Amberley’s Class Notes
Act One Scene 1 - Iago’s first speech
Synopsis: Roderigo complains that Iago, who has control of his money, has some kept some information of
him. Iago denies this. He also explains that he hates an unnamed ‘moor’ because this person rejected him
for the post of deputy and promoted Michael Cassio, whom Iago scorns as a mere administrator.
Important quotes

Repetition of ‘Sblood, Zounds. Knaves/knavery,
Roderigo
 “Thou didst’ hold in him in thy hate”. (About Othello)
Iago
 “A fellow so damned in a fair wife”. About Cassio, calling him a man whore and accusing adultery –
gravest sin.
 “Whether I in any just term am affined/ to love the Moor”
 “I follow him to serve my turn upon him” Motive revenge!
 “In following him, I follow but myself.” No one has the right to judge me  do it for my own gain.
Seem to follow him, but do it for my benefits.
 Lines 40 -50. Having rant – high emotion prose. “But seeming so for my peculiar end” – iambic. 
rational state. Mind in strategizing/intellect planning.
 “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at: I am not what I am.” Equivocation;
appearance deceptive. Imagery of daws/scavenger birds – language says that heart is prey – rotting
meat. If you expose your true self and intentions, you are exposing yourself to scavengers who will
pick you apart. Filthy imagery – dirtiness element. Has contempt for people like this. This makes
you not just vulnerable, but rotting and corrupt.
 Reference to ‘flies’ without when talking of the Moor e.g “Plague him with flies”
 “An old black ram is tupping your white ewe” – dirty imagery, animalising their love. We hear this
again a short time later: “…your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”
Further animalising and satanic reference (beast – anti Christ) This is followed by “…or the devil will
make a grandsire of you”  the devil is usually depicted as black (Othello), establishing satanic
imagery.
 Description of everything a woman was expected to be – to lose this would leave her with nothing.
“…her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes”
Iago’s final exiting speech of sc1:
 Soliloquy – generally produces honesty from characters as they are alone on stage and voice their
thoughts. However it must be considered that the worst kind of deception is self deception.
 “Though I do hate him as I do hell pains” – the truth.
 “I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but sign” – shows deception.
Brabantio
 “Are they married, think you?!” - honour and representation
 “O treason of the blood!” – unnatural rebellion of daughter against father
 ”Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters’ minds by what you see them act.” Equivocation.
Can’t trust your daughters by what they say.
 Language is highly emotive, and thoughts are not in logical thinking order. Iambic pentameter is
not used.
Scene 2 – Othello, Iago and Brabantio
Synopsis: Iago tells O that Roderigo has been spreading foul reports of O and he wanted to kill him, and O
says lucky he didn’t. Iago points out Brabantio’s power that could call for O’s dismissal but O says his past
services will speak louder than his complaints. He says he loves Desdemona.
Iago:
 “Though in the trade of war I have slain men…o’th’ conscience to do no contrived murder.” – I slay
men in war, but do no murder. I am not that evil.
 “By Janus, I think no.” Irony, Janus is a two-faced roman God.
Othello:
 “My services which I have done…shall out tongue his complaints” – reputation. My services will
outshine any of what he says.
 n
 “For know, Iago, but that I love the gentle Desdemona.”
 “You shall command more with years than with your weapons.” O says to B, you gain respect from
your experience not fighting, put your swords down and lets calm down. Says a lot about O’s
character. Sanity!!
 “Hold your hands”. Smooth, very restrained and calm despite the situation.
Brabantio
 “Damned as thou art” – going to hell – says something about the kind of man he is – a sinner.
 “Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom.” Dirty black man. B is annoyed that she has turned
down princes etc and guard of her family and chosen Othello.
 “Thou has practised on her with foul charms, abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals.”
Implies that he has drugged her or cast a spell on her because there is nothing else to explain her
actions.
Rhyming couplets mark the end of the scene
Scene 3
First Senator
 “’Tis a pageant to keep is in false gaze.” – Deception and equivocation lines, 19 and 20
Brabantio
 Uses cacophonous language to describe Othello capturing Dezzy’s love.
 Manipulative of Desdemona, almost “Do you perceive in all this noble company where most you owe obedience?” to
which des replies, “I do perceive here a divided duty”.
 “But words are words…that the bruised heart was pierced through the ear.”  Words are useless. Powerful and
foreshadowing.
Othello
 “If you do find me foul in her report” lines 118 – equivocation
 “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her, that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have
used.” – speaking of his and Des’s love. He only wants to please her – wants it not for his sexual appetite but for her.
 “My life upon her faith. Honest Iago” – Dramatic irony. Forshadowing.
Duke


“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on.” Rhymes. Foreshadows – if you
worry about something in the past you’ll bring it into the future.
“Be it as you privately determine”  about Des deciding to go and stay with Othello. Tension between private and
public – link to reputation.
Roderigo
 “It is silliness to live, when to live is torment; and then we have a prescription to die, when death is our physician.”
Suicidal and heart broken!
Iago









Themes




“I would drown myself for the love of a guinea-hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.” – Talking about
women as if they are meat/animals. Derogatory.
“Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners”. Extended metaphor: we have control over these
natural things.
“But we have reason to cool our raging moments” – plotting.
“Drown thyself? Drown cats and blind puppies.” - shows character traits, ruthfulness.
“It cannot be that Desdemona long continue her love to the Moor.”
“These Moors are changeable in their wills…now is as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as
colinquintida.”  Woman are fickle, but black people are too. He will get bored, its inevitable. … “An erring barbarian
and a supersubtle Venetian.” Othello and Desse
“I hate the Moor…let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him.” Line 366
“Put money enough in your purse” – his motive is really money!
”He holds me well. The better shall my purpose work on him” - Iago reveals his vindictiveness. Rod is such a sucker he’ll
believe him. Soliloquy (thoughts out loud).
Vengeance
Jealousy
Racism
Equivocation
Techniques
 Emotive language and hyperbole
 Punning
 Imagery
 Knavery motif
"Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light"










Monstrous birth - is a metaphor for Iago's evil plan
Figuratively emasculates/feminises himself
Iago sees females as duplicitous, but he is duplicitious also, it speaks to his hypocrisy - misogyny
Paradox/oxymoron; Juxtapostion/constrast/antithesis - monstrous birth
Parallel construction (Hell & night)
Emotive language & postive/negative connotation - monstrous (inhuman, violent, unnatural, abomination link to overall ideas of natural order/disruptions to the natural order)
Rhyme: sound/rhythms reinforce content
Personification: The plan is alive -> grow. The plan has been conceived - he's sexualised it. The plan is a
deformed baby in a man.
Allit.
Motif (hell) - Satanic - Satan is behind this plan, Hell is going to bring it to light. He is aligning himself with the
Devil. Antichrist figure.