CONTRAST An Interpretation of

in

OTHELLO

ENG3UE06/10/2014

CONTRAST

WHY?

Desdemona

Emilia

Act 2, Scene 4EMILIA He called her a whore so many times, and heaped up so much abuse on her that good people can’t stand to hear it. DESDEMONA Am I that name, Iago? IAGOWhat name, madam? DESDEMONAWhat my lord said I was. EMILIAHe called her a whore. A beggar couldn’t have called his slut worse names.

Bold

Independent

Rebellious

InnocentLoyal

Submissive

Naive Helpless Romantic

Defiant

Bold

Outspoken

“Wouldst thou do such a deed for all the world?” “ The world’s a huge thing; it is a great price for a small vice.”

(4.3.66-68)

Michael

IAGO

Cassio

Act 2, Scene 3 - Iago’s SpeechIAGOYou or any man living may be drunk at a time, man. I tell you what you shall do. Our general’s wife is now the general. I may say so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces. Confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested. This broken joint between you and her husband entreat her to splinter, and, my fortunes against any lay worth naming, this crack of your love shall grow stronger than it was before. CASSIOYou advise me well. IAGOI protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kindness.

IAGO

CassioDEVIOUSSELFISH

JEALOUSEXPERIENCED

UpfrontPassiveSmartPolite

“Sir, would she give you so much of her lips/ As of her tongue she oft bestows on me/ You would

have enough” (2.1.100-03)

Desdemona

IAGO

“remains the censure of this hellish

villain”(Act 5, Scene 2)

(Act 2, Scene 1)

"She is divine, the grace of heaven"

Seeks to Help Othello Corrupted

WomanPure Self →Seeks to destroy Othello

ATTACKS Othello’s

image of Desdemona

Othello

Othello

Act 3, Scene 3OTHELLO I would’ve been happy if the whole army had had sex with her, the lowest-ranking grunts and all, as long as I didn’t know anything about it. Oh, goodbye to my peace of mind! Goodbye to my happiness! Goodbye to the soldiers and to the wars that make men great! Goodbye! Goodbye to the horses and the trumpets and the drums, the flute and the splendid banners, and all those proud displays and pageantry of war! And you deadly cannons that roar like thunderbolts thrown by the gods, goodbye! Othello’s career is over.

TRUTHFUL

DOUBTFUL

LOVE

“MOORISH”

COLLECTEDQUICK TO ANGER

RATIONAL

HATE

WHY?

DRIVES THE

PLOT

BECAUSE IT…

IS IN THE NATURE OF TRAGEDIES

CHANGE

DEVELOPMENTAND

PROMOTES