Extract 4/5 (act one, scene 3)

Extract 4/5 (act one, scene 3)

1. Introduction

   • "In this extract, we experience a soliloquy from Iago and understand the true nature of his actions, as he consistently uses language and manipulation to objectify Iago's desire for Desdemona and manipulate him to believe that he can help Roderigo , whilst he is just interested in the money"

2. Themes/motifs

   • Money
     • "go, make money" indicates that Iago's honesty and loyalty are dependent on the financial aid of Roderigo as he orders him to get the money if he wants to be sure of him
       • Roderigo is good for money and Iago's entertainment: "for my sport and profit"
     • Sentence structure
       • Uses loyalty to compare it to money, indicating that the fragmented sentence structure is to emphasize his reassurance towards Roderigo
   • Social hierarchy
     • Roderigo is portrayed as a weak character throughout this text, especially in the beginning when he uses "hopes and "fast" to look for reassurance from Iago.
       • He is dependent on Iago, representing the social hierarchy amongst the "tragic era" of Shakespeare as Roderigo will do anything Iago says
         • "We will have more of this" High marked modality and imperatives, which shows his power and submissive of "adieu" as he can tell Roderigo what to do
           • Dismissive through the use of short syntax
           • Talks in prose during this opening paragraph, which could implicitly say that he matches his verse and adapts it to who he is with, becoming a lower class due to Roderigo's presence
       • Imperative of "go" and "traverse" indicate Iago's impatience and his power over Roderigo
     • "Do you hear, Roderigo"
       • Imperatives of order, talking to him as if he is a child, whilst Roderigo indicates his stupidity through "what say you?" as he doesnt understand that Iago is dismissing him
     • The soliloquy of Iago here indicates his true feelings and thoughts about the situation.
       • The objectification and possessive pronoun of "my fool" indicates he feels superior to Roderigo.
         • Lexical field of stupidity "fool" "snipe" "sport", as if Roderigo is clueless
   • Animalistic imagery
     • Animalistic imagery to provoke the idea that Iago truly hates Othello
       • "As asses are" dehumanising Othello and insulting Othello's intelligence, which is ironic as Iago is of a lower class than Othello
       • "If i would time expend with such a snipe" A bird or a wild goose chase, showing that Iago has no reason to be spending any wasted time on Othello
   • Birth vs. death

3. Three ways to speak in Shakespeare:

   • Verse (rhyming verse)
   • Blank verse (rhythm but no rhyme)
   • Prose (novel style, no rhythm or rhyme)