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The scene opens with messages that Cyprus is about to be attacked by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire.
Into the midst of this excitement comes Brabantio to appeal to the Duke for justice at Othello's elopement
with Desdemona. He accuses the Moor of seducing his daughter through magical spells and drugs.
Othello defends himself in that it was merely his stories of the battlefield -- and of the strange people
whom he encountered -- which had won Desdemona to him.
Desdemona, upon being summoned, confirms Othello's innocence. Since Brabantio will not have her
back into his house, however, she is forced to follow Othello to Cyprus.
In the meantime, Iago hatches his plot to revenge himself on Othello, as well as to win Desdemona over
to Roderigo.
OTHELLO'S INSECURITIES
Othello was very much "the other" or "the outsider".
First, he was a Moor who, in Shakespeare's time, were despised in England. Furthermore, although the
Moors of Spain had long converted to Christianity, it was suspected that their conversions were false and
that, at heart, they were still practising Islamic custom.
He was also dark skinned and, again in Shakespeare's day, black had the connotation of evil. "To be the
black sheep of the family" meant to be the odd one out, not to be trusted.
The colour black was associated with death and Satan whereas white was associated with purity and
goodness. A person wore black to a funeral whereas brides wore white to their wedding. This was then
transferred in the class structure: White people were trusted whereas Black people were distrusted.
Biblically, Black people were believed to be the descendants of Ham, doomed to be "hewers of wood and
drawers of water" -- in other words, to be slaves. Indeed, it was this association which enabled Europe
of Elizabethan times and after to enslave black people.
Putting this aside, Othello did not fully understand Venetian customs. He had grown up in a culture of
magic and witchcraft -- or so the Venetians (and Shakespearian audience) thought.
It is very clear that Brabantio would never have given Othello the hand of Desdemona in marriage if he
had not been forced to do so because Venice needed Othello to help them defeat the Turks.
It is also very clear that the Duke would have carried out Brabantio's wishes to slap Othello in gaol for
eloping with Desdemona except that his military prowess was essential at that moment.
It would also appear that Othello was not the Duke's first choice for commander but rather one Marcus
Luccicos. It is only when the latter was not available that the Duke was forced to turn to Othello.
This too would possibly further explain Othello's insecurity -- he was not the Duke's right-hand man but
only his second choice.
For much the same reason, Iago felt insecure (and resentful) when he discovered that he was not
Othello's first choice but had to play second fiddle to Michael Cassio.
Once Othello was on Cyprus and the war was suddenly over, he was thereupon thrust into the role of
Governor. He was, however, a military man and not a Governor, and this undesired status would have
enhanced his insecurity.
He had now to rule a people whom he did not fully understand and, to do this, he needed to lean on the
very person whom he had insulted just days earlier by overlooking him for military promotion, i.e. Iago.
In other words, for purposes of war, Othello trusted Michael Cassio but, for purposes of peace, he needed
Iago. Iago, however, was the worst person to trust because he was hell bent on wreaking revenge on
Othello.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
"OTHELLO:
Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors,
My very noble and approv'd good masters."
- Comment on the way in which Othello addresses the gathering. (4)
[Need help?]
Wouldn't you agree that Othello's address is very dignified and controlled?
It comes from someone who has studied the art of speaking, the art of addressing his superiors in a way
that is not only correct but pleasing.
His words indicate a man who has schooled himself in the deportment of the Venetian world.
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- To what extent does Othello accept the charge that Brabantio brings against him? (4)
[Need help?]
Othello accepts only that he has "ta'en away" Brabantio's daughter and has married her.
That, he says, is the full extent of his crime: "the very head and front of [his] offending . . . this extent,
no more".
He therefore denies the other charges that he has used spells, charms and drugs to get his way.
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"OTHELLO:
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true."
- Is Othello being derogatory when he refers to Brabantio as "this old man"? Explain your
answer. (4)
[Need help?]
Othello is probably NOT being derogatory. We have already witnessed in Scene 2 how Othello begged
Brabantio to use his age and wisdom to debate the issue rather than resorting to force.
It seems clear therefore that Othello equates age with wisdom. His reference to "this old man" is
probably therefore a compliment.
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"The way in which Othello views himself is at the centre of his naive response to Iago's eventual lies
about Desdemona's adultery."
- Confining yourself to the accompanying text only, explain to what extent the above statement is
true. (6)
[Need help?]
Othello makes several references to his inadequacy of character within Venetian circles: "Rude am
I in my speech," he says, "and little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace."
He admits that he has lived from a very young age till the present time as a soldier and therefore has not
absorbed the social mores of Venice.
Therefore, he says, he will "little . . . grace [his] cause" in speaking for himself.
His words are gracious and dignified which reveals that Othello has indeed absorbed the social mores of
Venice.
But therein lies the rub. Because he believes himself to be deficient, this very belief will lead to his
downfall.
This will be especially so when he leaves the sophistication of Venice for the harsh military life of Cyprus.
There he will increasingly identify Iago with that sophistication -- and believe Iago's every lie.
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"For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith,
Till now some nine moons wasted."
- Rewrite Othello's statement in your own words, explaining clearly what he means. (4)
[Need help?]
"From the age of seven till some nine months ago."
"Since these arms of mine had seven years' pith" means literally "since my arms were seven years
in strength".
The moon orbits the earth about once a month; therefore "some nine moons wasted" means the
passing of about nine months.
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"Yet, by your gracious patience,
I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of love."
- What does Othello mean when he says that he will "a round unvarnish'd tale
deliver"? (2)
[Need help?]
Othello is using a carpenter's imagery, isn't he?
His story is going to be rough and unsophisticated -- like the carpenter's furniture which has not yet had
the varnish put on it to make it shine.
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- Why does Brabantio insist that Othello has used spells and charms to seduce
Desdemona? (4)
[Need help?]
Brabantio insists that his daughter, Desdemona, is innocent. Othello must therefore have used some
magic to weave a web to ensnare her.
Because Othello is black, Brabantio falls naturally into a common misperception that Moors and Africans
were the children of the devil. They therefore dabbled in spells and charms, mixed elixirs and other
devilish brews to tempt the unwary soul.
The Moors were the Moslem invaders of Spain. One must be aware of the complete distrust in which
Moors were held in Shakespeare's time.
Even though many of them became Christians, this conversion was often regarded as a veneer to hide
a deeper evil side.
Even in modern days, the gypsies -- who are of Moorish descent -- have been distrusted. Read any
Enid Blyton novel written as late as the 1950s to witness this perception.
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"A maiden never bold:
Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion
Blush'd at herself."
- Fill in the missing word: Brabantio said that his daughter was extremely __________
. (1)
[Need help?]
Brabantio said that his daughter was extremely SHY.
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- Is Brabantio's description of his daughter accurate? Explain. (4)
[Need help?]
When you read later of Desdemona's description of the events, one does not at all witness the shy and
retiring girl that Brabantio claims she is.
If anything, she is a woman who has been closed off from the world but who wishes to break free.
Othello appears as someone who is different, and it is this that attracts her to him. She is simply a woman
who is deeply infatuated.
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- Why should Brabantio claim that Othello's actions were the "practices of cunning
hell"?
[Need help?]
The concept of the Moor being an evil person with "practices of cunning hell" was a common belief
in Shakespeare's time.
The Moors were different from the European Christians. First, they were Christian converts from Islam.
Second, they were dark skinned. Finally, their entire culture made them "the other".
This otherness was seen as being akin to the devil by the contemporary Europeans. Indeed, there was
a massive persecution of the Moors in Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries because they were regarded
as evil.
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