1. Monday 11th November
LITERATURE: Discuss the presentation
of disturbed characters in the works of
Shakespeare and Browning
Starter (In your Lit exercise books)
What does it mean if a person is
said to be “disturbed?”
Disturbed – Seen to be emotionally upset, troubled or
maladjusted. They may be agitated or emotionally
unstable, having difficulty coping with personal
relationships; neurotic or psychotic.

2. Part 1 of Essay - Iago
• Your first section of the essay will
be showing how Iago is
represented as particularly
“disturbed” – although you can
pull evidence from every part of
the play, we will be focusing on
the language used in his
soliloquies
• Iago as Machiavellian villain –
Does he conform to the
Machiavellian checklist?

3. The Machiavellian checklist:
• Is Iago a Machiavellian villain? We will
need to look throughout Othello to
find these characteristics of a typical
Machiavellian villain within Iago.
• 1. Is Iago secretive?
• 2. Is Iago manipulative and cunning?
• 3. Does Iago show a lack of morals?
• 4. Is Iago obsessed with
goals, convinved the ends are
justified?

4. Part 1 of Essay - Iago
Language used to show Iago’s
“disturbed” character includes the
following:
• Animal imagery
• Heaven and Hell imagery
• Light and dark & other opposites (to
show his “two-faced” nature
• Poisoning and violence
• Jealousy as a motive

5. Look for imagery in Iago’s language
Focusing mainly on the first two soliloquies: Solioquy 1: Act 1 Scene 3
Solioquy 2: Act 2 Scene 3
Imagery
Examples from play
Significance
Heaven
and hell
• Lots! Eg.
• “Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you” (Act
1 Scene 1, Line 92 – Iago)
• “Some swift means of death for the fair devil” (Act
3, Scene 4, Lines 474-5 - Othello)
Iago as satanic figure
who uses the evils of
hell – corrupts Othello
and sends him to hell
(for murder and
suicide) Destroys
Othello’s soul – he is a
Christian at the start.
Animals
(bestiality)
Iago to Brabantio (A1S1), Iago speaking to Roderigo (A1
S3),
Light &
dark
Iago to Brabantio (A1S1)
Poisoning
& violence
Act 2 Scene 3 (Sol2), Act 3 Scene 3 (L335)
Jealousy
Act 1 Scene 3 Solioquy – Iago uses jealousy as a
motive: Is this believable? Has accused both Cassio and
Othello of sleeping with his wife..

6. Part 2 of Essay - Othello
• It could be argued that Othello becomes
“disturbed” as the play went on – Compare the
cool and calm way he speaks at the Duke’s council
when Brabantio accuses him of witchcraft
• Remember this line from the movie: “Excellent
wretch! Perdition catch my soul But I do love
thee! And when I love thee not Chaos is come
again.”
• This is the turning point – Othello’s language after
this point becomes more and more like Iago: as he
too becomes “disturbed” by the end – resulting in
Desdemona’s death and his own suicide