Iago - Helen Gardner - Danice

‘He is monstrous because, faced with the manifold richness of experience, his only reaction is calculation and the desire to manipulate … Ultimately, whatever its proximate motives, malice is motiveless; that is the secret of its power and its horror, why it can go unsuspected and why its revelation always shocks.’

To what extent do you agree with this view?

DISAGREE:
Act 1 -

• ‘Never set a squadron in the field’- envy for Cassio being promoted to lieutenant over him gives him reason to be monstrous.
• ‘Old black ram’- Racism
• ‘Boarded a land carrack’ - Iago may be jealous of the love Othello has with Desdemona. Also there is a semantic field of the sea, ‘Boarded’ = sexual connation. Desdemona chooses Othello over her father ‘So much duty as my mother show’d to you, preferring you before her father’ - this makes her the patriarchal ideal for a dutiful wife. Contrasting with Iago’s relationship with Emilia as she is not obedient ‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now’

Act 2 -

• ‘Good Iago, go to the bay and disembark my coffers’ – being instructed by a black man.
• ‘for that I do suspect the lusty moor hath leap’d into my seat’ – Othello is unworthy of general, Iago thinks that it should have been his job.
• ‘He was a wight of high renown, and thou art but of a low degree’ – Iago challenges Cassio’s high status by questioning if he deserves it due to his ‘low degree’.
• Iago is once again interrupting Othello’s and Desdemona’s consummation of marriage by creating chaos with getting Cassio drunk. In Act 1, it could be argued that their consummation was interrupted by Brabantio due to Iago. This contributes to the idea that Iago is jealous of Desdemona.

Act 3 –

• ‘To have a foolish wife’ – belittling Emilia

Act 4 –

• ‘Very obedient’- jealousy of Othello’s ideal relationship.
• ‘made you to suspect me with the Moor’ – Emilia says that Iago was once jealous and suspected that Othello slept with Emilia. This could give him reason to want to bring him down to his level, for jealousy. This would explain why he tries to convince Othello that Desdemona is sleeping with someone else.

Act 5 –

• ‘He hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly’ – Iago is jealous of Cassio’s kind heartedness. Iago is so corrupt that he cannot bear to see someone better than he is.
• ‘Charm your tongue’ – Iago cannot control his wife, making him look weak in the society that he lives in. This could go towards why he is jealous of Othello’s relationship with Desdemona.
   

COUNTER ARGUMENT:

Act 1-

• ‘I am not what I am’- He already possesses duplicitous traits so doesn’t necessarily.

Act 2 –

• ‘Reputation is an idle and most false imposition’ – means that reputation is not the motive of Iago’s maliciousness.

Act 3 –

• ‘I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest’ – Iago’s monstrous behaviour cannot be caused by hatred of Cassio’s place in society’s hierarchy because they are the same. This means that his malice is motiveless.
• ‘Now art thou my lieutenant’ – Iago now has no reason to continue his monstrous behaviour.
• ‘the happiness!’ – Iago is enjoying the pain he is creating. This makes him seem malicious.

Act 5 -

• ‘I’ll be at thy elbow’ – Iago is malicious because he represents the devil, therefore he does not a reason to destroy lives.

Act 5, Scene 2

1. What reasons does Othello give for having to kill Desdemona?
Othello believes that he must kill Desdemona as a way of bringing justice to his situation. He believes that if she lives, she will only 'betray more men'. Therefore he is acting virtuously because he thinks that he is protecting other people from her infidelity.




2. What evidence is there to suggest that Shakespeare adhered to racial stereotypes in this scene?
Extreme emotions - 'it is the cause, it is the cause'
Noble savage - 'she must die, else she'll betray more men'
Lascivious - 'So sweet was ne'er so fatal'
Danger - 'thou art on thy deathbed'
'For they thinke that the chastity of their wives should be assaulted, and so consequently they should be capricorneified' - 'thou art to die'

Depraved (Edward Said) - 'Had all his hairs been lives, My great revenge had stomach for them all.'

Child-like (Edward Said) - 'Out, strumpet! weep’st thou for him to my face?' 'addicted unto rath'

'Mystical negro' stereotype - 'It is the very error of the moon, She comes more nearer earth than she was wont And makes men mad.'

Irrational behaviour - 'She’s like a liar gone to burning hell.'Twas I that killed her.'

3. Othello tells Desdemona that Cassio has confessed to sleeping with her (line 68). What was this 'confession'?


The confession is where Iago tricked Cassio into talking about Othello's handkerchief. This is shown when Othello tells Desdemona 'By heaven, I saw my handkerchief in his hand'.


