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Act Four
Scene Three
Key Ideas
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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
.