Please answer the following questions. Make sure to throughly explain/argue your points, citing evidence from the play.
1. Who does Othello ultimately care about more – Desdemona or himself? Some critics have argued that Othello’s love of Desdemona is ultimately self-centered. Would you agree? Does this mean that, without Iago, they would have lived happily ever after?
2. “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her that she did pity them” (1.3.167-168). This is how Othello describes how he and Desdemona fell for each other. What does this tell you about their relationship? Check out the lines 1.3.128-170 carefully. How do you envision their interactions? What kind of relationship is portrayed in this passage?
3. How does Iago’s openness with the audience contrast with his treatment of other characters? Are WE ever manipulated by Iago’s lies?
4. Consider the 3 women in the play: Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. What do their roles suggest about the role of women in Shakesperean society?
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