4. Emilia says "Good gentleman, let me have leave to speak./ 'Tis proper I obey him - but not now!" [5.2.192-193] what does this indicate about Emilia and society? Consider the circumstances the characters are in.


Emilia is referring to how in the patriarchal society that she lives in, it is expected that she should obey Iago because he is her husband. Patriarchal ideologies expect women to suppress themselves to men which is why Emilia states 'Tis proper I obey him'. However, due to the difficult circumstances that Emilia is presented in, her mistress has been murdered due to her husband's duplicitous planning. This is why she makes the decision to speak out, within her restraints of the patriarchal society e.g. asking for permission to speak her behind instead of saying what she knows freely. Therefore, although she is defying her husband, meaning that she is rebelling against patriarchal ideologies, she is also sticking to the private sphere partly by asking permission to speak.


5. How is Emilia presented in lines 125-233. Consider the language she uses, how she behaves and what she says to Othello and Iago.


Within the harshly built up environment of Shakespearian Italy, a maid would not speak out against her employee, similar to the present day, for fear of losing your job. To add to this, Emilia would have been confined to the pressures of a patriarchal society when Shakespeare wrote it. Emilia really pushes the boundaries when she calls Othello 'the blacker devil', this would be insulting to Othello as it draws attention to his race however Othello may have been used to racism. Either way, Emilia behaves outwardly for the first time in the public sphere in Act 5, scene 2, compared to when she speaks freely about men with Desdemona in Act 4, scene 3.
Emilia is so angry and distraught by the death of Desdemona that she shows the opposite to her normal gender binaries by bad mouthing her husband 'If he say so, may his pernicious soul rot half a grain a day!'. This would show that she is not thinking normally because she is not behaving within the confinements of being a wife in a Shakespearian society.


6. List all of the names Emilia calls Othello when she realises what he has done. How does this contrast with how Othello was portrayed at the start of the play?
'Black devil', 'devil', 'rash as hell', 'thou wast worthy her', 'O gull! O dolt!

As ignorant as dirt!', 'the moor', 'murderous coxcomb' and 'cruel moor'.

How does Shakespeare create a sense of fear and confusion in Act 5, scene 1?

Setting
Language
Structure of lines
Use of characters
Dramatic methods

• Unity of time and place by 'Outside Bianca's house' - links to beginning of play in Act 1-scene 1 where the audience were first introduced to Iago and Roderigo getting up to no good. Act 1 -scene 1, audience were aware that the characters were nasty what with trying to get Othello and Desdemona in trouble but a much darker atmosphere is set in act 5 scene 1 as it set at night time - pathetic fallacy to portray a murder?

• Iago instructs Roderigo to 'stand behind this bulk', making the audience fully aware that Roderigo is still obeying to Iago's devilish plan. This is where tension begins in the audience because they know that they're attempt to kill Cassio is coming very close.
• 
  Iago tells Roderigo that he'll be 'at thy elbow', this is dramatic irony as he is anything but supporting him. Further on in the scene, the audience see that Iago wants Roderigo dead as much as Cassio when he says that 'every way makes his gain'. This emphasises Iago's duplicitous characteristics once more as he presents yet another empty promise. Additionally, Shakespeare portrays Iago as the devil when he says 'I'll be at thy elbow' because this symbolises medieval myths of the devil being summoned by calling his name. Iago is referring to himself as the devil as he says he will help when called.
• 
  Confusion is evoked in the audience when Roderigo admits to having 'no great devotion to the deed', making the audience question why he will do it then. Shows that he is too afraid of Iago to challenge him - evoking fear once more for the antagonist. 
• 
  Psychopathy - makes the audience feel fear as 'every way makes his gain', when referring to the two men dying. This would scare he audience as he is so unmerciful. 
• 
  Perhaps Iago is afraid of himself and since his lack of morals has been made so aware by Cassio's purity, Iago's corruption that he must get rid of him, in order to make himself feel better. Relates to other parts in the play. 
• 
  Catharsis, as theoried by Aristotle, is put into action when they feel bad for Cassio as he is being attacked for no reason by Roderigo.
• 
  Confusion is aroused in audience when Othello mistakes Roderigo for being Cassio 'O Villain that I am/It is even so'. Shows that Iago is Othello's eye and ears and this is Othello's tragic flaw. This is emphasised because of the setting being at night - highlighting the mood of death.
• 
  Fear for desdemona when Othello realises that he has to present his end of the deal where he kills Desdemona 'thine eyes, are blotted'. Here, we see just how vicious Othello is (negro-stereotype?) and this is where the peripeita takes place rapidly. Everything is downhill from now on.
• 
  Confusion as to who Roderigo is calling a 'wretched villian' - himself? Cassio? or Iago?
• Bianca is confused as to why she is being blamed for the attack and states that she is as honest as Emilia - this would not be seen to be true as they are from two different realms of the patriarchal society, Emilia would be seen as the good honest woman who tends to her husbands needs whilst Bianca would be seen as a mad/bad woman as she is a prostitute. Emilia is also confused as to why Bianca would even think that those two are equal. Marxism possibly - class.
• 
  Iago manufactures the idea that Cassio and Roderigo are fighting over Bianca, this take the attention from Iago. 

