Othello post 3

The sheer amount of dramatic irony in this play is astonishing. Iago is positively diabolical, and in this section of reading, his plan to get Cassio de-titled is executed perfectly. Iago decides to get Cassio in a fight with Roderigo and Montano. He first gets Cassio drunk, to which Cassio originally refuses because he has "very poor, and unhappy brains for drinking" (II, iii, 35). Of course Iago takes advantage of this, and when Cassio finally leaves for bed, Iago sends Roderigo after him to provoke him into a fight. Cassio comes running back, swinging his sword, and soon starts a brawl with Montano. Othello then comes out, asks Iago for the story, and promptly strips Cassio of his title.

Iago's explanation of the story, and Othello's dialogue beforehand show the dramatic irony of the scene. First, Iago states that he would rather have his "tongue cut from [his] mouth than it should do offense to Michael Cassio" (II, iii, 235). This is ridiculous because we know that Iago detests Cassio, and wishes him dead, if not stripped of his title. When Othello first sees the scene, he asks "Honest Iago, that looks dead with grieving" to tell him who began the fight (II, iii, 189). This is an example of dramatic irony because as the reader, we know  that it was Iago, and no one else, that started the brawl.

Othello post 2

One typical Shakespearean device seems to be ever present in Othello. The "asides" from each character, especially Iago, are numerous, and content wise tend towards the "knee slapper" joke or pun category. When Othello and Desdemona are finally reunited, they talk of their undying love for each other, and how even the universe could not tear them apart, or make them even happier, Iago responds with a terrible pun about the music of the heart. Iago whispers to the audience: "O, you are well tuned now, But I'll set down the pegs that make this music, honest as I am" (II, i, 218). His threat can basically be translated as "I'll get you my pretty".

However, another interesting line is in the discussion beforehand. Desdemona states that "The heavens forbid but that [their] loves and comforts should increase, even as [their] days do grow" (II, i, 210). This line has a double meaning. Read one way, it can mean that the universe cannot possibly make the couple any happier than they are now; They have all the happiness that is to be had in the world. The alternate interpretation is that the heavens forbid their love. Taken this way, the line provides a dark foreshadowing of possible future conflict regarding the couple's interracial status.

Othello post 1

In reading the first act of this play, I kept making comparisons to other Shakespearean works. The opening scene between Iago and Roderigo reminded me of the opening scene in Romeo and Juliet. The two men are jesting about someone (Othello) who they dislike, and they create a plan to irritate him. This is similar to the two Montague boys humorously starting the brawl with the Capulet boys in the beginning of Romeo and Juliet. The way Othello is referred to, and the amount of power he seems to have, reminded me of Macbeth.

However, the most obvious comparison I saw was between Iago and Caliban. Iago hates Othello, and wishes he could kill him, but understands that he must not, as he is bound to him. He states that even "though [he] hate[s] him as [he does] hell, [he] must show out a flag and sign of love- which is indeed but a sign" (I, 1, 17).

Iago later states that although he has had the opportunity to stab Othello many times, he knows that he is not capable of such murder, and must restrain himself. Iago contents himself by creating elaborate schemes against Othello, just like Caliban fantasizes about killing Prospero, and uses the shipwrecked sailors in an underhanded attempt to see his wishes through. By telling Desdemona's father that Othello took his daughter, he sets up an opportunity for Othello's arrest, but, since he left Roderigo to explain the full story to Brabantio, Iago cannot possibly be blamed by Othello for the betrayal. Iago is incredibly intelligent, but cowardly in that he will not take ownership of his actions, or his hate for Othello.