Act IV & V Reading Guide: Period 5 Act IV, Sc. i, l. 1-92 Matthew 1. What does the angry diction and dark connotation in the sentence This is a subtle whore, a closet lock and key of villainous secrets. (IV, ii, 23-24) show about Othello s state of mind? At this point in the story, it is clear that Othello has lost his mind, and he won t realize that he is wrong until after he kills Desdemona. That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne er been born! (IV, ii, 79-80) This quote is very powerful! The diction used in this sentence is very powerful, conveying a very negative connotation! Those words are ne er been born (Iv, ii, 80). For a man to say that he wishes his wife was never born, when she did nothing, really shows that he has simply lost his mind. (Even though he was tricked, he did not have to say that!) At this point in the story, I notice that Emilia is still sane, and has the right idea. She still fully trusts Desdemona. Never, my lord. (IV, ii, 7) Never (IV, ii, 9) Never, my lord. (IV, ii, 11) Othello is asking Emilia if Desdemona and Cassio did anything that would prove they truly are in love. To all of the questions, she correctly answered by saying never to all of his questions. The repetition of the word never in every answer, along with the fact that it is a short answer, shows that Emilia is not getting frustrated, and she still strongly believes that Desdemona did nothing wrong. Ellory 1. In lines 37-92 Othello confronts Desdemona for not being honest and Desdemona denies Othello s accusations for her being unfaithful. Othello says, O thou public commoner, I should make very forges of my cheeks that would to cinders burn up modesty, did I but speak my deed(lines 84-87). What does the diction and language in these lines indicate how Othello still feels about Desdemona? On line 84, Othello calls Desdemona a public commoner which means prostitute. The diction being used throughout this scene shows a negative connotation mainly towards Desdemona. No matter what Desdemona says to defend herself, Othello will not believe her based on the claims made by Iago and Cassio. Desdemona does say that she is honest in the scene but her response from Othello was that she was false as hell. One thing that I noticed throughout the play is that Desdemona cares more about Othello time goes on and Othello cares less for Desdemona as time goes on. This can be shown through the syntax of their sentences in recent scenes. For example Othello said, What art thou? to Desdemona and she said, Your wife, my lord, your true and loyal wife. This shows that she is trying to convince Othello that she was not unfaithful. Othello responded later on in the scene by saying, Ah, Desdemon, away, away, away! Russel 1. In lines 54-92 Othello tells Desdemona his true feelings, which are that he does not love her anymore. Othello gives his reasons and Desdemona denies Othello s accusations for her being unfaithful. Othello says, O thou public commoner, I should make very forges of my cheeks that would to cinders burn up modesty, did I but speak my deed(lines 80-85). How does Othello s language give foreshadowing to events that may happen later in the play? In line 84, Othello refers to Desdemona as a public commoner the definition if this is a prostitute, and the fact that Othello called his old love such an offensive label allows it to be seen that he truly no longer feels any love for Desdemona. One very interesting theory that I have made about this book is that Desdemona and Othello's relationship is to be portrayed by an inverse function. As time passes through the Tragedy of Othello, Othello and Desdemona had flopped feelings about one another. Othello had stronger feelings about his partner than Desdemona. As the tale passed Othello lost care as Desdemona began to care more. Amara 1. Despite Desdemona s pleading and Emilia swearing she is good, Othello believes she is unfaithful and just a good liar as he states, This is a subtle whore, /A closet lock and key full of villainous secrets. (IV, ii, lines 23-24). How does Othello s diction and critical connotation of certain words show how his feelings and overall state of mind has changed? How does he now feel? In this scene, it is clear that Othello has given in to Iago s trap and now believes him. He now hates Desdemona with a passion, as he calls her a whore and a closet lock and key of villainous secrets. (IV, ii). These is all very strong diction, and reveals that Othello no longer trusts Desdemona and pretty much hates her. Compared to Othello always calling his wife sweet or dear, this is a very large jump. Othello may believe she is a cheater, but just the fact that he called her such a derogatory name shows that he is very angry at her as well. Also in this scene, we can see that Emilia is still faithful to Desdemona, despite her actions of taking her handkerchief in an earlier scene. In this scene Emilia says, I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest, /Lay down my soul at stake. (IV, ii, lines 13-14). She is basically saying that she swears and trusts that Desdemona is honest. The fact that she is swearing to her boss and her husband s boss, the general of her country s army, shows that she really believes it. She believes that Desdemona is trustworthy and would never cheat.