Casting Cassio

Cassio is an important role in Othello as Othello believes that his wife has committed adultery with this man. Therefore without Cassio there would be no downfall.

In order for Othello to believe that Cassio and Desdemona had an affair, Iago plays on the Cassio's trait of friendliness. As Cassio is from Florence, appose to Venice, he is more affectionate than the Venetians are used to, such as kissing and  hugging the other characters. An example of Iago using Cassio's kindness as part of his plan is when he says 'I will gyve thee in thy own courtship' in Act 2, Scene 1. I think that Jamie Dornan could portray a friendly character because he looks like an approachable man.

Additionally, Cassio has to be attractive otherwise Othello wouldn't be able to understand why Desdemona slept with him. Therefore Cassio could be played by Jamie Dornan as he is attractive and was voted one of the most attractive men in the world following his most recent role as Christian Grey.

Finally, Cassio has to look very formal looking as he is from Florence. Evidence for this can be seen in Act1, Scene 1 when Iago is listing why Cassio shouldn't have been appointed as lieutenant saying 'a great arithmetician', rather than a soldier. This gives the impression that Cassio must be of a higher ranking than Iago and this must be clearly presented by the way the actor looks. Previously, I have casted David Tennant as Iago and I think that the two men contrast enough in how they look to represent the contrast in where they are in the social hierarchy. This also explains why I wanted to choose an actor who had light hair, in contrast to David Tennant's dark hair, to emphasise that David Tennant is the antagonist and that Jamie Dornan will play the role of the innocent character.

Othello and Iago

1. According to Adrian Lester, how long has Othello been fighting for?
Othello has been fighting since the age of seven years old.


2. According to Adrian Lester, Othello is not born into a 'sense of nobility', like those around him.    How does Adrian Lester say this impacts the character?
Because Othello is not born into a 'sense of nobility', he is very aware of how he looks to the other characters so he is very much focused on his appearance.


3. What increases Othello's status in Venice?
Othello's status is increased in Venice when he marries Desdemona, the daughter of the wealthiest senator in Venice. This means that Othello will inherit a lot of money, which makes him seen to be a very powerful character in a money based society, as your worth was based on how many possessions you obtained.


4. Why does Rory Kinnear say Iago is disgruntled with Othello?
 Iago is disgruntled with Othello because he gave the role of lieutenancy to Cassio, a more sophisticated character. Iago really wanted this job and it is argued that Iago was expecting to be given the job as him and Othello had battled together and been through a lot. It should be noted that Othello didn't give Iago the role of being Lieutenant because he didn't want to give the role away to someone who is equal to him.


5. What do Othello and Iago have in common, according to Rory Kinnear?
Othello and Iago became friends from when they both first joined the army. As they have been through the same battles together and both started at the bottom of the ranks, this could be deemed as something they have in common.


6. Around 4.20, Rory Kinnear lists some of the ways Iago aims to bring down Othello and Cassio. What are they?
Iago uses Othello's weaknesses in an attempt to ruin Othello's reputation and to bring him down to Iago's level. This is because Iago has been unable to get to the same level as Othello, despite their same attempts in the army from the beginning.

Vanessa Hudgens as Desdemona

Desdemona is very much a character in Othello who is controlled by the men around her (due to patriarchal ideologies at the time when it was written). This means that the actress who plays Desdemona has to have a certain powerlessness quality in the way she looks. In my opinion this quality would be portrayed by someone who looks very feminine and possibly weak, in other words the opposite to a strong man who would be Othello.

Additionally, Desdemona is portrayed as a very attractive woman because Othello believes that Cassio would want to sleep with her. 

