Othello Act III
Scene Summaries
Scene 1
Cassio asks
Emilia to help
him get access to
Desdemona.
Scene II
Othello sends
letters to Venice.
Scene III
Scene IV
Iago sows suspicions
in Othello’s mind that
Desdemona is
unfaithful. Emilia gives
Othello handkerchief
to Iago.
Desdemona keeps saying
good things about
Cassio. Othello is
obsessed with his
handkerchief. Iago and
Cassio see each other
on a street and Cassio is
met by Bianca who gives
Othello’s handkerchief.
a) Othello asks for “ocular proof” 3.3.361. What does he mean by this?
Othello means by this that he wants visual proof of Cassio and Desdemona.
b) 3.3.287 What does Desdemona attempt to use her handkerchief for?
The handkerchief is to help Othello’s head from not hurting.
c) 3.3. How does Iago get his hands on Desdemona’s handkerchief
Emilia finds it on the ground and then she gives it to Iago.
d) 3.4 What is the history of the handkerchief (why would Othello care
about its whereabouts?
Analyze: Unless otherwise instructed, identify the speaker, describe the
context and explain the significance for the following lines.
a) He that filches from me my good name Robs me o that which not
enriches him and makes me poor indeed (3.3.160).
Explain the irony of this statement when we consider Iago’s treatment of Cassio
and Desdemona?
In this statement Iago is saying he should not steal things that will enrich you and
make others poor. This is ironic because Iago is trying to make Cassio and
Desdemona look bad in front of Othello so Iago will look good instead of looking
like the bad guy.
b) O beware, my lord, of jealousy: it is the green-eyed monster (3.3.167)
What is meant by this statement? What motivations could Iago have in advising
Othello to avoid this so called “monster”?
The green eyed monster is jealousy and Iago is telling this to Othello. Iago could
be advising Othello to avoid this monster is to get rid of the people who are
‘hurting’ him.
c) She did deceive her father, marrying you and when she seem’d to
shake and fear your looks she lov’d them most (3.3.208)
The speaker of this quotation is Iago and he is speaking to Othello. Iago is telling
Othello that Desdemona may betray him because she betrayed her father. This
is significant because Iago is lying to Othello and making him jealous for no
reason.
d) curse of marriage that we can call these delicate creatures ours and
not their appetitites!(3.3.270)
How does the quote above demonstrate Othello’s increasing distrust for his wife?
This quote proves his disbelief because he is saying that he made be married to
her but he thinks that he won’t feed her appetite.
e) During Scene 3, Iago begins to see the fruit of his efforts to poison
Othello’s marriage. Find a line of evidence that demonstrates the
change in Othello (not one of the quotes selected for this worksheet)
f) I am sure it was your wife’s – did I today see Cassio wipe his beard
with. (3.3.439)
Iago is saying this quote to Othello. Iago is explaining that he saw Cassio wipe
his beard with Othello’s first gift to Desdemona, a handkerchief. This is significant
because Iago did not see Cassio with him beard with the handkerchief. Iago is
still trying to prove to Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair.
g) Within these three days let me hear thee say that Cassio ‘s not alive.
(3.3.473)
Othello is telling his new lieutenant Iago that he needs to kill Cassio. This
happens because Iago finally persuaded him that Cassio and Dedemona are
together. This is significant because Cassio never did anything and because of
Iagos jealousy he might end up dying.
h) To lose’t or give’t away were such perdition as nothing else could
match (3.4.63)
i) During this scene, the handkerchief causes problems between two
couples. Both Othello and Cassio have difficulty with their significant
others due to this object. Describe the two separate conflicts relating to
the handkerchief.
Theme: Use the following source to complete the activities.
She’d done it for Rachel. She’d done it for herself. She swung between these
justifications from day to day, often between the hours. Both were true. Alex had
vowed from the beginning not to keep Miles’s existence a secret from the girl.
And letting her see him at least once might help put some of her brewing
questions to rest in advance.
Alex had her own dark wishes. More than anything, she wanted Miles to
hurt. There was little she would be able to do all alone ion this count. But with
the girl, there might be enough left in him that could still be poisoned.
Yet now, as she walks with Rachel, her pink sneakers skipped over the
stones, she feels the careful plans she’d devised shift an inch under her feet.
Miles ran away. She chased him down. Other than this, all she’s sure of is that
whatever is going to jump out at her, she won’t turn away from it. That’s Mile’s
trick. Hers is to sink her teeth into the truth of a thing and not let go until she’s
tasted it.
“I like him,” Rachel says.
“Oh yeah, baby? You like Miles?”
“Miles?” The child stops and stares at her mother. “I like Stump, Momma,
Stump licked me when I gave him a milkbone.
Andrew Pyper: The Wildfire Season
1. Analyze the source, highlighting three significant lines. Use the insert
comment feature to annotate your analysis
2. Examine the plot of the scene in question. Who is Alex, and why do
you think she wants Miles to hurt? What is the relationship between
Rachel and Miles, and how does Alex intend to use this relationship?
3. How can this source be related to the storyline in Othello? Compose a
SEE paragraph that utilizes specific evidence to establish a similarity
between this story, and Othello.