How does Shakespeare present the world of Venice in the first act, and how does he construct the interactions of his central characters (Iago, Othello, and Desdemona) with that Venetian world and with each other. How are these interactions complicated by the fact that Othello is a Moor and that Desdemona is a young women? In the first act Venice is presented as being a place of love and a place of hate which fits in with the plot of the play. this is how Shakespeare constructs the interactions of he three main characters. He uses the setting to represent them and show how they change. How they interact gets complicated because Othello is a black man so people interact with him differently to how they interact with Iago. During the time period women were treated differently and seen as less important than men, this means that other characters interact with Desdemona differently to the male characters.
What sort of person is Iago, as he appears in act 1? Are you satisfied by the reasons he gives for hating Othello? What is Iago's relationship with Roderigo?
in Act 1 scene 1, Iago appears at first kind hearted however his true colours are quickly shown when he goes behind Othello's back. Iago hates Othello because Iago is jealous of his position and the power that Othello has. In my eyes this is not a valid reason to hate Othello and isn't justifiable for the things that Iago does later in the play. Iago and Roderigo's relationship is complicated as we are supposed to see them as close friends however, there is always an indication that it may be more than just friends through the behaviour of Iago.
What sort of language does Iago use? What sort of language does Othello use? What might be the significance of this difference?
In the play Othello is supposedly supposed to speak with beauty and speak softly. His language in the play compared to Iago's is gentle and smooth. Iago on the other hand, uses manipulative language that comes across as violent and nasty. Iago uses language when speaking to Othello that is calm but still manipulative as his language infuriates Othello because he doesn't get straight to the point. The language represents the two characters personality and represents how they act around each other.
