ACT 1, SCENE 1

• The beginning of the play

• Begins in medias res → to intrigue the audience, some aspects of tragedy focus on misunderstanding and the beginning of the play reflects this

• Starts at night → shows themes of sneakiness, deceit and deviousness of Iago

• Takes place in the street → low class, could be symbolic of a narrow tunnel of fate

• Introduces the idea of public vs private and the danger of being seen

• Iago remains anonymous - Roderigo does not

“Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster, unless the bookish theoric”

• establishes Iagos jealously of Cassio’s promotion

• Suggests that Cassio knows nothing about battles, he’s got a brain but isn’t a fighter

• Ironic since Cassio has been promoted not Iago

• Iago then goes on to say why he should have the job

• AO2: “Spinster” questions Cassio’s manhood

• AO2: Iago calls Cassio a “florentine” which suggests hatred of the other city

“Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster, unless the bookish theoric”

• establishes Iagos jealously of Cassio’s promotion

• Suggests that Cassio knows nothing about battles, he’s got a brain but isn’t a fighter

• Ironic since Cassio has been promoted not Iago

• Iago then goes on to say why he should have the job

• AO2: “Spinster” questions Cassio’s manhood

• AO2: Iago calls Cassio a “florentine” which suggests hatred of the other city

“Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago. In following him, I follow but myself”

• AO2: “the” is the definite article, suggests that Othello is the only one (shows how rare it was for a black man to be in Othello’s high status position at the time?)

• AO2: this is the first time Othello is mentioned other than “he” yet he still isn’t given his name. This shows prejudice of society at the time and the otherness of Othello

• AO3: A Moor is a derogatory term for a Muslim from Africa

“I am not what I am”

• AO2: ambiguous language builds the sense of mystery and deception around Iago’s character

• Shows his duplicity and wily nature, as well as Roderigo’s weak and vulnerable nature for continuing to trust him regardless. This gains our sympathy

• Signals to the audience that his loyal and honest exterior is a deliberate facade designed to manipulate others right from the start of the play

• Theme of appearance vs reality

“An old black ram Is tupping your white ewe”

• Iago is provoking a reaction by making Othello seem lecious

• Ram vs ewe shows that they’re not seen as equal in society

• Connotes peace vs a beast

• AO2: “Old black ram” suggests a large age gap, coarse, bestial imagery (sex not love), an animalistic barbaric manner by comparing him to a ram

• AO2: “tupping” → crude, sexual imagery

• AO2: “white” is conventionally associated with ideas of purity and cleanliness

• AO2: “black” is associated with ideas of evil and wickedness

• Iago seems to be setting up the contrast between Desdemona and Othello through their purity

“You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you”

• AO2: bestial, animalistic imagery

• AO2: “you’ll” suggests it’s Brabantio’s fault and plays on the societal fears of race mixing - miscogenation

“he’s embarked With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars”

• introduces the political plot

• Saying Othello will soon go to war as he’s needed by the state

“O, she deceives me”

• theme of Desdemona deceiving her father throughout

• Later, Iago reminds Othello that if Desdemona has deceived her father, she’s likely to also be prepared to deceive her father too

• AO3: Patriarchal values of a daughter being her fathers property

“Is there not charms By which the property of youth and maidhood May be abused?”

• AO2: racist but also credible since she’s so much younger than him

• Brabantio refuses to believe Desdemona’s agency and thinks a charm has been placed upon her by Othello

• AO3: people had very limited worldly knowledge and so often attached myths to certain people - particularly anyone seen as ‘other’ was assumed to have engaged in impious activities like witchcraft