Othello Revision
Themes
Characterisation
Othello vs. Iago = protagonist vs. antagonist
Othello changes from someone in control of
his private and public life to someone who
has lost his sanity;
Iago is two-face and he reacts differently to
different people. He weaves a web to trap
all the other characters in his plan of
revenge.
Language

Iambic pentameter vs. prose (pay extra
attention to the changes


E.g. Iago uses different ones to talk to
different characters; Othello uses prose
when he suffers some mental breakdown)
Othello loses his ability of elegant speech
and there is a lot of fragmentation in his
speech at the end.
Jealousy
‘It is a monster, Begot upon itself, born
on itself.’ (Act 3 scene 4) – there does
not need to be any reason for someone
to be jealous;
 Jealousy can drive someone insane, as
in the case of Othello. Jealousy also
drives someone to revenge, as in the
case of Iago.

Race
Othello’s race is frequently highlighted
by other characters (black ram,
barbary horse, the devil..)
 His marriage is not generally
accepted due to the fact that a black
man marries a white noble woman,
even though the two have love for one
another. They are therefore not
considered ‘equal’

Reminders

Othello is a play, and is therefore
watched by an audience. When you
‘read’ the play, you have to visualise
the play being performed on stage,
especially when it comes to asides
and soliloquies.