Act I, Scene1

11. In Act I, scene 1 why does Iago say he hates Othello? What are all the charges he makes against the general?

12. Why does Roderigo hate Othello?

13. Why is the speech by Iago, lines 38 – 62, important in explaining what happens later?

14. Why should Roderigo pay particular attention to Iago’s speech?

15. In Act I, scene 1, what is Iago’s master plot to annoy Othello and Desdamona?

16. Find all the examples in I, 1, of Iago referring to the sex in terms of animals.

17. Find all the references in I, 1 of Othello as a devil. Find Iago’s use of “taboo words.”

18. Explain the contrast in the way Iago speaks to Brabantio and the way Roderigo speaks to him.

19. How does Brabantio’s attitude toward Roderigo change in the course of this scene?

20. What is Brabantio’s explanation of why his daughter has run off with Othello?

21. Why does this scene begin in the middle of a conversation?

Intro to the play:

1. At what point in Shakespeare's career did he write Othello?

2. What was the political situation in England when Shakespeare wrote the play?

3. Why is the play called a "domestic tragedy"?

4. What was the reputation of Venice in England at this time?

5. What was the history of contact between black Africans and English men?

6. What was the "color prejudice" which Englishmen had inherited from the Middle Ages and how did it affect attitudes explored in the play?

7. How did the discovery of the great apes give rise to the myth of bestiality? How is that reflected in the play?

8. Why is this play considered the most intense of Shakespeare's tragedies?

9. Who was Machiavelli, and how did his ideas influence the play?

10. What was the source of the story on which Shakespeare based the play? How does Shakespeare's version differ from the original?