EXAM PLAN - Othello paper 1 (Love and loyalty)
Intro
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Conclusion
AO1 - Love and loyalty is earned, it must be shown through grand gestures and above all it must be perfect. For instance, even on the verge of death Desdemona puts Othello’s needs before her owns.
AO2 - “Nobody - I myself - farewell. Commend me to my kind lord - O, farewell!” -Desdemona willing to lie to protect Othello, use of the adjective ‘kind’ shows her heart has always been with Othello despite her sin.
AO3 - Like the innovation in The Renaissance which came to England in the early 16th century, Shakespeare’s plays didn’t involve traditional values. Shown through Othello and Iago. But he couldn’t criticise the monarch which is why the plays are set in the past or abroad.
AO4 - Can be compared to ‘The taming of the shrew’ as it features strong heroines.
AO5 - “The strongest, the most heroic person in the play” -E.A.J Honigmann talking about whether this is Desdemona
AO1 - In this extract love and loyalty is presented as conditional, these characters feel if someone acts immorally they should be shunned shown through Othello.
(GREEK TRAGEDY - OTHELLO HAS HUBRIS AND TRIES TO MERGE HIS ROLE OF SOLDIER AND HUSBAND)
AO2 - “Cassio did top her” -Othello picks up on Iago’s words.
“My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago” -Othello, dramatic irony.
AO3 - Nationalism of English Renaissance reinforced protestantism, Henry VIII had broken with Rome in the 1530s and in Shakespeare’s time there was an independent Protestant church. Othello converted to Christianity. We see how his actions lead to spiritual progress towards heaven or hell.
AO4 - Can be compared to ‘Macbeth’ where villainy is influenced by another character: Macbeth is influenced by the machiavellian villain Lady Macbeth.
AO5 - “Very aware of how he appears in front of the Venetians and his appearance is very important to him” -Adrian Lester
AO1 - In this extract love and loyalty is presented as heroic shown through Emilia.
AO2 - “My husband!” -Emilia’s repetition portrays to the audience that Iago’s villainy runs deep and his plan was a success, we feel just as shocked as Emilia does
“O, the more angel she, and you the blacker devil” -Black and white imagery. Emilia will not be threatened, a strong sense of justice
AO3 - Emilia has a lot of opinions about sexual politics, she is cynical about men and has an assertive voice. Sexual politics was defined by feminist Kate Millet in the 1970’s.
AO4 - Venetians had a reputation as a place of liberty. Particularly Venetian young men having loose morals. William Thomas notes this in his ‘History of italy (1549)’.
AO5 - It can be interpreted that the end of Othello has a sense of completeness.
AO1 - Elsewhere in the play as a result of Iago’s scheming Cassio’s reputation has been destroyed, leading Bianca to think he doesn’t love her and Othello doesn’t think he is loyal. Love and loyalty is presented as needing to be harmonious in order to keep it. (BIANCA’S NAME IS IRONIC SINCE IT MEANS ‘WHITE’ SIGNIFYING PURITY AND DECENCY).
AO2 - “This is some token from a newer friend” -Bianca asking about the handkerchief. (A3, S4)
“Now he tells how she plucked him to my chamber. O, I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall throw it to!” -Othello doing an aside, while he listens to Cassio talk to Iago about Bianca but Othello thinks they’re talking about Desdemona (A4, S1).
AO3 - In Renaissance Venice which began in the 14th century there were two kinds of courtesan. The intellectual and the lower class prostitute. Some were married and some single. It is revealed Bianca is single as Iago jokes about Cassio marrying Bianca.
AO4 - In Oliver Parker’s 1995 film we see Iago’s control of Othello. When Iago locks him behind bars so he can overlook the conversation with Iago and Cassio. We see how trapped and powerless he is.
AO5 - It can be interpreted that those who hold power in Othello are usually undeserving and morally suspect.
AO1 - Iago’s manipulation by testing the characters love and loyalty for each other shows how cruel he was. Leading the characters to turn on each other. Through Cassio and Othello or even Emilia and Othello. Yet Desdemona was the only one who didn’t turn on any of the characters. She maintained her love and loyalty for all even until the end.
AO2 - “Peace, you were the best” -Othello is telling Emilia to shut up, the word ‘peace’ juxtaposes what he really means. He can’t believe he put more love and loyalty into Iago than his wife.
“O, she was heavenly true!” -Emilia expressing how pure Desdemona’s heart was.
AO3 - According to Aristotle, a popular Greek philosopher who composed most of his works between 335 and 323 BC. Said the tragic hero shouldn’t be entirely good or evil, he should have a hamartia which will incite pity and fear into the audience.
AO4 - Actor Dominic West who played Iago in 2011 felt Iago’s love for Desdemona is an important part of the villains motivation.
AO5 - “Tragedy is the place we are not allow to escape the consequences or price” -Stanley Cavell