Act 5 Scene 2 questions

What reasons does Othello give for having to kill Desdemona?
Othello believes that (Desdemona) "she must die, else she'll betray more men" he believes that this is a moral and valiant thing to do. Othello has talked himself into believing that he is ridding the world of Desdemona's unfaithful, promiscuous nature to save others like himself.



What evidence is there to suggest that Shakespeare adhered to racial stereotypes in this scene?
The fact that Othello even has the thought of murdering Desdemona based on no real evidence is absurd, yet Othello takes it one step further and carries out the deed. This adheres to the racial stereotype of black people being: aggressive, impulsive and that they let their emotions control their actions. Although Desdemona loves Othello, we can see that she is still afraid of him when he comes to her in bed during Act 5 Scene 2. Shakespeare follows the 'mystical negro' stereotype in the line "Yet I fear you, for you're fatal then when your eyes roll so" this portrays that he's blind with rage and follows the unpredictable stereotype of black people in Shakespeare's era.



Othello tells Desdemona that Cassio has confessed to sleeping with her (line 68). What was this 'confession'?
Othello takes the fact that Cassio had the 'handkerchief' as a confession of Desdemona's adultery even though he did not confront Cassio himself like he should have; he assumed it had happened anyway.



Emilia says "Good gentleman, let me have leave to speak./ 'Tis proper I obey him - but not now!" [5.2.192-193] what does this indicate about Emilia and society? Consider the circumstances the characters are in.
Emilia, in a natural situation, would obey her husband's orders; yet under the circumstance of Desdemona's death, she no longer has any respect for him because in her eyes, it is Iago's fault that her mistress is dead. The fact that Emilia says "Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak" shows that she still knows her place in society and seeks permission from a higher power (in this case Montano and Gratiano who represent Venice and order). Emilia respects her position in society but she knows what is right, and in this scene she deems it right to cast aside her loyalty to Iago.



How is Emilia presented in lines 125-233. Consider the language she uses, how she behaves and what she says to Othello and Iago.
Emilia is presented as furious within these lines. She unmasks Iago (her own husband) as the reason behind all the happenings and murders that have taken place. Emilia goes against the stereotypical view of women in the 1600s when she deceives her husband when he tells her to "charm your tongue". Emilia sees the act of murdering Desdemona as more important than obeying her husband or Othello.




List all of the names Emilia calls Othello when she realises what he has done. How does this contrast with how Othello was portrayed at the start of the play?
'the blacker devil', 'gull', 'dolt', 'dull moor', 'murderous coxcomb'.
At the start of the play,Othello is deemed as 'valiant' and 'noble' yet now he is being called the complete opposite. Throughout the play he has been slowly becoming more devilish.

Act 5 Scene 1

At the beginning of Act 5 scene 1, Iago and Roderigo plan to murder Cassio, this almost mirrors Act 1 scene 1; the point in the play in which Iago first manipulates Roderigo into helping him take down Othello. Act 5 scene 1 also mirrors Act 1 scene 1 because the scene is set in the dark evening, Iago will fight with Roderigo and Cassio, attempting the murder them both, and in the opening scene Brabantio’s men try to fight Othello over Desdemona. Iago’s opportunist nature is portrayed in this scene because he takes advantage of this poorly lit scene to strike and kill his pawns.

In this scene, Iago states “I’ll be at thy elbow” this is ironic as in the time in which ‘Othello’ is set, people would say that the devil is at your elbow; Iago is the devilish character in the play and he almost presents himself to be the devil.

The fact that Roderigo doesn’t die no matter how many attempts Iago has, presents the inevitability that Iago will eventually be unmasked and his plan will surface; this is the start of Iago’s downfall. After Iago’s failed second attempt to murder Roderigo, Roderigo will know that his theory of Iago’s duplicitous nature is correct and that all the events leading to and Desdemona’s murder were Iago’s fault.

As Bianca turns up out of the blue straight into the scene where two attempted murders have taken place, Iago is quick to blame her for the occurrences. As Bianca admits “he supped at my house” Iago can make up the story that the two men were fighting over Bianca (as although she wasn’t, she was sleeping with both men), therefore she is a prime target for Iago.