Othello, by W. Shakespeare. Act I

1. How does the way Shakespeare begin the play immediately involve the audience?
2. What imagery does Iago use to describe Othello and Desdemona's elopement, and what conflict does this imagery develop?
3. How does Iago enlist the aid and trust of Roderigo in the first scene?
4. What impending crisis do the Duke and his senators face at the beginning of scene 3?
5. How does Brabantio seem to think about Othello?
6. What kind of impression does Desdemona create in scene 3 of the play?
7. What warning does Brabantio give to Othello?
8. How does Iago continue to manipulate Roderigo at the end of the act?
9. How is Othello's status as a "tragic hero" established in the first act?
10. At the end of Act 1, what have we learned about Iago's motives in the play?

Othello, by W. Shakespeare. Act II

1. What happens to the threat of a Turkish invasion of Cyprus?
2. What non-literal purpose does the storm play in the story?
3. Why does Shakespeare move the action of his play from Venice to Cyprus?
4. What judgement does Iago pass on women in his conversation with Desdemona and Emilia? What is the purpose of his statement?
5. How does Iago bring about Cassio's dismissal?
6. How does Iago manipulate Cassio after his humiliating dismissal?
7. How does Shakespeare develop the theme of illusion vs reality in Act II?

Sample Solution