NOTE: The film version of Othello we watched on Friday cut so much material that it actually fit all of Acts 1 and 2 in the 45 minutes we watched in class! So all of this material should be familiar to you from the film, but also note what was cut out, and whether or not that challenges our understanding of any of the characters and their actions (not a question, but still something to think about...)
Answer TWO of the following (or ONE, in sufficient detail to justify doing more work with less):
Q1: In one of Iago's many asides, he notes that his plan "'Tis here, but yet confused/Knavery's plain face is never seen till used" (2.1, 81). Is he claiming here that he has no real plan, but is just improvising and making it all up as he goes along? Does this suggest his true motive is not revenge at all, but a sort of obscene mischief? If he really wanted Othello dead, why wouldn't he plan things out more carefully and not put so much faith in chance? Or is he lying to us even here?
Q2: Iago claims that Cassio is in love with Desdemona, so convincing Othello of this fact should be fairly easy (especially once Desdemona starts begging him to forgive Cassio). What do we see in the play itself? How does Cassio present himself towards Desdemona? If you were an actor, how would you play him to make him an interesting character (since he could easily be just a boring straight man)? Is there some truth to Iago's claim?
Q3: How do you read the strange scene in Act 2, scene 1, where Iago disparages different kinds of women before his wife, Emilia, and Desdemona? He even makes up little riddles about them, which both delights and appalls Desdemona (his wife largely remains silent--an interesting point). Is Iago acting like a Fool in this passage? Does he have more in common with Feste? Or is he more like Malvolio, someone who refuses to be a fool even when people are laughing at him?
Q4: One of the consistent themes of this play is people seeing others as beasts or animals. We saw this in Act 1.1, when Iago portrayed both Desdemona and Othello as various animals mating with each other. Now, Cassio is constantly lamenting the loss of his reputation, which has left him "by and by a fool, and presently a beast!" (2.3.101). Why do you think these characters are so obsessed with the dichotomy between men and beasts/animals? Why does it seem that such a razor-sharp line separates one from the other?
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