Othello Notes - Jan. 5

Iago's soliloquies: I iii 385-406

 

II i  290-316

II iii 45-57

II iii 331-357

II iii 376-382

III iii 320-328

 

Othello's soliloquies: III iii 257-277

 

V ii 1-22

 

Monologues

 

Iago: I i 6-33; I i 41-66; I iii 320-363; II I 221 - 251

 

Emilia: IV iii 83-102

 

Othello: I iii 127-170

 

 

Jealousy

 

• Iago, Othello, Emilia, Roderigo, Bianca

 

Why is Iago jealous? Othello shouldn't achieve - he is black, also a war hero, also promoted Cassio over him.

-Iago "between my sheets he has done my office" - Iago doesn't really even know if Othello did this

-he says "we have reason" to control our jealousy - but he uses reason to express his jealousy

-"a competent person is not jealous" - outside source (look it up)

What is jealousy?

One of the seven deadly sins is envy

-outside quote - love doesn't usually come without jealousy, but it takes away from love

 

Who is more jealous, Iago or Othello?

• Iago's jealousy is caused by himself

• Othello's jealousy is caused by Iago

• Iago classifies Othello as "the Moor"
• Iago has a position, a wife, is well off - why so jealous?

• Iago tries to bring Othello down to bring himself up

 

What is this play saying about jealousy?

• Show the result of jealousy - important and powerful - no one got what they wanted (except innocent Cassio)
• "the jealous are troublesome to others but a torment to oneself" -William Penn
• Play started because of Iago's jealousy (inciting incident)

 

 

-jealousy ties into greed (Iago could have been fine about what he has in life)

-extreme case - result of being jealous

-Iago's feeling of jealousy is more artificial

 

Why does Iago seem to convince himself that Othello is worse than he is?

 

• Iago plants seeds of jealousy into Othello

• Othello's jealousy is out of care for someone else

• III iv 156-160 "But jealous souls will not be answered so…"

 

Jealousy is, by nature, unreasonable

 

-A"green-eyed monster"

-Emilia - jealousy multiples by feeding on itself

-difference between envy and jealousy?

-envious is upset about something one doesn't have - not taken away from

 

Envy = longing for others' fortune

Jealousy = resentful of rivalry

 

What causes jealousy?

-for Othello it's the lack of self esteem: "vale of years"

-years of endemic racism

 

What does Othello reveal about the nature of jealousy?

 

-"jealousy is a cancer"

-if people have self confidence, they are not jealous

"rude of speech" - Othello

• Othello started to believe what others thought of him
• Iago also not self confidence - couldn't find happiness from within - had to find it from someone else's pain
• St. Augustus: "he that is jealous is not in love"
• "love isn't jealous"

• Iago manipulates everyone into trusting him

• Iago wants to feed his jealousy -
• Wants to reassure himself what he's doing is right - so convinces himself (Othello sleeping with his wife)

• "virtue, a fig!"
• Iago spends his whole life destroying Othello's life - should be worthwhile - enough hate = worthwhile

 

Hero vs. Villain

 

• Hero - Othello is a war hero

• Tragic hero
• Senators think he's a hero
• Saves Cyprus
• Desdemona sees  him as a hero

 

-let the jealousy and rage blind his heroism - turned to villainy

-Cassio ends up the victor/hero -kind, good, true

 

-could contrast to other characters

 

-from other characters' points of view - Iago seemed like a hero

-Othello is the protagonist

-slapped Desdemona, calls her a whore, kills his own wife

-Othello had potential to become a hero - let himself be manipulated, let his jealousy control him - doesn't go talk to Cassio or his wife

-if Othello truly loved Desdemona… "I loved her that she did pity them" (I iii 167)** - would not have been manipulated by jealousy

-tragic to kill the one you love and then realize it's for no reason

-emotions can be "planted" for good or for bad (Iago is successful at planting Othello's garden full of weeds)

-egos are important in this play  - pride

 

What part does pride play within these topics?

 

**does loving someone because they love you make for a good, sound marriage?

 

-calls himself the devil

-Othello created his own actions

 

-does Othello's realization of his actions help make up for some of his downfalls?

-Othello has noble qualities

 

V ii 342  "One that loved not wisely, but too well" - Judah reference - realizes the betrayal

-Othello trusts Iago more than his own wife

 

Revenge

 

Definition - to inflict punishment for retaliation to satisfy oneself

• Iago's plot against Othello - Iago need revenge because of the promotion Othello gave Cassio

• Brabantio craved revenge because he loses his daughter to a black man
• Ties into jealousy theme

• Othello needs revenge because he thinks Desdemona cheated on him

• Iago involves Emilia in his revenge plot, also Roderigo (and Cassio and Brabantio)

• Wanted revenge for Cassio's promotion "ensnare a great a fly as Cassio"
• Douglas Portend (?)"while seeking revenge: did two graves, one for yourself"
• Revenge doesn't necessarily work out for the avenger
• Tragic hero - Othello then kills himself
• Iago admits (II i 313) "I love her too, not out of lust" - how he feels about Desdemona
• Iago puts Othello in such a bad position -

 

How does Iago go about seeking revenge?  Could look at Iago's soliloquies.

 

-Othello can't stand that Desdemona destroys his reputation - wants revenge for that

-"Yet she must die else she betray more men" (Vii) - to gain back his confidence - must do something aggressive

-people who have been in war - anger management concerns?

-Desdemona doesn’t know why this happened - would this have been prevented if he had only talked to her

-"an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind"

-pride

-machismo

-emotions can blind morals (the opposite of what Iago says)

• Betrayal and jealousy lead into revenge

• Word of mouth causes the betrayals - no real proof

• How can one remain true to oneself when people are actively trying to cause one harm?

• IV i 184-185