OTHELLO PLOT SUMMARY ACT 3
3, 1: Outside Governor Othello’s quarters. Comic relief after Iago’s soliloquy (at end of 2) – Cassio jokes with Clown, asks Emilia for appointment with Desdemona.
3, 2: Same. Othello and Gentlemen go walking on the fort’s battlements.
3, 3: Inside Othello’s quarters. Desdemona promises Cassio to plead his cause with Othello. Iago sees Cassio leaving and persuades Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity as follows:
1. Desdemona promises to help Cassio (1-34)
2. Iago sows doubts about Cassio ‘sneak away so guilty like’ ( 35-41)
3. Desdemona pleads with Othello to meet Cassio and reinstate him (42-89)
Othello repeats: ‘I will deny thee nothing’
4. Iago spreads doubts about Cassio. Othello’s turntakes longer – show control. Othello swears love for Desdemona but hint of tragedy: ‘Perdition catch my soul…Chaos is come again’ Key lexis: ‘think’ ‘thought’ ‘honest’ ‘seem’ ( 90-128)
5. Othello wants details, uses imperatives to order Iago, is reduced to minimal response. Iago’s turntakes longer, showing control. Key lexis: ‘jealous, jealousy’ ‘cuckold’ ‘green-eyed monster’ ( 129-174)
6. Othello begins to follow Iago in structure and lexis (174 shared line) Key lexis: ‘jealous’ ‘jealousy’ ‘proof’ (174–190)
7. Iago uses imperatives to control Othello. Iago uses Brabantio’s words to remind Othello of Desdemona’s deceitfulness. Othello minimal response. Key lexis: ‘deceive’ ‘witchcraft’, ‘suspicion’ (191-224)
8. Turning point for Othello at 225 (discourse marker: ‘And yet…’) Othello uses imperatives – tells Iago to set Emilia as spy. Iago’s control shown dramatically - leaving then returning to stage. Key lexis: ‘nature’ ‘unnatural’ (225-54)
9. OTHELLO’S FIRST SOLILOQUY – change of lexis and imagery – image of Desdemona as bird of prey fastened to Othello by his ‘heartstrings’. Questions self, reduced to animal imagery. Clear signs of how Iago has infected Othello’s language. Key lexis: ‘haggard’ ‘loathe’ ‘curse’ ‘appetites’ ‘toad’ ‘dungeon’ ‘plague’ ‘forked plague’ (cuckold) ‘false’ (255-276)
10. Desdemona tries to use handkerchief as symbol of healing – Othello refers to his cuckold’s horns. Handkerchief is dropped (276-286)
11. Emilia’s soliloquy on the handkerchief. Iago snatches it (287-317)
12. Iago’s 6th soliloquy and incantation (spell) denying Othello sleep = madness. Key
lexis: ‘poison’ ‘sulphur’ (hell) (318-330)
13. Othello’s complete change of character and language. Sees Iago as devil (‘Avaunt’ (what you say to get rid of the devil). Threatens Iago. Loses his identity as warrior, says farewell to duty to State. Key lexis: ‘lust’ ‘whore’ ‘ocular proof’ ‘damnation’ ‘poison’ (330-387)
14. Iago back in control with longer turntakes and use of bestial (animal) sexual imagery. Uses false proof of Cassio’s dream and the handkerchief. Othello (‘I’ll tear her all to pieces’) denies his duty to Desdemona (marriage). Key lexis: ‘goats’ ‘monkeys’ ‘proofs’ (388-438)
15. Othello’s lexis shows switch to violence and evil, infected by Iago’s lexis and images. Denies his duty to God in his ‘sacred vow’ to revenge. Faustian pact of selling his soul to the devil Iago. Condemns Desdemona to hell. Key lexis: ‘vengeance’ ‘revenge’ ‘bloody thoughts’ (439-476 end of scene)
In this scene look at the repetition of the verbs ‘think’ ‘know’ ‘seem’ and the many repetitions of the adjective ‘honest’. Look at how Othello’s lexis becomes infected with Iago’s lexis and imagery. Look at the dramatic representations of role reversal. Look at Othello’s rejection of his duty: to marriage, to State and to God – key lexis of heaven and hell. Othello now uses antithesis – heaven and hell. Look also at Othello’s soliloquy as dramatic technique.
3, 4: Same. The handkerchief scene. Begins as previous scene with comic relief after darkness of 3, 3 – this time Desdemona asking Clown where Cassio lives. Desdemona anxious to find her handkerchief, but convinced Othello will not be jealous. Othello enters, questions Desdemona about the handkerchief and frightens her with stories about its magic power – he leaves. Cassio returns to ask to be reinstated. Desdemona renews her promise. Iago enters, pretends he doesn’t know why Othello is angry and leaves. Desdemona defends and excuses Othello’s changed behaviour. Emilia comments on jealousy. They leave. Bianca arrives and Cassio gives her the handkerchief. Bianca is initially jealous, then accepts Cassio’s innocence.
In this scene look closely at:
· interactions between Othello and Desdemona (lines 38-95) for: adjacency pairs; changed relationship between the two; Othello’s lexis, grammar and imagery
· the position of women in the play as shown by Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca
Key speeches from Act 3:
3, 3 (41-92): relationship between Desdemona and Othello
3, 3 (90-132): theme of honesty and deceit + 164-190: theme of jealousy
3, 3 (255-276): Othello’s first soliloquy
3, 3 (318-329): Iago’s 6th soliloquy
3, 3 (439-476): pact between Othello and Iago
3, 4 (51-94): changed relationship between Desdemona and Othello (handkerchief)
3, 4 (118-54): Desdemona’s strength of character
3, 4 (155-158): Emilia on theme of jealousy
3, 4 (165-end of scene): Bianca and Cassio on theme of jealousy
Key Passages
· 3,3 (92-132) – Iago’s cunning
· 3,3 (41-92) – relationship between Desdemona and Othello
· 3,3 (164-202) – theme of jealousy
· 3,3 (429-476) – Iago’s influence on Othello
· 3,4 (50-95) – Othello’s jealousy
· 3,4 (150-197) – the presentation and treatment of women in the play