It should also be noted that in certain scenes such as in Act 4, scene 1 Desdemona is very naive when Othello is clearly very angry and she asks 'what, is he angry?'. Her naivety is probably due to patriarchal Shakespearean setting and linked to how women never received an education like men did but either way Shakespeare presented Desdemona as not the most intelligent woman.

I think that Vanessa Hudgens fits well with Desdemona's criteria because she is feminine, attractive and looks like she could have a naive quality about her. Furthermore she is 27 years old so could easily be portrayed as younger than whoever plays the role of Othello.

The only problem with Vanessa Hudgens playing Desdemona would be that she does not have any experience acting characters previous to the 21st century so possibly the play could be set in modern day. Either way I think that Vanessa Hudgens has the looks and acting skills to be capable of playing Desdemona.

Act 3 scene 3 BIG QUESTION 1

Reflect on Act 3 scene 3 so far. Do you think Iago is an opportunist or a strategist? You must give reasons for your response, with quotations from the play to support your opinion.

Because Iago shows elements of planning his manipulations and of acting out on them so cleverly, I believe that Shakespeare has presented Iago as both an opportunist and a strategist. He does this by cleverly collecting and storing important information from other characters until the time is best to use it to trick people into following his plan. It is evident that Iago collects this information by behaving duplicitously so that he gains others' trust. 

The definition of a 'strategist' is to plan action against people and the audience are made aware from the start that Iago wishes to bring Othello and Cassio down to his level (either in the social hierarchy or the occupational ladder) by manipulating them both. An exmaple of how Iago has pulled Othello down to his social level would be when Othello says that he is 'bound' to Iago forever, like a slave is bound to their master forever. It is no secret that he strategizes how to do this when he reveals his plans to the audience in his dramatic soliloquies. For example in Act 2 Scene 1 he seems to have finalised his plans to portray Desdemona commiting infidelity when he says 'I put the Moor

At least into a jealousy so strong/that judgement cannot cure'. Throughout the play, Iago's soliloquies support the idea that he is a strategist because he plots what his next move will be. 

If Iago is a strategist then it should be argued that he is an opportunist in order to peruse his strategies.This is portrayed through how Iago uses information that he has gathered all at once in order to persuade Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful. Firstly, Iago uses the power of suggestion by saying 'O beware, my lord, of jelousy', to give Othello the impression that whatever Desdemona has done would lead him to be jealous. Cleverly Shakespeare has set up the foundation that the problem lies within Desdemona's loyalty. Although Othello states that he will not be driven mad, iago succeeds in doing so by listing why Desdemona commiting infedility could be true. The list begins with Iago mentioning where Desdemona is from 'In Venice they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands', this links to the idea that when Othello was written, venetian women slept around so who's to say that Desdemona would not do the same? Iago then goes on to use evidence of how Desdemona had deceieved her father when marrying Othello so she has experience to do the same again. Continuing his powers of persuasion, Iago carries on planting seeds of doubt to ensure that Othello is uncertain with Desdemona by highlighting their obvious differences: 'clime, complexion, and degree', in other words using Othello's otherness for more manipulation. This proves that Iago takes advantage of his opportunity to bring Othello down by picking on every ounce of truth that could prove he is correct. He even returns after he has 'left' to ask Othello to keep Cassio and Desdemona distanced, feeding into his plan as he has already told Cassio to ask Desdemona for help in order to get his position back as lieutenant. 

In conclusion, Iago seems to be a combination of a strategist and an opportunist because he gains important information from certain characters throughout the play and only uses his knowledge of this information when the time is right for it to be the most persuasive.

David Tennant as Iago

David Tennant is usually presented as the friendly and bubbly character such as when he played Doctor Who. However in more recent productions, David Tennant plays Killgrave in the tv series Jessica Jones, the evil mind controller. This shows that David Tennant is capable of pulling off a manipulative character who is trusted by his fellow characters but only cares for himself and therefore fitting the role of Iago perfectly. Also, I think David Tennant should act as Iago because he could bring a psychotic characteristic to the role, making the play more modern as he could be mentally ill, explaining why Iago causes so much trouble in Othello.

Act 2 Scene 3

1. Iago switches from verse to prose when he speaks with Cassio, and Cassio follows. What does this indicate about the exchange? What might it indicate about Cassio?
Cassio is a noble gentleman and speaks in verse throughout the play apart from Act 2 Scene 3. Iago speaks in prose towards other characters as it is more persuasive, and represents him as a gentleman. However, when Iago does not need to persuade the character any further he shifts to prose (the colloquial language). Cassio stays very formal in his language towards all the characters but when he very rarely speaks in prose in this scene, it shows that Cassio can be easily manipulated, as he is being brought down to Iago's level in the social hierarchy by speaking in a less formal manner.


