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Dylan Hooper
J. Blount
IB English 2 HL
November 21, 2014
Othello Test
1. Soliloquy - Thus do I ever make my fool my purse... (I.iii.375-396)
This soliloquy, spoken by Iago in Act 3, Scene 1, is important to the play because it blatantly reveals Iago's
intentions and feelings and provides great foreshadowing of the future of all of the characters. In the very beginning of
his speech, Iago makes it clear that his intentions are to manipulate his fools for his own personal gain (I.iii.375).
Another thing made very clear from the beginning of his diatribe is his true opinion of Othello, which means several
things for the play. Primarily, it shows the viewer once and for all that Iago is a deceitful character he masks his
hatred of Othello and uses different appearances to warrant the most personal gain. This foreshadows that,
throughout the course of the play, Iago will use these facades to manipulate the people he comes into contact with,
especially Othello. In line 379, it is also revealed that Iago is suspicious that Othello has had an affair with his wife and
will use this, whether falsely or truthfully, as his motivation in his malicious actions.
This soliloquy is also prevalent in the plot of the play because it shows Iago's unique ability to play on the
weaknesses of his counterparts. The remainder of his soliloquy (lines 380-394) can be broken into sections outlining
the people he most plans to deceive in his plot. He plans to use the fact that Othello holds [him, Iago] well and that
he thinks men honest that but seem to be so in order to get in his head, and it is revealed in later lines that he will use
his trust to convince him that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio (I.iii.382-394). Through this soliloquy, that
plot direction of the remainder of the play is mapped out.
2. Emilia Shakespeares choice as mouthpiece for women
Shakespeare's choice to use Emilia as the mouthpiece for women is an interesting one because, while she is
firm in her beliefs, she is frequently not in the position to voice them to those who believe otherwise. She is older than
Desdemona and has been married to Iago longer, giving a stark contrast between Desdemona's romantic and idealistic
view of marriage and her own cynical, bitter relationship with her husband. As she is a handmaid, it often seems

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improper of Emilia to interject her opinion. However, when she is speaking to her husband or about things she is
passionate about, she often lets this wall down and is able to say what she really feels, especially relating to men, which
marks her as comparatively progressive to the other women of Shakespearean plays. In Act III, Scene 4, Emilia makes
her aversion to the oppression by summarizing her view on the treatment of women they eat [women] hungerly, and
when they are full, they belch [them] (III.iv.104-107). Two examples of Emilia's breaking out of her subordinate shell
would be her insulting Othello after she hears figures out the deception and his gullibility, as well as her ultimately
revealing Iago's deception at the end of the play (IV.iii.70, V.ii.180-183, 225-228). Emilia's position as a wife to Iago
and handmaid to Desdemona makes her not the most likely mouthpiece for women in the play, yet Shakespeare
effectively uses her position and character to interject feelings of feminism overcoming sometimes unwritten societal
boundaries and personal inhibitions to have her voice heard throughout the play.
3. Motif of Magic and Charms
The motif of magic and charms is used liberally throughout Othello to forward the plot of the play. This is so
because, each time these words and related items are mentioned, it prompts some sort of investigation or explanation of
a back story that foreshadows events to come. In the beginning, Brabantio is convinced that Othello won over his
daughter with the use of spells and medicines bought of mountebanks (I.iii.61). Brabantio is convinced that Othello
could not have possible wooed his daughter by his looks or common courting techniques, and therefore magic must be
the only solution. This shows that, no matter what Othello has done in benefit of the country that has had an
impression on Brabantio, there is still the social stigma that he is a lesser being. This forwards the play because it
foreshadows Iago's use of the same, albeit metaphorical, substances to influence Othello so greatly. This segues into
the next most prominent time the reference to paranormal activity is made, when Othello goes into his trance and
Iago admires his medicine working as Othello writhes in his lunatic trance (IV.i.45-50). This specific scene functions
to move the play by marking the downfall of Othello and shows that Iago's plans have fallen into place and that he is
now beginning to see his intentions realized; this scene marks the climax of the play. This motif of magic and charms
marks significant plot movement in the play through the investigations and back stories that are explained or realized
through their mention.

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4. Yodah speak how language shapes meaning
Othello is stereotypically Shakespearean in that, while the syntax and use of obscure or strange vocabulary
poses grey areas in the interpretation of the work, it creates phrases with dual meanings, unique emotional meanings,
and intricate subtleties that shape meaning in the work. One major instance of this creative syntax and language
occurring is in Act 3, Scene 3 when Othello begins to say goodbye to being a husband after discovering evidence of
Desdemona's infidelity. In this mini-speech, Othello's emotions can practically be seen in the lines he reads through the
syntax and punctuation Shakespeare uses. The short sentences saying farewell (III.iii.345-347) are juxtaposed along
long phrases that mean both a literal farewell to the honor Othello once had, which is also foreshadowing to his
ultimate actions, and the mental terror and destruction this event will have (III.iii.348-354). At the end of this passage
comes another phrase with dual meaning, Othello's occupation's gone (III.iii.354). This is significant because, to
Othello, his literal occupation of Desdemona's affections, as well as his own figurative occupation over his mind.
Othello is characteristically driven by emotion, therefore it makes sense that after a traumatic realization such as this
one, his true personality will be suppressed and his emotions will take control.
The character most notable for their manipulation of words to manipulate people is the character of Iago. In
almost everything he says that is directed toward one of the characters he manipulates, his words have been creatively
spun by Shakespeare to have an intricate dual meaning to where it can be seen that he is being manipulative, however it
is feasible that the characters do not see his behavior as abnormal. An example of this deception and twisting of words
is seen when Iago speaks with Cassio about Bianca, and is able to convince Othello that he is speaking of Desdemona.
He makes Othello think that Cassio will speak of where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when he...cope[ed]
[Othello's] wife, when in reality he will speak of Bianca (IV.i.86-87). This manipulation of the meaning of an entire
conversation shapes the meaning of the work because that's what Iago does constantly to fulfill his mission, and it also
further cements the seed of anger within Othello that leads both to his own demise and the demise of everyone around
him.
5. Setting fuels action
Throughout Othello, Shakespeare uses the setting the fuel the action and progression of the plot of the play, as
well as to show parallels and contrasts to past actions. A specific, poignant instance of this is in the end of the play,

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when all of the death occurs. The scene here fuels the action because the action takes place in the bedroom there was
blood shed both in the beginning during the consummation of Othello and Desdemona's marriage, but for a much
different reason than in the final act of the play. The fact that there is blood being shed both times (not necessarily by
the same person) allows for a strong build of emotional significance during the last scene the same bed in which the
love between Othello and Desdemona was confirmed is the same place where it physically ended.
Another instance of the scene influencing the progression of the play is a the beginning of the play when
Brabantio presents Othello to the Senate after discovering that he has married his daughter. Here, the scene fuels the
action of the play because of the manner in which Othello speaks to the Senate in a very noble, dignified manner. His
addressing them as Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors allows the senators to hear his point of view in a nonthreatening manner which allowed the plot to progress from Brabantio's accusation to Othello being accepted again
(I.iii.76). The setting of this scene fuels the action and progression of the plot of the play because it allows Othello to
continue falling in love with Desdemona, continue to be blind to Iago's manipulation because of this love, and
ultimately leads to everyone's demise at the end of the play.