Othello
Themes:
Race
‘old black ram’ – Iago deadly sin of gluttony, old husband w youg wife trad butt of comedy
… ‘is tupping your whte ewe’ race and purity, biblical denotations: purty and parable of sheep and
goats
‘barbary horse…cursers for cousins’ dereog extended metaphor fear on unpure lineage
‘beast with two backs’ oth and des ‘unatural’ not created in image of god against natural
order
‘gross clasps f lascivious moor’ Roderigo grotesque exhaggeration ‘moor’: lack of individuality
and personhood
‘o treason of blood’ Brabantio highest crime deceived lineage against god white purity
‘valiant moor’ valued and seen as asset yet red to race and not skill
Manipulation
Gender
‘send for the lady let her speak of me’ empowers des
‘do not learn of him emilia tho he is thy husband’ defies gender roles nf forehsaowd later
empowerment from emilia dynamic: Othello initially empowers whereas iago reduces emilia
Jealousy
Love
‘soul to soul’ platonic love ROF Othello and des share the perfect love overcoming social
barriers
‘cupid’ romantic idea of fate later subverted to Prometheus
, ‘o my fair warrior’
Characters
Othello
‘gentle desdemona’
‘my parts, my title my soul shall manifest me rightly’ chrisitan ethos rep not suffiecient
‘keep up your brigt swords’ bib all ‘those who live y th sword die by the sword
‘most potent’ overly obsequious has to elevate self over usual standard of etiquette
‘rude am I in my speech’ ‘soft phrase of peace’ downplays self the ‘good’ other
‘ I won his daughter’ des as a prize and achievement fem interp Othello viewed des as a
possession from start
‘send for the lady let her speak of me’ empowers des’ autonomy and voice
‘even fall upon my lfe’ deep tryst des ordained by god rem till death do us part
‘fair lady’s love’ ‘lady’ views des as a woman credits her with intel and autonomy compared
to brabantios descript of innoc girl ‘fair’ beauiul but also ref to skin tone??
‘story of my life’ cntrols perception and image
‘that heaven made her such a man’ subverts genesis imp des has control over Othello
Act 2
‘o my fair warrior’ initial messianic imagery oxymoronic beautiful bt potentially fatal ref
to skintone des as embodiment of power
‘o my souls joy’ platonic love
‘after every tempest come such calms… Olympus high’
‘my soul hath her content so absolute’ poetic speech varies from venice true self around
des poetic and metaphysicial order within chaos (ironic) rein iagos manip usurps idealic love
‘iago is most honest’ dramatic irony
‘come my dear love’
‘fruits are to ensue’ ref to genesis Des virigity intact and dies pure
Act 3
‘sweet desdemon’
Themes:
Race
‘old black ram’ – Iago deadly sin of gluttony, old husband w youg wife trad butt of comedy
… ‘is tupping your whte ewe’ race and purity, biblical denotations: purty and parable of sheep and
goats
‘barbary horse…cursers for cousins’ dereog extended metaphor fear on unpure lineage
‘beast with two backs’ oth and des ‘unatural’ not created in image of god against natural
order
‘gross clasps f lascivious moor’ Roderigo grotesque exhaggeration ‘moor’: lack of individuality
and personhood
‘o treason of blood’ Brabantio highest crime deceived lineage against god white purity
‘valiant moor’ valued and seen as asset yet red to race and not skill
Manipulation
Gender
‘send for the lady let her speak of me’ empowers des
‘do not learn of him emilia tho he is thy husband’ defies gender roles nf forehsaowd later
empowerment from emilia dynamic: Othello initially empowers whereas iago reduces emilia
Jealousy
Love
‘soul to soul’ platonic love ROF Othello and des share the perfect love overcoming social
barriers
‘cupid’ romantic idea of fate later subverted to Prometheus
, ‘o my fair warrior’
Characters
Othello
‘gentle desdemona’
‘my parts, my title my soul shall manifest me rightly’ chrisitan ethos rep not suffiecient
‘keep up your brigt swords’ bib all ‘those who live y th sword die by the sword
‘most potent’ overly obsequious has to elevate self over usual standard of etiquette
‘rude am I in my speech’ ‘soft phrase of peace’ downplays self the ‘good’ other
‘ I won his daughter’ des as a prize and achievement fem interp Othello viewed des as a
possession from start
‘send for the lady let her speak of me’ empowers des’ autonomy and voice
‘even fall upon my lfe’ deep tryst des ordained by god rem till death do us part
‘fair lady’s love’ ‘lady’ views des as a woman credits her with intel and autonomy compared
to brabantios descript of innoc girl ‘fair’ beauiul but also ref to skin tone??
‘story of my life’ cntrols perception and image
‘that heaven made her such a man’ subverts genesis imp des has control over Othello
Act 2
‘o my fair warrior’ initial messianic imagery oxymoronic beautiful bt potentially fatal ref
to skintone des as embodiment of power
‘o my souls joy’ platonic love
‘after every tempest come such calms… Olympus high’
‘my soul hath her content so absolute’ poetic speech varies from venice true self around
des poetic and metaphysicial order within chaos (ironic) rein iagos manip usurps idealic love
‘iago is most honest’ dramatic irony
‘come my dear love’
‘fruits are to ensue’ ref to genesis Des virigity intact and dies pure
Act 3
‘sweet desdemon’
