Act III Study Guide

Copy the following terms into your literary term notebook or the inside of your book.

Verbal Irony—This is when the speaker says something different from what he or she means. Example: I love math more than any other subject! (This is not true! We all know I love English!)

Dramatic Irony—This is when the audience is more aware than the characters in the work, and what the character says takes on a new meaning for the audience. Example: When the suitors mistreated the old man in The Odyssey, we, the readers, knew that he was Odysseus, and he would very soon get revenge on them.

Situational Irony—This is a contradiction of what might be expected and what actually occurs. Example: In Shakespeare’s sonnet 20, he describes a beautiful woman who is being created by Nature, but, in the couplet, we find out that Nature turns her into a man!

Act III, Sc. 1

Lines 4-20: The clown makes jokes at the musicians’ expense. Some of which are quite vulgar. Shakespeare uses puns to make the clown funny; this lightens the mood after all the seriousness of the previous scene.

  1. In line 34, Iago reveals that he has not been to bed. What might he be feeling that keeps him from sleeping?
  1. Explain how the description of Iago as “honest” in line 45 is an example of dramatic irony.

Act III, Sc. 3

During scene 3, Othello’s state of mind will change. Pay close attention to how it is changed and annotate the places where it occurs.

  1. When Cassio and Desdemona meet, what well-meaning, but foolish pledge does Desdemona make Cassio? Which lines prove this?
  1. What is Iago’s intent in lines 36-44? Explain how he does it.
  1. Desdemona calls Cassio “penitent” in line 71. What does this mean? Is she right?
  1. How does Iago avoid looking like a gossip or snitch when Othello questions him on page 127?
  1. On page 129, Iago reveals what is most valuable. What is it? What would Csasio say to that? Under normal circumstances, what would Othello say to that? Do you think that Iago means it?
  1. What is Othello’s response to Iago’s lines 195-206? Summarize Othello’s subsequent lines.
  1. Evaluate how reasonable Iago’s lines 238-40 are.
  1. In lines 268-78, Iago provides a possible reason for Desdemona’s infidelity. He basically says that she could be comparing Othello to men who are ______, and after comparing them, she finds Othello to be ______.
  1. What purpose does it serve Iago to return after line 284?
  1. In lines 301-4, Othello provides a metaphorical description. What does he compare?
  1. In lines 304-7, Othello speculates the reasons why she may have been unfaithful. What are the reasons that he thinks about?
  1. Look up the word “base” as it is used in line 315.
  1. How does Desdemona attempt to rid Othello of his headache?
  1. After reading Emilia’s lines 334-43, take a guess at why Iago wants what Emilia has found.
  1. How would you describe Iago’s relationship with his wife? Why?
  1. Iago has an extended metaphor on page 141 that has to do with poison, plants, and syrups. Explain it.
  1. What do you think about Othello’s lines 389-95? Explain you reaction.
  1. In lines 397-409, what does Othello say he has lost? How does this statement further prove his state of mind?
  1. Define “visage” (l. 443).
  2. Iago describes the reason why he “suspects” that Desdemona is unfaithful on page 147. What is it? What is your response to this story that he has created?
  1. Evaluate Othello’s response to Iago on page 149. Explain your opinion.
  1. At the end of the scene, what plan does Othello reveal?
  1. Locate at least three places where Othello’s state of mind changes, and write them down, identifying their line numbers.

You do not need to go on to Scene 4. We will go over it in class.