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Othello: A Level York Notes A Level Revision Guide

Revise the key points

Read through the key points, then print the cards as a handy revision aid.

1 Love

  • Othello is a domestic tragedy in which love is destroyed by hate.
  • Iago’s false love subverts and replaces Desdemona’s true love.
  • Iago is incapable of love and driven by hate.
  • Emilia’s loving tribute to Desdemona when she dies reaffirms the value of true love.

Themes

Othello: A Level

2 Obsession

  • Iago’s obsession with revenge drives the main plot forward.
  • Othello’s obsession with his masculine honour leads him to destruction.
  • Cassio’s obsession with his reputation leads him to act dishonourably when he asks Desdemona to plead his cause.
  • The female characters are all powerless in the face of male obsession.

Themes

Othello: A Level

3 Jealousy

  • Iago’s professional jealousy of Cassio is the catalyst that triggers the events of the main plot.
  • Sexual jealousy is explored in all the couples’ relationships and is always destructive.
  • The sexual jealousy we see is unfounded but plausible; both Othello and Bianca are deceived by the false proof of the handkerchief.
  • Othello does not give in to jealousy too easily, as some critics have suggested. He takes a lot of convincing that Desdemona is false.

Themes

Othello: A Level

4 Male–female relationships

  • The male characters – fathers, husbands, lovers – all expect their women to submit to their authority.
  • Initially Desdemona and Othello share a more equal relationship than the other couples; each was ‘half the wooer’.
  • The female characters are objectified by the men, prized for their beauty or derided as whores.
  • Female fidelity is a key part of masculine honour in the play.

Themes

Othello: A Level

5 Revenge

  • Revenge is presented as dishonourable throughout the play.
  • Othello is degraded when he seeks revenge and he begins to act like a violent stereotype from Revenge Tragedy.
  • Iago’s desire for revenge is presented as destructive, unnatural and egotistical.
  • It is disturbing that the revenger, Iago, survives at the end of the play.

Themes

Othello: A Level

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