Act IV, Sc. ii, l. (93-176) Katy: 1. What does the repetition of the variations of the word whore said by Othello show? (IV, ii, l. 94-110) One point, is that Othello is so affected by everything Iago said. We can see this because under normal circumstances Othello would never call Desdemona such bad names. Another point is that we can see that there is no convincing Othello of anything else besides what he thinks about Desdemona and Cassio s relationship, this is because he doesn't even believe his true love when she tells him the truth. Andy: 1. How does the antithesis I cannot weep, nor answers have I none but what should go by water (IV, ii, l. 120-121) add to the reader s understanding of how confused Desdemona currently is with Othello s behavior? One point is that Desdemona at one instance doesn t even acknowledge Othello as her Lord anymore, showing how divided they ve both become Another point is that Emilia somehow completely understands what is going on, yet she doesn t know who the villainous knave is Elijah: 1. How do the several rhetorical questions, asked by Emilia in lines 160-163 help her convince and reassure Desdemona? Notice how Emilia constantly says the word whore, yet it is surrounded by quotation marks. This may give insight into how she perceives the word in the given context. Take note that when Iago and Emilia try to reassure Desdemona, Iago results to simple bursts of disbelief at Othello s actions while Emilia gives more of an explanation to further her own disgust. Michael: 1. How does the diction of the word whore effect the scene? The word whore shows how much Othello has fallen apart. Although he was drunk, he is most likely just been bottling up his feelings for a while. So, while he's drunk and his mind is slipping, he lets go of his thoughts. It also goes to show that Iago s plan is working. Othello is continuing to buy the lies that Iago is giving him and is now truly believing that Desdemona is having sex with other men. Also, that Cassio is cheating. Nicole: 1. Iago uses the word beshrew (IV, ii, 151), how does that word make him seem like he had no idea that such a thing was happening? Take note that Iago damns Othello to make it seem like he is truly angry that he said such a thing, in order to seemingly be on Desdemona s side. It shows that no one thinks that Iago is responsible for all of this, it also shows that his plan is working, and Othello seems to be against Desdemona. Act IV, Sc. i, l. 164-end of scene Michael Khalaf: 1. Which had a stronger impact on Othello: the strong diction of Cassio calling Bianca a fitchew on line 164 or the use of the handkerchief that Othello cares about, first introduced in this scene on lines 167-169? Iago prompts a conversation with Cassio in which Cassio is urged to call Bianca a prostitute. Iago s further manipulation is reflected here. Shortly after, we can see Iago continuing by repeating and translating that staged scene into his own manipulated perspective, and told to Othello. Here, Iago uses very strong diction, with words to catch Othello in the moment. He wants Othello s mind to race on one thing he doesn t like hearing after another. Othello is now being completely brainwashed and his entire opinion now changes towards Desdemona and Cassio. He surely wants them dead at this point. Othello is easily distracted with things like a handkerchief and Cassio s use of the word fitchew, although they were talking about Bianca. Othello is now acting vulgar while talking about Iago and Desdemona. He now asks Iago for help on how to murder Cassio, as shown on lines 188-189. At this point in the play, Iago listens along to Othello as he speaks nothing but hateful remarks about Cassio
and Desdemona. Othello is building up his anger and plotting their deaths now. Othello s strong diction and obvious word choice, using words like murder, and his syntax of sometimes short but longer remarks reflect this. Othello now shows his hatred in his vulgar tone, and his rude remarks support his tone, showing us his anger. Isabella: 1. How does Iago use Pathos to make Othello mad enough to hit Desdemona on page 189, lines 230-231? Trusting Iago more and believing anything he says which is making him turn against everyone that Iago is talking bad about. Doesn't trust Desdemona at all anymore because he is trusting Iago with all the information and Iago is telling him that Desdemona is being unfaithful by sleeping with Cassio. David: 1. Which is more effective in provoking anger in Othello: diction in lines 194-196 or repetition in lines 220-222? Othello is more vulnerable in trusting Iago about what he says about Desdemona and Cassio. Othello believes that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Othello is easily manipulated by Iago to try and kill Desdemona by reminding him how she was unloyal with Cassio. Pablo: 1. How does Othello s monologue on lines 56-74 show the reader how he feels about Desdemona? It shows how he used to love her, but now he feels betrayed because of the lies Iago is telling. This monologue shows us how Iago s manipulative diction has worked on Othello. Group 5 (Act IV, Sc. ii, l. 175-end of scene) Claire How does Iago use pathos when he says But Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed which I have greater reason to believe now than ever- I mean purpose, courage, and valor- this night show it to convince Roderigo to help him with his plan? (IV, ii, 244-250) One point that I learned about Roderigo is that he is very desperate and his emotions are very raw. He will take any reassurance that he will