Othello Notes

Iago: [“honest Iago”] (Emilia is Iago’s wife—server: ladies man)
Manipulator
keen observer of others resourceful quick witted
Iago’s weakness: jealousy; he’s jealous of Othello & Cassio along with the success that comes with Desdemona insecure fixated with sex intelligent *misogynist—hater of women
*androgyist-- hater of humans cruel: bad husband

Desdemona: innocent? Direct
Confident
Elevated social class--comes from a very high class/social class compared to everyone else. intelligent beautiful
Desdemona helps Othello’s self esteem: confidence booster.

Othello:
Honorable
Charismatic
*Experienced
Confident
Respectful/respected
Brave
Naïve

Cassio:
Florentine: “other”
Respectful
Young
Driven and motivated

Roderigo:
Tool/douchebag

Exposition  Rising Action  Increasing tension: brought on by people or events;  Climax: heightened tension;  Falling action  Resolution: denouement;
Fool/Clown: their the honest ones; they tell the truth; just like “Honest Iago”
Aristotle’s Unities.
Cuckold: typically an older man, to wear horns;
Emilia is going to give it to her husband; he is mean to her. She is the obedient wife; she’s not the brightest but she is nicer than he is.
Breakdown at the social higher-arch;
Bianca: Cassio’s lover; Bianca is basically a sex slave; She lives at the whore house & he visits frequently; Bianca loves him but there more to it. Cassio is now going to visit someone else at the prostitute house;
Aristotle’s Unities:
A) unity of time
B) unity of events/action  shouldn’t be a bunch of subplots
C) unity of place  venice, Cyprus, etc.

Cassio sees Iago and Desdemona talking, he tells Othello he is going to question his relationship with Desdemona.
It could easily be before because of the messenger. Othello and Desdemona have only been married a couple of days since living in Cyprus.
Chastity virgin at marriage. Very crucial so you know that their children are actually theirs. To see that their line has passed on. If a woman is not pure, then she is really looked down upon.
Lodovico: Venice  family, culture, rules, society, laws, proper behavior
Cyprus  Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Emiliia, & Cassio
In Cyprus: The Turks, lawlessness, other, outside of acceptable society; drunkenness fighting. Iago does not care about his wife or Desdemona.
Why does he hate Othello? He in envious. He hates him. Love- homoeroticism: tension between 2 male characters.
Othello  Iago feels other to him;
What will happen in Act 5?!
Brabantio  who cares, Iago  dies, Emilia  iago will kill, Cassio  iago will try to kill, Rodrigo  iago kills, died;, Othello  dies, Desdemona  dies.
Other names for Othello:
-“The Tragedy of Desdemona” or “Iago”, or “Othello”.
Othello begins  happy, noteworthy (worthy or respect), level headed, noble/honorable, successful.  insecurity, propensity for suspicion and jealousy.
Othello ends  emotional/upset, irrational, not level headed, ruled by emotion, and dead.
Weaknesses  impressionable, other; insecurity because of the otherness. Fear; not thinking. Pride; he is embarrassed how it has made him look. He said that he had been made a fool.
Who was left to tell the story?? Answer: Cassio. Not guilty of anything; maybe a little but gullible. Being with a prostitute at this time was not really problematic.
Desdemona  innocence—questionable. Pretty sexual conversations that took place; she’s romantic. Died from even being completely innocent; she is so innocent. Frustrating that he kills her when she really has no idea why. Othello= tool. The scene is strange when he kills Desdemona—he wakes her up and then smothers her.
Iago is supposed to represent “EVIL”.