Othello- Act 2 Scene 1

Othello- Act 2 Scene 1

1. Re-read Act 2 scene 1 lines 95-100. What sort of person is Cassio?
Cassio is presented as a person who is characteristically friendly and open with most people he meets. 'Let it not gall your patience, good Iago, that I extend my manners, 'tis my breeding that gives me this bold show of courtesy.' This section of the scene tells the audience that Cassio has been brought up this way, rather than him behaving in a flirtatious manner. Cassio is the sort of person who is light within his humour and respectful of those around him. This is shown through 'let it not gall your patience, good Iago' as he does not want to offend Iago in respect to his ease of emotion towards Iago's wife Emilia. This gives the impression that although Cassio does want to be open and friendly, he is not oblivious to other people's emotions and wants to make sure he doesn't take it too far, in this case with Iago, he reassures this by using subtle humour rather than to use blunt language that would possibly embarrass Iago. This shows that he is emotionally connected to those around him and is very aware of other people's wellbeing and emotions.

2. How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? (Lines 167-176 will help.)
Iago plans to use Cassio's good nature against him, 'I will gyve thee in thine own courtship.' This will make it appear as if there is something going on between Cassio and Desdemona creating a tension between Othello and Cassio and therefore resulting in both their downfall. To do this Iago needs to manipulate Cassio's actions into meaning something dishonest rather than something of innocence. This tells the audience that Iago has the intention to use Cassio's personality traits as a way to make him appear as a villain and a threat to Othello, which will ignite a fire and begin their downfall so that he is of higher ranking and succeeds in getting what he wants.

3. What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart? (Lines 249-278 will help you with this question.)
Iago tells Roderigo to get Cassio drunk and anger him so that a fight might start and Cassio will be caught in the wrong. 'Provoke him that he may.' Iago says this will help Roderigo to win Desdemona's heart because Cassio's reputation will be damaged and it is a man out of the way, which will lead Desdemona to fall for Roderigo.

4. What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act 2? What is the effect of having him share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?

In Act 2 we learn more about Iago's personality and his ability to manipulate other people. The effect given from his soliloquies is that we get to know the character more in depth therefore meaning we can truly understand his plans and actions, it shows us who he really is, rather than the mask that he has on for the other characters on stage. This means that there is dramatic irony as we know something that the characters do not.