win Desdemona and allows himself to be easily swayed by pathos. One point I learned about Iago is that he has no loyalty or feelings of freadnship towards Roderigo. He uses his excellent powers of pathos to play on Rodrigo s emotions and get him to do whatever he asks. For instance, when he says in lines 245-247, Roderigo, if thou hast that in thee indeed which I have greater reason to believe now than ever -- I mean purpose, courage, and valor -- this night show it he is playing on Roderigo s vanity and manipulating him for his own puroses. Lily Boehm Why does Desdemona trust Iago? What has he done, or used, to make her call him a Good Friend (Line 177)? From this section of the scene, I learned just how desperate Desdemona was to get Othello back and regain his trust, even though she doesn't know what she did ( I know not how I lost him. Line 178) I also saw that Iago uses many different methods to make people do what he wants. Many times, he will use manipulation and appeals to get inside of peoples heads, where as here, not only was he manipulative towards Roderigo, but he also lied. He has lied before, but not as large as this. He said that Othello was going to Mauritania when he was not, so he used this lie to make Roderigo want to get rid of Cassio. This shows that not only is Iago cruel and manipulative, he is also a liar. Sara Causevic How does Iago use pathos to convince Desdemona that Othello surely does not love her any more because he does not trust her? (Line 175-200) Iago is very manipulative towards everyone whom he associates with. He is very believable and a very skilled liar. He uses manipulation to get into people's head to make sure they feel the way he wants them to feel. He makes other people feel guilty about things they never did. Desdemona is very gullible and she believed iago very quickly without consulting in Othello. This action essentially cost her life since she did not even try to check to make sure things were okay with Othello. Ari Santilla In line 190, What can we assume about Cassio s relationship with Bianca through his sweet tone in speaking to her? Cassio is in love with Bianca (they are married) and he is a gentleman so he speaks to her in a nice way. He uses pathos because he says sweet things to her to make sure she knows that he loves her. He calls her his fair lady which shows their status, although it is determined that Bianca is a prostitute. Act IV, Sc. i, l. 1-163 Tess
1. Which is the most effective way that Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio (lines 29-41): suspenseful language when referring to what Desdemona and Cassio did (lines 29-33) or the use of anaphora on line 41 The use of anaphora seems to be the most effective as it sets Othello off, but the suspenseful language seems to set a mood of uneasiness, so they are both effective Kenneth 2. How does Othello use amplification on lines 40-52 to show his emotions towards the situation and is it effective? I learned that Othello can be easily be fooled and when he gets really mad, he passes out. Also, I learned that Iago is really good with his plans when it comes to his revenge and everything is going really smoothly. William 3. In lines 1-58 of Act IV sc. i, how does Iago use pathos to further convince Othello. He mentions Cassio has the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona He also implies that Desdemona and Cassio were sleeping together, which upset Othello Yasmin 4. How does Iago saying, or to be naked in her friend in bed an hour or more, not meaning any harm provoke Othello? Iago is using reverse psychology to make Othello doubtful. This makes Othello even more suspicious of Desdemona having an affair. Act V, Sc. i Tatiana 1. What does Iago mean when he says this is the fruits of whoring in line 137? How does this further corroborate Iago s whole act of being an honest man. Iago sends Roderigo to kill Cassio instead of him. Iago completely manipulates Othello by the beginning.. Melina 2. What is the effect of the simile used to describe Desdemona s skin in the quote Nor scar the whiter skin of hers than snow. (V, i, 4-5) Othello uses diction with a positive connotation when describing Desdemona while she sleeps which proves taht there is a part of him that still loves Desdemona, even though he believes that she is cheating on him. In lines 18-21 Othello appears to be having second thoughts on murdering Desdemona. This could been seen as more evidence that Othello is not completely different from the honest and kind man he once was. Christian Do you think Iago felt bad at all for killing Roderigo? How do you know this? Iago s diction does not show any remorse through the later scene. Roderigo was Iago s best accomplice, yet he moved on as a pawn as in Scene 2. Leo What is the effect of the syntax of Iago lines 123-130 on Bianca s credibility? Is Iago any closer to succeeding through his actions in this scene. How does Emilia s diction and syntax support her later actions in the Act? How do you know this and through what lines. Act IV,Sc III 1. What does Cassio ask Bianca to do? -Tesneem 2. Maya: How do you think that Desdemona mentioning women abusing their husband in such gross kind,affects Emilia? (pg.215 lines 66-69) I learned that Desdemona would never think of cheating on Othello. Desdemona cannot get,a song of willow, which was her mother's maid s fortune in a song out of her head. 4. Christopher: On pages 215-219, What does Emilia say to Desdemona to make her feel better? Is this effective? Emilia would be willing to cheat Desdemona wouldn t cheat or leave