OTHELLO REVISION - ASPECTS OF TRAGEDY

Genre

- Othello is an atypical tragedy in that it is based on domestic events between Othello and Desdemona rather than the fall of kings or 'great men and nations'.
- Othello is influenced by Revenge Tragedy, although the evil revenger, Iago, does not die, as would be expected.
- Othello is influenced by the conventions of Greek tragedy: for example, the play is based on conflict and the protagonist's errors of judgement.
- The ending of the play evokes the emotions that Aristotle said tragedy should evoke: pity and fear.

Structure

- The structure of the play includes important examples of repetition: for example, Iago repeatedly poisons Othello's mind in long exchanges.
- The structure of the play relies on mirroring for its dramatic impact: for example, Bianca's sexual jealousy mirrors Othello's.
- Venice frames the action in Cyprus; the play opens and closes with the Venetian state exercising its power and defining Othello's character.
- The play is structured so that Iago seems to be stage managing events; his soliloquies give us insight into how he directs what happens.

Iago's speech style

- Iago speaks over one third of the lines in the play, showing how dominant he is as the villain.
- Iago adapts his style to suit his purposes: for example, insults to cast suspicion on Bianca, a parody of the language of love to hoodwink Othello.
- Iago's soliloquies are characterised by images of evil, poison and infection.
- Iago's vulgar and racist use of language to describe Othello in Act I Scene 1 reflects his true character.

Othello's speech style

- 'Valiant' Othello's poetic speech style is characterised by his use of measured blank verse.
- Othello uses military imagery when he talks about losing his love, for example 'Othello's occupation's gone' (III.3.360).
- Othello uses disjointed prose and a third person viewpoint when his mind is poisoned by Iago.
- Othello's speech is full of violent and bloody imagery when he seeks revenge on Desdemona and Cassio.

Imagery

- The battle between good and evil is dramatised by using images of light and dark.
- The images of jealousy make it clear that it is an irrational and monstrous force.
- The imagery used to describe Desdemona often objectifies her as a precious, beautiful possession.
- The images of animals used throughout the play chart the progress of Iago's evil and Othello's downfall.