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OTHELLO ACT ONE ASSIGNMENT

| | | |What does it say about the |

|Term used |Aspect of Othello |Spoken by? |speaker? |

|Eg. | | |He’s trying to take away |

|The Moor |His race |Iago |Othello’s individuality |

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Name ________________________

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OTHELLO ACT TWO ASSIGNMENT

Epigrams are concise, witty poems which often end on a surprising turn of thought. Sardonic generalizations were often put into the mouths of down-to-earth ‘honest’ characters. Iago has several epigrams in Act 2 Scene 1. Find them, explain them, and describe what they say about his character.

|EPIGRAM |EXPLANATION |CHARACTERISTIC REVEALED |

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Puns use words that sound the same but have different meanings. The use of puns was a popular form of word play in Elizabethan England. For example, in II.1.145-155 Iago puns on the word WHITE using WIGHT (old word meaning ‘person’ or ‘lover’) WIT (cleverness) and WHITE (colour). What other puns does he make?

|PUN |EXPLANATION |

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CONNOTATION VS. DENOTATION.

A denotation is a dictionary definition of a word, but a connotation addresses the flavoring of the word’s meaning. E.g. ‘bitch’ Denotation: a female dog, or female of another species. Connotation: a nasty, conniving woman.

Throughout the play FAIR and BLACK are used to denote the actual physical colouring of Desdemona and Othello, but they carry connotations which Iago (in particular) is keen to exploit. Consider as many connotations of these words as you can. You may want to look back at Act 1 Scene 3 to the Duke’s speech.

|FAIR |BLACK |

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OTHELLO ACT THREE ASSIGNMENT

|III.iii.244 “This honest creature doubtless sees and knows more, much more than he unfolds.” Discuss the irony of this remark. |

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|Othello has consulted you as marriage counsellor and tells you what’s on his mind using the soliloquy in III.iii.260-279. What |

|advice would you give him to address his specific concerns aired in this section? |

|line |concern |advice |

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In Act 3 Sc 3 lines 400-463 Othello is confronted by Iago with the concept that Desdemona is cheating on him. Othello claims he’ll “…tear her all to pieces!” (line 432) Looking at these 64 lines, offer Dear Abby style advice to Othello to help him sort out the insecurities he is being plagued with. Be VERY specific, quote his remarks as you respond to them. E.g. “I know you believe….; however have you considered….”

|Dear Othello, |

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OTHELLO ACT IV ASSIGNMENT

|List 3 things about the handkerchief decorated with strawberries: |

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Identify how Iago lies to each of the following in this act:

|Othello |Roderigo |Emilia |

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Contrast Desdemona’s feelings about marital fidelity with Emilia’s opinions:

|Desdemona |Emilia |

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OTHELLO ACT FIVE ASSIGNMENT

|1. Iago says of Othello, “He hath beauty in his life that makes me ugly.” (V.i.19-20) This describes his motivation for his |

|actions. Explain. |

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|2. In V.ii. there is a lot of legal language as Othello presents his case, Desdemona is defended, and evidence is presented. Go |

|through the scene and identify in point form notes. |

|CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION | |

|(OTHELLO’S ACCUSATIONS) |EVIDENCE |

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|CASE FOR THE DEFENCE | |

|(DESDEMONA’S RESPONSE) |EVIDENCE |

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|3. V.ii.335-347 could be called Othello’s obituary, though some of his words are controversial! Write an obituary for Othello, |

|using the standard format. |

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