2. What language does Cassio use when speaking about Desdemona? How does it compare to the language Iago uses to sexualise her? Why do you think Iago is speaking about Desdemona in this way to Cassio?
Cassio thinks very highly of Desdemona and this is portrayed through his kind choice of words 'she is indeed perfection'. It could be seen that Cassio uses a lexical field of beauty and purity, suggesting that he would not do anything to harm her, or anyone close to her including Othello. However this differs from Iago's descriptive metaphors of Desdemona being a sexual object, which can be seen when he says that she is 'full of game' meaning that she is sexually very active. In fact, Iago up to this point in the play, Iago only ever seems to reference women to sex, securing the patriarchal ideologies that were present during Shakespeare's day.


3. How does Iago persuade Cassio to drink? Use your close reading skills to analyse the language he uses.
Iago says that Cassio should drink because the 'gallants desire it'. Cassio cannot say no to this as he is the lieutenant, and he would be letting his troops down otherwise. Although Cassio is aware that drink will arise anger in him, he agrees because Iago has manipulated him to do so. Additionally, Iago says that he'll drink for him, once Cassio has had 'one cup' but obviously Cassio continues to drink after his 'one cup'.


4. Why does Iago try to subvert the social order and bring others down to his level, rather than try to climb the ladder and raise himself up?
Iago could be described as a proletariat compared to Cassio in Othello. This would explain why he is so jealous of Cassio and Othello because he is of a lower ranking in the social hierarchy to them so he misses out on important opportunities such as becoming Othello's lieutenant. Iago's wish is to come out on top, to be the highest in power and in order to do this he brings the other characters down to his level, by reducing their reputations - or in other words reducing their masculinity. This way he will have more masculinity, which was what was desired of someone to be a leader during Shakespearian times. 


5. Othello says “My blood begins my safer guides to rule/And passion, having my best judgements collied/Assays to lead the way.” (lines 201-203) What does this quotation reveal about the effects of Iago’s knavery in this scene?
Othello describes himself as to be irrational and being uncontrollable once he is led by emotions, which links Othello as John Porey's stereotype of black people, highlighting Shakespeare's era as being racist. This gives the audience clues as to what Iago's plan is because he wants to mess with Othello's emotions in order to lower him in the social hierarchy, although he is black he is still more powerful than Iago because of his high reputation. In summary, Othello is admitting that he often let anger take over himself, which is his hubris. This scene reveals that Iago has been wanting to play with the character's emotions from the start by being duplicitous towards them and so far he is succeeding.


6. Why is the scene important in relation to the play as a whole?
The audience can see just how evil a character Iago is by him causing chaos for the other characters and then coming out as the innocent one towards the end of the scene by manipulating the situations to his favour. In this scene, Iago has managed to present Cassio as a bad lieutenant towards Othello by getting him drunk and provoking him to fight through Roderigo. He also manages to convince Roderigo even further that Desdemona's second choice is Cassio, resulting in Roderigo having no second thoughts to Iago telling him to cause trouble. This has a knock on effect with Othello withdrawing lieutenant responsibilities, leading Iago to succeed in his plan.
Overall, the character's are revealed as all being very different. Cassio is seemed as a push over and very easily manipulated and Iago takes advantage of his kindness/hospitality. Iago cleverly makes himself look innocent even though he took his whole time to incriminate Cassio.  

Act 2 - Scene 1

1. Re-read Act 2 Scene 1 lines 95-100. What sort of person is Cassio?
Cassio is from Florence, different to everyone else who are from Venice. In Florence, people act differently to how people act in Venice. Cassio has been brought up to be very kind, open and friendly so it is no surprise that he is always kissing and hugging the women. This does not necessarily  mean that he is a womaniser, but he is just very welcoming to his friends.


2&3. How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart?
Iago convinces Roderigo that Cassio is bound to be Desdemona's second choice when she grows bored of Othello because they are so close and he has such 'hidden loose affection'. Iago soon figures out that he can trick everybody into thinking that Cassio and Desdemona are together behind Othello's back, and so far he has already convinced Roderigo. Because Iago believes that Othello 'hath leap'd into my seat', he feels that he must get revenge and he plans to do this by making the Othello mad with jealousy.
Iago knows that Cassio has a bad reputation as a drunk, and this is shown when he says 'he's rash and very sudden in choler'. Iago has no trouble with getting Roderigo to agree to anger Cassio during a celebration for beating the Turks.
Overall, Iago plans to use Cassio's goodwill and friendliness to his advantage by making it seem out of lust for Desdemona.
4. What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act 2? What is the effect of having him share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?

