Discuss the significance of Act III sc. iii with particular reference to how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension

Othello coursework Discuss the significance of Act III sc. iii with particular reference to how Shakespeare creates dramatic tension Act III sc. iii is one of the most important acts in the play because in one scene, Othello goes from being a happily married man, at the start, to being, by the end, a man who isn't in control and is getting confused and doesn't know what's going on. In this scene we also witness a devastating display of manipulation of Othello by Iago and the downfall of Cassio. One of the ways in which Shakespeare creates dramatic tension is by Othello using very short questions such as "What dost thou say?" and "What dost thou think?" and "What dost thou mean?" which indicate that is he slowly becoming more and dependent on Iago and relying on what he is thinking as he has no previous experience of Venetian society-this is shown where Iago says "In Venice, they do let God see the pranks they dare not show their husbands" which is a reference that Venetian women go behind their husband's backs a lot and their husbands don't know about it. Othello also uses a lot of short sentences such as "O misery" and "Ha?" and could indicate anger and also that he is not thinking clearly and that, because he is black and a 'moor', not fluent with the language and feels ill at ease and he can't fit in with the rest of society and feels an 'outcast' and so might be more

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How and why does Othello's character change during the course of the play? How does Shakespeare present this dramatically?

How and why does Othello's character change during the course of the play? How does Shakespeare present this dramatically? When Othello is sent to war in Cyprus, the Moor's character changes over the course of time. His language and attitude towards people, including his innocent wife, begins to differ for the worse. Othello's wild behaviour worries Desdemona incredibly as he changes a lot from his calm and gentle nature from before. Shakespeare presents this transformation through Othello's syntax and dramatic irony. His confused logic is evident in his actions whether they are violent or passionate. When Othello is in his home city of Venice, his attitude towards others is calm, shown when Cassio enters warning him that Brabantio is after him, he replies, "'Tis well I am found by you: I will but spend a word here in the house and go with you." Othello doesn't react to the words of Cassio, he stands confidently as he hasn't done anything wrong. He is a man of bravery and self-assurance. When Brabantio arrives, he orders his officers to seize Othello, but in reply, the Moor says, "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them." This humorous comment breaks the tense atmosphere and relaxes the viewers' thoughts on the situation. Shakespeare is clearly trying to show Othello's confidence and self-control as strangers approach him. This annoys Brabantio, as he feels

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How Do Iago's soliloquies set the play up for act 3 scene 3?

Jo Winter Year 10 Shakespeare Coursework Othello III.iii How does Iago transform Othello's character in III.iii and in what ways does Shakespeare show us this change William Shakespeare's works have stood the test of time, and this is definitely not due to coincidence. The use of language throughout his plays to portray ideas and intentions are what set him aside from other play writes of his time, and the tragic Othello is no exception. The play is driven by the depiction of the transformation of the play's leading role, Othello, whose love for his wife Desdemona is manipulated and twisted by the antagonistic Iago. The outcome of the ordeal is that Othello's character drastically changes. It is this change that creates this masterpiece. The setting of the play is a vital part in defining the character Othello, as it places him against a back drop of political chaos which acts as a perfect catalyst to the confused marital issues faced by the character due to the clash of his public and private life. Initially the play is set in Venice, where all is well. A land of peace without confusion and conflict, it is here where Othello is regarded as a highly respected general, and a war hero. His status is shown by the articulate nature of his speech, which is apparent in his meeting with the Duke in Act one, scene three "Most potent grave and reverend signors," "my very noble

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What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago's villainy?

What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago's villainy? The play Othello is a stereotypical Shakespearean tragedy and it uses characters that are stereotypical of the views people had during the Jacobean period. Othello is a tragedy because the main characters die at the end f the play, also throughout the play themes of prejudice; deceit and love/hate are introduced. Shakespeare has used other sources other that his imagination for his plays. 'Othello' was thought to have been taken from Hecatommithi, a collection of Italian short stories written by Giraldi Cinthio, the story seven contains many of the same names and situations as in Othello. In this essay I will analyze and comment on how Shakespeare uses techniques to reveal Iago's villainy. I will look at what effects the techniques Shakespeare uses have on the way Iago is presented to the audience. In act 2 scene 3 'Othello' we can clearly see the way Iago uses his surreptitious mind to persuade Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Casio. Due to Iago's manipulation of Othello, Othello starts to doubt Desdemona's loyalty and becomes under Iago's control. Iago uses a sly way to get Othello's attention and get him to believe what he has to say is true, he uses phrases such as "my noble lord" using both a personal pronoun by saying "my" and flattery by calling Othello his "noble lord" which would be

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Imagery in Othello

Write about the use of imagery in 'Othello' and its contribution to the overall effect of the play. In Shakespeare's Othello, the use of imagery, and especially symbolism, is most important in expressing meanings and builds the major themes of the play in order to create dramatic atmosphere. The function of imagery was predominately to generate characterisation and to define the themes in the play. Shakespeare's application of imagery is vital in affecting the reaction of the audience and allows the audience to understand the play in more depth. There are many ways in which imagery is used in Othello and it is conveyed in many different areas. Poison is a key area in which Shakespeare more than dips into with the play. The idea of poison is most strongly associated with Iago, the heinous villain of the play that controls everyone around him, as a sort of puppeteer, manipulating both their thoughts and their actions. Iago's main agenda is to ruin the life of Othello, his master and general, and he achieves this by blackening and poisoning people's minds with his power of persuasion. Poison is a recurring image in the play and it first appears near the beginning of the play, where Iago and Roderigo go to inform Senator Brabantio that Othello has married his daughter, the fair Desdemona, and Iago most certainly goes in order to blacken Brabantio's idea of Othello. 'Call up her

