issue?
IAGO Thou art sure of me. Go make money. I have told
thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate
the Moor. My cause is hearted: thine hath no less
reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against
him. If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a
pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the
womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse! Go,
provide thy money. We will have more of this tomorrow.
Adieu.
RODERIGO Where shall we meet i’th’morning?
IAGO At my lodging.
RODERIGO I’ll be with thee betimes.
IAGO Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?
RODERIGO What say you?
IAGO No more of drowning, do you hear?
RODERIGO I am changed.
IB/G/Jun25/7711/1
ENGLISH LITERATURE A
Paper 1 Love through the ages: Shakespeare and poetry
Thursday 15 May 2025 Morning Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
• an AQA 12-page answer book.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7711/1.
• Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
• Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B.
Information
• The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
• In your response you need to:
– analyse carefully the writers’ methods
– explore the contexts of the texts you are writing about
– explore connections across the texts you have studied
– explore different interpretations of your texts.
IB/G/Jun25/G4005/V2 7711/1
, 2
Section A: Shakespeare
Answer one question from this section.
Either
0 1 Othello – William Shakespeare
Read the extract from Othello, provided below, and respond to the following:
• How does Shakespeare present aspects of love in this extract?
• Examine the view that, in this extract and elsewhere in the play, this is a play more
about hate than love.
[25 marks]
IAGO I say, put
money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should
long continue her love to the Moor – put money in thy
purse – nor he his to her. It was a violent commence-
ment, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration –
put but money in thy purse. These Moors are change-
able in their wills – fill thy purse with money. The food
that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him
shortly as acerbe as the coloquintida. She must change
for youth: when she is sated with his body she will find
the error of her choice. Therefore put money in thy
purse. If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more
delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou
canst. If sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring
barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian be not too hard
for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy
her – therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself!
It is clean out of the way. Seek thou rather to be hanged
in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go with-
out her.
RODERIGO Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on
the issue?
IAGO Thou art sure of me. Go make money. I have told
thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate
the Moor. My cause is hearted: thine hath no less
reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against
him. If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a
pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the
womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse! Go,
provide thy money. We will have more of this tomorrow.
Adieu.
RODERIGO Where shall we meet i’th’morning?
IAGO At my lodging.
RODERIGO I’ll be with thee betimes.
IAGO Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?
RODERIGO What say you?
IAGO No more of drowning, do you hear?
RODERIGO I am changed.
IB/G/Jun25/7711/1