Iago is a very duplicitous character as he is deceitful towards all of the other characters, including his wife! Although he acts as the trustworthy good friend, he is nothing but the opposite! By sharing his thoughts and plans to the audience in his many soliloquies, the audience become aware of his plan, whilst the other characters on stage are unknowing. This creates dramatic irony because we know more about what is going on than the characters do, adding to the effect of the play being more tragic and dramatic towards the end.
Additionally, Iago speaks in prose whilst talking to the fellow characters but when he is only speaking to the audience (in his 'asides') he is speaking in prose. By speaking in prose he automatically sounds more sophisticated compared to whilst he talks in prose, which is more informal and friendly. This gives the audience an idea of his manipulative character and the way he can switch his 'personality' on and off to accommodate his plans. By doing this, Shakespeare has made it clear that he intends Iago to be the villain in Othello.
Iago uses numerous pronouns in his final soliloquy 'I' giving the impression that he only cares about himself, which is shown by how he uses characters to get what he wants. In conclusion, Shakespeare is drawing an image of a character who only cares about getting what he wants, and will not stop until he gets it.

Othello - Act 1 Scene 3

What do we learn about views towards foreigners/moors?
Othello is labelled as 'the moor', 'thick lips' and 'foul thief' until scene 3 when he is referred to by his first name by the Duke. This shows that black people did not get the respect they deserved, even Othello who provided Venice a great service. Although Othello is recognised for his title as being the General of Venice, the colour of his skin indicates that he is not normal to the other characters in the play, leading them to make all kinds of assumptions such as when Brabantio accuses Othello of 'withcraft' for stealing Desdemona away from him. This is an example of Othello being labelled as a mystical negro stereotype because Brabantio cannot imagine Desdemona would choose him out of her own choice.
Additionally, the audience learns that black people were an object of curiosity to white people when Othello describes how he met Desdemona. He explains how Brabantio invited him to 'question' him about his life story. This suggests that he was not invited of an accord of friendship but more of an accord of interest in the unknown. This can relate to the present day when people are asked about their past by others, but we do not single out black people in this way.


What is ironic about Othello's claim that "rude am I in my speech"?
This occurs in the scene when Othello is admitting that he has married Desdemona. 'Rude am I in my speech' would suggest that you speak plainly and are unskilled in speaking which is something you would expect from someone who is living in a foreign country instead of their own. Othello says this as if to sound polite and to pardon himself incase he says anything offensive whilst being in court as he gives the impression that he is not good at confrontation, however his speech has quite the opposite effect. He manages to persuade the Duke and the First Senator as they believe what he is saying. It is the most ironic because he told Desdemona of his stories which evoked pity as he 'often did beguile her of her tears'. This means that she wanted to marry him because of the stories he told her meaning that he must be very good at speaking, thus adding irony when he says he is not.


What is startling about Othello's decision to let Desdemona speak on his behalf?
Othello is set in 1603 which was a very strong patriarchal society where women were known to be seen and not heard and where men had the dominance. The fact that Othello lets Desdemona defend him; 'let her speak of me before her father' suggests that Othello trusts her dearly and knows that she will not speak badly of him. This was rare because men would usually control their wives completely but Othello does not do this so that he can prove his innocence. Perhaps he does not seek to control Desdemona (in Act 1 Scene 3) because he is different to the other characters because of his race.


Using the Thinking question ('Othello's tragedy is that he lives according to a set of stories through which he interprets the world - an ideology - but it is a world that has been superseded. He cannot see that this is so, and the contradictions within his ideology destroy him. He is living the life of a chivalric warrior in a world run by money and self-interest'), what 'stories' does Othello tell in his speech to the senate?
Othello tells of his exciting adventures of travelling to different countries, battles, sieges and of his tragedy of being 'sold to slavery' and how he managed to escape from it. He tells of stories that normal Venetians could only dream to imagine and he submits himself to the Object of curiosity stereotype through this. He also explains how Desdemona fell for all this, and he could be doing this in hope that Brabantio and the Duke would pity him also and let him off.
He tells of the contradictions of what it means to be a great soldier - dignified and bravery against violence and jealousy. He basically lists out his downfall without realising it.