Key Ideas

Cards (11)

  • Love, Historical Context and Historicism (Act 4, Scene 3)
    The Willow Song becomes a motif of both Desdemona’s true love for Othello, as well as a lament for her life.
  • Gender politics
    • Desdemona and Emilia discuss gender politics and marriage and their respective social positions and life experiences shape their beliefs.
  • Obedience
    • Even at this stage after what he has done to her, Desdemona is still forced to obey her husband in matters of love.
  • Dramatic irony
    • The key dramatic irony here is that although the handkerchief is lost, Desdemona still loves Othello.
  • The Willow Song
    • The Willow Song becomes a motif of both Desdemona’s true love for Othello, as well as a lament for her life.
  • Tragedy (Act 4, Scene 3)
    Structurally, the scene acts as a brief pause before the structural climax of the play that comes in Act Five.
  • Death Song
    • The fact that Desdemona is singing a Death Song is of course, ominous, and it predicts her forthcoming fate
  • Mothering
    • There is an interesting axis here of Emilia mothering Desdemona before her tragic death, as well as Iago fathering Othello before his fate.
  • Prophetic references
    • Prophetic references of the type alluded to here often refer to portents of death and suffering.
    • This obviously is purposeful on Shakespeare’s part considering what is about to happen in the climax of the play.
  • Persecutor
    • What makes the scene especially tragic is that Othello has now taken on the role of a persecutor instead of lover.
    • He has conducted an inquisition and now will enact his judgement.
    • In this sense, he is acting in a ‘God-like’ manner.
  • Pause
    • Structurally, the scene acts as a brief pause before the structural climax of the play that comes in Act 5.