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Examine the significance of Act 3 Scene 3 in Othello

Examine the significance of Act 3 Scene 3 in Othello Act 3 Scene 3 is the pivotal point in the play as we see Othello changes from an honest, noble man, who is happily married into a man prepared to kill his own wife based on the rumours he has heard from Iago. Iago is responsible for the change in Othello, because he is jealous of Othello and wants to ruin his life. Iago's plan to get Othello to kill Desdemona and for himself to kill Cassio begins properly in Act 3 Scene 3 as he starts to sow the seed in Othello's mind that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio: "O beware, my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock" (Act 3 Scene 3 Lines 167 - 168) The way Iago uses the word "lord" shows the audience and Othello that Iago has great respect for him. This leads Othello into a false sense of security as he does not think that Iago will betray would betray him by lying to him as he admires him so much. Iago is warning Othello not to be jealous, but there is no previous mention of what he should be jealous of. This brings out a desperate side in Othello that we have not seen before, as he wants to know as much information as he can. The reference to a "green-eyed monster" is another link to jealousy as it is a commonly used personification of jealousy. The colour green is a connotation of envy this is the feeling that Iago is tying to warn Othello

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Iago and Cassio

Comparison of Cassio and Iago In Shakespeare's Othello, the characters Iago (Othello's ensign) and Cassio (Othello's friend and lieutenant) are contrasted in many different ways. The most crucial and significant difference between Iago and Cassio is their attitudes. This contrast is shown mainly in the language that they use. Cassio is a good-natured gentleman, and he uses gracious and refined language. The audience gets this impression immediately in Act 2 Scene 1. Cassio states, "Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, as having sense of beauty, do omit their mortal natures, letting safe go by the divine Desdemona". In this quotation, Cassio is talking about Desdemona as if she is a goddess, or saintly, because of the use of the word "divine", which suggests perfection. He then, later on in the scene states, "O, behold, the riches of the shop come on shore!" When he says "the riches of the ship", he is referring to Desdemona. This shows that he is a gentleman because he is complimenting Desdemona, and saying that she is the most important person the ship (the treasure of the ship). Iago, on the contrary, is the absolute opposite of Michael Cassio. He is a misogynist who uses a lot of crude and vulgar language. Every word which Iago speaks about women devours their value. In Act 2 Scene 1, he states, "Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors, bells in

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Why Act 3, Scene 3 is a significant turning point in Othello

Act Three, Scene Three - Othello Choose a scene which you consider to be a turning point and explain in detail and with some reference to the rest of the play why it is dramatic and significant. Refer to language, themes and characterisation. A turning point is a time in a plot where actions cause a character to develop from their prior persona. A classic example of this is Act Three, Scene Three of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. This scene is crucial to the play, as it conveys the change in the moor, Othello's personality as a result of Iago's manipulation. In this essay I will describe this scene's dramatic nature and significance with reference to language, themes and characterisation. I will begin by describing Othello before Iago had interfered with his relationship. I will then give an overview of the structure and state why it is effective. I shall explore the key moments in manipulation and discuss how a climax is created. In conclusion, I shall relate the scene to the rest of the play, whilst discussing why it is dramatic with reference to the main themes portrayed, and its overall significance. Othello is a man of many complexities. Having being cast into a world of civilised Venetians, he is seen as an outsider; a 'black ram', 'The Moor'. His ethnicity is foreign to the people, and so it can be seen in his simple dialect. Yet, referred to as "noble Othello",

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Examine the Method that Shakespeare Employs to Make the Final Scene of "Othello" Dramatically Effective

Daniel Walker 4th of October 2006 Examine the Method that Shakespeare Employs to Make the Final Scene of "Othello" Dramatically Effective Scene 2 of Act five in William Shakespeare's "Othello" is the climax of the play. The reason being, in this scene the tragic hero, Othello, kills his wife, Desdemona, as he believes that she has slept with one of his men, Cassio. However, this is merely a plot formed by, Iago, one of Cassio's former peers, whom he is jealous of as the promotion he hoped to get was given to Cassio by Othello. Much of the dramatic tension comes from the agonising wait that Shakespeare makes his audience endure while Othello performs his soliloquy and they don't know whether Othello will not only kill his wife, Desdemona. This is a very strong contrast to the chaotic events that take place before this scene and provide a dramatic atmosphere not yet explored in the play. Throughout the play audiences sympathy for Othello has been preserved, as he has been the innocent party. This innocence is now at stake as he contemplates with increasing intent, the possibility of killing her. It seems that for once in the play, time slows down to a crawl as Othello's mind races back and forth over this moral dilemma. What only increases this tension is greatened by Othello's persistent wavering indecisiveness that can be illustrated by the first line of his soliloquy,

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Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions.

Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. Iago's motivation is nothing more than jealously, self-absorption and hatred, yet his tact is presented in a decidedly and socially acceptable fashion, that is, until his true self is uncovered. In being so wrapped up in himself, Iago's vengeful attitude knows no bounds. His motivation becomes first known to us in the first scene of the play, in which he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant. At the end of Act I, scene iii, Iago states that he thinks Othello may have slept with his wife, Emilia: "It is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office". However none of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's most deep hatred of Othello, and Iago's lack of convincing motivation or his inability or unwillingness to express his true motivation-makes his actions all the more terrifying and sinister. He is willing to take revenge on anyone, Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia, at the slightest provocation and he enjoys damage that he causes. Iago's true power lays in his great talent for understanding and manipulating the desires and insecurities of those around him. Thus making him both a powerful and compelling figure. He seems to be the puppeteer of all the other characters in the

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