Act 4, Scene 2 AO1: What happens in this scene? Look at your notes and quickly summarise.

Act 4 Scene 2 Othello questions Emilia but does not believe her answers Othello confronts Desdemona but leaves her before giving her details of her supposed offence She defends her honour Iago is sent for by Desdemona and she asks him for help Emilia speaks strongly of an ‘eternal villain’ who has set Desdemona up; Iago tells her she is stupid At the end of the scene, Iago persuades Roderigo to help him to kill Cassio

“I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain, AO2: Key Quote – Emilia defends Desdemona Line 14: “I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain, Some busy and insinuating rogue, Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, Have not devised this slander; I'll be hang'd else.” (Lines 130-33) Emilia gets it right again… but she doesn’t know it’s her own husband who is the ‘eternal villain’. (Iago’s response: “Fie, there is no such man; it is impossible”) “Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.” Emilia scolds Othello for doubting Desdemona. This open defence of her mistress prepares us for the role she will play in Act 5 Scene 2 when she reveals Othello’s crime. Emilia’s disapproval reminds us at the start of the scene how far Othello has fallen. Othello’s response? “This is a subtle whore” (line 21). Ironically, Emilia does not realise that Othello’s thoughts have been abused by Iago.

AO2: Othello’s language Othello’s use of ‘whore’ and ‘strumpet’: Lines 71-2: Line 21: “Was this fair paper, this most goodly book, Made to write 'whore' upon?” “This is a subtle whore” Line 86: “What, not a whore?” “I took you for that cunning whore of Venice That married with Othello” Line 90-91: Line 81: Line 83: “Impudent strumpet!” “Are you not a strumpet?” What does Othello’s use of the third person suggest about his emotions? Do we feel any sympathy for him at this moment?

AO2: Othello’s battle with himself Othello struggles to reconcile the emotions of love and jealousy that he feels. We see this dramatised through the images he uses in this scene: Lines 59-62: His ‘current’ here is his true love – it has been polluted. “The fountain from the which my current runs, Or else dries up; to be discarded thence! Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads To knot and gender in! ” Lines 66-8: “O thou black weed, Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet That the sense aches at thee” His use of contrasts shows his confusion. Notice the racially charged language. He ‘aches’ – with love or jealousy?

AO2: Desdemona’s Trial Compare this trial to Othello’s own in Act 1. Then, he stood proudly and was allowed to speak at length. Here, Desdemona kneels and Othello does not listen to what she has to say. Lines 31-41: “DESDEMONA Upon my knees, what doth your speech import? I understand a fury in your words. But not the words. OTHELLO Why, what art thou? DESDEMONA Your wife, my lord; your true And loyal wife. OTHELLO Come, swear it, damn thyself Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double damn'd: Swear thou art honest. DESDEMONA Heaven doth truly know it. OTHELLO Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell. DESDEMONA To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false? OTHELLO O Desdemona! away! away! away!”

What horrible fancy's this? “I understand a fury in your words. AO2: Desdemona’s Trial Line 25-7: Line 31-2: OTHELLO Let me see your eyes; Look in my face. DESDEMONA What horrible fancy's this? “I understand a fury in your words. But not the words.” What do these quotes show about the relationship between Othello and Desdemona?

What horrible fancy's this? “I understand a fury in your words. AO2: Desdemona’s Trial Line 25-7: Line 31-2: OTHELLO Let me see your eyes; Look in my face. DESDEMONA What horrible fancy's this? “I understand a fury in your words. But not the words.” What do these quotes show about the relationship between Othello and Desdemona? They suggest that Desdemona is afraid of her husband. She understands that he is angry but not why – they no longer ‘speak the same language’.

What does Desdemona’s speech suggest? AO2: Desdemona as victim What does Desdemona’s speech suggest? Line 42-43: Line 40: “Why do you weep? Am I the motive of these tears, my lord?” “To whom, my lord? with whom? how am I false?” Line 70: Line 65: “Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?” “my noble lord” Line 117: Line 111-114: “Am I that name, Iago?” “Those that do teach young babes Do it with gentle means and easy tasks: He might have chid me so; for, in good faith, I am a child to chiding”” Line 149: “What shall I do to win my lord again?”

What does Desdemona’s speech to Iago tell us about her love for Othello? O good Iago, What shall I do to win my lord again? Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven, I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel: If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love, Either in discourse of thought or actual deed, Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense, Delighted them in any other form; Or that I do not yet, and ever did. And ever will--though he do shake me off To beggarly divorcement--love him dearly, Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much; And his unkindness may defeat my life, But never taint my love. I cannot say 'whore:' It does abhor me now I speak the word; To do the act that might the addition earn Not the world's mass of vanity could make me. You could also consider what it tells us about: Iago Desdemona Appearance and knowing Lines 148-64

AO2: Study Focus – Truth and Lies Iago has abused the word ‘honest’ so much that no other character can use it without suspicion falling on them. Both women insist Desdemona is ‘honest’ and are denounced as liars – this shows us how far Othello has fallen; he cannot recognise the truth and abuses those who speak it. Emilia is a true servant who defends Desdemona’s honour, even though she does not realise that the ‘eternal villain’ she speaks of is her own husband. Iago has infected Othello so successfully that he cannot hear the truth – he turns truth into lies throughout the scene.

Roderigo: Foreshadowing Lines 183-4: “Faith, I have heard too much, for your words and performances are no kin together.” Roderigo, at last, is the one to accuse Iago of treachery He has discovered the truth, that Iago's "words and performances are no kin together." Iago does his best to deny this, and convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio in order to win Desdemona Roderigo's accusation means: Iago will be revealed by Roderigo if Roderigo is not satisfied Roderigo will have to die so that Iago's plans will go through. Othello is a tragedy and this confrontation foreshadows Roderigo's death.

Statement Quotation Analysis Othello seeks advice and then misinterprets what is said to him Desdemona attributes Othello’s rage to something quite different to jealousy Othello feels that he is being made a mockery of, and that his suffering is long and drawn-out. Othello feels that Desdemona’s love is what keeps him alive. Desdemona is stunned by Othello’s reactions