Othello Notes

Act IV

SCENE 1

iago is basically telling othello that cassio and desdemona are doing "it"

the handkerchief is hers so she can do whatever she wants with it

this is the first time othello has dropped the iambic pentameter

othello has basically gone insane

othello is not actually epileptic

iago is going to speak to cassio and othello can listen

but they are going to talk about bianca and othello will assume they are talking about desdemona

Bianca comes in and throws the handkerchief at Cassio

othello wants to kill desdemona but he still loves her

the speeches are half love and half hate

Iago tells Othello, if you love her so much, then don't kill her, for her cheating isn't hurting you

Don't poison her, strangle he in bed

othello slaps desdemona because of a misunderstanding

desdemona is glad

glad to be going home

glad that cassio is in charge in cyprus

cassio will have my place

as a general

as a husband

SCENE 2

othello is now questioning emilia about desdemona's activities

desdemona has never made emilia get something for her while she was with cassio

emilia think she's honest

some of Emilia's language reflects Iago

Emilia is sent to go get Desdemona

they return and othello and desdemona are left alone

othello also tells desdemona that he wished she had never been born, which her dad also told her

Desdemona tells Emilia to put the wedding sheets on the bed and to go and get Iago

desdemona is too innocent to even say that othello had called her a whore

Emilia is describing the situation of iago while he's standing right there

and IAGO says "no one is that evil"

emilia keeps going on about slander and lies

roderigo shows back up

and tells iago that what he does and what he says are very different

Even roderigo is waking up to common sense

iago tells roderigo that if he doesn't have desdemona by the next night that roderigo can hill him

SCENE 3 (desdemona's bedroom)

desdemona go straight to bed, and then dismiss Emilia

desdemona says if i die bury me in the same sheets (presumably wedding sheets)

barbary (her mother's maid) husband gave her up

barbary died singing the willow's song

Desdemona has a sense that othello is about to do something to her

desdemona and emilia are gossiping

she's got the lyrics wrong but she is being submissive and she is very nervous

"are there women who cheat on their husbands" quite a naive question

if wives cheat it's the husbands fault for restraining us, or hitting us, let the men know that the senses as them. Let them know that our wrongs are caused because of their wrongs. Men do stupid things and wrong things, so why can't we? what happens when men get tired of their women and go off to another, is it sport and weakness? Yes. We will learn from them and they will learn for us.

this speech was probably the earliest feminism speeches