Othello

Grade Levels

Excerpt

• Who says, “Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.”?

• Who says, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram Is topping your white ewe.”?

• Who says, “That thou hast practised on her with foul charms, Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals That weaken motion: I'll have't disputed on;”?

• Who says, “She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd, And I loved her that she did pity them. This only is the witchcraft I have used:”?

• Who says, “Ancient, conduct them: you best know the place And, till she come, as truly as to heaven I do confess the vices of my blood, So justly to your grave ears I'll present How I did thrive in this fair lady's love, And she in mine.”?

• Who is the “Ancient” in the above quote?

• Othello is a morality play, similar to the “Garden of Eden” story in Genesis. How so?

• What is the racial make-up of a “Black-A-Moor”?

• In what two ways is Othello a stranger in Venice?

• According to Aristotle, what is the most important aspect of tragedy?

• According to Aristotle, tragedy is meant to achieve “catharsis,” which is meant to arouse in the audience what two feelings?

• In terms of race and history, what is significant about the year in which Othello was written (early 1600s)?

• What does the setting (in terms of time of day) in scene 1 symbolize?

• What does Brabantio foreshadow as Othello’s tragic flaw?

• What is a cuckold, and who is going to be accused of being one later in the play?

• Name two things that appeared on the stage of Othello that were never seen before.

• What are the two great fears of Elizabethan society?

• What three elements of Shakespearean drama did not appear in Greek drama?

• Who are the four (4) highest ranking characters in Act I?

• Who has the only soliloquy in Act I, and what does this character reveal in it?

• What two battles does Othello win in Act I?

• Explain the relationship between Iago and Roderigo.

• Othello wins Desdemona’s hand in marriage and his day in court using what major strategy?

• Name an example of dramatic or verbal irony from Act I.

• What an major example of imagery from Act I?

• Name two major themes present already in Act I.

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Othello Act I and background notes quiz